MAGICO VENTO

Conceived and written by the screenwriter Gianfranco Manfredi and produced by Sergio Bonelli Editore, Magic Wind it comes out on newsstands in June 1997. Magic Wind is a horror-western that tells the story of Ned Ellis, an ex-soldier who, due to an explosion in a train, loses his memory due to a splinter that remains stuck in his brain. It is collected by the elderly sorcerer Lakota Sioux, Lame horse who recognizes in him the envoy of the Great Spirit. It was therefore renamed Magic Wind and a new life began.

Following his visions and premonitions, the villagers consider him a "strange man"that is, a Shaman and therefore a sacred and respectable person. Lame horse teaches him all the secrets of Indian magic and this will help him fight against the monstrous creatures and evil spirits he will meet in the course of his adventures. Magic Wind however, he also has real enemies and in particular Howard Hogan, the classic shady businessman enriched himself by building cities and therefore terribly powerful even in politics. He was the architect of the railway massacre of which Magic Wind he was the only survivor, in fact that day many of his friends and colleagues lost their lives. Howard Hoganhe is also the father's killer and mother's mistress Magic Wind, therefore it is to be considered the number one enemy par excellence. In addition to Hogan, Magico Vento faces the powerful organization of the Black Vault, a secret association criminal whose command after the doors of the treacherous Kadosh, is entrusted to Aiwass, a white sorcerer capable of summoning infernal demons. To fight all these dangerous opponents, Magic Wind he is helped by his inseparable friend Willy Richards, Said Poe because of its resemblance to the well-known writer Edgar Allan Poe. Like the latter, he also has the habit of alcohol, which he tries to fight with all his strength. Poe is actually a journalist who gives a hard time to the evil Howard Hogan, as he tries to expose his misdeeds. The setting of the stories often has the tribe as a backdrop Lakotanella which we find different characters, friends of Magico Vento, like the Indian Reject-to-quit, daughter of the chieftain Tail-of-Toro and the squaw Cut nose, loves Magico Vento but cannot marry him both because he is considered a sacred man and because she wants to be free from sentimental ties. Then there is Uccide-if-Same, considered the comedian of the tribe. This friend of Magic Wind, he does everything the opposite of what an Indian warrior could do and takes his making people laugh as a vocation, but often enters deep existential crises and isolates himself by falling into victimhood. As for the friends and allies of Magico Vento who are outside the tribe, the mysterious and brilliant figure of Dick carr, a former stage actor whose face was defaced with acid by his wife, during a play. He strangles her in front of the public, but then runs away and runs away. However, she possesses the extraordinary ability to disguise herself and assume the appearance of anyone. Initially serving Hogan, he becomes an ally of Magic Wind when he can control his mind. Then there is a sworn enemy of Howard Hogan, this is the senator Fulton which, as well as Poe e Magic Wind, tries to unmask all the crimes and scams Hogan has committed. Many-colors in art Cole Turpin is instead a painter who lives by expedients and shares the life of the Indians. But what most fascinates about the stories of Magico Vento are undoubtedly the magical and fantastic atmospheres of the Indian tradition. How not to rememberBlack Wolf, appeared in the register "Claws", a powerful very strong sorcerer, capable of transforming himself into a wolfwere, who however Magic Wind manages to defeat, sticking the whole arm in his throat.

But surely the most evil monster-opponent is cruel, it appears in Magico Vento n.6, it is Louis Beaumont, a ferocious criminal who made a pact with the Indian divinity Uncegila, the serpent god therefore has become very powerful and immortal. At his first appearance he performs a chilling gesture: he kills Lame Horse by beheading him, this in order to take possession of his guiding spirit, the Loa that will allow him to increase his power. Magico Vento will be able to defeat him by making him fall off a cliff and returning him to the Uncegila deity, who consumes him in a mortal embrace. Magic Wind it also collided with our devil's Indian counterpart: the Windigo. Everything happens when the Indian chief Fire Vorace, to survive the cold and hunger, in the Canadian mountains, becomes a cannibal, eating the meat of his men. He is then possessed by Windigo's soul and transforms into an insatiable monster that still feeds on numerous victims and increases in size. Magico Vento, however, knows his Achilles heel: frozen water. An episode that particularly struck me was the one with Whopi, the White Bison Woman. It is the story of a dumb girl with long black hair who lives in the wild. However, if someone uses violence, he turns into a kind of demon, pulls out his nails and sharp teeth and devours the victim. Only Magico Vento, through a ritual, manages to get in touch with her soul, trying to inforder her with peace and serenity in order to to restore its original splendor. Among the other creatures, coming from the ancient Indian tradition we remember: Ktomi, the demon of deception who comes in the form of a scorpion man, is able to confuse the minds of men in order to create wars and enmity, then there is Vultur a demonic animal summoned by the magic of Aiwass, which is put in the service of Howard Hogan, to destroy Magico Vento. All these adventures are set in the state of Dakota immediately after the American secession war, therefore in full climate of Indian wars. Magico Vento is essentially a perfect blend between the classic western (that of bandits and shady traffickers), Indian culture where its most fascinating and mysterious aspect is highlighted, that of its religion, myths and legends. and the horror genre capable of leading the reader to read the story in one go. The merit in addition to the excellent screenwriter Gianfranco Manfredi (who the readers of Dylan Dog will remember especially for the beautiful "Johnny Freak"), it should also be given to the designers who with their sign, deliberately "dirty" and gloomy, contributed to amplify the drama of the stories. Pasquale Frisenda, Goran Parlov, Josè Ortiz, Corrado Mastantuono, Corrado Roi, the legendary Ivo Milazzo and many others.

The character of Magico Vento, the names, images and registered trademarks are copyright Sergio Bonelli Editore and are used here for cognitive and informative purposes.