ALAN FORD AND THE TNT GROUP
Original title: Alan Ford Characters: Alan Ford, Numero Uno, Bob Rock, Caryatid, Otto Grunf, Count Oliver, Jeremiah, Cyrano the dog, Minuette Macon, Squitty: Caryatid's hollow mascot, Clovis the parrot Film script:
Max Bunker Drawings: Magnus, Paolo Piffarerio, Dario Perucca Publishers:
Editorial Corno, Max Bunker Press, 1000VolteMeglio Publishing | Country: Italy Year: 1969 Gender: Humorous / detective comic Comic books: 552 Pages: 128 Periodicity: Monthly Recommended age: Teenagers aged 13 to 19 |
Born in Italy in the 60s by the extraordinary pair of authors such as Max Bunker (the screenwriter Luciano Secchi) and Magnus (the late and great illustrator Roberto Raviola), the comic by Alan Ford and the TNT Group did not have an immediate success. It took two years to ensure that the characters of Alan Ford and of the TNT character group entered by right among the most popular and best Italian comics produced in the second half of the 900th century. In fact, its original and decidedly humorous plots range from the yellow genre to the social satire, which makes it unique in its genre.
The first issue of the series begins with the figure of Alan Ford, a young advertising graphic designer, without a penny who erroneously goes to a flower shop, where he meets a group of unlikely secret agents, these were the members of the "TNT Group" (the abbreviation of the TNT). After various vicissitudes, Alan Ford then becomes an agent of the group, he always wears a sweater and black trousers, he is blond and has blue eyes, he is definitely the most beautiful of the group, also because the other members of the gang are real and own caricatures. Alan Ford is also very clumsy and troublemaker, this because of his provisional shyness that makes him blush especially in front of some beautiful girl, who more often than not manages to trick him as he wants. Despite everything Alan Ford tries to carry out his work with determination and passion, which very often leads him to get involved in situations and intrigues much greater than him. Alan Ford's inseparable friend and colleague is agent Bob Rock, distinguished by a prominent nose and short stature, always wearing a cape and a red Shelock Holmes cap. Alan Ford's friend is always very nervous and has an easily irascible character, this because of his strong inferiority complexes, due to his physical characteristics. In his temperament he is very reminiscent of the old-fashioned Donald Duck, the one to be clear, by Al Tagliaferro. Alan Ford and Bob Rock, often and willingly get help from a dog with an infallible nose: Cirano, a huge Italian hound.
The head of the TNT Group is the
Numero Uno, an old man over a hundred years old (his age is not yet specified) who, even if paralyzed in his lower limbs, is still lively and lucid, the true operative mind of the shabby group. He has a very long white beard, and is distinguished by two large tufts of hair on the sides.
He spins perpetually in a wheelchair and always has a stick in his hand which he needs more to beat the distracted members of the group than anything else. Number One is also feared by everyone because of his bad temper. He lives in the secret hideaway at the back of the flower shop. The right hand of Numero Uno is a gentleman in his sixties called
Caryatid, he is the vice-boss and runs a flower shop. He has graying hair and always wears a scarf around his neck, a refuge for his inseparable Squitty guinea pig. Cariatide gets help in selling the flowers from a small, bald, toothless man with poor health, always struggling with some cold or rheumatism, this is Geremia, who also carries out the tasks of clerk and scribbler. One of the most active people in the group is certainly the German Otto Grunf, he is responsible for the bizarre inventions of gadgets that the group needs to help them in some adventure. Otto Grunf dresses like an aviator and always has a helmet on his head with motorcycle goggles. One of the most "smart" agents is undoubtedly Count Oliver, a sort of English Arsenius Lupine, who enjoys stealing almost as if it were a sport. He always wears a bowler hat, a monocle and a pair of sideburns. In the group there is also a very nice parrot called Clodoveo. The number one enemy of the TNT group is Alan Ford is undoubtedly one of the most original and likeable characters in the Italian comics scene: Superciuk, an alcoholic bandit who plays Robin Hood in reverse, steals from the poor to give to the rich. He dresses like a superhero, with a red cape and a mask on his head and is equipped with many tricks and gadgets, but his most deadly secret weapon is his terrible overhead, when he is captured by the clumsy Alan Ford and Bob Rock, just Superciuk the breaths make them faint. Alan Ford and the TNT group experienced great popularity in 1978 following the very famous (and never forgotten) television show "Supergulp, comics on tv", the opening theme of the cartoon was very funny:
TNT, TNT,TNT, TNT the TNT Group ... here it is
...
And there is Number One, the leader of the gang
that's what the TNT Group is in charge of.....
There's also Bob Rock with the prominent nose
he is the funniest of the TNT Group
TNT, TNT,TNT, TNT the TNT Group ... here it is
...
And here Alan Ford is the most beautiful of all
that's exactly what the TNT Group is for.... "
In these episodes the group was dealing with the infamous Gommaflex, the rubber-faced bandit.
Although Italian comics no longer go through the flourishing period of the 70s, the books of Alan Ford and the TNT Group continue to appear on newsstands, thanks to the original stories that always deal with current issues.
by Gianluigi Piludu
All names, images and registered trademarks are copyright � Max Bunker Press and are used here for informational and informative purposes.
Video by Alan Ford and the TNT group