This is a good comic book to introduce someone to the infamous Borgia family, that is if they don't mind lots of sex and violence. This also reminds me a little bit of From Hell and Lost Girls, but with easier writing.

Ever since I picked up Gregory Maguire's book Mirror Mirror, I've been obsessed about the Borgia family. I think it's my love for crime, mystery, and dysfunctional families that draws my attention. I've watch most of the Showtime show of them, so most of my knowledge of them might be highly fictional or just rumors. I'm also intrigued by the fact they are a "holy" family of the Catholic Church, yet they prove that not all popes are good, some are as wicked as the Devil.

From what I've learned, the Borgia house is recognized as one of the first mafia families. Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) is the father to four children. All make very interesting stories as separate people. You got the power hungers Cesare, the lustful Lucrezia, the favorable Giovanni, and the youngest Gioffre. Apparently, the house was corrupt. Many of the Borgias abused their power and thought too highly of themselves.

This comic book remind me a lot of the Showtime show, but more of this other show I started watching on Netflix. This doesn't hid the fact that the Borgias were living in a very dark time. Several panels show the violence in the streets. This might be too violent for some, but I think it's trying to show you just how bad these people were. Again, not sure how much of this actually happened.

Another thing I should point out is this comic book is an erotica. It's not as graphic as Lost Girls, but it's pretty damn close. I was totally expecting it though. The Borgias has this rumor that Lucrezia had sexual relations with both her brother and her father. I'm not sure I would call this porn because it goes too much into story and history for me to call it a porn, but it's definitely erotica.

The down side to this book is the writing and the art at some parts. For the writing overall I liked it because the Borgias can get confusing, but he made it simple and didn't cover the entire history of the family. Some of the dialogue (like the swearing parts) seemed a little forced at times too. As for the art I liked how it was drawn, but not a big fan of the artist. I know Manara recently got in some hot water with the Spider-Woman cover, but erotica is his forte. I liked his work he did for the Desire story for Sandman Endless Nights. Only thing I don't like about his art is some of his characters have the same feminine face.

This is not a comic book for everyone. Like I said before there are a lot of sex scene and a lot of scenes with gore. However, like From Hell, without those elements it wouldn't be a Borgia story. If you know me I don't mind violence (if it's a period drama or to tell the story) and don't mind erotica either. Make you own decision getting this and maybe look up stuff about it before getting the book, but I did liked The Borgias. ( )

In un sontuoso volume la Panini propone l’ultimo lavoro di un’accoppiata clamorosa, Jodorowsky, Manara che propongono la declinazione a fumetti della storia di Rodrigo Borgia, proclamato papa con il nome di Alessandro VI, e della sua famiglia, dalla splendida Lucrezia al figlio illegittimo Cesare. Ma più che della storia di un papa bisognerebbe parlare di un affresco di un periodo, quello dei Borgia, in cui si sovrappongono ragioni di Stato ed interessi personali, con personaggi diversi, come Savonarola e Machiavelli. L’unione delle capacità narrative di Jodorowsky con l’arte di Milo Manara consentono, senza ombra di dubbio, di attribuire a questo prodotto una collocazione di primaria importanza nell’ambito del fumetto mondiale. Le donne di Manara diventano in questo albo uno strumento per rendere, indirettamente, l’ennesimo omaggio al maestro italiano. L’ottima qualità di questa edizione, con pagine grandi ed un ottima qualità della carta rendono al meglio il servizio al lettore.

Recensione del 04 aprile 2019
Ed eccomi alla seconda lettura di uno dei grandi capolavori di Manara, Borgia. L’edizione lussuosa della Panini, la carta che favorisce l’esplosione dei colori, la collaborazione con Alejandro Jodorowsky sono gli ingredienti perfetti per rendere al meglio la storia dei Borgia di Manara. Rodrigo Borgia, il futuro papa Alessandro VI, è un uomo arrogante, vizioso; briga per raggiungere i suoi obiettivi, l’obiettivo è quello di consegnare il nome della sua famiglia alla storia. A metà tra racconto e storia, Manara e Jodorowsky partono dalle vicende della famiglia Borgia per consegnarli alla storia della nona arte. Ad ogni pagina si rimane in bilico tra la velocità di lettura, necessaria per concludere la storia, e l’esigenza di assaporare ogni singolo particolare di ogni singola vignetta. Il marketing e le mode contano, ma effettivamente la pubblicazione di questo albo è da considerare un evento per il fumetto internazionale. ( )