UNO SU MILLE 
"Se proprio uno ha il sacro fuoco dentro, deve avere buon senso, molta pazienza, un minimo di intraprendenza telefonando ogni tanto per sollecitare le risposte that do not arrive but no illusions, realize that one in a thousand make it, and forgive the poor head of curators who are to take months to respond. "
Thus ended the
my previous post, dedicated to aspiring screenwriters zagoriani. In my programs provide a second episode in which, after making what were the first to understand the difficulties, however, was offering advice to those interested .
The sense of the thing is trying not to deceive people, and sono tanti, credono che fare gli autori di fumetti sia un mestiere facile e alla portata di chiunque, magari in grado di rendere ricchi e famosi come il protagonista del terrificante racconto di Giorgio Faletti "Una gomma e una matita" (e terrificante non va inteso in senso positivo, ovviamente, nonostante il carattere horror della novella). E' importante che chi (come me, del resto) ha sempre sognato di scrivere sceneggiature o realizzare tavole si renda conto dei problemi da superare, dovuti non solo alla necessità di avere e saper dimostrare più talento degli altri ma anche alle gravi difficoltà del mercato, che restringono inesorabilmente gli spazi attorno agli autori (non soltanto agli aspiranti tali ma, sempre più often, also sailed to the professionals).
also arrive on my desk, at times, clearly unrealistic proposals from some that are not up to (some would only need training and apprenticeship, there are others for their own hopes ), but sometimes it makes me think that if we were still in the seventies or maybe in the nineties that the author may already work, except perhaps in Bonelli Barbieri or Universe, for the Corriere dei Ragazzi or to the Newspaper .
Today everything is much, much more difficult, at least for comics from newsstands as we conceive it in Italy. Perhaps it is easier (or less difficult) to find work anywhere, or in the development of video games, or the script of the show or cartoons (not really I have no idea when I was approached to write a plot for a video game and I refused because to each his own job, not playing playstation I would never ever able to dominate the code of an expressive medium alien to me). Trying to warn would-be perpetrators of serious difficulties that lie ahead is not, as sometimes
I hear, want to close the doors of the ivory tower Bonelli (also because of the difficulties are the same, if not more, at home or in one of Disney Paolini) is to enable everyone to learn the steps to be overcome during a climbing free climbing up a vertical wall of grade nine.
Under the heading "Let the numbers
" dedicated to the production budget
Bonelli in 2010, Xavier
Ceri wrote: "Growing
pages, but decrease the writers: 41 those published in 2010, three less than the previous year away from 52 authors, record, 1999. Two newcomers in 2010: Marolla on Dampyr and Cavaletto Dylan Dog ".
Marolla as I have already mentioned is to be presented at Bonelli proposing subjects for Zagor much horror and innovative. I was the first to have the good fortune to read something of his own and I immediately felt the talent in what he wrote. I put her lyrics to Mauro Boselli, who has taken responsibility to act as his mentor and even a long obstacle course Samuel has come to see its first issue on newsstands.
About the designers, Saverio Ceri writes: "The designers published this year are 129, exactly as in 2009. Away record, set in 2003 of 150 designers. Ben Ten newcomers, only half the pages of Cassidy : Amrita, Barletta, Cavenago, Furnò and Gregorini, also on Dampyr Ambu, Benevento on Caravan, Nuccio up Zagor, Nathan Never Romeo and Glass, the first woman to illustrate Dylan Dog . "So in 2010 were ten newcomers. There will be many, but not even a very few. In any case, you can not just talk about ivory tower to (and I am always very sorry to hear this expression used ).
Immediately after my article "The subject in question
" I received several comments, some of which I replied by return mail. You can read them in the bottom of the post, and I thank everyone who wrote something. But given that the debate has become intriguing, before proceeding with the advice promised, I report some of the interventions and those were my replies (so that they remain here for future reference, in case this happens before the eyes of text some interest - the blog comments, you know, sometimes beyond).
Innanzittuto with One Eyed Jack for this testimony: "Having well I tried at the time to send a person to Moreno (luckily I already knew in advance che non c'erano speranze), posso testimoniare che: 1) Da buon principiante ho raccontato tutto nei dettagli, riportando perfino frasi che sarebbe dovute apparire nell'ipotetica sceneggiatura, e che almeno una o due ore a lavor i ben più importanti devo avergliela scippata2) Moreno ha una pazienza di Giobbe, risponde con una professionalità rara, spiega nei minimi termini dove il soggetto presenta punti deboli e può essere migliorato, non vende illusioni e allo stesso tempo evita di consigliare brutalmente di darsi all'ippica, anche se nel mio caso era probabilmente il consiglio più giusto! ".
Roberto invece mi scrive: " Moreno devo dire che I do not share the bottom line of politics Bonelli, that shines through the letters of Sergio mail Zagor. In practice, it is said by those who wish: we advise you not to come to the idea, but if you must send a job to know that 99% there is no hope for you, because the market is small, there are already many comic writers, etc.. Bonelli tends to retain its stable of authors and held for 30 years on Nizzi Tex (stubbornly, even when in recent years, the level had fallen to levels fearful) 20 years on Zagor puppets, but we think a thousand times to graft new authors. Yet an author who writes for many years inevitably dries up the creativity. It would take what is in technology companies la sezione 'Ricerca e Sviluppo'. Se non si fa ricerca e sviluppo, se non si cercano nuovi autori (anche a discapito degli 'anziani' voglio essere franco) la qualità si abbasserà inevitabilmente. Prediamo ad esempio Zelig. I curatori della trasmissione girano tutta Italia con i Laboratori Zelig dove vanno alla ricerca di nuovi cabarettisti esordienti. I migliori passano alla sede Zelig di Milano e infine, chi dimostra di essere davvero bravo finisce in prima serata con Bisio. Ecco cosa significa cambiare e far circolare nuove idee! Zelig avrebbe già chiuso se oggi ci fossero ancora i cabarettisti di 10 anni fa".
Rispondo: non vorrei che ci fossero dei fraintendimenti riguardo al testo di Bonelli going back a few years ago and refers mainly to Zagora. It must be said first that is not true that Bonelli did not offer space to new authors, since only last year were put to work twelve new purchases. Even on Zagor there was the debut of a new design,
Joevito Nuccio. Then I would say that the characters should be distinct "historic", as Tex and Zagor, from the most recent, some writers (and designers) have their long-standing experience and knowledge of the character that reassures the public and preserves the fond liked that their hero remains true to tradition. I believe that no publisher would put in the hands of a rookie as a character
Tex underlying the fate of the publishing house before finding a new writer you have to properly evaluate the candidate who gives more guarantees of reliability. Then there are writers who work for twenty years but have won the "place" just because they did a good job: working in
Medda Bonelli longer than me, but the publisher would be crazy to let him move away on the first newcomer. And the same goes, I guess, for
Berardi , or
Boselli or
Serra or
Castelli (but I could go on citing Vigna, Chiaverotti, Manfredi, etc., taking care not to mention me). Furthermore, I believe that working to ensure employees who for years have pursued the publishing house (making text and drawings), even when age creates some imbalance, is a point of substance, not a critical factor. Prefere someone you really hunted by your place on the day that, in his sixties, I was no longer able to maintain the same standard of twenty years? Not to mention that, then there are readers who appreciate a bit more style 'dating of certain authors and fall away from the face of the most innovative and experimental styles: one must also know the public to whom it is addressed.
Finally I would say that never have missed the new arrivals: Cajelli or Barbato, to speak of the writers, are bigwig came relatively recently in the stable and after them have seen other happy beginning (from Celoni in Enna, just to name). Recently, Dylan Dog wrote the authors of worship as Recchioni , Bartoli, Bilotta, who were born in other professional publishers and have had the artistic alternative to the "Bonelli". The same could be said for Paul Bacillieri and Luca Enoch .
The way ahead to reach pubbici something, as all uphill, can be many and sometimes there may be some unexpected or little jokes that not lead where you expect. However I have set out the problems, since it would be useless or worse damaging to pretend do not exist, and therefore it is better to start preparations. Sometimes I worry that the comics
schools do not offer realistic picture of the difficulties in, and above all I think there should be schools for teaching to become publishers (but not really widespread culture of entrepreneurship in our country). In any case, there are still publishers who offer itself, even beyond Bonelli, from Pauline to Panini, from BD to the Star, Euro all'Astorina and so on. Then there is the foreign market. Finally, there are those who just inventani publishers as in the case of Andrea Bacci and "Lady Viola
"
I mentioned in a post a few months ago .
Basileo commented as well taking the thrust of the Bonelli's Zagor Mail: "I happened in the past to send proposals to publishers and is certainly seeing a big disappointment to send a reply move after you send the toil of months, or (most often) do not get a response at all. I must also say that the attitude of the publisher Bonelli is at least honest: 'no closed to submissions, but we can not guarantee anything to anyone '. Have you ever tried to visit the websites of other publishing houses? In many cases no longer even accept the submission of manuscripts. The results then we see them in the Italian publishing market (the ranking of the best-selling book sometimes breaks down the arms). However, keep in mind that in Italy the number of readers (of comic books if you prefer) is what it is. Meanwhile, these days, visiting Bonelli, I have noticed what has reduced the number of warheads 'fixed' on sale (then part miniseries) and this information I read them in a positive light. Focus energies on the heads available for me to bring greater vitality series that already and know (why not?) will definitely open to new talent. As a laboratory of ideas then they can go very well the miniseries .
Finally Ninaccio writes: " Fortunately I'm not an aspiring author of envelopes and happy to undergo but a devourer of appagatissimo Bonelli comics including course Zagor! I wanted to ask, after close examination of the lack of perfect preparation time due to an abnormal amount of work: you, can you have free time for you without your mind to connect to the particular idea for a new script? Can you unplug it from the role of invented stories or work with your head even when you're out and make 's more? It should not be simply the work of the writer, because I do not think that this can be completed with just office hours! .
answer: work in the newsroom three days a week, then only part-time. The rest of the time I dedicate to the script, after dinner weekdays and Saturdays and Sundays. Of course, I never stop thinking about what I have to do or to say to Zagora. It 's a bit my curse: Never remove a card stamping.
Finally, here is the text that a few years ago, I prepared to give advice to cbhi, animated by the sacred fire and ready to climb mountains, would propose subjects for Zagor (without illusions: one in a thousand stand it). The advice, mutatis mutandis, in my opinion apply to all series Bonelli (or not).
TIPS Moreno Burattini
How to "packaging" a person professionally and to be submitted to the leaders of a publishing house? To begin with, as it may seem a touch of color (but not) is essential to a winning layout, which calls for reading, free of smudges, and grammatical errors. You will then need to take a beating with room for margins on all sides of the paper, separate the paragraphs, write the title in the center, pointed out, possibly using a computer and a typewriter.
In a publishing house where dozens of people arriving every day, it is important not to deter from the first impact, the editor who takes the trouble to read them. Will favorably affect key words from the beginning anyone who read the script. Obviously in the case of authors of a certain control experience will be more superficial and in some cases, supervisors will come to give carte blanche in fact, giving confidence in the professionalism has already been established (the most experienced scriptwriters Bonelli simply designed to tell a voice their idea to the editor of magazine, which approves o la discute senza neppure bisogno di un testo scritto - ma questo naturalmente è un punto di arrivo a cui non si può giungere senza essere partiti da quanto invece stiamo dicendo).
Di estrema importanza è che il soggetto sia chiaro e non lasci dubbi all'editor che dovrà esaminarlo. In altre parole: le motivazioni che muovono i personaggi devono essere le più logiche possibili. Altrimenti il lettore, e il supervisore prima di lui, si chiederanno perché mai qualcuno si comporti in un certo modo, se non ci sono spiegazioni. E per assurdo, le cose vanno spiegate di più e meglio al supervisore che al lettore, perché è il primo che deve accettare una storia, e se ha dei dubbi non la passerà. Perhaps the author has imagined that his story has very clear in mind the performance, but maybe those who can not follow examine the events in an equally straightforward. If the examiner must often stop and ask "why?" or "what the hell this means?", there is something wrong. So you must make sure that there are narrative gaps, uncertainties or steps left to chance.
The facts must be logically linked, and be told in such a way as never to raise doubts about what is happening. The supervisors of the publishing houses, are usually right on fiscal and inflexible consistency of every single element of a story: the "why" unresolved cause the rejection of the subjects. The stories must also be built to a convincing rhythm. The explanations can not be given to long talks that block the action: thus, the story is biased. The explanations should be explored as the story progresses, leaving for last the final piece that makes everything clear, but do not have to see boring scenes where someone says something to someone else for a long time. The subject should only tell what happens, one fact after another, but merely what is really useful to the understanding of each other.
In short, it would be useless, even harmful, to describe the Cico gag to be included in the stories of Zagor: are details that will be included in the script are incidental to the plot, not carriers. Better to focus on what is really important for the understanding and the logical development of the story and kept to a minimum. The details will come later. Other key points which is very sensitive to the supervisor of a serial chain, such as those of the characters Bonelli, are the centrality of the hero as an engine of the story, and his behavior increasingly successful and convincing. The lengthy and ingenuity of some old stories, even Bonelli, twenty or thirty years ago are now forgotten. It claims that the story come alive in the now, prolixity and without procrastination. There must be didactic or long sequences of just talk, the characters must always move, act, do something. Failure to do so, the player now throws away the balloon to turn on the computer and play with the Playstation or surf the Internet, or watching TV offering movies and TV shows at all hours and in extraordinary quantities.
a time when the supply of fiction was much more limited time narrative could be more dilated and you could count on a greater patience of the player before getting to the heart of the matter. In the millennium, unfortunately or fortunately, is no longer the case. One writer has realize this and can not pretend nothing happened. Any user who teaches creative writing to capture the reader's attention must be that the very beginning is intriguing, that's where you enter immediately in medias res, which immediately shot the narrative mechanism that involves the main character and make it attractive to the reader to see how events develop. And in a cartoon as Zagor, where the Spirit with the Hatchet is indeed a hero and not an "antihero" is necessary that these events are very dramatic and that the titular character's head will have an important role. Of course this (the one of the "centrality" of the hero and the need that has to do "good impression") is crucial in Zagor but maybe it's different, and less importantly, Ken Parker and Dylan Dog, write a grain of salt, always keeping in view the characteristics of the character that you intend to write a subject.
It 'clear that the stories proposed must calibrate the character that you want to make the protagonist (well, one can not propose an erotic story to Walt Disney). The term "character's" also includes those of temperament and character, so faced with certain difficulties, our hero will always react as the reader knows that the best times of the authors, is expected to react. Another little trick is well known to writers professionals (film, as well as comic book) is not to describe someone from the evil of such, but to experience the protagonist (and thus the reader), how great is the evil in question. More generally, things (the "facts") should be seen and not told, always giving priority to the events of the most spectacular and dramatic than the events and scenes minimal discourse. E 'is especially important that is not "minimal" the so-called "stake", that is why the hero fight, fight, risking his life.
must, finally, also worth thinking about whether what we are imagining as an event of our history can be effectively designed, or be effective when drawn: a clash "inside" in a cartoon, especially adventure, it can hardly be well represented and less than ever pulled for long. Nor can casually ignore the historical reality in Zagor: it was not so even in the times of Nolitta, it is now less than ever. It 's true, Nolitta did use automatic weapons to his characters do not exist in 1820-1840 (the period in which, roughly, you can put the epic of Zagor), but thanks to God in Darkwood (located in the North-East) is not There are no Apaches (people in the South-West) and Sergio Bonelli on several occasions sought to address issues the reality of their time-space (the Seminoles wars, intermarriage between Cherokee and white slavery, the rendez-vous of the trapper). Those were different times, however, where efforts to meet Nolitta history, while laudable, were not fundamental. Today, however, without altering the characteristics of the series, the publisher asked a lot of work to writers of documentation. Documentation also means that you have read and understand the entire saga of the character which you would like to write adventures, not to propose subjects too similar to stories already published, or too contrary to what had previously seen and established.
Only after it was approved, the subject is published in the script that was transformed from a story in the description of individual pages (called "tables" in the jargon) with directions to the designer and letterer. Each table is divided into various cartoons or strips, and each of these will also indicate the writer talks of the various characters. But that's another story. And above all, is the theory: in practice I know very well that I, for one, I always respected the rules that pretend to teach.
"Ho ricevuto una richiesta per un articolo piuttosto singolare e per certi versi impegnativo da parte de Lo spazio bianco , una delle principali webzine di informazione e critica fumettistica in Italia. Ve ne parlerò, se la collaborazione andrà in porto (cosa di cui non dubito), nei prossimi giorni". 
sì spiegano la faccenda i redattori de Lo Spazio Bianco , nel presentare il mio intervento: "U n gioco: senza altro criterio che quello soggettivo, indicare gli 11 fumetti più rappresentativi pubblicati dalla Sergio Bonelli Editore (in qualsiasi sua precedente incarnazione editoriale). I motivi che spingono alla scelta di un titolo o di una storia piuttosto che un altro possono essere i più disparati: affettivi, editoriali, storici, emotivi, artistici, narrativi eccetera.Il tutto fino a scoprire che il gioco non è altro che un pretesto per parlare di molti, tanti fumetti, spesso dimenticati, spesso mai notati, da ritrovare e (ri)leggere.Nostro gradito ospite, per questo round of tournament, Moreno Burattini , comic book writer, essayist, playwright, now head of the head Zagor . 
needed a more lucid reasoning that takes into account, with the greatest possible objectivity, the many facets of production Bonelli seventy years and the various incarnations of Bonelli. 
Blood Navajo (Bonelli / Galleppini) 
