Il Piccolo Ranger (i.e. "The Little Ranger") is an Italian comic book series centered on Kit Teller, a character created in 1958 by writer Andrea Lavezzolo in tandem with illustrator Francesco Gamba and later developed by numerous authors; they were published in Italy by Edizioni Audace in the striped format in the series of the same name and later in a new series in the Bonelli format published from 1963 to 1985. The character belongs to a group of teenage heroes very popular in the fifties and sixties, such as Captain Miki, the Little Sheriff and others, wanted so young to facilitate their identification with potential young buyers, that being their peers, they could reflect themselves in the protagonists of comic stories. The series presents its own originality, giving life to a long and engaging comic epic with both tragic and humorous tones among the most successful of the western genre of the period. The series was also published in France, the former Yugoslavia (now in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia), Turkey, Greece, Spain and Brazil.
A traditional western series addressed to a young audience, it debuted in 1958 and was published until 1985.[1] [2] Until 1963, Il Piccolo Ranger comic books also featured in their appendix episodic stories featuring other characters, including works by Hugo Pratt, Guido Nolitta and Dino Battaglia.[1] It was released fortnightly until 1971, then monthly until its cancellation.[2] Between 1995 and 1996 a collection series in 13 paperback volumes was published in a limited edition by Editrice Dardo.[2]
Kit Teller is the son of Mary Worth and Ted Moses Teller who emigrate from Wales in search of fortune to the United States where, once they arrive, they venture into the wild frontier territories in search of a job. During this trip, on the border between Missouri and Illinois, Kit was born in 1861. Eight months after Kit's birth, his mother died and little Kit fell ill. Saved by the Indians of the Red Bison tribe, Kit and his father stay with the Indians for almost a year and then leave to join the rangers and send Kit to a college in the east. Moses becomes a ranger and obtains permission from the commander to keep the little Kit at the fort until the child reaches reach college age. The Little Ranger series starts from this moment. Kit's father during a mission deserted and disappeared going to live with the Indians and for this reason he is considered a traitor. The fort's rangers would like to keep the fact from little Kit that is well-liked anyway. The Little Ranger lives his adventures in a wild land facing outlaws, ferocious Indians but also wise reptiles, extraterrestrials or medieval warriors arrived who knows how in the new world. Among the characters he meets, perhaps the most unusual are two Mormons, Italian-American vegetarians: SATURNINO and SALVATORE. They are expert of every art and science, endowed with strange powers. Among other things, they talk to animals, in a way not unlike what happens in the pages of the Tarzanesque Akim. They warn the two Tellers, father and son, to beware of the water on full moon nights. Such a warning will save them from several ambushes. At the end of each adventure, the young ranger finds his friends within the reassuring walls of the ranger fort. Among them the fiancée Claretta Morning, the maternal vivander of the strong Rosa Morning, mother of Claretta, the drunkard Brandy Jim, the Chinese cook and washerman Cin Lao, the sergeant O'Hara, Teeth Bill, Frankie Bellevan, Annie Four guns, Ibrahim Bamboula.
The character made his debut in the Collana Audace of the homonymous publishing house by Gian Luigi Bonelli in the classic striped format published in seven series published from 15 June 1958 to 25 April 1971 for a total of 328 issues. The screenplays are by Andrea Lavezzolo and, to a lesser extent, by Guido Nolitta while the drawings are by Francesco Gamba and Birago Balzano. Subsequently, with the books not sold, the publisher re-proposed the Little Ranger series in a total of 69 collections, starting from n. 11 of the series Supplement to the Audace series. The collections do not have a periodicity and the price is 100 lire for the first volumes and 120 for the remaining issues. From 1963 the stories proposed in the strip format in the Audace series were reprinted in the Bonelli format in the series Gli albi del cowboy – Nuova serie up to page 55 of n. 89 when unpublished stories of the character began to be published; the publication ended after 255 issues in February 1985 in which Kit, Frankie and their friends, finished their years with the Rangers uniform, retired to the countryside and began a new life as ranchers. The merit of the longevity of the series, however, must also be attributed to those who continued the work of Andrea Lavezzolo as Decio Canzio who, while maintaining the spirit of the series, made the narrative more agile, updating it to the changing times or like Giorgio Pezzin, Marcello Toninelli and the If Staff; note that Guido Nolitta wrote the last adventure of the series.
An unpublished self-contained episode entitled "Secret document" was published as an appendix to n. 99 of Commander Mark in the Herald Series. In May 1992, a 148-page special issue was published entitled "The return of the Rangers" written by Mauro Boselli and drawn by Francesco Gamba. Finally, in 2006, the Editoriale Mercury published a new unpublished story entitled "Zoltan the Magician", written by Ermes Senzò and drawn by Luigi Merati. Starting from February 2012, the Little Ranger is reprinted in an edition for newsstands by If Edizioni.
List of albums of the series "The books of the cowboy – New series"
| Number | Original title | Title | Pubblication date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Il Piccolo Ranger | The Little Ranger | December 1963 | |
| 2 | L'indiano bianco | White Indian | January 1964 | |
| 3 | Il segno di Manitù | The Sing of Manitou | February 1964 | |
| 4 | L'uomo di ferro | Iron man | March 1964 | |
| 5 | Il padrone della folgore | The Master of Lightning | April 1964 | |
| 6 | Mani in alto! | Hands Up! | May 1964 | |
| 7 | Sepolto vivo! | Buried Alive! | June 1964 | |
| 8 | La casa del mistero | The House of Mystery | July 1964 | |
| 9 | Il morso del serpente | The Snake Bite | August 1964 | |
| 10 | Nuove reclute | New Recruits | September 1964 | |
| 11 | La bussola stregata | The Bewitched Compass | October 1964 | |
| 12 | Kit contro tutti! | Kit Against All | November 1964 | |
| 13 | Il totem d'avorio | The Ivory Totem | December 1964 | |
| 14 | Il pugnale malese | The Malay Dagger | January 1965 | |
| 15 | Il tranello | The Trap | February 1965 | |
| 16 | L'inferno verde | The Green Hell | March 1965 | |
| 17 | La stella del Nord | The North Star | April 1965 | |
| 18 | Formiche rosse | Red Ants | May 1965 | |
| 19 | La maschera di cera | The Wax Mask | June 1965 | |
| 20 | Le colline proibite | The Forbidden Hills | July 1965 | |
| 21 | Azione notturna | Night Action | August 1965 | |
| 22 | Rangers all'attacco | Rangers Attack | September 1965 | |
| 23 | Il Cavaliere Nero | The Black Knight | October 1965 | |
| 24 | Il terzo complice | The Third Accomplice | November 1965 | |
| 25 | Missione compiuta | Mission Accomplished | December 1965 | |
| 26 | Battaglia nel canyon | Battle in the Canyon | January 1966 | |
| 27 | Allarme al forte | Alarm at the Fort | February 1966 | |
| 28 | Fulmine Nero | Black Lightning | March 1966 | |
| 29 | Killer Jim | Killer Jim | April 1966 | |
| 30 | L'Orda Rossa | The Red Horde | May 1966 | |
| 31 | Spari nella notte | Shoots in the Night | June 1966 | |
| 32 | Colui che viene da Nord | He Who Comes From the North | July 1966 | |
| 33 | I negrieri dei Caraibi | The Caribbean Slavers | August 1966 | |
| 34 | La cascata della morte | The Waterfall of Death | September 1966 | |
| 35 | La voce nelle tenebre | The Voice in the Darkness | October 1966 | |
| 36 | Orme sul sentiero | Footprints on the Trail | November 1966 | |
| 37 | Segnali di fumo | Smoke Signals | December 1966 | |
| 38 | Bottino di guerra | Spoils of War | January 1967 | |
| 39 | L'invincibile | The Invincible | February 1967 | |
| 40 | La collana di smeraldi | The Emerald Necklace | March 1967 | |
| 41 | Il fantasma | The Ghost | April 1967 | |
| 42 | Un eroe ritorna | A Hero Returns | May 1967 | |
| 43 | Il sospetto! | The Suspect! | June 1967 | |
| 44 | Gli avventurieri | The Adventurers | July 1967 | |
| 45 | La lunga pista | The Long Trek | August 1967 | |
| 46 | La ribellione | The Rebellion | September 1967 | |
| 47 | Frontier Town | Frontier Town | October 1967 | |
| 48 | Nel campo nemico | In the Enemy Camp | November 1967 | |
| 49 | La Banda dei Cinque | The Gang of Five | December 1967 | |
| 50 | Veleno! | Venom! | January 1968 | |
| 51 | Rangers in agguato | Rangers Lurking | February 1968 | |
| 52 | Caccia all'uomo | Manhunt | March 1968 | |
| 53 | Malatierra | Malatierra | April 1968 | |
| 54 | Bandiera bianca | White flag | May 1968 | |
| 55 | La valle maledetta | The Cursed Valley | June 1968 | |
| 56 | Old Nick | Old Nick | July 1968 | |
| 57 | La legge di Lynch | Lynch's Law | August 1968 | |
| 58 | La caverna dell'oro | The Cave of Gold | September 1968 | |
| 59 | Il cavallo d'acciaio | The Steel Horse | October 1968 | |
| 60 | Guerra indiana | Indian War | November 1968 | |
| 61 | Tragica fine | Tragic End | December 1968 | |
| 62 | L'albero della morte | The Tree of Death | January 1969 | |
| 63 | Il tesoro | The Treasure | February 1969 | |
| 64 | La valle nascosta | The Hidden Valley | March 1969 | |
| 65 | Sulla via di Austin | On the Way to Austin | April 1969 | |
| 66 | Ombra Rossa | Red Shadow | May 1969 | |
| 67 | L'assedio! | The Siege | June 1969 | |
| 68 | L'ultima beffa | The ultimate Bluff | July 1969 | |
| 69 | Senza tregua! | Without Respite | August 1969 | |
| 70 | Avventura in Messico | Adventure in Mexico | September 1969 | |
| 71 | Bande rivali | Rival Gangs | October 1969 | |
| 72 | Assalto a Valle Nera | Assault on Black Valley | November 1969 | |
| 73 | Il trionfo di Kit | Kit's triumph | December 1969 | |
| 74 | Verso l'Irlanda | Towards Ireland | January 1970 | |
| 75 | Lo spettro dello stagno | The Spectrum of the Pond | February 1970 | |
| 76 | Il castello maledetto | The Cursed Castle | March 1970 | |
| 77 | I naufragatori | The Shipwreckers | April 1970 | |
| 78 | L'isola in fiamme | The Island on Fire | May 1970 | |
| 79 | La gloriosa impresa | The Glorious Feat | June 1970 | |
| 80 | Terra bruciata! | Scorched earth! | July 1970 | |
| 81 | Oro! | Gold! | August 1970 | |
| 82 | "El Charro" | "El Charo | September 1970 | |
| 83 | La fine di un bandito | The End of a Bandit | October 1970 | |
| 84 | Il deserto non-perdona | The Desert Does Not Forgive | November 1970 | |
| 85 | Storia di un ribelle | Story of a Rebel | December 1970 | |
| 86 | La legione dei dannati | The Legion of the Damned | January 1971 | |
| 87 | Silver Lake | Silver Lake | February 1971 | |
| 88 | La regina delle tenebre | The Queen of Darkness | March 1971 | |
| 89 | La pietra della vita | The Stone of Life | April 1971 | |
| 90 | Quartiere cinese | Chinatown | May 1971 | |
| 91 | Le tigri del mare | The Sea Tigers | June 1971 | |
| 92 | L'immortale | The Immortal | July 1971 | |
| 93 | Il diabolico barone | The Diabolic Baron | August 1971 | |
| 94 | Il libro rosso | The Red Book | September 1971 | |
| 95 | La parola di un ranger | The Word of a Ranger | October 1971 | |
| 96 | La banda degli evasi | The Gang of Escapees | November 1971 | |
| 97 | Luna di sangue | Blood Moon | December 1971 | |
| 98 | Il ragazzo selvaggio | The Wild Boy | January 1972 | |
| 99 | Bisonte Nero | Black Bison | February 1972 | |
| 100 | Lost Valley (a colori) | Lost Valley (in color) | March 1972 | |
| 101 | Kit è scomparso | Kit Has Disappeared | April 1972 | |
| 102 | Il Grande Vecchio | The Great Old Man | May 1972 | |
| 103 | Nel cuore della giungla | In the Heart of the Jungle | June 1972 | |
| 104 | La città morta | The Dead City | July 1972 | |
| 105 | Oltre il confine | Beyond the Border | August 1972 | |
| 106 | L'arma del delitto | The Murder Weapon | September 1972 | |
| 107 | Campesinos! | Campesinos! | October 1972 | |
| 108 | La casa sulla collina | The House on the Hill | November 1972 | |
| 109 | Uomini violenti | Violent Men | December 1972 | |
| 110 | La tenda gialla | The Yellow Curtain | January 1973 | |
| 111 | L'artiglio del mostro | The Monster's Claw | February 1973 | |
| 112 | Il solitario del Pecos | The Solitaire of Pecos | March 1973 | |
| 113 | Gli sbandati | The Stragglers | April 1973 | |
| 114 | L'oro del Sud | The Gold of the South | May 1973 | |
| 115 | "Agua Blanca" | "Agua Blanca" | June 1973 | |
| 116 | Un ranger a New York | A Ranger in New York | July 1973 | |
| 117 | Il Fantasma dell'Opera | The Phantom of the Opera | August 1973 | |
| 118 | Gli angeli giustizieri | The Angels of Justice | September 1973 | |
| 119 | La città nella palude | The City in the Swamp | October 1973 | |
| 120 | Texas in fiamme | Texas on fire | November 1973 | |
| 121 | Il complotto | The Conspiracy | December 1973 | |
| 122 | La banda inafferrabile | The Elusive Gang | January 1974 | |
| 123 | Il vulcano spento | The Extinct Volcano | February 1974 | |
| 124 | L'iceberg della morte | The Iceberg of Death | March 1974 | |
| 125 | Nodo scorsoio! | Slipknot! | April 1974 | |
| 126 | Le mille e una trappola | The Thousand and one Trap | May 1974 | |
| 127 | Il professionista | The Professionist | June 1974 | |
| 128 | La roccia nel deserto | The Rock in the Desert | July 1974 | |
| 129 | Raffica mortale | Deadly Barrage | August 1974 | |
| 130 | Il fiume nascosto | The Hidden River | September 1974 | |
| 131 | Ku Klux Klan! | Ku Klux Klan | October 1974 | |
| 132 | La maschera del terrore | The Mask of Terror | November 1974 | |
| 133 | La belva umana | The Human Beast | December 1974 | |
| 134 | A mosca cieca! | A Blind Fly! | January 1975 | |
| 135 | Il terzo giustiziere | The Third Executioner | February 1975 | |
| 136 | Il monaco | The Monk | March 1975 | |
| 137 | Riserva Apache | Apache Reserve | April 1975 | |
| 138 | L'Olandese Volante | The Flying Dutchman | May 1975 | |
| 139 | La galleria della morte | The Gallery of Death | June 1975 | |
| 140 | Destinazione Tucson | Destination Tucson | July 1975 | |
| 141 | La legione degli invulnerabili | The Legion of the Invulnerables | August 1975 | |
| 142 | L'incredibile duello | The Incredible Duel | September 1975 | |
| 143 | La montagna incantata | The Enchanted Mountain | October 1975 | |
| 144 | La crociera dell'"Hispaniola" | The Cruise of the "Hispaniola" | November 1975 | |
| 145 | L'Isola dei Delfini | The Island of the Dolphins | December 1975 | |
| 146 | Duello sull'oceano | Duel on the Ocean | January 1976 | |
| 147 | La perla dell'Oklahoma | The Pearl of Oklahoma | February 1976 | |
| 148 | Sfida infernale | Infernal Challenge | March 1976 | |
| 149 | La febbre dell'oro | The Gold Rush | April 1976 | |
| 150 | La rupe della paura | The Cliff of Fear | May 1976 | |
| 151 | Il mostro del plenilunio | The Monster of the Full Moon | June 1976 | |
| 152 | La barriera invisibile | The Invisible Barrier | July 1976 | |
| 153 | Viaggio nella preistoria | Journey into Prehistory | August 1976 | |
| 154 | I rettili sapienti | The Wise Reptiles | September 1976 | |
| 155 | Mesa del Norte | Mesa del Norte | October 1976 | |
| 156 | Tiro al bersaglio | Target Shooting | November 1976 | |
| 157 | Il Dragone Nero | The Black Dragon | December 1976 | |
| 158 | Il volto dell'assassino | The Face of the Assassin | January 1977 | |
| 159 | L'ultimo agguato | The Last Ambush | February 1977 | |
| 160 | Il vendicatore | The Avenger | March 1977 | |
| 161 | Attacco al vagone postale | Attack on the Mail Car | April 1977 | |
| 162 | Il segreto dell'idolo | The Secret of the Idol | May 1977 | |
| 163 | Binario morto | Dead End Track | June 1977 | |
| 164 | Sfida nella città fantasma | Challenge in the Ghost Town | July 1977 | |
| 165 | I Cavalieri della Notte | The Knights of the Night | August 1977 | |
| 166 | La tana del diavolo | The Devil's Lair | September 1977 | |
| 167 | La Vedova Nera | The Black Widow | October 1977 | |
| 168 | Infamia! | Infamy! | November 1977 | |
| 169 | L'ultimo atto | The Last Act | December 1977 | |
| 170 | Winchester | Winchester | January 1978 | |
| 171 | Il ragno e la mosca | The Spider and the Fly | February 1978 | |
| 172 | Il mercante di Laredo | The Laredo Merchant | March 1978 | |
| 173 | Rintocchi di morte | Chimes of death | April 1978 | |
| 174 | La spia messicana | The Mexican Spy | May 1978 | |
| 175 | La sesta vittima | The Sixth Victim | June 1978 | |
| 176 | Traguardo all'inferno | Finish Line in Hell | July 1978 | |
| 177 | L'imboscata | The Ambush | August 1978 | |
| 178 | La maschera dell'odio | The Mask of Hatred | September 1978 | |
| 179 | La congiura dei potenti | The Conspiracy of the Powerful | October 1978 | |
| 180 | Un branco di lupi | A Wolfpack | November 1978 | |
| 181 | Il guerriero di ghiaccio | The Ice Warrior | December 1978 | |
| 182 | La nave vichinga | The Viking Ship | January 1979 | |
| 183 | Gli uomini condor | The Condor Men | February 1979 | |
| 184 | La miniera maledetta | The Cursed Mine | March 1979 | |
| 185 | L'assassino è tra noi | The Assassin is among us | April 1979 | |
| 186 | I Tre Serpenti | The Three Serpents | May 1979 | |
| 187 | I prigionieri del pueblo | The Prisoners of the Pueblo | June 1979 | |
| 188 | La tempesta di fuoco | The Firestorm | July 1979 | |
| 189 | Operazione Terrore | Operation Terror | August 1979 | |
| 190 | Gli artigli del falco | The Talons of the Hawk | September 1979 | |
| 191 | Lo Spirito dei Boschi | The Spirit of the Woods | October 1979 | |
| 192 | Sentiero di guerra | War Trail | November 1979 | |
| 193 | Luna di morte | Death Moon | December 1979 | |
| 194 | Il Signore delle Stelle | The Lord of the Stars | January 1980 | |
| 195 | L'uomo che non-poteva morire | The Man Who Couldn't Die | February 1980 | |
| 196 | La vendetta del faraone | Pharaoh's Vengeance | March 1980 | |
| 197 | Delitto perfetto | Perfect Crime | April 1980 | |
| 198 | La peste africana | The African Plague | May 1980 | |
| 199 | Lampi sul Messico | Lightning on Mexico | June 1980 | |
| 200 | Alto tradimento | High Treason | July 1980 | |
| 201 | La febbre della palude | Swamp Fever | August 1980 | |
| 202 | Khubai Khan! | Khubai Khan! | September 1980 | |
| 203 | La fuga | The Escape | October 1980 | |
| 204 | La pista dei Sioux | The Trek of the Sioux | November 1980 | |
| 205 | La Valle dei Teschi | The Valley of the Skulls | December 1980 | |
| 206 | Il mistero del tempio | The Mystery of the Temple | January 1981 | |
| 207 | Tragica magia | Tragic Magic | February 1981 | |
| 208 | Il mantello nero | The Black Cloak | March 1981 | |
| 209 | Markus! | Markus! | April 1981 | |
| 210 | Per un milione di dollari | For a Million Dollars | May 1981 | |
| 211 | Il messaggio | The Message | June 1981 | |
| 212 | Un uomo da salvare | A Man To Be Saved | July 1981 | |
| 213 | L'oro di Goldstone | Goldstone's Gold | August 1981 | |
| 214 | Orrore dall'ignoto | Horror From the Unknown | September 1981 | |
| 215 | Viaggio allucinante | Hallucinating Journey | October 1981 | |
| 216 | Lo Sparviero | The Sparrowhawk | November 1981 | |
| 217 | Il coltello sacro | The Sacred Knife | December 1981 | |
| 218 | Ai confini del Texas | On the Border of Texas | January 1982 | |
| 219 | L'accampamento segreto | The Secret Camp | February 1982 | |
| 220 | Lo stregone rosso | The Red Sorcerer | March 1982 | |
| 221 | Il genio del male | The Evil Genius | April 1982 | |
| 222 | Agguato nella prateria | Ambush in the Prairie | May 1982 | |
| 223 | Il pirata Barbanera | The Pirate Blackbeard | June 1982 | |
| 224 | I naufragatori dei Caraibi | The Shipwreckers of the Caribbean | July 1982 | |
| 225 | L'uomo dai due volti | The Man With Two Faces | August 1982 | |
| 226 | Tre giorni per morire | Three Days To Die | September 1982 | |
| 227 | Malinke! | Malinke! | October 1982 | |
| 228 | I diavoli delle montagne | The Devils of the Mountains | November 1982 | |
| 229 | La furia dei Wudog | The Fury of the Wudogs | December 1982 | |
| 230 | Il terrore di Black Valley | The Terror of Black Valley | January 1983 | |
| 231 | Allarme al castello | Alarm at the Castle | February 1983 | |
| 232 | Il villaggio dell'incubo | The Nightmare Village | March 1983 | |
| 233 | L'ombra inafferrabile | The Elusive Shadow | April 1983 | |
| 234 | I pascoli dell'odio | The Pastures of Hate | May 1983 | |
| 235 | La trama del delitto | The Plot of the Crime | June 1983 | |
| 236 | L'impero dei Mendoza | The Empire of the Mendoza | July 1983 | |
| 237 | Il risveglio del dinosauro | The Awakening of the Dinosaur | August 1983 | |
| 238 | Il ribelle | The Rebel | September 1983 | |
| 239 | Assedio al Picco Solitario | Siege of Lonely Peak | October 1983 | |
| 240 | Jack lo sterminatore | Jack the Exterminator | November 1983 | |
| 241 | Duello sul treno | Duel on the Train | December 1983 | |
| 242 | I morti viventi | The Living Dead | January 1984 | |
| 243 | Danza macabra | Macabre Dance | February 1984 | |
| 244 | Herr Doctor | Herr Doctor | March 1984 | |
| 245 | Il sosia | Twin | April 1984 | |
| 246 | Le grotte della paura | The Caves of Fear | May 1984 | |
| 247 | Tentato omicidio | Attempted Murder | June 1984 | |
| 248 | Uno sporco intrigo | A Dirty Intrigue | July 1984 | |
| 249 | Sangue sulla neve | Blood on the Snow | August 1984 | |
| 250 | Senza pietà | Without pity! | September 1984 | |
| 251 | Il re della frontiera | The King of the Frontier | October 1984 | |
| 252 | Il forte del disonore | The fort of dishonor | November 1984 | |
| 253 | Lotta di spie | Fight of Spies | December 1984 | |
| 254 | L'ultima avventura | The latest adventure | January 1985 | |
| 255 | Rangers, addio! | Rangers, goodbye! | February 1985 |
Other comics series created by Andrea Lavezzolo: