“Then listen, Socrates, to a tale which, though strange, is certainly true…”

Thus the greek philosopher Plato begins his famous dialogue “Timaeus”, where Atlantis is mentioned for the first time. In his narrative, the island of Atlantis is portrayed as a mighty maritime power subduing by force the people of the Mediterranean Sea. The city of Athens, however, bravely resists and defeats the atlantean invaders. Tidal waves and earthquakes follow and, in one day and one night, Atlantis disappears under the ocean. How much of history is there in the legend? Did Atlantis exist?  Was it just a storytelling device, a powerful enemy invented by Plato to highlight the glory and valor of athenians?

It’s a theme that has always fascinated me. Civilizations that are born, reach their prime  and eventually, die. The Aztecs, the mayans, the incas… How many others have existed without any vestiges left ? How many remain to be discovered?  Also intriguing is the saga of the people without a land to call their own, people who have fought, and still fight, to keep their culture and traditions as exiles. The roma, jews, palestinians, kurds, just to name a few. Even more tragic is the struggle of native-american nations all over the Americas for a future, some already exterminated, some still fighting.

My genuine interest in these questions made me develop ATLANTE (Atlantean), the webcomic. It’s my fictional answer to the question “What if the atlanteans are still out there?”.  Fantasy and fact mixed in an action and adventure story, with some mystery and espionage thrown in. The pages  you are reading are just the beginning of what I expect to be a long journey. Hope you’ll follow me in this trip!