Gallieno Ferri

Gallieno Ferri (Genoa, March 21, 1929 – Genoa, April 2, 2016) was an Italian comics artist best known for co-creating Zagor with Sergio Bonelli (alias Guido Nolitta). Under the pseudonym Fergal, he got his start in the late 1940s illustrating series like Il Fantasma Verde and Piuma Rossa for publisher Giovanni De Leo, later contributing to Maskar, Jolly, and Capitan Walter, as well as producing numerous covers and stories for the French market.

In 1961, Ferri began his historic collaboration with Edizioni Araldo (future Sergio Bonelli Editore), first drawing a couple of Giubbe Rosse episodes. Shortly thereafter, he brought to life the design of Zagor, combining western and adventure elements in a series that would become one of the cornerstones of Bonelli’s lineup. Ferri not only illustrated more than 120 Zagor stories and every cover from its inception, but also scripted some of the early episodes.

In 1975, again under Nolitta’s scripts, Ferri drew the premiere story of Mister No and produced its first 115 covers, further solidifying his reputation at Bonelli. Renowned for his dynamic style and decades-long dedication to Zagor, Ferri remains one of the most prolific artists in Bonelli’s history, having drawn over 20,000 pages for a single character. He passed away in Genoa on April 2, 2016, and is buried in the Polanesi cemetery in Recco.