Fratelli Spada stories
This is a list of Mandrake stories produced by the Italian publisher Fratelli Spada. No artists or writers were originally credited when the stories were first published in Italy.
Years ago Felmang compiled a list with Italian made stories of L'Uomo Mascherato (The Phantom) published in Italy, also including the artist who drew the stories. He shared the list to various people interested to the Phantom.
When first reading Felmang's list it inspired me to make a similar list with Italian made Mandrake stories. The beginning was to find none Falk stories in the French Mandrake series - with some help from Olivier Papon (Paris, France). Then finding the corresponding Italian Mandrake issues and stories, to find the Italian titles for each story. Next was looking for stories in the Italian issues that was not published in the corresponding French magazine.
It is not easy to figure out who did the pencil and ink work so I asked Felmang if he could help, sending scans of the first page of the first 100 stories. He replied with most of the artist for these stories, mainly identified by Alberto Becattini. During the years I did find a few artists for some of the stories.
This list is updated with artists (with an * in front of the name) from the article "Fumettografia del Mandrake Italiano" by Alberto Becattini published in Fumetto issue 115.
The artists mentioned with regard to the Fratelli Spada's Mandrake stories are: Massimo Belardinelli, Giorgio Cambiotti, Enzo Carretti, Annibale Casabianca, Carlo Cedroni, Santo D'Amico, Romano Felmang, Ennio Ferri, Germano Ferri, Dino Leonetti, Lamberto Lombardi, Giovanni Marchetti, Domenico Mirabella, Tullo Palasciano, Mario Pedrazzi, Senio Pratesi, Umberto Sammarini, Maurizio Santoro, Pini Segna, Salvatore Stizza and Angelo Todaro. From 1972, the stories were made by Studio Giolitti, where usually two artists collaborated on the stories. It is an oversimplification to say that one artist did the pencil drawings and the other the ink.
Regarding the scripts, Felmang mentioned that Giovanni Fiorentini was the primary writer, but which exact stories he wrote remains unknown. Becattini mentions Giovanni Fiorentini, Achille Lucarini and Ruggero Y Quinyavalle for the years 1962-1967; Giovanni Fiorentini, Domenico Di Vitto, Dino Leonetti and Francesco Verola for the years 1967-1971; Giovanni Fiorentini, Rolf Caesar and Domenico Di Vitto for the years 1971-1972; Giovanni Fiorentini and Luciano Guidobaldi after 1972. In addition, Giorgio Pedrazzi scripted Mandrake stories in 1968/69 and several artists occasionally wrote their own scripts.
Comic stories
1962
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | "La principessa rapita" | "The Kidnapped Princess" | 30 | Mirabella | 
|
| 1 | "Il sottomarino corsaro" | "The Submarine Pirate" | 10 | Palasciano |
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| 2 | "Il morso del Cobra" | "The Bite of the Cobra" | 32 | Pratesi | + 
|
| 3 | "Cobra, genio del male" | "Cobra, Evil Genius" | 32 | Pratesi | +
|
| - | "Messaggero degli abissi" | "Messenger of the Abyss" | ? | ? |
|
| 4 | "Sei finito Cobra" | "You're done Cobra" | 32 | Pratesi | +
|
1963
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | "Caccia al tesoro" | "Treasure Hunt" | ? | ? |
|
| - | "Il tiranno di deventor" | *Mirabella |
| ||
| - | "Il pozzo della diavolo" | *Segna |
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| 5 | "Il tibetano della caverna rossa" | "The Tibetan of the Red Cave" | 32 | Mirabella | +
|
| 6 | "Gli agenti del Cobra" | "Agents of the Cobra" | 32 | Mirabella | +
|
| 7 | "Avventura al Polo Sud" | "Adventure at the South Pole" | 9 | Mirabella | +
|
| 8 | "Un mondo scomparso" | "A Vanished World" | 32 | Mirabella | +
|
1964
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | "I predoni dell'Alaska" | "The Alaskan Raiders" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 10 | "L'atollo delle meraviglie" | "Atoll of Wonders" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 11 | "L'erede dei faraoni" | "The Heir of the Pharaohs" | 32 | Mirabella |
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| 12 | "Lo strano caso del vaso parlante" | "The Strange Case of the Talking Jar" | 32 | Cedroni | +
|
| 13 | "Il castello nelle Azzorre" | "Castle in the Azores" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 14 | "Un quiz per esperti" | "A Quiz for Experts" | 31 | Mirabella | +
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| 15 | "L' isola delle forme perfette" | "The Island of Perfect Shapes" | 32 | Stizza | +
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| 16 | "Il colosso di Titanius" | "The Colossus of Titanius" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 17 | "La minaccia alata" | "The Winged Menace" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 18 | "Il caso Farrell" | "The Farrell Affair" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 19 | "Il ritorno di Attila" | "The Return of Attila" | 27 | Cedroni | +
|
| 20 | "Il falchi degli abissi" | "The Hawks of the Abyss" | 32 | Mirabella | +
|
| 21 | "Uno strano brivido" | "A Strange Thrill" | 32 | Cedroni (?) | + +  + 
|
| 22 | "Fantasmi a Hellish castle" | "Ghosts at Hellish Castle" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 23 | "Un caso pericoloso" | "A Dangerous Case" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 24 | "Il popolo scomparso" | "The Vanished People" | 32 | Stizza | +
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| 25 | "Lo strano rapinatore" | "The Strange Robber" | 32 | Stizza | +
|
1965
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | "La casa sulla scogliera" | "The House on the Cliff" | 32 | Stizza | +
|
| 27 | "Il trillo del diavolo" | "The Devil's Trill" | 32 | Carretti | +
|
| 28 | "Il rapimento di Narda" | "Narda's Kidnapping" | 32 | Cedroni | +
|
| 29 | "Il suicidio di Arcibald Crowter" | "The Suicide of Arcibald Crowter" | 32 | Stizza | + +
|
| 30 | "La bambola drogata" | "The Telltale Doll" | 32 | Stizza | + and US version;  + + +  +  +  + 
|
| 31 | "Una pericolosa rassomiglianza" | "A Dangerous Resemblance" | 32 | Stizza | + +
|
| 32 | "Tauno contro la terra" | "Tauno Against the Earth" | 32 | Mirabella | +
|
| 33 | "Il malvagio venuto dallo spazio" | "Terror from Outer Space" | 32 | Mirabella | + and US version; + + + +
|
| 34 | "Hanno rapito un cavallo" | "They Kidnapped a Horse" | 32 | Carretti | +
|
| 35 | "L'anello malefico" | "The Evil Ring" | 32 | Stizza | + + +
|
| 36 | "Il drago d'oro" | "The Golden Dragon" | 32 | Mirabella | + +
|
| 37 | "L'inafferrabile gatto" | "The Elusive Cat" | 32 | *Mirabella | +
|
| 38 | "Un alibi per Castillo" | "An Alibi for Castillo" | 32 | Mirabella | +
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| 39 | "L'albero della streghe" | "The Witches' Tree" | 32 | Carretti | + + +
|
| 40 | "I fantasmi della signora Locker" | 32 | Stizza | + +
| |
| 41 | "L'uomo che vedeva nel buio" | 32 | Stizza | +
| |
| 42 | "Il ladro di capelli" | 32 | Mirabella | +
| |
| 43 | "L'uomo che bevena oro" | 32 | Stizza | + +
| |
| 44 | "Magia bianca" | 32 | *Ferri, E | + + +
| |
| 45 | "La fossa delle balene" | 32 | Mirabella | + +
|
1966
1967
1968
1969
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 | "La casa degli zombies" | "The Zombie House" | 24 | *Cedroni | +
|
| 153 | "Cyanure colpisce" | "Cyanure Strikes" | 24 | *Cedroni | +
|
| 154 | "La statuetta di carne" | "The Flesh Figurine" | 24 | Todaro (signed TOD) | +
|
| 155 | "Il duplicatore" | 24 | *Cedroni | +
| |
| 156 | "La clinica del dottor Mefix" | 24 | U.Sam | +
| |
| 157 | "Castello ai Caraibi" | 24 | *Pratesi | +
| |
| 158 | "Il nuovo vicino" | "The New Neighbor" | 24 | Todaro + Felmang | +
|
| 159 | "Il satanico retaggio" | 24 | Cedroni | +
| |
| 160 | "Lo sterminatore" | "The Exterminator" | 24 | Todaro (signed TOD) | +
|
| 161 | "Il tunnel misterioso" | "The Mysterious Tunnel" | 8 | *Todaro | +
|
| 162 | "Per un pugno di Lotar" | "A Handful for Lothar" | 7 | *Pratesi | +
|
| 163 | "Centofacce allo sbaraglio" | 24 | *Pratesi | +
| |
| 164 | "Remember Cobra" | "Remember the Cobra" | 8 | *Pratesi | +
|
| 165 | "Una voce dallo spazio" | "A Voice from Space" | 24 | *Mirabella (?) | +
|
1970
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 166 | "Top secret" | 24 | *Pratesi | +
| |
| 167 | "Il ritorno di Kali" | 24 | *Mirabella | +
| |
| 168 | "Caccia al Grisbi" | "The Loot Hunt" | 24 | *Pratesi | +
|
| 169 | "Attacco a Xanadu" | "Attack on Xanadu" | 24 | *Mirabella | +
|
| 170 | "Un regno per il Cobra" | 24 | *Pratesi (or Cedroni?) | +
| |
| 171 | "Narda allo sbaraglio" | 24 | *Ferri, G | +
|
1971
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 172 | "Suspence a sud-ovest delle Caroline" | "Suspense Southwest of Caroline Island" | 26 | Todaro + Felmang | +
|
| 173 | "Caccia in palude" | 24 | *Marchetti (?) | +
| |
| 174 | "La mano malefica" | "The Evil Hand" | 24 | Todaro (signed A. Tod) | + 
|
| 175 | "Il Cobra attacca" | 24 | *Pratesi (or Cedroni?) | +
| |
| 176 | "Viaggio nel XXII secolo" | 24 | *Mirabella (or Todaro?) | +
| |
| 177 | "I due defunti" | 24 | *Marchetti (?) | +
| |
| 178 | "Appuntamento con la morte" | 28 | *Mirabella (?) |
| |
| 179 | "La macabra compagna" | 24 | Segna |
| |
| 180 | "Il figlio dell'Uragano" | 24 | *Mirabella |
| |
| 181 | "Lo smemorato" | 24 | *Mirabella |
| |
| 182 | "Anonima streghe" | "Dangerous Witches" | 24 | Todaro (signed A. Todaro) | +
|
| 183 | "Il nemico del lupo" | "The Wolf's Enemy" | 24 | *Santoro | +
|
| 184 | "Vacanze movimentate" | "Busy Holidays" | 24 | *Mirabella | +
|
| 185 | "Fino alla nausea" | 24 | *Mirabella | +
| |
| 186 | "La rete del Cobra" | "The Net of the Cobra" | 24 | Todaro (signed A. Todaro) | +
|
1972
1973
| # | Original title | Translated title | Pages | Artist | Printed in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 221 | "Il ritorno di Cud il malvagio" | 16 | *Todaro + *Lombardi (?) | +
| |
| 222 | "La setta degli uomini lupo" | 16 | *Todaro + *Lombardi (?) | +
| |
| 223 | "Caccia al rapitori" | 16 | *Lombardi (?) | +
| |
| 224 | "Il cugino Christophe" | "Cousin Christophe" | 16 | *Cambiotti + *Casabianca | +
|
| 225 | "Il tradimento di Lothar" | 16 | *Lombardi + *Casabianca (?) | +
| |
| 226 | "Il ritorno di Krimatha" | 16 | *Cambiotti + *Casabianca | +
| |
| 227 | "Le ali maledette" | 16 | *Lombardi (?) | + +
| |
| 228 | "L'ankus del dio degli elefanti" | 16 | *Todaro + *Lombardi (?) | +
| |
| 229 | "Panico ateneo" part 1 | 16 | *Lombardi (?) | + +
| |
| 230 | "Tradimento fatale" part 2 | 16 | *Lombardi (?) | +
| |
| 231 | "Scorpiox il diabolico" | 16 | *Todaro + *Lombardi (?) | +
| |
| 232 | "Il club del disco" | 16 | *Todaro + *Lombardi (?) | + +
| |
| 233 | "Incubo al tritolo" | "TNT Nightmare" | 16 | *Todaro + *Casabianca | + +
|
Prose stories
| Title | Writer |
|---|---|
| "Una lezione meritata" | ? |
| "Trappola per una ladra" | ? |
| "Un atto di solidarietà" | ? |
| "Rapina al parco" | ? |
| "I dirottatori" | ? |
| "La forza della persuasione" | ? |
| "Quattro chiacchiere per il thè" | ? |
| "Il prepotente" | ? |
| "Morte nel sotterraneo" | ? |
| "La mano del diovolo" | ? |
| "Il miraggio del cercatore" | ? |
| "Rapina in 'la' maggiore" | ? |
See also
- A stylometric text analysis to see if the stories were written by one or several writers.
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