Collana Albi grandi avventure (1)

Mandrake, L'uomo del mistero
Cover artist: Giove Toppi second variant third variant
Country/language:	Italy / Italian
Format:	31,5 × 22,6 cm
Pages:	48 pgs, b/w
Publishing date:	April, 1935 October, 1935
Editor:	unknown
Publishing company:	Casa Editrice Nerbini
Preceded by:	none
Followed by:	Mandrake #2

The first seven issues of this series have no generic title, but are later known as Collana Albi grandi avventure; serie Mandrake #1.

Contents

Mandrake stories

• "L'Uomo del mistero" ("The Cobra") by Lee Falk and Phil Davis.

Variants

There are three different variants of the cover for this issue:

• First variant: with the date April 1935 and price tag L 1,50 printed on the cover.
• Second variant: with the date October 1935 and price tag L 1,20 printed on the cover.
• Third variant: with the date October 1935 and price tag L 1,50 printed on the cover.

According to the back list in the "L'Uomo Mascherato" issues 4 and 5 the third Mandrake cover variant (price L 1.50) was released between March and July, 1938. Also the Mandrake issue from July 1938 list this issue with price L 1.50.

I addition there also exist issues with a different back cover, where the publisher advertising the various series with back issues. One edition of the second variant lists the "Jim della Giungla" and "L'Agente Segreto X-9" issues from April 1937, indicating a reprint of the Mandrake issue in April 1937. Interesting, there exists two versions of this back cover, where the layout for the title heading (Gli Albi preferiti dalla Gioventù) is different.

Back covers

• 

  October 1935
  Second variant I

• 

  October 1935
  Second variant II

• 

  (April 1937)
  Third variant I

• 

  (1937)
  Third variant II

• 

  (December 1940)
  Third variant III

Reprint

The album was reprinted in 1976, in format 34 x 24,5 cm. The cover is as the third variant, and the back list on the reverse indicating that the source for the 1976 reprint was the December 1940 print.

• 

  1976 reprint

• 

  back cover