Pantani’s death turned into graphic novel
A newly released graphic novel is based on the conspiracy theory surrounding Marco Pantani's death.
Disgraced Italian superstar Marco Pantani may have died seven years ago, but he continues to inspire fanciful stories — including a newly released graphic novel.
Gli Ultimi Giorni di Marco Pantani — ‘The Last Days of Marco Pantani’ — by Marco Rizzo and Lelio Bonaccorso is based on the conspiracy theory advanced by Philippe Brunel, a French journalist and friend of the enigmatic cyclist.
For those who aren’t familiar with Pantani’s tale, the diminutive and aggressive cyclist rose to stardom in the late 1990s. Nicknamed Il Pirata (‘the Pirate’) because of his shaved head, bandana and earrings, he won both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in 1998. But he was kicked out of the 1999 Giro because of high hematocrit values — implying the use of EPO — and his career never recovered. In 2003 he checked into a clinic with severe depression, and on Valentine’s Day in 2004 he was found dead in a hotel room in Rimini due to cocaine poisoning.
Pantani’s career and death inspired a number of books, as well as conspiracy theories like Brunel’s.
You’ll need to understand Italian to read the graphic novel, but you can get a taste with the first 18 pages here.
