Leonardo da Vinci is known as one of history’s greatest artists and thinkers. But what if the Renaissance icon was also a prank-loving kid who used creativity to challenge the world around him?
That is the premise behind Leo Da Vinci: Renaissance Kid, a new graphic novel from writer Richard Ashley Hamilton and artist Marco Matrone. AIPT can share an early preview of the book ahead of its April release via Papercutz, which lands on Leonardo da Vinci’s real-life birthday.
Hamilton is best known as a key creative voice behind beloved animated franchises such as How to Train Your Dragon and Trollhunters. With Renaissance Kid, he turns his attention to a historical legend and imagines the early life of da Vinci as a lively adventure story filled with invention, humor, and youthful rebellion.
The story follows a young Leonardo who spends his early years exploring art, engineering, and the occasional creepy cave in the countryside. His freedom disappears when his long-absent father pulls him away to begin an apprenticeship in a distant city. Suddenly Leo finds himself in unfamiliar territory and in the middle of political tension that threatens to erupt into war.
Fortunately, he does not face it alone.
Leo soon meets two friends who reshape his life. Tano is a charming but clumsy newcomer from Africa. Filomena is a mysterious young patron who believes in Leo’s talent and supports his strange inventions. Her enigmatic smile will one day inspire the most famous portrait Leonardo ever paints.
Together the trio stumble upon a deadly conspiracy that could shake the entire world. The problem is that nobody listens to them. After all, they are just kids.
So Leo and his friends do what inventive troublemakers do best. They stage elaborate pranks and use creativity, spectacle, and art to force the adults around them to pay attention.
Hamilton says the project grew from a lifelong fascination with da Vinci and the surprising relevance of his world today.
“Marco and I are lifelong Leonardo da Vinci fans and we believe he’d definitely be a comics fan if he were alive today! So it only made sense for us to honor our favorite artist in our favorite medium,” Hamilton said. “But imagine our surprise when the more research we did into Leo’s life revealed just how similar his world was to ours: Political strife, economic imbalance, the looming specter of war, and a generation of rebellious kids just itching to overcome these injustices in clever ways. Da Vinci really is the hero for our time, and we can’t wait to reintroduce him to readers of all ages. If you love art, if you love science, if you love action and adventure and humor with heart, then you will love LEO!”
Leo Da Vinci: Renaissance Kid arrives April 15.
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