Sergio Bonelli Passes, Aged 78

Creator of popular Italian comics Zagor, River Bill and Mister No, Sergio Bonelli died earlier today.

Son of Tex creator Gian Luigi Bonelli,  Sergio often wrote under the name of Guido Nolitta, to disguise his legacy in the field, as well as a female pseudonym, Annalisa Macchi. But he would write many Tex stories in the seventies under his real name and would become editor, then chairman of one of Italy's major comics publishers, CEPIM, which would be renamed in honour of him as Sergio Bonelli Editore. The publisher who would publish not only Mister No and Tex but also Dylan Dog.

But his real achievement as an editor and publisher, was in recruiting and first publishing the work of three generations of Italian comic book writers and artists. Without him the Italian comic scene would have been unrecognisable.

Sergio remained an active man, with work filling his days and regular trips to the deepest, darkest parts of the Amazon he could get to. He's now going on an even more mysterious journey…