Tex 'The Fountain of Youth', on newsstands from September 16th

Tex, The Fountain of Youth: illusions, obsessions, demons tell an unusual western story with profound existential implications.

Roman Pesavento

Dreamlike and philosophical, the hardback Tex album, available at newsstands from September 16th onwards, with a screenplay by Giorgio Giusfredi, drawings by Fabio Civitelli and colour by Laura Piazza.

The adventure unfolds through extremely realistic landscapes, sunny canyons, dotted with lowlands and rocky heights set ablaze by the desert sun, and “non-places”, those of “elsewhere”, those of delirium, those of the mind that falters, abdicating itself. The metaphysical use of color accompanies an increasingly exciting story, which begins, initially, as a classic episode populated by gullible natives subjected to the crazy criminal of the moment, to become something completely different: a reflection on human fragility, on deep fears, on the intrinsic weakness of our condition, which, very often, pushes us to make fatal mistakes, to take roads of no return.

The characters, well constructed, with strong individualities and strongly characterizing somatic features, we seem to glimpse a radiant Valeria Golino, in the role of Doleres – Sitsi, a young Lucio Battisti, in the role of Dorian, and an ambiguous and melancholic Johnny Depp, in the role of Nataska, enliven the story by proposing their truth in turn, leaving the reader excited and in suspense: once again pity and condemnation merge.

Illusions, obsessions, demons that live in the hearts of human beings can be much more dangerous than monsters from the supernatural world or ruthless killers. Madness and misplaced ambitions determine horrendous crimes and contaminate relationships and feelings that should be a priority. Evil will not triumph, however, especially when Zagor's axe crosses with Tex's colt.