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Il Piccolo Ranger

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Cover of Il Piccolo Ranger, September 1976.

Il Piccolo Ranger (i.e. "The Little Ranger") is an Italian comic book series centered on Kit Teller, a character created in 1958 by writer Andrea Lavezzolo in tandem with illustrator Francesco Gamba and later developed by numerous authors; they were published in Italy by Edizioni Audace in the striped format in the series of the same name and later in a new series in the Bonelli format published from 1963 to 1985. The character belongs to a group of teenage heroes very popular in the fifties and sixties, such as Captain Miki, the Little Sheriff and others, wanted so young to facilitate their identification with potential young buyers, that being their peers, they could reflect themselves in the protagonists of comic stories. The series presents its own originality, giving life to a long and engaging comic epic with both tragic and humorous tones among the most successful of the western genre of the period. The series was also published in France, the former Yugoslavia (now in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia), Turkey, Greece, Spain and Brazil.

A traditional western series addressed to a young audience, it debuted in 1958 and was published until 1985.[1][2] Until 1963, Il Piccolo Ranger comic books also featured in their appendix episodic stories featuring other characters, including works by Hugo Pratt, Guido Nolitta and Dino Battaglia.[1] It was released fortnightly until 1971, then monthly until its cancellation.[2] Between 1995 and 1996 a collection series in 13 paperback volumes was published in a limited edition by Editrice Dardo.[2]

Biography

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Kit Teller is the son of Mary Worth and Ted Moses Teller who emigrate from Wales in search of fortune to the United States where, once they arrive, they venture into the wild frontier territories in search of a job. During this trip, on the border between Missouri and Illinois, Kit was born in 1861. Eight months after Kit's birth, his mother died and little Kit fell ill. Saved by the Indians of the Red Bison tribe, Kit and his father stay with the Indians for almost a year and then leave to join the rangers and send Kit to a college in the east. Moses becomes a ranger and obtains permission from the commander to keep the little Kit at the fort until the child reaches reach college age. The Little Ranger series starts from this moment. Kit's father during a mission deserted and disappeared going to live with the Indians and for this reason he is considered a traitor. The fort's rangers would like to keep the fact from little Kit that is well-liked anyway. The Little Ranger lives his adventures in a wild land facing outlaws, ferocious Indians but also wise reptiles, extraterrestrials or medieval warriors arrived who knows how in the new world. Among the characters he meets, perhaps the most unusual are two Mormons, Italian-American vegetarians: SATURNINO and SALVATORE. They are expert of every art and science, endowed with strange powers. Among other things, they talk to animals, in a way not unlike what happens in the pages of the Tarzanesque Akim. They warn the two Tellers, father and son, to beware of the water on full moon nights. Such a warning will save them from several ambushes. At the end of each adventure, the young ranger finds his friends within the reassuring walls of the ranger fort. Among them the fiancée Claretta Morning, the maternal vivander of the strong Rosa Morning, mother of Claretta, the drunkard Brandy Jim, the Chinese cook and washerman Cin Lao, the sergeant O'Hara, Teeth Bill, Frankie Bellevan, Annie Four guns, Ibrahim Bamboula.

Editorial history

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The character made his debut in the Collana Audace of the homonymous publishing house by Gian Luigi Bonelli in the classic striped format published in seven series published from 15 June 1958 to 25 April 1971 for a total of 328 issues. The screenplays are by Andrea Lavezzolo and, to a lesser extent, by Guido Nolitta while the drawings are by Francesco Gamba and Birago Balzano. Subsequently, with the books not sold, the publisher re-proposed the Little Ranger series in a total of 69 collections, starting from n. 11 of the series Supplement to the Audace series. The collections do not have a periodicity and the price is 100 lire for the first volumes and 120 for the remaining issues. From 1963 the stories proposed in the strip format in the Audace series were reprinted in the Bonelli format in the series Gli albi del cowboy – Nuova serie up to page 55 of n. 89 when unpublished stories of the character began to be published; the publication ended after 255 issues in February 1985 in which Kit, Frankie and their friends, finished their years with the Rangers uniform, retired to the countryside and began a new life as ranchers. The merit of the longevity of the series, however, must also be attributed to those who continued the work of Andrea Lavezzolo as Decio Canzio who, while maintaining the spirit of the series, made the narrative more agile, updating it to the changing times or like Giorgio Pezzin, Marcello Toninelli and the If Staff; note that Guido Nolitta wrote the last adventure of the series.

An unpublished self-contained episode entitled "Secret document" was published as an appendix to n. 99 of Commander Mark in the Herald Series. In May 1992, a 148-page special issue was published entitled "The return of the Rangers" written by Mauro Boselli and drawn by Francesco Gamba. Finally, in 2006, the Editoriale Mercury published a new unpublished story entitled "Zoltan the Magician", written by Ermes Senzò and drawn by Luigi Merati. Starting from February 2012, the Little Ranger is reprinted in an edition for newsstands by If Edizioni.

List of albums of the series "The books of the cowboy – New series"

Number Original title Title Publication date
1 Il Piccolo Ranger The Little Ranger December 1963
2 L'indiano bianco White Indian January 1964
3 Il segno di Manitù The Sing of Manitou February 1964
4 L'uomo di ferro Iron man March 1964
5 Il padrone della folgore The Master of Lightning April 1964
6 Mani in alto! Hands Up! May 1964
7 Sepolto vivo! Buried Alive! June 1964
8 La casa del mistero The House of Mystery July 1964
9 Il morso del serpente The Snake Bite August 1964
10 Nuove reclute New Recruits September 1964
11 La bussola stregata The Bewitched Compass October 1964
12 Kit contro tutti! Kit Against All November 1964
13 Il totem d'avorio The Ivory Totem December 1964
14 Il pugnale malese The Malay Dagger January 1965
15 Il tranello The Trap February 1965
16 L'inferno verde The Green Hell March 1965
17 La stella del Nord The North Star April 1965
18 Formiche rosse Red Ants May 1965
19 La maschera di cera The Wax Mask June 1965
20 Le colline proibite The Forbidden Hills July 1965
21 Azione notturna Night Action August 1965
22 Rangers all'attacco Rangers Attack September 1965
23 Il Cavaliere Nero The Black Knight October 1965
24 Il terzo complice The Third Accomplice November 1965
25 Missione compiuta Mission Accomplished December 1965
26 Battaglia nel canyon Battle in the Canyon January 1966
27 Allarme al forte Alarm at the Fort February 1966
28 Fulmine Nero Black Lightning March 1966
29 Killer Jim Killer Jim April 1966
30 L'Orda Rossa The Red Horde May 1966
31 Spari nella notte Shoots in the Night June 1966
32 Colui che viene da Nord He Who Comes From the North July 1966
33 I negrieri dei Caraibi The Caribbean Slavers August 1966
34 La cascata della morte The Waterfall of Death September 1966
35 La voce nelle tenebre The Voice in the Darkness October 1966
36 Orme sul sentiero Footprints on the Trail November 1966
37 Segnali di fumo Smoke Signals December 1966
38 Bottino di guerra Spoils of War January 1967
39 L'invincibile The Invincible February 1967
40 La collana di smeraldi The Emerald Necklace March 1967
41 Il fantasma The Ghost April 1967
42 Un eroe ritorna A Hero Returns May 1967
43 Il sospetto! The Suspect! June 1967
44 Gli avventurieri The Adventurers July 1967
45 La lunga pista The Long Trek August 1967
46 La ribellione The Rebellion September 1967
47 Frontier Town Frontier Town October 1967
48 Nel campo nemico In the Enemy Camp November 1967
49 La Banda dei Cinque The Gang of Five December 1967
50 Veleno! Venom! January 1968
51 Rangers in agguato Rangers Lurking February 1968
52 Caccia all'uomo Manhunt March 1968
53 Malatierra Malatierra April 1968
54 Bandiera bianca White flag May 1968
55 La valle maledetta The Cursed Valley June 1968
56 Old Nick Old Nick July 1968
57 La legge di Lynch Lynch's Law August 1968
58 La caverna dell'oro 'The Cave of Gold September 1968
59 Il cavallo d'acciaio The Steel Horse October 1968
60 Guerra indiana Indian War November 1968
61 Tragica fine Tragic End December 1968
62 L'albero della morte The Tree of Death January 1969
63 Il tesoro The Treasure February 1969
64 La valle nascosta The Hidden Valley March 1969
65 Sulla via di Austin On the Way to Austin April 1969
66 Ombra Rossa Red Shadow May 1969
67 L'assedio! The Siege June 1969
68 L'ultima beffa The ultimate Bluff July 1969
69 Senza tregua! Without Respite August 1969
70 Avventura in Messico Adventure in Mexico September 1969
71 Bande rivali Rival Gangs October 1969
72 Assalto a Valle Nera Assault on Black Valley November 1969
73 Il trionfo di Kit Kit's triumph December 1969
74 Verso l'Irlanda Towards Ireland January 1970
75 Lo spettro dello stagno The Spectrum of the Pond February 1970
76 Il castello maledetto The Cursed Castle March 1970
77 I naufragatori The Shipwreckers April 1970
78 L'isola in fiamme The Island on Fire May 1970
79 La gloriosa impresa The Glorious Feat June 1970
80 Terra bruciata! Scorched earth! July 1970
81 Oro! Gold! August 1970
82 "El Charro" "El Charo September 1970
83 La fine di un bandito The End of a Bandit October 1970
84 Il deserto non-perdona The Desert Does Not Forgive November 1970
85 Storia di un ribelle Story of a Rebel December 1970
86 La legione dei dannati The Legion of the Damned January 1971
87 Silver Lake Silver Lake February 1971
88 La regina delle tenebre The Queen of Darkness March 1971
89 La pietra della vita The Stone of Life April 1971
90 Quartiere cinese Chinatown May 1971
91 Le tigri del mare 'The Sea Tigers June 1971
92 L'immortale The Immortal July 1971
93 Il diabolico barone The Diabolic Baron August 1971
94 Il libro rosso The Red Book September 1971
95 La parola di un ranger The Word of a Ranger October 1971
96 La banda degli evasi The Gang of Escapees November 1971
97 Luna di sangue Blood Moon December 1971
98 Il ragazzo selvaggio The Wild Boy January 1972
99 Bisonte Nero Black Bison February 1972
100 Lost Valley (a colori) Lost Valley (in color) March 1972
101 Kit è scomparso Kit Has Disappeared April 1972
102 Il Grande Vecchio The Great Old Man May 1972
103 Nel cuore della giungla In the Heart of the Jungle June 1972
104 La città morta The Dead City July 1972
105 Oltre il confine Beyond the Border August 1972
106 L'arma del delitto The Murder Weapon September 1972
107 Campesinos! Campesinos! October 1972
108 La casa sulla collina The House on the Hill November 1972
109 Uomini violenti Violent Men December 1972
110 La tenda gialla The Yellow Curtain January 1973
111 L'artiglio del mostro The Monster's Claw February 1973
112 Il solitario del Pecos The Solitaire of Pecos March 1973
113 Gli sbandati The Stragglers April 1973
114 L'oro del Sud The Gold of the South May 1973
115 "Agua Blanca" "Agua Blanca" June 1973
116 Un ranger a New York A Ranger in New York July 1973
117 Il Fantasma dell'Opera 'The Phantom of the Opera August 1973
118 Gli angeli giustizieri The Angels of Justice September 1973
119 La città nella palude The City in the Swamp October 1973
120 Texas in fiamme Texas on fire November 1973
121 Il complotto The Conspiracy December 1973
122 La banda inafferrabile The Elusive Gang January 1974
123 Il vulcano spento The Extinct Volcano February 1974
124 L'iceberg della morte The Iceberg of Death March 1974
125 Nodo scorsoio! Slipknot! April 1974
126 Le mille e una trappola The Thousand and one Trap May 1974
127 Il professionista The Professionist June 1974
128 La roccia nel deserto The Rock in the Desert July 1974
129 Raffica mortale Deadly Barrage August 1974
130 Il fiume nascosto The Hidden River September 1974
131 Ku Klux Klan! Ku Klux Klan October 1974
132 La maschera del terrore The Mask of Terror November 1974
133 La belva umana The Human Beast December 1974
134 A mosca cieca! A Blind Fly! January 1975
135 Il terzo giustiziere The Third Executioner February 1975
136 Il monaco The Monk March 1975
137 Riserva Apache Apache Reserve April 1975
138 L'Olandese Volante The Flying Dutchman May 1975
139 La galleria della morte The Gallery of Death June 1975
140 Destinazione Tucson Destination Tucson July 1975
141 La legione degli invulnerabili The Legion of the Invulnerables August 1975
142 L'incredibile duello The Incredible Duel September 1975
143 La montagna incantata The Enchanted Mountain October 1975
144 La crociera dell'"Hispaniola" The Cruise of the "Hispaniola" November 1975
145 L'Isola dei Delfini The Island of the Dolphins December 1975
146 Duello sull'oceano Duel on the Ocean January 1976
147 La perla dell'Oklahoma The Pearl of Oklahoma February 1976
148 Sfida infernale Infernal Challenge March 1976
149 La febbre dell'oro The Gold Rush April 1976
150 La rupe della paura The Cliff of Fear May 1976
151 Il mostro del plenilunio The Monster of the Full Moon June 1976
152 La barriera invisibile The Invisible Barrier July 1976
153 Viaggio nella preistoria Journey into Prehistory August 1976
154 I rettili sapienti The Wise Reptiles September 1976
155 Mesa del Norte Mesa del Norte October 1976
156 Tiro al bersaglio Target Shooting November 1976
157 Il Dragone Nero The Black Dragon December 1976
158 Il volto dell'assassino The Face of the Assassin January 1977
159 L'ultimo agguato The Last Ambush February 1977
160 Il vendicatore The Avenger March 1977
161 Attacco al vagone postale Attack on the Mail Car April 1977
162 Il segreto dell'idolo The Secret of the Idol May 1977
163 Binario morto Dead End Track June 1977
164 Sfida nella città fantasma Challenge in the Ghost Town July 1977
165 I Cavalieri della Notte The Knights of the Night August 1977
166 La tana del diavolo The Devil's Lair September 1977
167 La Vedova Nera The Black Widow October 1977
168 Infamia! Infamy! November 1977
169 L'ultimo atto The Last Act December 1977
170 Winchester Winchester January 1978
171 Il ragno e la mosca The Spider and the Fly February 1978
172 Il mercante di Laredo The Laredo Merchant March 1978
173 Rintocchi di morte Chimes of death April 1978
174 La spia messicana The Mexican Spy May 1978
175 La sesta vittima The Sixth Victim June 1978
176 Traguardo all'inferno Finish Line in Hell July 1978
177 L'imboscata The Ambush August 1978
178 La maschera dell'odio The Mask of Hatred September 1978
179 La congiura dei potenti The Conspiracy of the Powerful October 1978
180 Un branco di lupi A Wolfpack November 1978
181 Il guerriero di ghiaccio The Ice Warrior December 1978
182 La nave vichinga The Viking Ship January 1979
183 Gli uomini condor The Condor Men February 1979
184 La miniera maledetta The Cursed Mine March 1979
185 L'assassino è tra noi The Assassin is among us April 1979
186 I Tre Serpenti The Three Serpents May 1979
187 I prigionieri del pueblo The Prisoners of the Pueblo June 1979
188 La tempesta di fuoco The Firestorm July 1979
189 Operazione Terrore Operation Terror August 1979
190 Gli artigli del falco The Talons of the Hawk September 1979
191 Lo Spirito dei Boschi The Spirit of the Woods October 1979
192 Sentiero di guerra War Trail November 1979
193 Luna di morte Death Moon December 1979
194 Il Signore delle Stelle The Lord of the Stars January 1980
195 L'uomo che non-poteva morire The Man Who Couldn't Die February 1980
196 La vendetta del faraone Pharaoh's Vengeance March 1980
197 Delitto perfetto Perfect Crime April 1980
198 La peste africana The African Plague May 1980
199 Lampi sul Messico Lightning on Mexico June 1980
200 Alto tradimento High Treason July 1980
201 La febbre della palude Swamp Fever August 1980
202 Khubai Khan! Khubai Khan! September 1980
203 La fuga The Escape October 1980
204 La pista dei Sioux The Trek of the Sioux November 1980
205 La Valle dei Teschi The Valley of the Skulls December 1980
206 Il mistero del tempio The Mystery of the Temple January 1981
207 Tragica magia Tragic Magic February 1981
208 Il mantello nero The Black Cloak March 1981
209 Markus! Markus! April 1981
210 Per un milione di dollari For a Million Dollars May 1981
211 Il messaggio The Message June 1981
212 Un uomo da salvare A Man To Be Saved July 1981
213 L'oro di Goldstone Goldstone's Gold August 1981
214 Orrore dall'ignoto Horror From the Unknown September 1981
215 Viaggio allucinante Hallucinating Journey October 1981
216 Lo Sparviero The Sparrowhawk November 1981
217 Il coltello sacro The Sacred Knife December 1981
218 Ai confini del Texas On the Border of Texas January 1982
219 L'accampamento segreto The Secret Camp February 1982
220 Lo stregone rosso The Red Sorcerer March 1982
221 Il genio del male The Evil Genius April 1982
222 Agguato nella prateria Ambush in the Prairie May 1982
223 Il pirata Barbanera The Pirate Blackbeard June 1982
224 I naufragatori dei Caraibi The Shipwreckers of the Caribbean July 1982
225 L'uomo dai due volti The Man With Two Faces August 1982
226 Tre giorni per morire Three Days To Die September 1982
227 Malinke! Malinke! October 1982
228 I diavoli delle montagne The Devils of the Mountains November 1982
229 La furia dei Wudog The Fury of the Wudogs December 1982
230 Il terrore di Black Valley The Terror of Black Valley January 1983
231 Allarme al castello Alarm at the Castle February 1983
232 Il villaggio dell'incubo The Nightmare Village March 1983
233 L'ombra inafferrabile The Elusive Shadow April 1983
234 I pascoli dell'odio The Pastures of Hate May 1983
235 La trama del delitto The Plot of the Crime June 1983
236 L'impero dei Mendoza The Empire of the Mendoza July 1983
237 Il risveglio del dinosauro The Awakening of the Dinosaur August 1983
238 Il ribelle The Rebel September 1983
239 Assedio al Picco Solitario Siege of Lonely Peak October 1983
240 Jack lo sterminatore Jack the Exterminator November 1983
241 Duello sul treno Duel on the Train December 1983
242 I morti viventi The Living Dead January 1984
243 Danza macabra Macabre Dance February 1984
244 Herr Doctor Herr Doctor March 1984
245 Il sosia Twin April 1984
246 Le grotte della paura The Caves of Fear May 1984
247 Tentato omicidio Attempted Murder June 1984
248 Uno sporco intrigo A Dirty Intrigue July 1984
249 Sangue sulla neve Blood on the Snow August 1984
250 Senza pietà Without pity! September 1984
251 Il re della frontiera The King of the Frontier October 1984
252 Il forte del disonore The fort of dishonor November 1984
253 Lotta di spie Fight of Spies December 1984
254 L'ultima avventura The latest adventure January 1985
255 Rangers, addio! Rangers, goodbye! February 1985

See also

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Other comics series created by Andrea Lavezzolo:

References

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  1. ^ a b Gianni Bono. Guida al fumetto italiano. Epierre, 2003. pp. 1481–5.
  2. ^ a b c Franco Fossati (15 September 1992). "Piccolo Ranger". Dizionario Illustrato del Fumetto. Mondadori, 1992. ISBN 8804355441.
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