ZAGOR
LO SPIRITO CON LA SCURE
vol. Speciali e Fuori Serie
At last, we entered into a confidential Zagor club Bonelli stars with giant roll, the most luxurious of the special, as called for years by fans of the Spirit with the Hatchet. Appropriate recognition for this character for half a century on newsstands, and where, after passing from the original strip format to the classic book, can now occur with a cover big, dark and glittering, yet signed by the father of the graphic series , Ferri Gallienus.
A cover that recalls a story of fantasy mold, usually exploited in fifty years of adventures in only three occasions (Lord Black in 1981, The Prince of the Elves in 1999 and Heroes of the Red Branch in 2001). And in that direction are also evoked the atmosphere with the prologue of the story. But the story quickly takes a turn quite different from the past.
The peculiarities
First, Moreno Burattini Zagor does not lead into parallel worlds inhabited by fantastic creatures (rather than Golnor Tir-Nan-Og or Erin) instead as they did in their time, Tiziano Sclavi and Mauro Boselli, but brings the fantasy to Darkwood. A choice that is respectful of the basic setup Nolitta series commissioned by Guido, who conceived the imaginary forest where he lives Zagor like fantasy land in which they are home all kinds (from pure classic western adventure, horror the fantastic and science fiction) and where he delivered the comfort of home, rather than thugs and sheikhs of India mysterious samurai or suggestions, go and look for no end of the world.
Second, unlike other fantasy stories of Zagor, in "The Castle in the Sky" there are very few people in support of the plot, of which only a "fantastic": the bad, namely the sorcerer warrior Koontz (name ominously evokes the most unlikely ever conceived for a special register Bonelli series), come from a parallel to Darkwood, where he is recreating an army of orcs and monsters. The other important character of the Register and Wilbur, a writer of stories set in fantasy worlds, from whose imagination might have found the source wizard.
The sorcerer Koontz
drawings by Marco Torricelli, Zagor Gigante n.1, p. 68
(C) 2011 Sergio Bonelli Editore
A little epic tale
The limitation of the fantastic characters is probably necessary in a setting with the house of Zagor, because even though in the decades to Darkwood have already seen fantastic creatures and even extraterrestrial mass flow figures of the classic fantasy (spotless knights, prisoners brides Castle, wise wizards, elves and goblins), among Indians and miners, have resulted in a high risk to degenerate all the grotesque.
The two prominent figures of history (the wizard and the writer) are not, however, so compelling to sustain a plot of 228 tables in letterbox format. The result is, therefore, a history and certainly different from the original "Lord Black" or "Prince of the Elves" and more in keeping with the tradition of Zagor (feature, this, not secondary to a new publishing initiative that could bring new readers), but remains in midstream. This is the magic of fantasy, but not the epic, with a little rich texture and indulge too much in action scenes. Compared to the recent and most successful "Night Shift" which has some aspects in common with this episode (giant monsters and action galore), it is not particularly a few tricks up its sleeve that would create a more engaging read and, while in classical plant, less conventional.
Drawings
Think about Zagor and fantasy comes to mind, clear, Marco Torres, illustrator of "The Prince of the Elves", and "The heroes of the Red Branch," where he made cartoons sensual, evocative, rich and oozing epic graphic virtuosity, despite the book format of the registers.
In "The Castle in the Sky" the artist, who in his long-time Zagoria has distinguished itself for having suddenly changed several times, has, instead, a "simple" work neat, clean, dynamic and readable in different moments of history ( giant centipedes of the massacres and clashes with flying monsters and ogres, rather than the exploration of the castle), no peaks of emotion or really give the impression of exploiting the giant size with a powerful available.
Final evaluations
In the editorial "Sorry I'm late!" Sergio Bonelli suggests that the future will depend Zagoroni The acceptance of this giant reserved. The hope of every fond Zagoria, of course, that the initiative does not remain an isolated incident. If, however, will also be important that proposals are stories giants not only in "The Castle in the Sky," Zagor Gigante 1, Puppets and Marco Moreno Torricelli, Sergio Bonelli Editore, p. 240. b / n, hardback, May 2011, € 7.00
size, but also in substance.
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