Several hundred years ago, there was this man that went by the name of Leonardo da Vinci. His friends called him da Vinci for short. The legends say he was a pretty competent artist, if you're a judge of that sort of thing. These days, Mr. Leonardo enjoys quite a bit of popularity, between the bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code, a multitude of cable TV documentaries, and having a Ninja Turtle named after him. But well before anyone gave two hoots about Leo's secret code and well after the heroes in a half-shell were past their prime, Vertigo released Chiaroscuro: The Private Lives of Leonardo da Vinci, a 10-issue mini-series that delves into the secret life of Leonardo, the one you don't learn about in 10th grade art class.Salai, who makes Chiaroscuro interesting, is introduced as a lowly street urchin adopted by Leonardo because of his stunning beauty. Their relationship quickly takes a sharp turn into Woody Allen territory and Salai becomes Leonardo's lover, muse and greatest source of torment. That sounds like a heavy workload for one troublemaker, but he also narrates the book, providing an outsider's perspective on his mentor. Through Salai's eyes, we come to see Leonardo as a brilliant, but highly flawed and neurotic man.
