Comics, Animazione, Illustrazione: L’evoluzione del Salone negli anni ’70 (which translates to Comics, Animation, Illustration: The Evolution of the Salone in the 70s) is a documentary which appeared on the streaming service show titled ‘Wonderland’ by RaiPlay in Italy in 2023. It features the history of the Salone Internazionale dei Comics which showcased both the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician.

RaiPlay is an Italian subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by RAI. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced by RAI.

The Wonderland episode, part 2, released on the 11th of January 2023 contains documentary style information on the Salone Internazionale dei Comics held in Italy which was established in 1965 in Bordighera, Italy. This episode features Lee Falk at the 1971 comic convention which was held in Lucca, Italy. His two creations, the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician make an appearance in the documentary, amongst other creators and comic book characters.

The Wonderland episode runs for 6.27 minutes, with footage seen in both color and black and white in Italian language.

The episode is described by RaiPlay as:

“Rebels, dreamers and… cartoonists”, a periodical column by Luca Raffaelli, this year tells the long history of Lucca Comics & Games through Rai Teche materials. In this episode, the expansion of the “International Comics Show” to animated films and illustration. Interviews with the American cartoonist Lee Falk, creator of the characters Mandrake and the Masked Man in the 1930s, with the illustrator and director Osvaldo Cavandoli, author of the famous Linea man in advertising, and with Rinaldo Traini, director of the Show for over twenty years.

Wonderland – Comics, Animazione, Illustrazione: L’evoluzione del Salone negli anni ’70 part 2 can be watched below.

A user registration is required to watch the Wonderland episode on the RaiPlay website, which is free of charge. The full episode can be found HERE

More information on the history of the Salone Internazionale dei Comics which launched in Bordighera, Italy in 1965 can be found HERE

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