I cinque della Selena

I cinque della Selena

The Delta 45 spaceship, on patrol in space, is about to return to Earth, interrupting its mission. On board are five men: Major Kirk, Navigator Mailer, Technician Pellechet, Space Doctor Martini and Telecommunications Officer Saltykow. Twenty years ago, they left the La Roche base and successfully reached Mars. But a veil of mystery surrounds what happened next. Mino Milani and Dino Battaglia, two pillars of the Ninth Art, propose a compelling science fiction story with adventurous tones and rich social meanings. A story that also has a mission: to deliver an important message to humanity.

Originally published in installments in "Il Corriere dei Piccoli" in the mid-1960s, "I cinque della Selena" was written and drawn in a time of great enthusiasm for the first space explorations. It is surprising for its great modernity and for the moral (not moralistic) anticipations present among its pages. Almost twenty years after its release, director Steven Spielberg tackled the same theme, that of the good extraterrestrial, in the unforgettable film "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial".

The texts were written by Mino Milani, a pillar of "Il Corriere dei Piccoli" and "Il Corriere dei Ragazzi": historian, journalist, novelist, and comic book artist. He is one of the greatest protagonists of Italian comics, who contributed to developing the genre of historical-pedagogical comics. Among his collaborations were those with Hugo Pratt, Sergio Toppi and Attilio Micheluzzi. The panels are also by a master who needs no introduction: Dino Battaglia, one of the greatest of all time. With his fantastic black and white illustrations, he takes the reader on a journey into space, beyond the Sigma galaxy. In a world devoid of hatred, desire for conquest and oppression.

The stories of "I cinque della Selena" arrive in bookstores in a new hardcover edition, in a large format.