Franco Donatelli

Franco Donatelli (Alessandria, 13 March 1924 – Milan, 15 November 1995) was an Italian comics artist and a pivotal figure in the country’s comics scene. After studying at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, he began his professional career in the early 1940s as an assistant to Mario Faustinelli on Furio Almirante for Gian Luigi Bonelli’s Edizioni Audace. Because his comic work did not initially pay enough, Donatelli supplemented his income with jobs in banking and advertising. During this period, he also adopted pseudonyms such as Frank Well and Frank Donat.

From 1946 to 1952, he collaborated with Victory publishers, creating the superhero Mistero, as well as Silver Scout (1952). He worked for several major publishers—Universo, Nerbini, Dardo, Alpe, and Casarotti—producing titles like Mandrake, Amok, and various western comics. In 1948, Donatelli returned to Audace to complete the last three episodes of La Pattuglia dei Senza Paura and later went on to draw over one hundred covers for Il Piccolo Ranger. Throughout the 1950s, he illustrated children’s books and numerous covers (including the Albi Salgari series) for Mursia, Cappelli, Sonzogno, and Rizzoli, while also providing vertical strips for the French newspaper Paris-Jour (1962–1964) under the pseudonym Donatel, and war/espionage comics for the British market.

From the mid-1960s onward, Donatelli focused primarily on Sergio Bonelli Editore, solidifying his reputation with more than fifty episodes of Zagor (1965 – 1995) and three episodes of Mister No (1975 – 1977). He also illustrated short stories written by Guido Nolitta (Sergio Bonelli), such as Anubi and Voudou in Collana Rodeo. Donatelli passed away on 15 November 1995 in Milan, while still at work on a Zagor story. His dynamic style and prolific output left an indelible mark on Italian adventure comics.