Every attempt has been made to obtain the necessary consents for the images and quotations used in this publication where required, but it has not been possible to trace some of the owners. Any owner who has not been traced is invited to make contact with the publishers so that this can be rectified in future editions.
Figure 1 Cover of La Tribuna illustrata, 4, 26 January 1890. Image reproduced here courtesy of the Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna – Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna.
Figure 2 [Left] Cover of the September 1929 issue of Black Mask magazine, artwork by H. C. Murphy (via Wikimedia Commons/public domain). [Right] Cover of the August 1930 issue of Amazing Detective Tales, artwork by Earle K. Bergey (via Wikimedia Commons/public domain).
Figure 3 [Left] ‘Rob the Rover’, first published in Pluck, 29 October 1940. Permission to reproduce this image granted by Rebellion Publishing Ltd. [Right] ‘Lucio l’avanguardista’ from Jumbo, 17 December 1932. It has not proved possible to trace the creator(s) of the Italian translation/adaptation (the publisher of which died in 1985); the image is now presumed to be in the public domain.
Figure 4 The first issue of Topolino, artwork by Giove Toppi, 31 December 1932. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 5 First advertisement for L’Avventuroso in Topolino, 14 October 1934. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 6 Emilio Fancelli’s ‘Filibustieri del gran golfo’, illustrated by Giove Toppi in L’Avventuroso, 14 October 1934. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 7 Corrado Sarri’s ‘Il cacciatore di serpenti’ in L’Avventuroso, 14 October 1934. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 8 The white woman, captured and surrounded by villains (native Ethiopians), illustrated by Guido Moroni-Celsi in L’Avventuroso, 15 September 1935. Available online at http://annitrenta.blogspot.com/2010/05/lavventuroso-7-1935-quartaparte-gli.html [28 April 2025] and reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 9 The first strip of ‘The Phantom’ by Lee Falk in L’Avventuroso, 13 September 1936. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 10 Second episode of ‘L’uomo mascherato’, in which Diana Palmesi meets the villains. She is named ‘gattina’ for her attitude and beauty. In this strip there is the first reference to the hero: ‘la scorta è per qualcun’altro’ [the bodyguard is for someone else]. From L’Avventuroso, 20 September 1936. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 11 The Phantom rescues Diana. Their kiss in the strip is possibly the first published in a children’s comics magazine in Italy. In L’Avventuroso, 1 November 1936. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 12 A possible love triangle. L’Avventuroso, 9 May 1937. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 13 Another panel showing the romance between Diana and the hero. In L’Avventuroso, 6 December 1937. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 14 [Top] L’Avventuroso masthead for the 4 September 1938 issue; and [below] for the 11 September 1938 issue. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 15 Ferdinando Vichi’s villain Monk Eastman in L’Avventuroso, 30 January 1938. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 16 Panels showing Dale Arden’s sensuality in ‘La distruzione del mondo’ in L’Avventuroso, 9 December 1934. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 17 ‘Agente Segreto X-9’ in L’Avventuroso, 9 December 1934. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 18 The manipulated version of Alex Raymond’s ‘Flash Gordon’, which appeared in L’Avventuroso, 13 January 1935. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 19 In the Italian version Princess Narda’s (‘Daran’) appearance has been altered by Nerbini’s self-imposed censorship: covering the nudity of her upper body with a corset-like design. Image from the 11 August 1935 issue. Reproduced here from the comic book published in February 1936, courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 20 The ending of the third episode as reproduced in L’Avventuroso, 28 October 1934. In the original ‘to be continued’ appears in the last panel; in the Italian version, it appears in the centre of the page (first panel of the image as it appears here). Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 21 ‘Flash Gordon’ as depicted in the 18 November 1934 and 30 December 1934 issues of L’Avventuroso : Princess Aurora [top] and Dale Arden [bottom]. Note the use of the informal ‘tu’ in the bottom panel. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 22 Flash Gordon in a submarine adventure on Planet Mongo in this original strip dating to 1934. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 23 Giove Toppi’s ‘La regina d’Atalanta’ undersea scene, featuring the attack by a giant octopus from L’Avventuroso, 14 June 1936. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 24 Mandrake is attacked by a giant octopus and saved by his servant Lothar in ‘Il mistero della casa da giuoco’, 6 February 1936 (6 October 1935; published in the States as ‘The Hawk’, 6 December 1934). Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 25 Arabel French in ‘La regina d’Atalanta’ in L’Avventuroso, 8 March 1938. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 26 The Phantom with Diana in ‘L’uomo mascherato’ (L’Avventuroso, 11 April 1937); and the kidnapping of Arabel in ‘La regina d’Atalanta’ (L’Avventuroso, 12 April 1936). Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 27 Mandrake in ‘Il cammello di argilla’, 1 November 1936, reproduced as a stand-alone album in March 1937, from which the image is taken. Reproduced courtesy of Edizioni Nerbini.
Figure 28 Front cover of first issue of Grazia, 10 November 1938. Reproduced courtesy of Grazia, Reworld Media Italia.
Figure 29 Front cover of Grazia, 5 September 1940. Reproduced courtesy of Grazia, Reworld Media Italia.
Figure 30 Table of Contents from the first issue of Grazia, 10 November 1938. Reproduced courtesy of Grazia, Reworld Media Italia.
Figure 31 ‘Grazia vi scrive’, from the 10 November 1938 issue of Grazia. Reproduced courtesy of Grazia, Reworld Media Italia.
Figure 32 ‘Grazia vi scrive’, from the 29 December 1939 issue of Grazia. Reproduced courtesy of Grazia, Reworld Media Italia.