When I contacted Michela for the interview, I was enveloped by her enthusiasm which can be found in her works. His passion for talking clouds with an interest in manga have given him a boost in giving life to works not only in comics but also in literature, when he is said to be a versatile artist who embraces art in various forms but not to preserve it for if but to share it with the various readers.
In her words that you will read, there is the simplicity of a girl who always wants to learn and always compare herself with other artists, giving life to comics with clean drawings, with a soft and delicate stroke, as if they were precious objects that must be handled with care and savor its value page after page.
But now the word to Michela Fusato:
Let me introduce myself: I’m Michela Fusato, born in 1979, and my name is Mika since 2005. In fact, I’ve been making comics for
more than twenty years since, during my high school studies in the Clothing sector, I discovered that stories
that I had always written, came to life best through manga-style drawing thanks to the stroke
light and clean and for the expressive charge that characterizes this sign.
While working during the day, after high school I applied myself, first as an autodidact and then through courses, to deepening the composition of stories and tables by presenting my works in competitions and fairs. At the time, by now we can really say that (XD), it was more difficult to get in touch with the editorial realities but I never gave up and I tried to compare with other authors finding continuous ideas to improve.
In 2011, with the screenwriter Ruffo Manuel, we collected the five years of blogging of our Lui&Lei comic strips in a book presented at the major fairs in northern Italy and at Lucca comics; for me, however, the time had come to face the project closed in the drawer since school, my manga-style comic: Alicia. Seven volumes of comic-romantic history that I initially posted online to then be published on paper by the publishing house EF Edizioni for the Reika Manga label.
Still working as an employee in a clothing company, in 2020 I managed to conclude Alicia to dive into a new experience immediately afterwards, switching to prose narration correlated by illustrations and comic strips: the Light Novel.
Thus, the three albums of my decidedly romantic novella “Tu nella mia mente” have seen the light of day, divided into three for the form of narration that reports the points of view of both protagonists.
Enthusiastic about this experience and the result obtained, I ventured into writing by releasing my first novel “Do you believe in destiny?” released in November 2022 on the Reika Libri label; here the protagonist divides her life between unexpected events of all sorts, work and unexpected love in a novel completed by illustrations that give shape to the characters.
Currently I’m back to the protagonist who kicked off my editorial experience working on an extra episode of Alicia loudly requested by readers who want to laugh with her again and, in my spare time, I’m proceeding with the drafting of my second novel.
I have many other projects planned and I hope to be able to bring them to life but there is no doubt that, with two small children and
full-time employment, I need to organize my remaining free time efficiently in order to be successful
also drawing and writing. Those who follow me know it and I love the patience readers give me in waiting for new publications.
How did your passion for comics begin?
Since I was a child I have always loved reading and, growing up, writing stories and short stories. But the amount of
ideas that I sketched could not find a form of expression suitable for realization. During school
higher, however, seeing Sailor Moon and copying the drawings together with some classmates, I discovered
that the light stroke and expressiveness of manga and anime was all I needed and I started to
writing my first comic without knowing that twenty years later it would be defined as an “Italian manga”.
Can you tell us about how you go about creating your work?
Although I know the steps for creating a comic, it’s the most extensive work I have
created and published, Alicia’s comic strip is drawn entirely in pencil, in traditional style;
then inserted into the computer, I used a graphics program to clean up and increase the contrast while rendering
the most decisive line, almost like an inking. Always on the computer I entered the texts, the boxes of the
cartoons and digital screens. In short, not exactly a textbook job but the yield has gained in it
softness and spontaneity of the line. All this was not dictated, however, by a whim of mine, how much,
rather, from the need to carry on the project in the little free time I have available. Being
full-time employee and having two small children, I risked not keeping decent timing for
who followed the publication and, in any case, the rendering was clean and enjoyable
How important is the relationship with the public in your profession.
Since I embarked on this adventure, I have posted, published and showcased the
sequences of my work. The public has gradually become part of the construct of history by becoming
get involved in the contests I created for the various holidays and anniversaries. Coloring contests, of
writing, drawing and imagination. The Facebook page “Alicia: a cartoon with a capital A”
collects in albums the wonderful contributions that came from fans who often surpassed even me in
skill! The same readers then appeared in the comic scenes where the narrative needed
of a crowd of characters by entering directly into the story!
What are the most difficult aspects of your job and the most rewarding ones.
As much as the work I do recharges me with energy and lifts me up after a day at the office, I have to say
that the small hours begin with the years to get heavy. It becomes difficult to carry out long projects because, for
fortunately, the ideas mount and surpass what I often find myself having to conclude simultaneously.
Therefore, it happens that I spend entire months working in parallel on several fronts. Right now, for
take an example, I’m drawing an extra episode of Alicia (which saw its conclusion with the volume
7 in 2020), at the same time I’m writing my second novel but, in order not to keep a free minute
During the day, a new story took over, prompting me to write a quick script
which has already touched the hundred pages. In the past years I have alternated between the first novel, a
Light Novel and small collaborations for publications of illustrations and comic strips, therefore, it seems to be mine
fate always keep a lot of irons in the fire XD
How much do you think technology has influenced the cartoonist’s work?
Technology and social networks have not only influenced what I have been able to achieve but have been
absolutely fundamental: without social networks I would not have surrounded myself with passionate readers from all over Italy but,
even more, the publishing house EF Edizioni of Cinisello Balsamo would not have discovered and published my
cartoon Alice. In addition, the use of graphics programs, mobile applications and now also the
screen tablet allows me to shorten the processing time of my comics by increasing the yield of
color and screening that would have been unthinkable by hand. When they ask me if I miss the
years past, I still stand firm on how fundamental technology has been to the
realization of my dream: to let everyone get what I write and draw
Can you show us your work and what are the projects you have in mind for the future?
As already mentioned, my most extensive work is “Alicia, a comic book with a capital A” (in the pages of
presentation explains what is meant XD); the comic, written in his school years, he had seen as many as three
attempts at realization but only at the “venerable” age of 35, almost 20 years after the first draft, I
started the final composition. Having reached the desired maturity of the stroke and narrative capacity, I am
embarked, initially for my pure personal satisfaction and, later for the contract with the Publishing House
for the Reika Manga label, until the completion of the 7th volume in 2020. The very simple story of the
protagonist Alicia, a 17-year-old girl, takes the reader to the mountains with her for the holidays
summer; forced to spend three months with an elderly aunt, the characters she will meet including her relative
they will make her stay anything but boring, as she initially thought. Even the meeting with Alex,
a local boy, will lead her to reflect on love and, above all, on the handsome idiot with whom she was infatuated
in the city. Each character brings his own story and a good deal of absurdity to the story and there is no page in
which you don’t smile or laugh out loud. If the plot may appear simple and trivial, they are different
protagonists to animate it and curiosity drags through the 100 pages of each volume.
It’s your moment… what do you feel like saying to the readers of Mondo Japan?
I want to invite Mondo Japan readers to find a moment of lightness and fun between the pages
of my Alicia. There’s plenty to laugh about and plenty to get lost in for a few hours out of the ordinary.
A thousand quotes and Easter Eggs populate the world and the sympathy of my characters and if you want to test the
terrain I invite you to read the first pages here https://www.efedizioni.com/alicia.php
For those who want to really fall in love, however, I recommend the Light Novel “You in my mind” where I have
told the story of a difficult love but too strong to be overwhelmed by the prejudices of society.
https://www.efedizioni.com/tu-nella-mia-mente.php
Finally, for lovers of the written text, you will find my first novel that catapults the reader right from
front page in the life of the protagonist, Martha; with her Interior Desgin studio she is overwhelmed by
events, inconveniences and the love that seeks and flees, burnt by past experiences.
https://www.efedizioni.com/product/?credi-nel-destino
For those who like the idea of a small Sketch-Notes on which to practice drawing, I leave the link of the collection of
dynamic sketches of the female figure which is pleasant even as a small Art-book.