Nathan Never #13

History

Nathan Never was created by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra, and Bepi Vigna — the trio often called 'i Tre Sardi' — and launched by Sergio Bonelli Editore in June 1991 as the publisher's first sustained foray into science fiction. Issue #13 falls in the series' second year of monthly publication, a period in which the founding writers were collectively sharing plot, script, and subject duties on individual issues. Interior art for this installment was handled by Germano Bonazzi, while the cover, as was standard for the first 59 issues, was provided by Claudio Castellini, whose visual style had defined the character's look from the outset.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Title: 'Oltre le stelle' ('Beyond the Stars'); published June 1, 1992 by Sergio Bonelli Editore as Nathan Never #13 in the monthly series.
• Writers: Michele Medda, Antonio Serra, and Bepi Vigna (story/script); interior art: Germano Bonazzi; cover art: Claudio Castellini.
• The issue is officially described by Sergio Bonelli Editore as the second installment of the Fratellanza Ombra story arc, a conspiracy involving a secret alien-infiltrated brotherhood that runs as a major throughline of the series.
• Plot: Cora Arnold hires Nathan to investigate the suspicious death of her husband, Professor Alex Arnold, who had previously discovered and opened a container of probable alien origin during an asteroid mission. Nathan pursues the investigation on an orbital station with the help of shuttle pilot Jerry Lone.
• Jerry Lone — a freelance shuttle pilot who becomes a recurring ally of Nathan and Agenzia Alfa — appears in this issue alongside the established villain Aristotele Skotos, whose cult and its son Kal are described as among the series' most persistent antagonistic forces.
• The issue contains a cinematic homage to Mario Bava's 1965 Italian science fiction film 'Terrore nello spazio,' a characteristically subtle intertextual reference noted by Italian comics critics as typical of the series' citational style.
• Aristotele Skotos, who first appeared in Nathan Never #1, is confirmed across sources as the character's longest-running antagonist, not fully departing the series until issue #148.
• The issue was included in the 'La Fratellanza Ombra' digital collection released on Bonelli Digital Classic on January 23, 2024, making it newly accessible to modern readers in both black-and-white and colorized formats.

Cast · 12 characters

Full credits

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