Autumn issue online magazine
Produced by Anonima Fumetti in collaboration with Scuola Cottolengo and Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti Editing
Nico Vassallo and Bonsignori Fr Andrea Cover
Arash Eftekhari Optimization, Graphic Design, Editing
Studio ParlapĂ - Davide G.G. Caci Artistic Advice
Gianfranco Costagliola e Pierpaolo Rovero Web Editing
Gianfranco Goria English Translation
Vlad Iancu
Online magazine produced by:
Online magazine produced by:
Online magazine produced by:
p. 5 Scrum at Cottolengo!
Fifth arc: There’s bad luck and then there’s bad luck...
Nico Vassallo Initial Idea Alberto Arato Story Andrea Dotta Art & Colors Studio Parlapà Lettering & Editing p. 15 p. 5 Fear tastes like iron Scrum at Cottolengo! Jacopo Maria Research Interviews Fifth arc: There’sVassallo bad luck and thenand there’s bad luck... Alberto Arato Story Nico Vassallo Initial Idea Alessio Furfaro Art, Colors Story & Lettering Alberto Arato Andrea Dotta Art & Colors p. 18 p. 5Lettering & Editing Studio Parlapà The flying leg Scrum at Cottolengo! Jacopo Maria Research Interviews Fifth arc: There’sVassallo bad luck then and there’s bad luck... p. and 15 Alberto Aratolike Story Nico Initial Idea FearVassallo tastes iron Marcello Restaldi Art, Colors & Lettering Alberto Arato Story Jacopo Maria Vassallo Research and Interviews Andrea Dotta Art & Colors Alberto Arato Story StudioFurfaro ParlapàArt, Lettering Alessio Colors&&Editing Lettering
THE HIDDEN CITY Strange times, guys! Oh yes, time does erase everything and maybe some years from now these lines will force us to say “Holy mackerel! It seems like yesterday!” And it’s because of this we can’t allow these frantic days that made us change editorial at the last moment, to pass us by indifferently. Yeah, a new Pope without the old one dying…, a government not chosen that can’t be replaced by the chosen one…, a Europe that slowly but surely doesn’t know how to feel united anymore and doesn’t recognize itself in its increasingly poor population. Surely dear and loving readers you are wondering what this has got to do with our heroes Pinza & company’s odd adventuress or with the unusual stories from the Little House’s life. Well, it’s on our heroes’ pages that we acknowledge hope, even in these harsh times. How can we not see in the gestures of a Pope that declares himself a sports lover (soccer and rugby in particular) or while interrupting the Roman liturgy to hug a little boy in a pram, the will to go beyond, the same will our muddleheaded team shows while fighting in the field and in their everyday lives through each chapter? How can we not see in the attention and sharing of our comic book that describes the “Cottolengo” world the inescapable necessity to which the world should be directed to share with those who have less than us. Well now, surely we don’t pretend to be prophets. Nemo profeta in patria, said justly the Latins, but allow us to be proud in giving a humble piece of advice. Now it is not the time to live for having more, but having the will to live for a different kind of world, a dreamy one perhaps like the world of comic books, but nevertheless as real as that of a Pontiff who appears at the window of the world and, like in a nice simple story, instead of great speeches and proclamations surprises us with a disarming… Good evening to you all! And so happy reading and... keep on dreaming!
Bonsignori Fr Andrea
ARC 5: There’s bad luck and then there’s bad luck...
Be serIous! ’s true! I swear It, It
Come on!
I Can’t BelIeve...
I dIdn’t want to BelIeve It, eIther. But then I had to Change my mInd!
I Can.
I’m tellIng you, It mIght Be true. what are you talkIng aBout?
Come on!
well, I do.
Bad luCk Is real and you Can Conquer It.
no, It’s not possIBle!
I’m tellIng you It Could Be true.
no way! Come on!
Conquer It? and how do you do that?
nope!
no way! ah ah! I don’t BelIeve It.
and I’m gonna tell you that…
Be serIous...
me on! ahhh we’re from the twentIeth-fIrst Century mate…
where dId you put the voodoo and the rattles? all you need now Is straw skIrt and the BonfIre.
I thInk he’s mIssIng BraIn…
what’s goIng on here? why aren’t we In the fIeld traInIng?
YOU ARE ALL DIM-WITTS. IF YOU DON’T QUIT IT I’LL… ENOUGH, DON’T MAKE ME CONTINUE…
Be Careful, aCCordIng to hIm a plane mIght fall on your head whIle playIng.
I saId: what’s goIng on here?
he started It. he says he Can Conquer Bad luCk!
pfffffffff!
Conquer what?
Bad luuuuuuCk!
you know what? I unleash the worst of Bad luCk on thIs stupId team!
I’d say It’s the other way around.
to keep It at Bay I always have somethIng wIth me. Bad luCk doesn’t exIst, gennaro. sure It does CoaCh. truly!
oh my, the team today just won’t do.
at the end of traInIng...
and they dIdn’t BelIeve me, eh?
ehm... ehm...
KICK THE CURSER!
me
ga
. day
Bad luCk doesn’t exIst gennaro.
what Is thIs all aBout?
for some tIme there’s Been Bad luCk here.
It does CoaCh, It does.
your Call. you dIdn’t what to BelIeve It? tough luCk.
Come on, lIft the Bad luCk. we’re always loosIng.
I say we’re not gIvIng It our all, that’s why we play Bad…
you’re not laughIng now hu?
YOU CAN’T FIGHT bAD LUCK!
YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING AGAINST bAD LUCK!
I’M TIRED OF ALL THIS bAD LUCK. I Can’t aCCept thIs.
Bad luCk Is ContagIous the more you have the more you get.
I Can’t take It anymore eIther.
and then there are those who are losers from BIrth. and they drag It wIth them tIll they dIe...
you Bet we do!
and we sure have someone lIke that In our team…
there’s a meetIng wIth the team. It’s seCret. meet you at the dIstrICt offICe. thIs Bad luCk thIng has to stop.
anyway If BonderIen doesn’t lIft the Bad luCk I’m leavIng!
me too!
the ward ehI? good good…
hello… unCle? how are you? I’d lIke to ask a favor…
so who wants to leave?
But we won’t have a team thIs way.
ME! ME! ME!
Better not to have one then to have an unluCky one.
I agree!
I keep sayIng we need CommItment. he Beat Bad luCk.
so It’s deCIded. BonderIen doesn’t take BaCk the Bad luCk? we walk away.
amen!
no one’s lIstenIng to you.
our team Is dead. everyone wants to quIt. hI guys! what are you all doIng here?
It’s a matter of Bad luCk.
Bad luCk doesn’t exIst. tell them that.
I’d role wIth It, But the others…
oh well guys, the team Is yours… do what you wIll. would you lIke one last matCh?
Come on, don’t gIve me those sad faCes…
adam, azar… pICk someone and make a team agaInst these guys…
I know these guys… hey, they play for the junIor natIonal team…
so then, wanna’ play a lIttle game? If you wIn, you get to leave the team. If not, you keep on playIng. you’ll play as well?
sure I wIll. that Is, If you’re not afraId or anythIng…
AID R F A US?
Ird
lf.
ha
th
thIs Is the moment I love the most…
you were rIght. Bad luCk does exIst.
how dId the seCret… meetIng go? a three half meetIng… a well played game!
I’m sorry But you were rIght. Bad luCk does not exIst… we avoIded a Catastrophe…
where’s Bonde?
sInCe he found out It’s not aBout Bad luCk… …But CommItment…
how Can we play lIke you guys?
...he vanIshed.
It takes CommItment…
thank you, unCle. you taught them that everyone Can try theIr Best when thIngs go well…
Is Bad luCk real or not?
…and Blame Bad luCk If they don’t.
I stIll don’t get It…
sure It Is.
It’s what I got when I had the Idea to Curse you.
BONDERIEN Let me introduce myself: Don’t let my surname fool you… boy, my ancestors sure had a lot of
fantasy when they came up with it… BonDeRien.
Everyone thinks it’s noble. Sadly though my
surname means Goodfornothing….more or less.
The only drawback that blurs my personality a
bit’.
Name: Fabrizio
Surname: I already told you. I’d like to be called… I don’t know… Rodescalchi; Guildiverni… but no…
Special features: A lot of people have a problem with me but I’m essential to the team. Even though they don’t realize it, when I’m not there, something important is missing.
Girlfriend: I’m not gonna look for her among the girls playing here. I need a sweet relaxed girl, one that loves peace and quiet and pretty things. And she has to be a bit’ more refined than the fat girls around here.
Best friends: Everybody wants to be my friend, they just don’t know it yet. I think the team has changed since I got here but more has yet to change.
When everyone understands that I am indispensable to the game, they’ll finally begin to prefer me to that bore, Spesso. Enemy for one day: Spesso
Endlessly Annoying: Spesso
Enemy forever: Spesso
Utterly hateful: Spesso
Whishes: To have my rightful place in everyone’s consideration, so that
everyone might listen to what I have to say and that they should quit telling me I’m talking nonsense.
Thoughts: I am very intelligent. I’m also pretty handsome. When I want to, I can be extremely nice.
I play divinely. I’d most certainly be captain if Spesso weren’t there. He’s captain just because he’s taller than me by a few centimeters. Too bad the others aren’t on my level.
The Hidden City is a project of:
Scuola Cottolengo
In collaboration with: Anonima Fumetti association of professional of comics, with the task of enhancing the art of comics also as a chance to read for young people.
Associazione Sportiva GiuCo (Sports Association GiuCo) association that uses Sport as a way of integration. For several years now it play “normal� championships with all disadvantaged people according to the principles of St. Joseph Cottolengo.
This work has been supported by:
For info on The Hidden City, contact us. segreteria@anonimafumetti.org