Post by zaku on Oct 18, 2023 15:50:45 GMT -5
I will not talk here about superheroes created by American publishing houses who have Italian nationality in the stories, but about superheroes created in Italy!
This post is a compendium of my personal knowledge and various articles that have appeared on the web: the history of Italian superheroes is unfortunately a topic that is little explored by our comic books historians.
I have often thought that there are many similarities between the western (as in “Cowboys and stuff) genre and superheroes. Practically the whole world loves these two genres, even in very different cultures, and the whole world thinks that these two genres are quintessentially American and that the stories of these genres can only be set in America (or a setting that is very reminiscent of it) .
So, when authors from other countries want to create stories in these genres, what do they do? They set them in America!
So you have westerns made in Sweden,
Spain
and of course the classic spaghetti western!
Over the years, Italians have also tried their hand at the superhero genre (in comics), even though nowadays these characters have almost all been forgotten and, like westerns, their stories were almost always set in the USA!
The progenitor of Italian Superman is not a real superhero, but he already carries within himself those characteristics that will be taken up by a good part of successful Italian characters. This is Dick Fulmine, published for the first time in March 1938. Created by of Vincenzo Baggioli and Carlo Cossio, it precedes Superman himself, born in June of the same year.
The Italian-American policeman Dick Fulmine is endowed with greater than normal strength and remarkable resistance, so much so that, more than once, he emerges unharmed from explosions and various accidents. A "superstrength" clearly inspired by that of Maciste, the hero who appeared for the first time in Cabiria (1914), the historical film by Giovanni Pastrone with captions by Gabriele D'Annunzio (obviously there was no sound yet), and then revived by cinema until the sixties.
The enormous success of Dick Fulmine paved the way for a large number of comic book epigones, some of which are simply copies of him, while others are to be placed in the category of real superheroes.
In 1939, the first American superhero, Superman, appeared in Italy under the name Ciclone. The character manages to carve out a niche among the public, so much so as to justify the production of some adventures by local authors. The writer of these new stories is Vincenzo Baggioli, the creator of Dick Fulmine. The publication of Ciclone was interrupted after entry into the war, but not without having stimulated the imagination of Italian authors, bearing fruit that will be seen later.
THE BOOM YEARS
We had to wait until the immediate post-war period to see the first Italian characters with real superpowers, born by mixing the Italian hero à la Dick Fulmine with American supermen. Our authors were probably able to get to know other superheroes besides Superman thanks to the American soldiers who, along with chocolate and cigarettes, also brought with them several comic books. Furthermore, in 1946 Cino Del Duca's Edizioni Milano featured numerous superheroes in the volumes of the Collezione Uomo Mascherato. Still others appear sporadically in anthological publications, such as, already in 1945, Captain America in the weekly Il Pupazzetto.
Finally, an important reference is the costumed character Phantom (here renamed "L'Uomo Mascherato"), presented in the 1930s by the highly successful weekly L'Avventuroso.
In the space of a few months, between the end of 1945 and the beginning of 1946, several amazing Italian heroes appeared with abilities superior to those of normal human beings.
The first ever is Tanks L'Uomo D'Acciao, created by Carlo Cossio in November 1945. His physical abilities resemble those of Superman, but a fundamental component of the overseas model is missing: the secret identity. At a certain point Tanks is joined by a young sidekick, in emulation of Batman and many other American characters: Guizzo, a super child.
In this comic, which falls within the science fiction genre, the strong ironic component characteristic of Cossio is clearly present, which makes it seem likeable and engaging even when read today. The constant jokes, even during the bloodiest scenes, are more or less in the same tone as those of the more recent Spider-Man.
One of the few Italian heroes to have had a fairly long editorial life is Misterix (1946) by Max Massimino Garnier and Paul Campani, a precursor of technological heroes.
They are quite good stories, even if the atomic device from which Misterix draws his powers has the flaw of breaking down too often, ending up putting the protagonist in serious difficulty. The character has had good success especially in Argentina, where it continues to be published, even after the suspension of the Italian series, with texts by Alberto Ongaro. In the last episodes of the series, however, the device is no longer used and Misterix resembles Phantom much more than a real superhero.
Under the name of Ciclone, a completely local hero appeared in December 1945, edited by Andrea Lavezzolo and again by Carlo Cossio, with the typical appearance of the very strong man (a kind of Bud Spencer), a clear follower of Dick Fulmine. Already from the appearance of the protagonist, bald and corpulent, it is clear that the comic is rather grotesque and humorous in nature, resulting more in a parody of the genre than a real heroic comic. However, Cyclone has real superstrength, and he also has a decidedly thick skin, requirements that he shares with the previous character who had borne the name of Ciclone before the war: Superman himself.
L'Asso Di Picche, the character created by Mario Faustinelli and Hugo Pratt at the end of 1945, deserves a special mention, because despite not being a real superman, he is inspired by Batman, as recognized by Pratt himself. In one of the first adventures he is even joined by a boy dressed exactly like Robin (who was taking part in a costume party!). Asso is the first Italian character entirely inspired by an American superhero: secret identity, teenage sidekick and everything else included.
After the war, we have a real invasion of Masked Men, so much so that even well-tested heroes found themselves wearing one: thus we have (Dick) Fulmine Mascherato and Furio (Almirante) Mascherato . And many others, including many Western characters, walk around with a mask that covers practically nothing. In addition to the characters equipped with masks, many other vigilantes appear equipped with a real costume, including a cape and emblem on the chest. However, even these have a very short life, like Dario Bolide (1947) and they don't act following the typical canons of superheroes, but simply according to those of the Italian strongman originated by Maciste. These characters were born just as overseas superheroes were dying, until they almost completely disappeared just before the end of the fifties, followed closely by the Italian colleagues.
THE RETURN OF THE HEROES
After the great wave of the post-war period we had to wait until the early sixties to find some other superhero worthy of the name. Once the push of the Italian heroes has exhausted itself, the successors no longer show native characteristics, but are clearly inspired, if not copied, by the American supermen, who in the meantime have also arrived here on the pages of Mondadori's Albi del Falco.
Among the best known are certainly those presented by the Universo publishing house. The first is Junior (1960) by Luigi Grecchi and Loredano Ugolini, initially published in small books attached to Intrepido. Another is Atlas, also by Grecchi and Ugolini, which appeared in 1963 in Il Monello. Both characters are teenagers, and their adventures, which can definitely be placed in science fiction, are anything but dull or naive (like the average story of the time), but well characterized and compelling. Junior was published throughout the sixties, developing long and quite intricate plots.
Competing for the success of these two heroes is Radar by Tristano Torelli and Franco Donatelli (later artist on Zagor), published by the Piccolo Sceriffo newspaper and then on its own.
Radar's stories, rather naive and similar to those of 1950s Superman, were well received, given that they lasted over 100 episodes. Unfortunately, there is little psychological depth, because all we know is that he absolutely doesn't want to be seen: in all his actions we find him transformed into an animal or other people, so that no one can say they have ever seen his face. He obviously has a secret identity and a girlfriend, Brenda. His private life is somewhat limited because the 12 tables of his stories are all occupied with action.
Radar is perhaps our most successful superhero, so much so that he was also published in UK in Wonderman comics!
Luciano Secchi / Max Bunker, a few years before creating Alan Ford and becoming the standard-bearer of Marvel in Italy, for Editoriale Corno tried his hand at superheroes creating Atomik (1964), with art by Paolo Piffarerio, which in many ways follows Misterix, being also equipped with a miraculous "atomic suit". This character initially appears in the appendix to the "Albi di Maschera Nera", a western hero also by Secchi. Sometime his stories are quite humorous. In one, for example, Atomik fights against some comic book publishers who want to have the exclusive right to publish a comic book featuring his exploits.
Although some of these superheroes also had a fairly long life, none of them ever reached the popularity of the American models, nor that of the major Italian heroes of the period. This despite Superman and Batman, at the same time, reaping successes in Mondadori publications. Italian authors were unable to grasp the reasons for the success of overseas characters, limiting themselves to proposing stories ranging from science fiction to crime fiction without ever exploiting the true narrative potential offered by a being endowed with superhuman powers. This led to the total disappearance of "made in Italy" superheroes before the beginning of the seventies.
In the next post I will talk about the modern rebirth (?) of Italian superheroes!
This post is a compendium of my personal knowledge and various articles that have appeared on the web: the history of Italian superheroes is unfortunately a topic that is little explored by our comic books historians.
I have often thought that there are many similarities between the western (as in “Cowboys and stuff) genre and superheroes. Practically the whole world loves these two genres, even in very different cultures, and the whole world thinks that these two genres are quintessentially American and that the stories of these genres can only be set in America (or a setting that is very reminiscent of it) .
So, when authors from other countries want to create stories in these genres, what do they do? They set them in America!
So you have westerns made in Sweden,
Spain
and of course the classic spaghetti western!
Over the years, Italians have also tried their hand at the superhero genre (in comics), even though nowadays these characters have almost all been forgotten and, like westerns, their stories were almost always set in the USA!
The progenitor of Italian Superman is not a real superhero, but he already carries within himself those characteristics that will be taken up by a good part of successful Italian characters. This is Dick Fulmine, published for the first time in March 1938. Created by of Vincenzo Baggioli and Carlo Cossio, it precedes Superman himself, born in June of the same year.
The Italian-American policeman Dick Fulmine is endowed with greater than normal strength and remarkable resistance, so much so that, more than once, he emerges unharmed from explosions and various accidents. A "superstrength" clearly inspired by that of Maciste, the hero who appeared for the first time in Cabiria (1914), the historical film by Giovanni Pastrone with captions by Gabriele D'Annunzio (obviously there was no sound yet), and then revived by cinema until the sixties.
The enormous success of Dick Fulmine paved the way for a large number of comic book epigones, some of which are simply copies of him, while others are to be placed in the category of real superheroes.
In 1939, the first American superhero, Superman, appeared in Italy under the name Ciclone. The character manages to carve out a niche among the public, so much so as to justify the production of some adventures by local authors. The writer of these new stories is Vincenzo Baggioli, the creator of Dick Fulmine. The publication of Ciclone was interrupted after entry into the war, but not without having stimulated the imagination of Italian authors, bearing fruit that will be seen later.
THE BOOM YEARS
We had to wait until the immediate post-war period to see the first Italian characters with real superpowers, born by mixing the Italian hero à la Dick Fulmine with American supermen. Our authors were probably able to get to know other superheroes besides Superman thanks to the American soldiers who, along with chocolate and cigarettes, also brought with them several comic books. Furthermore, in 1946 Cino Del Duca's Edizioni Milano featured numerous superheroes in the volumes of the Collezione Uomo Mascherato. Still others appear sporadically in anthological publications, such as, already in 1945, Captain America in the weekly Il Pupazzetto.
Finally, an important reference is the costumed character Phantom (here renamed "L'Uomo Mascherato"), presented in the 1930s by the highly successful weekly L'Avventuroso.
In the space of a few months, between the end of 1945 and the beginning of 1946, several amazing Italian heroes appeared with abilities superior to those of normal human beings.
The first ever is Tanks L'Uomo D'Acciao, created by Carlo Cossio in November 1945. His physical abilities resemble those of Superman, but a fundamental component of the overseas model is missing: the secret identity. At a certain point Tanks is joined by a young sidekick, in emulation of Batman and many other American characters: Guizzo, a super child.
In this comic, which falls within the science fiction genre, the strong ironic component characteristic of Cossio is clearly present, which makes it seem likeable and engaging even when read today. The constant jokes, even during the bloodiest scenes, are more or less in the same tone as those of the more recent Spider-Man.
One of the few Italian heroes to have had a fairly long editorial life is Misterix (1946) by Max Massimino Garnier and Paul Campani, a precursor of technological heroes.
They are quite good stories, even if the atomic device from which Misterix draws his powers has the flaw of breaking down too often, ending up putting the protagonist in serious difficulty. The character has had good success especially in Argentina, where it continues to be published, even after the suspension of the Italian series, with texts by Alberto Ongaro. In the last episodes of the series, however, the device is no longer used and Misterix resembles Phantom much more than a real superhero.
Under the name of Ciclone, a completely local hero appeared in December 1945, edited by Andrea Lavezzolo and again by Carlo Cossio, with the typical appearance of the very strong man (a kind of Bud Spencer), a clear follower of Dick Fulmine. Already from the appearance of the protagonist, bald and corpulent, it is clear that the comic is rather grotesque and humorous in nature, resulting more in a parody of the genre than a real heroic comic. However, Cyclone has real superstrength, and he also has a decidedly thick skin, requirements that he shares with the previous character who had borne the name of Ciclone before the war: Superman himself.
L'Asso Di Picche, the character created by Mario Faustinelli and Hugo Pratt at the end of 1945, deserves a special mention, because despite not being a real superman, he is inspired by Batman, as recognized by Pratt himself. In one of the first adventures he is even joined by a boy dressed exactly like Robin (who was taking part in a costume party!). Asso is the first Italian character entirely inspired by an American superhero: secret identity, teenage sidekick and everything else included.
After the war, we have a real invasion of Masked Men, so much so that even well-tested heroes found themselves wearing one: thus we have (Dick) Fulmine Mascherato and Furio (Almirante) Mascherato . And many others, including many Western characters, walk around with a mask that covers practically nothing. In addition to the characters equipped with masks, many other vigilantes appear equipped with a real costume, including a cape and emblem on the chest. However, even these have a very short life, like Dario Bolide (1947) and they don't act following the typical canons of superheroes, but simply according to those of the Italian strongman originated by Maciste. These characters were born just as overseas superheroes were dying, until they almost completely disappeared just before the end of the fifties, followed closely by the Italian colleagues.
THE RETURN OF THE HEROES
After the great wave of the post-war period we had to wait until the early sixties to find some other superhero worthy of the name. Once the push of the Italian heroes has exhausted itself, the successors no longer show native characteristics, but are clearly inspired, if not copied, by the American supermen, who in the meantime have also arrived here on the pages of Mondadori's Albi del Falco.
Among the best known are certainly those presented by the Universo publishing house. The first is Junior (1960) by Luigi Grecchi and Loredano Ugolini, initially published in small books attached to Intrepido. Another is Atlas, also by Grecchi and Ugolini, which appeared in 1963 in Il Monello. Both characters are teenagers, and their adventures, which can definitely be placed in science fiction, are anything but dull or naive (like the average story of the time), but well characterized and compelling. Junior was published throughout the sixties, developing long and quite intricate plots.
Competing for the success of these two heroes is Radar by Tristano Torelli and Franco Donatelli (later artist on Zagor), published by the Piccolo Sceriffo newspaper and then on its own.
Radar's stories, rather naive and similar to those of 1950s Superman, were well received, given that they lasted over 100 episodes. Unfortunately, there is little psychological depth, because all we know is that he absolutely doesn't want to be seen: in all his actions we find him transformed into an animal or other people, so that no one can say they have ever seen his face. He obviously has a secret identity and a girlfriend, Brenda. His private life is somewhat limited because the 12 tables of his stories are all occupied with action.
Radar is perhaps our most successful superhero, so much so that he was also published in UK in Wonderman comics!
Luciano Secchi / Max Bunker, a few years before creating Alan Ford and becoming the standard-bearer of Marvel in Italy, for Editoriale Corno tried his hand at superheroes creating Atomik (1964), with art by Paolo Piffarerio, which in many ways follows Misterix, being also equipped with a miraculous "atomic suit". This character initially appears in the appendix to the "Albi di Maschera Nera", a western hero also by Secchi. Sometime his stories are quite humorous. In one, for example, Atomik fights against some comic book publishers who want to have the exclusive right to publish a comic book featuring his exploits.
Although some of these superheroes also had a fairly long life, none of them ever reached the popularity of the American models, nor that of the major Italian heroes of the period. This despite Superman and Batman, at the same time, reaping successes in Mondadori publications. Italian authors were unable to grasp the reasons for the success of overseas characters, limiting themselves to proposing stories ranging from science fiction to crime fiction without ever exploiting the true narrative potential offered by a being endowed with superhuman powers. This led to the total disappearance of "made in Italy" superheroes before the beginning of the seventies.
In the next post I will talk about the modern rebirth (?) of Italian superheroes!