European Comic Boooks ~ Avvntura Albi Americana – Albi Gitamondo

 

Books of the Great Adventures (Audax - Cino and Franco – Folgore – Mandrake – Marco Spada – Raff – Radio Patruglia – The Masked Man – Zorro

This comic book series consisted of 115 issues divided into two series: Gli Albi Delle Grandi Avventure (Gli Albi the Books of Great Adventures) #1 (July 6, 1944) - #20 (1947) and Albo Avventure (Albo Adventures) #1 (June 15, 1947 - #88 (June 10, 1949)

The Books of Great Adventures do not carry series numbering but only that of the individual characters, while the Adventure Book, which has double numbering, that of the series and that of the characters, ends with #88. Actually there are 95 registers as there are 7 bis numbers (#79, #81, #82, #83, #84, #85 and #86 of the Zorro series). Albo Adventures in turn are divided into two series: Albi Americani (with characters of American production) and Albi Giramondo (with characters of Italian production).

These series od comic books contain reprints of material which already appeared in L’Aventure, which initially came out as a supplement, including: Audax by Jim Gary; Lyman Young's Cino e Franco (Tim Tyler's Luck); Folgore by Alberto and Mario Guerri (J. Fire); Lee Falk and Phil Davis' Mandrake, Marco Spada (Brick Bradford) by William Ritt and Clarence Gray; Radio Pattuglia (Radio Patrol) by Eddie Sullivan and Charlie Schmidt; Raff  by Alberto Guerri and Vittorio Cossio; Lee Falk and Ray Moore's The Phantom; and Zorro. Two vertical albums initially appeared ("Mandrake Against the Tyrant" and "Marco Spada"), distributed only in central-southern Italy; the following ones are horizontal.

The series Folgore and Raff  have triple numbering, that of the Adventure Album, and that of the character and that of the Great Adventures Series. For example The Underwater City is the tenth episode of Raff, the #36 of the Adventure Register and #20 of the Great Adventures Series. The first six issues of Raff  came out as Albi di Giramondo: le Grand Adventure.

The Mandrake series: #8/9 are part of the Adventures Register (1948). The End of the Octopus was printed before The Pirates-Ghosts and Nel covo di Lafitte despite being the final part of the whole series; from the episode The Valley of the Wolves (#79), the numbering of the series resumes from #1. In the appendix Arm of Iron by Bela Zaboly, also published in the albums of Radio Pattuglia. The Masked Man series: A Theft from the Cave of the Skull was printed after The Stolen Treasure and The Justice of the Bandar despite being the beginning of the whole story.

Images were provided by editorial staff, Antonio Farina, Sergio Morello.

Titles

Series “The Masked Man”
01 [00] (00.00.46) - “Il tesoro scomparso” (The Missing Treasure)
02 [00] (00.00.46) - “La giustizia dei Bandar” (The Justice of the Bandar)
03 [00] (00.00.47) - “Un furto nella caverna del teschio” (A Theft in the Cave of the Skull)
04 [00] (00.00.47) - “Il rapimento del Marajah di Nimpore” (The Kidnapping of the Marajah Nimpore)
05 [00] (00.00.47) - “Complotto nella reggia” (Plot in the Palace)
06 [00] (00.00.47) - “La morte in agguato” (Death Lurking)
07 [18] (12.10.47) - “Sul picco della tigre” (On the Tiger’s Peak)
08 [48] (02.06.48) - “La freccia d'oro” (The Golden Arrow)
09 [50] (11.06.48) - “Nel tribunale della «Freccia d’oro»” (In the Court of the Golden Arrow)
10 [52] (25.06.48) - “Il fiume sotterraneo” (The Underground River)
11 [53] (30.06.48) - “La strategia del fantasma” (The Strategy of the Ghost)

Series “ZORRO”
01 [75] (15.01.49) - “La diligenza della morte” (The Diligence of Death)
02 [76] (22.01.49) - “L'attacco al treno” (The Attack on the Train)
03 [77] (29.01.49) - “Duello a morte” (Duel to Death)
04 [78] (15.02.49) - “Persecuzione infernale” (Infernal Persecution)
05 [79bis] (19.02.49) - “Lotta senza quartiere” (Fight Without Quarter)
06 [81bis] (12.03.49) - “La rivincita dell'amazzone” (The Amazon’s Revenge)
07 [82bis] (19.03.49) - “La cascata della morte” (The Waterfall of Death)
08 [83bis] (23.04.49) - “Il cane fantasma” (The Ghost Dog)
09 [84bis] (30.04.49) - “L'uomo della cava” (The Man from the Quarry)
10 [85bis] (07.05.49) - “Zorro in pericolo” (Zorro in Danger)
11 [86bis] (14.05.49) - “La valle maledetta” (The Cursed Valley)
12 [87] (03.06.49) - “Il figlio di Zorro” (The Son of Zorro)
13 [88] (10.06.49) - “La rivincita di Kid” (Kid’s Revenge)