Nathan Never Gigante #2
Nathan Never Gigante #2 — 'Odissea nel futuro' — is the pivotal middle chapter of the celebrated Tecnodroidi trilogy that reshaped the long-range mythology of Italy's premier science-fiction fumetto. Scripted by co-creator Antonio Serra and set across intertwined timelines spanning medieval Japan and a far-future Technobiological War, it deepened the backstory of clone-warrior Nemo, Ann Never/Dakkar, and the biomechanical Tecnodroidi while introducing or substantially developing a cast of characters — Selena, Lucifero, Neos, Bhahl, Talos, Gabriel, and others — whose appearances here anchor decades of subsequent continuity in the monthly series and spin-offs. The issue also demonstrated that Italian mainstream comics could sustain an ambitious multi-volume, multi-era epic with genuine narrative architecture, earning it a lasting reputation among aficionados of Bonelli science fiction.
In "Odissea nel futuro," un frammento del corno di Selena viaggia nel tempo, portando a un antico Giappone dove le sue cellule tecnobiologiche danno vita alle leggende sugli Oni. Secoli dopo, durante le guerre tecnobiologiche, la scrittrice Susan Strong viene portata a bordo del Nautilus, dove incontra il misterioso capitano Nemo. Written by Antonio Serra and illustrated by Mario Alberti, with cover by Mario Alberti, this 1996 issue from Sergio Bonelli Editore blends myth and sci-fi in a story that redefines ancient legends through a futuristic lens.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Nathan Never Gigante line launched in February 1995 as an annual large-format imprint designed to give co-creator Antonio Serra room for stories too expansive for the monthly black-and-white title. Serra conceived the first three Gigante entries as an interlocking trilogy set in a remote future alternate to the monthly series' timeline, with each volume assigned to a different artist; 'Odissea nel futuro' fell to Mario Alberti, a prolific regular on the Nathan Never monthly whose style critics described as gritty and distinctly mid-1990s. The Sergio Bonelli Editore editorial structure at the time listed Decio Canzio and later Antonio Serra as responsible directors, with the Gigante series registered to the Milan tribunal in March 1995.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: 'Odissea nel futuro' (Odyssey into the Future); published November 1996 by Sergio Bonelli Editore as Nathan Never Gigante #2.
- Written by Antonio Serra (one of Nathan Never's three co-creators); artwork by Mario Alberti — the second of three different artists assigned to the opening Tecnodroidi trilogy.
- Second part of a self-contained trilogy comprising Gigante #1 ('Doppio futuro'), Gigante #2 ('Odissea nel futuro'), and Gigante #3 ('Un nuovo futuro'); the trilogy is collectively known as the 'Saga dei Tecnodroidi' or 'Saga di Nemo.'
- Key character roles confirmed in this issue: Dakkar (Ann Never, leader of the human resistance), Nemo (clone of Nathan Never, lone warrior aboard the submarine-spacecraft Nautilus), C-09 (android ally), Gabriel, and Link on the human side; Lucifero (Tecnodroidi commander), with Talos, Bhahl (created specifically to counter Gabriel), Selena, and Neos (hive-mind general) on the Tecnodroidi side.
- Central plot engine: Tecnodroide Selena travels back in time to medieval Japan, creates a new Tecnodroidi army there, and inadvertently originates the Japanese legends of the Oni; humans infected by her nanoids develop supernatural abilities that eventually aid the resistance.
- The narrative is structured across at least three distinct time periods simultaneously — a storytelling technique unusual for Italian fumetti of the era — with filtered influences explicitly including Terminator (time-travel assassination), Jules Verne (Nautilus, Nemo), Akira Kurosawa's 'The Hidden Fortress,' and Leiji Matsumoto's Captain Harlock.
- The trilogy had direct consequences on the monthly Nathan Never series and on later Gigante volumes (Gigante #4 through #8 continue the 'Saga di Nemo' strand).
- A color-edition hardcover reprint of 'Odissea nel futuro,' with coloring by Daria Cerchi added over Alberti's original black-and-white art, was published by Sergio Bonelli Editore in November 2018, confirming the story's enduring canonical status.
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