Zagor Gigante [Zenith Gigante] #259 [310]
Zagor Gigante #259 [Zenith Gigante #310], titled 'L'uomo ombra' (The Shadow Man), closes the two-part 'Il segreto della mappa' arc and marks the final Zagor scripts written by Giorgio Pelizzari, one of the handful of writers who carried the series through the challenging post-Nolitta transition years. As a whodunit in the Darkwood setting — a genre blend the series championed — it exemplifies the 1980s effort to diversify storytelling modes while honoring the thriller DNA Guido Nolitta had established. The issue also features a prominent appearance by Doc Lester, the ex-dentist-turned-trapper who had become one of Zagor's most reliably recurring supporting cast members since his introduction earlier in the run.
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By February 1987, when this issue reached Italian newsstands, the Zagor series had been running for over two decades under shifting imprints. The issue appeared under the Editoriale Daim banner — which published Zagor from #104[155] through #275[326] — before the series formally consolidated under the Sergio Bonelli Editore brand name. Pelizzari had contributed only a small number of scripts to the title, and this two-parter (#258–260, all drawn by veteran artist Franco Donatelli) represented the end of his tenure. The cover, as with the overwhelming majority of Zagor issues across all eras, was produced by Gallieno Ferri, co-creator of the character and the series' sole cover artist from its inception.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title: 'L'uomo ombra' ('The Shadow Man') — Zagor series #259, Zenith Gigante collection #310; published February 1987.
- Script and story by Giorgio Pelizzari; interior art by Franco Donatelli; cover by Gallieno Ferri.
- This is the concluding chapter of a two-part arc ('Il segreto della mappa' / 'The Secret of the Map'), begun in issue #258.
- The story presents Zagor and Cico pursuing fragments of a map leading to stolen gold, while a shadowy figure (Endicott, a Pinkerton agent) murders their witnesses.
- Trapper 'Doc' Lester joins Zagor and Cico in the adventure, continuing his role as one of the series' most recurring supporting characters.
- This arc (#258–260) constitutes the final Zagor scripts written by Giorgio Pelizzari, ending his brief but notable contribution to the post-Nolitta era of the title.
- Published under the Editoriale Daim imprint (which handled Zagor from Zenith Gigante #155 through #326), just before the series re-consolidated fully under the Sergio Bonelli Editore name.
- The Zagor series carries a dual numbering system: the Zenith Gigante number (#310) is always 51 higher than the Zagor character-series number (#259), a legacy of the title's origin as a reprint anthology that began featuring Zagor from Zenith Gigante #52.