In 1919, the Italian futurist poet, novelist, screenwriter and aviator Gabriele D'Annunzio marshaled a private army and seized the Adriatic seaport of Fiume. In the confusion of post-World War I Europe, D'Annunzio was able to rule

History told as a graphic novel is nothing new, but Best of Enemies is a singular accomplishment, packing episodes little known and less understood into striking black-and-white frames crowded with imagery and ideas. The imaginative landscape...