ITALIAN BIG BAD WOLF COMICS FROM THE 1970S

Even though local production of Disney comics in Italy is one of the most established and prolific in the whole world, Italian comics artists had very rarely made Big Bad Wolf comics. The first Italian Big Bad Wolf comics, published in the Albi d'oro series in 1956, would remain as an isolated case for many years. The next Italian-made Big Bad Wolf comics would appear only in 1972, in no. 881 of Topolino. Written by Rodolfo Cimino and drawn by veteran Italian Disney comics artist Giovan Batista Carpi (1927-99), one of the best Disney comics artists ever, this short (9 pages) but wildly imaginative and highly energetic delirious story has the three pigs residing in a medieval-looking castle. The wolf resorts to bizarre vehicles to get in, only to be repulsed by equally unexpected machinery devised by the Practical Pig:

Unfortunately, this marvelous comics has never been published outside of Italy, even though it has been twice reprinted in its home country in the 1990s. Cimino used the Big Bad Wolf in yet another story next year, published in Topolino no. 939. Titled as 'Conferenziere da Caccia' (Lecturer of Hunting), this 18 pages story is one of the longest Big Bad Wolf stories ever. This time, the wolf uses a mechanical pig to trick the three little pigs...

but his plan is, once again, foiled by the Practical Pig:

While lacking the crazy energy of the previous story, this one also rises considerably above the average by its pleasing artwork, this time by Sergio Asteriti, and its interesting plot. It has luckily been published in Germany and Norway as well.

Cimino's third Big Bad Wolf comics would come five years later, in no. 1165 of Topolino, but it doesn't rise to the standards of the previous efforts and hence the less said about it the better!