Original Belardinelli artwork for an unidentified Fleetway Super Library war comic - Giolitti Studio 1967.

Massimo Belardinelli started his career as a painter of backgrounds for animated cartoons in the Rosi Studio in Rome.

When the Spanish artist Jesus Blasco left the very popular Steel Claw strip that was appearing in the British comic The Valiant the Rosi Studio took up the slack: Belardinelli drew the detailed backgrounds, Sergio Rosi inked, and Giorgio Cambiotti pencilled. Cambiotti later gained fame with his erotic comic Jacula, as well as his work on Perry Rhodan for the German market, and Twilight Zone and Star Trek for the US market. Belardinelli drew the Steel Claw for a year (until January 1969), when Carlos Cruz took over.

Click here for the complete(?) Belardinelli UK Strip-ography.

The first complete comic books Belardinelli inked were the erotic comics Messalina and Jacula again for the Rosi Studio.

In 1968 both Belardinelli and Cambiotti moved to the Giolliti Studio in Rome and worked for him until Giolitti's death in 1993. During his early years with Giolitti, Belardinelli was given the job of drawing some war comics stories for Fleetway: an example of that work is shown on the left. Belardinelli also inked some Phantom strips for Flli Spada.

Original artwork - Ace Trucking Co. from the 1989 2000 AD Annual.

In 1977 he was selected to do the artwork for a new comic that Fleetway was staffing - 2000AD - and in particular a modern rendition of an old hero: Dan Dare. The new Dan Dare (that is, actually the old Dan Dare re-awakened after cryogenic sleep) was to say the least, controversial. Whether you loved it or hated it, the strip made Belardinelli a household name in the UK. After a brief two year stint when it ran into copyright problems, the new Dan Dare strip ground to a halt - but not so Belardinelli who went on to become a regular artist on 2000AD (still via Giolitti) drawing such stories as: Slaine, Ace Trucking Co., Flesh, Moonrunners, Inferno and many other science fiction stories.

In the 80s and early 90s Massimo continued to work for Fleetway, but his main job was working on a special project for another studio. This project failed after many years of work involving many artists.

During his retirement Massimo lived outside Rome and painted watercolour landscapes as a hobby. After a long illness he passed away in March 2007.

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