Nathan Never #20

Jan 1993 · Sergio Bonelli Editore · 2300 ITL

🌐 Italian edition · synopsis shown in English

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“L'ora della vendetta”

★ 1st appearance — Jack O'Ryan

About this Issue

Nathan Never #20, 'L'ora della vendetta,' is a foundational chapter in the series' ongoing mythology, introducing journalist Kenneth Clark — a character who would be revisited by writers decades later, confirming the issue's place in the durable supporting cast of the Agenzia Alfa universe. The story also brings Martin Mystère into Nathan's dystopian future, one of the earliest in-continuity meetings between two flagship Sergio Bonelli Editore properties, a creative gesture that pointed toward the shared-universe experimentation Bonelli would formalize in later years. Jack O'Ryan, introduced here as an enigmatic partner with a dark personal tie to the criminal Skotos empire, carries directly into issue #21, demonstrating how the Medda-Serra-Vigna writing team was already building multi-issue story threads well before that approach became standard for Italian comics.

In "L'ora della vendetta," Nathan Never is drawn into a high-stakes investigation of the Perez/Cowan, a shadowy company suspected of hiding a terrorist network, paired with the enigmatic Jack O'Ryan—agent of a Southern-linked firm tied to Agency Alpha. As three combat androids plunge the sixth level into chaos and provoke a violent response from the yakuza, a fourth android advances toward Skotos's palace, its path eerily linked to Jack's hidden past. Written by Federico Memola and Antonio Serra, with art by the Esposito Bros. and lettering by Diana Rocchi, this 1993 issue features a cover by Claudio Castellini.

writer Federico Memola · writer Antonio Serra · artist, inker Esposito Bros. · letterer Diana Rocchi · cover Claudio Castellini

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History

The Nathan Never series was launched in 1991 by the writing trio of Michele Medda, Antonio Serra, and Bepi Vigna, who had come to Sergio Bonelli Editore through their earlier work on Martin Mystère, the connection that makes the crossover guest appearance in this very issue feel organic rather than opportunistic. Issue #20 was scripted by Federico Memola and Antonio Serra, with interior art provided by the Esposito Bros. and a cover by Claudio Castellini, who served as the series' visual co-creator and drew covers continuously through issue #59, giving the early run a unified, high-energy aesthetic that helped define Nathan Never's identity.

Trivia · 8 facts

Title: 'L'ora della vendetta' ('The Hour of Revenge'); published January 1993 by Sergio Bonelli Editore as part of the monthly Nathan Never series.
First appearance of Kenneth Clark, a journalist and ally of Agenzia Alfa, who is cited in later issues as a long-standing supporting character — confirmed by Italian fan criticism referencing his debut in this specific issue.
Guest appearance of Martin Mystère, the Bonelli 'Detective of the Impossible,' placing two of the publisher's headline characters in the same story and foreshadowing the deeper crossover collaborations between the two titles that followed in 1996 and beyond.
Introduction of Jack O'Ryan, an agent from a Southern affiliate of Agenzia Alfa whose mysterious connection to crime lord Aristotele Skotos drives the issue's central plot and threads directly into issue #21 ('Delirio').
Scripts by Federico Memola and Antonio Serra; interior art and inks by the Esposito Bros.; lettering by Diana Rocchi; cover by Claudio Castellini.
Claudio Castellini, who co-created Nathan Never's visual style in 1991, produced the cover — part of his unbroken cover run from issue #1 through #59 before he moved to the American market.
The story involves combat androids destabilizing East City's sixth level and provoking a yakuza response, illustrating the series' signature blend of cyberpunk noir, corporate crime, and science-fiction action set against a stratified mega-city.
Published in the standard 98-page black-and-white Bonelliano pocket format that defines all of Sergio Bonelli Editore's monthly series.