Nathan Never #7
Nathan Never #7 — 'La zona proibita' (December 1991) — is a pivotal early installment in Sergio Bonelli Editore's first-ever science fiction monthly series, notable above all for introducing Janine Spengler, the Agenzia Alfa's long-running secretary whose name is a deliberate nod to the film Ghostbusters. The issue also opens a two-part story that, according to writer Antonio Serra, marks the moment when meaningful continuity fully takes hold in the series, setting the foundations for the long-running Fratellanza Ombra ('Shadow Brotherhood') saga that would unfold across many subsequent issues. As the closing number of the series' debut year, it came polybagged with a reprint of the scarce 'Numero Zero' promotional booklet, making it one of the most talked-about physical objects in early Nathan Never collecting lore — without regard to any dollar amount. Together with its sequel (#8), it represents artist Nicola Mari's earliest showcase on the title, a debut that left a strong impression on the readership even within the series' first months.
In "La zona proibita," Nathan Never is drawn into a high-stakes chase when a girl is kidnapped by a gang led by Skotos and taken to Hell's Island—a toxic, off-limits isle where no one dares venture. With the mysterious Fratellanza Ombra also closing in, Nathan must navigate the island's deadly dangers, where every shadow might be a threat and every silence a trap. Written by Antonio Serra and illustrated by Nicola Mari and Andrea Baricordi, with inks by both and letters by Francesca Piovella, the cover by Claudio Castellini captures the island's eerie isolation in stark, haunting detail.
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The issue was written by Antonio Serra and illustrated by Nicola Mari, with the series itself conceived by the trio of Michele Medda, Serra, and Bepi Vigna — informally known as 'la banda dei Sardi' ('the Sardinian crew'). Bonelli had no prior track record in science fiction, and the first seven issues of 1991 were still actively building out the cast and mythology of the Agenzia Alfa world. Issue #7 came bundled in blister packaging with a Sergio Bonelli Editore reprint of 'Il Numero Zero,' the original promotional booklet first published in April 1991 by Alessandro Distribuzioni (drawn by Roberto De Angelis) that had previously been available only in very limited quantities, making its inclusion here a significant editorial gesture toward completist readers. The RCS/Gazzetta dello Sport reprint collection published in 2017–2018 collected the #7–#8 two-parter in a single brossura volume, accompanied by Serra's own commentary on the story's creation.
Trivia · 9 facts
- Title: 'La zona proibita' (The Forbidden Zone); published December 1991 by Sergio Bonelli Editore as part of the ongoing monthly Nathan Never series.
- Written by Antonio Serra; art by Nicola Mari — one of Nicola Mari's first major story assignments on the Nathan Never title.
- First appearance of Janine Spengler, the new Agenzia Alfa secretary — her name is an explicit in-story homage to the film Ghostbusters (as noted in the GCD annotation).
- The story's plot is openly inspired by John Carpenter's 1981 film Escape from New York (known in Italy as '1997: Fuga da New York'), with Hell's Island serving as a contaminated, lawless quarantine zone analogous to Manhattan in the film.
- Issue #7 came polybagged with a reprint of 'Il Numero Zero,' the Nathan Never promotional booklet originally published by Alessandro Distribuzioni in April 1991 (scripted by Medda, Serra & Vigna; drawn by Roberto De Angelis), which had previously been very hard to obtain.
- The issue contains a textual reference to 'Jerry Drake' (i.e., Mister No, the Bonelli adventure series character) as the founder of a fictional aerospace company — one of several cross-universe Easter eggs embedded by Serra.
- The issue is part one of a two-parter; the story concludes in Nathan Never #8 ('Uomini Ombra,' January 1992), which together lay the groundwork for the extended Fratellanza Ombra story arc.
- The cover of #7, like all covers through #59 of the series, was illustrated by Claudio Castellini, the artist who established the definitive visual template for the Nathan Never character.
- The 2017–2018 RCS/Gazzetta dello Sport reprint series collected the #7–#8 story in a single volume (Volume 4) with editorial commentary by Serra on the story's production context.
Cast · 15 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
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Una ragazza, viene rapita da un gruppo di criminali capeggiati da Skotos e si rifugiano a Hell's Island, un'isola contaminata alla quale nessuno può accedere. Oltre a Nathan, anche la misteriosa organizzazione della "Fratellanza Ombra" vuole riavere la ragazza.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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