Nathan Never #36

History

Nathan Never was conceived by the Sardinian writing trio of Michele Medda, Antonio Serra, and Bepi Vigna, who had been active at Sergio Bonelli Editore since 1985 on Martin Mystère and Dylan Dog before receiving the green light in November 1989 to develop their sci-fi project; the series launched in June 1991 as the publisher's inaugural full serial science-fiction title. By issue #36, the creative team was rotating writers and artists in the collaborative Bonelli studio model, with Medda, Serra, and Vigna sharing scripting duties and Roberto De Angelis serving as the primary interior artist through the early run. The editorial context of 1994 placed the series in a commercially strong early phase — Bonelli's last major sales success after Dylan Dog — with the 'Universo Alfa' narrative universe actively expanding through recurring characters and interlocking subplots.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Nathan Never is Sergio Bonelli Editore's first dedicated serial science-fiction series, created by Michele Medda, Antonio Serra, and Bepi Vigna, launching in June 1991 as a monthly black-and-white fumetto.
• Issue #36 was published in 1994, during the series' early-growth period when the core 'Universo Alfa' cast and long-form story arcs were being actively established.
• Martin Mystère — Alfredo Castelli's 'Detective dell'Impossibile,' published by Bonelli since 1982 — appears in this issue, making it an early instance of the two characters sharing continuity before their first dedicated out-of-series crossover special ('Prigioniero del futuro,' 1996).
• The confirmed recurring Agenzia Alfa characters indexed in this issue include: Nathan Never (protagonist), Edward Reiser (agency head), Sigmund 'Siggy' Baginov (the Polish computer genius and agency tech expert, characterized by a stutter he loses only when speaking to machines), and Al Goodman.
• Capitano Ishimori appears in the issue; a character of the same name (an inspector aligned with the Yakuza) featured in the very first Nathan Never story arc, establishing him as a recurring figure in the series' continuity.
• Java — Martin Mystère's large, loyal companion — is indexed in this issue, indicating that at least some of Martin Mystère's supporting cast crossed over alongside him into the Nathan Never narrative.
• The shared Bonelli universe, which allows characters from different series to coexist in the same continuity, was a deliberate editorial policy; this issue is part of that tradition, which Bonelli's own historical accounts trace back to a 1942 team-up and to the 1990 Martin Mystère / Dylan Dog special.
• Dark Horse Comics published English-language editions of select Nathan Never stories in the 1990s, giving the series limited international exposure, though issue #36 specifically has not been confirmed among those selections.

Cast · 7 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Nathan Never