As the 75th International Astronautical Congress unfolded last week, ESA hosted a series of events beyond the conference centre, transforming Milan into a vibrant space hub for celebrating space in various ways. Among these activities was Cosmic Synergies, which featured the presentation of ‘La terra si frantuma!‘, a new comic book starring the Italian ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano alongside the character Nathan Never, published by Bonelli Editore.
At the Cosmic Synergies event, Federico – young autistic comic illustrator working at EJR-Quartz for ESA in ESRIN – had the unique opportunity to introduce himself to the public in a dynamic format: a short animation (you can watch the video here). Through an engaging hand-crafted video, which featured a cartoon version of himself, Federico introduced his latest project, ‘Mission Moon‘, the second episode of the Fede’s SpaceToon saga.
Published by Officina Animata, the first edition of Fede’s SpaceToon adventures was released in 2022. The second episode of Federico’s comic book once again stars ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, this time embarking on a mission to the Moon. With his unique artistry, the presentation showcased not only his current artwork but also his exceptional perspective as an autistic artist, adding a special spark that brought depth and emotion to the event’s stellar lineup.
Federico shared some impressions of his experience at the Cosmic Synergies event with us: “It was thrilling to see my video projected on the big screen. Since the first volume of Fede’s SpaceToon, I’ve dreamed of creating a new story that still features Luca Parmitano. I’ve been a big fan of Luca since I first met him in 2018, and I still remember his words of encouragement for the 2019 Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, where I competed. The dream of becoming a cartoonist has been with me for as long as I can remember, along with my love for ESA’s characters like Paxi and AstroGNAT. I’m so happy to have them meet my own comic characters, like Stuart the dragon and Buk the Space lizard.“
About Federico
Federico Badessi joined EJR-Quartz in January 2024, as a junior graphic designer. He was previously an ESA trainee at ESRIN, during which time he produced a comic book ‘Fede’s SpaceToon – Mission Space‘ (ISBN 978-88-946233-3-8) on a fantasy space mission on the International Space Station involving Luca Parmitano. The first edition of his book, published by Officina Animata, was available on the Special Olympics Italia website.
Federico is an autistic person, comic illustrator and Special Olympics athlete (swimming). He graduated from the art school ‘Istituto C.G. Argan of Rome’ in 2017, and then completed a three-year illustration course of the international school of Comics in Rome, graduating in 2020. Federico’s artwork can be seen on his digital portfolio on Behance.
(Credits banner: Fede’s Comics Channel on YouTube)
