Growing up as Catholics in the 80s. Miki Nutella’s comics (1982-1989)

Abstract

In the 1980s, the Miki Nutella comic strips were published in Segno nel mondo - Ragazzi, a Catholic Action magazine
aimed at members aged 12 to 14. Together with the letters page edited by Don Tonino Lasconi, these introduced
a new and very frank language for teenagers, especially girls, to help them address even the most intimate
existential questions. Female readers had no qualms about asking questions about sexuality and physical appearance,
as well as expressing doubts, with a certain freedom of expression, about religious faith and the quality of
their relationships, thus revealing the continuing relevance of the educational role of the Church, which was
considered a reliable interlocutor.