"Mistero!" and "Mistero Comics" were series of "L'Uomo Mascherato" published by the Italian editor Mario Nerbini from 1947 to 1950.
Several classical comics - such as Mandrake, Tim Tyler's Luck, The Lone Ranger, Brick Bradford, Secret Agent X9, Steve Canyon and of course "The Phantom" - were published in these series, each issue being consacred to only one of them.
"Mistero!" series
The first series was weekly released in 1947 and 1948, in a 20, 5 × 29 cms format, each issue having only 12 pages including the cover. The covers had an attractive color presentation when the inside contents was printed in black and white.
Only 12 different issues were devoted to "the Phantom", all in 1947. The main part of the issues didn't contain original material but were written by Italian writers and drew by Guido Fantoni. Several of these stories were re-released some years later by Nerbini in his Albi Economici Nerbini series.
Regular series
Issue |
Italian title |
Publishing date |
Original/translated story title |
Artist(s)
|
#29 |
Le 12 impresse dell'Uomo Mascherato |
August 24, 1947 |
"The 12 Tasks" part 1 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#30 |
Broke, il terrore della montagna |
August 31, 1947 |
"The 12 Tasks" part 2 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#31 |
Il fiume della morte |
September 7, 1947 |
"The 12 Tasks" part 3 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#32 |
Il bar delle tre maliarde |
September 14, 1947 |
"The Bar of Three Witches" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#33 |
La bella giavanese |
September 21, 1947 |
"The Bar of Three Witches" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#34 |
La nebbia che uccide |
September 28, 1947 |
"The Bar of Three Witches" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#38 |
Il pirata nero |
October 26, 1947 |
"The Black Pirate" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#39 |
L'assalto alla jungla |
November 2, 1947 |
"The Black Pirate" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#40 |
La vittoria dei Bandar |
November 9, 1947 |
"The Black Pirate" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#44 |
L'isola dei pirati |
December 7, 1947 |
"The Pirates Island" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#45 |
Il sottomarino misterioso |
December 14, 1947 |
"The Pirates Island" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#46 |
Il prigioniero di Sala |
December 21, 1947 |
"The Pirates Island" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#4 |
La battaglia subacquea |
January 25, 1948 |
"Underwater Battle" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#5 |
La cattura del sommergibile |
February 1, 1948 |
"Underwater Battle" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#6 |
La rivincita dell'uomo mascherato |
February 8, 1948 |
"Underwater Battle" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
- A second series was published in 1948 and 1949, this one having 26 issues devoted in 1948 to "the Phantom"; the format and pagination were the same as the previous series with only the cover receiving another presentation. Material was Italian except for issues #31 to 36 ("The Marshall Sisters") the latter was redrawn by Guido Fantoni.
Regular series
Issue |
Italian title |
Publishing date |
Original/translated story title |
Artist(s)
|
#1 |
Mougi il misterioso |
February 15, 1948 |
part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#2 |
L'invasione della jungla |
February 22, 1948 |
part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#3 |
I cercatori di petrolio |
February 29, 1948 |
part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#7 |
In potere dei cannibali |
March 28, 1948 |
part 4 |
Fantoni
|
#8 |
Il terrore di Kili-Marù |
April 4, 1948 |
part 5 |
Fantoni
|
#9 |
Fiamme sul fiume |
April 11, 1948 |
part 6 |
Fantoni
|
#13 |
Gli avventurieri di Casablanca |
May 9, 1948 |
"The Adventurers of Casablanca" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#14 |
Il fortino del deserto |
May 16, 1948 |
"The Adventurers of Casablanca" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#15 |
L'assalto della legione straniera |
May 23, 1948 |
"The Adventurers of Casablanca" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#19 |
L'assalto alla banca |
June 20, 1948 |
"The Bank Attack" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#20 |
L'usurpatore |
June 27, 1948 |
"The Bank Attack" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#21 |
Il trono riconquistato |
July 4, 1948 |
"The Bank Attack" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#25 |
La setta del drago |
August 1, 1948 |
"The Dragon Sect" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#26 |
La donna dei Sing |
August 8, 1948 |
"The Dragon Sect" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#27 |
Il tempio sottorraneo |
August 15, 1948 |
"The Dragon Sect" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#31 |
Le sorelle Marshall |
September 12, 1948 |
"The Marshall Sisters" part 1 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#32 |
L'insidia del tam-tam |
September 19, 1948 |
"The Marshall Sisters" part 2 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#33 |
Il tranello |
September 26, 1948 |
"The Marshall Sisters" part 3 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#34 |
La fuga dell'Uomo Mascherato |
October 3, 1948 |
"The Marshall Sisters" part 4 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#35 |
I due giganti |
October 10, 1948 |
"The Marshall Sisters" part 5 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#36 |
Un terribile combattimento |
October 17, 1948 |
"The Marshall Sisters" part 6 |
McCoy, Fantoni
|
#37 |
L'agguato fra le rovine |
October 24, 1948 |
"The Ambush in the Ruins" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#38 |
La diga umana |
October 31, 1948 |
"The Ambush in the Ruins" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#39 |
Il prigioniero dell'Orion |
November 7, 1948 |
"The Ambush in the Ruins" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#43 |
Il padrone delle tempeste |
December 5, 1948 |
"The Master of the Tempests" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#44 |
L'isola distrutta |
December 12, 1948 |
"The Master of the Tempests" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#48 |
Il Piano 47 |
March 26, 1950 |
"The Plan 47" part 1 |
Fantoni
|
#49 |
Gli smeraldi di Tarnoff |
April 2, 1948 |
"The Plan 47" part 2 |
Fantoni
|
#50 |
La villa di Mister Hog |
April 9, 1948 |
"The Plan 47" part 3 |
Fantoni
|
#51 |
La casa delle ragnatele |
April 16, 1948 |
"The Plan 47" part 4 |
Fantoni
|
- Five albums retaking stories already published in the first and second series were also published but in bigger format (21.5 × 31.5 cm) and without mention of the series Mistero. They have different covers:
Issue |
Italian title |
Reprint info
|
#1 |
Mougi il misterioso |
(second series) #1, 2, 3
|
#2 |
In potere dei cannibali |
(second series) #7, 8, 9
|
#3 |
L'assalto alla banca |
(second series) #19, 20, 21
|
#7 |
L'isola dei pirati |
(first series) #44, 45, 46
|
#8 |
Il pirata nero |
(first series) #38, 39, 40
|
"Mistero Comics" series
These series were the follow-up of the initial "Mistero!"series, the cover presentation being different. The cover presentation was different but not the format and the pagination.
- A first series was released in 1949 and 1950 with 7 issues devoted to "the Phantom". Material was Italian except for issues #1 and 5 ("The Girls", redrawn by Tullo Palasciano, and #13 ("The Masked Marvel"), but maybe even thise one was totally or partly redrawn by Guido Fantoni.
Regular series
- A second series, entitled "nuova serie" ("new series") had 4 issues devoted to "the Phantom" in 1950. Material was Italian except for issues #2 ("Fathers and Sons") and #8 ("The Flirtatious Princess") but it is not known if the latter was or not redrawn by Guido Fantoni.
Regular series
Issue |
Italian title |
Publishing date |
Original/translated story title |
Artist(s)
|
#2 |
Il tesoro scomparso |
April 30, 1950 |
"Fathers and Sons" |
McCoy
|
#4 |
Il diamante del rajah |
May 30, 1950 |
|
Fantoni
|
#7 |
La ragazza del circo |
|
"The Girl from Circus" |
Fantoni
|
#8 |
Un' avventura della principessa |
August 25, 1950 |
"The Flirtatious Princess" |
McCoy
|
- A third series, also published in 1950, had only one issue which was devoted to "the Phantom":
Issue |
Italian title |
Publishing date |
Original/translated story title |
Artist(s)
|
#1 |
Sul trono dei Bandar |
September 6, 1950 |
|
McCoy, Fantoni
|
- An album, ending the Mistero publications, was published in 1950:
Italian title |
Publishing date
|
L' Uomo Mascherato, l'Ombra che cammina |
1950
|
Several reprints of these series were published in the seventies by the Nerbini editor of the time.