Tomorrow on newsstands Mickey Mouse entirely directed by Max Pezzali

A unique issue of Mickey Mouse comes out tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3: for issue 3680 of the historic comic book magazine, in fact, the art direction of the weekly magazine has been entrusted to Max Pezzali. The issue is out at newsstands, comics shops and on Panini.it. An encounter between different languages that come together in an editorial project built as a narrative experiment, capable of combining the memory of the 1990s, the power of musical catchphrases and the narrative universe of Disney characters. The initiative was born within an editorial idea that transforms the weekly magazine into a kind of creative laboratory. The encounter between music and comics is not only a thematic suggestion, but a structural framework that drives the entire issue, conceived as a concept comic built along the lines of a musical concept album. Each story therefore becomes a sort of track, while the pages as a whole contribute to building a larger, choral and coherent narrative, linked by a common thread that recalls precisely the sound and narrative dimension dear to Max Pezzali.

Explaining the nature of the operation to ADNKronos is Topolino’s editor Alex Bertani: "This issue of Topolino is a real gem, an experiment never done before. A concept comic built along the lines of a concept album, where each rap story will present a kind of track and where each page will contribute to a larger surprising and choral tale. Different and disparate stories united by the same common thread (or soundtrack I if you prefer). An unusual test. So ’personal’ that after 400 uninterrupted issues I have decided, for one week, to get out of the editor’s chair and enjoy Mickey Mouse from the armchair! I will leave it to Max Pezzali, an outstanding editor, who brought a lot of energy and a precise idea of storytelling to the editorial office."

Max Pezzali also recounts this transition as a significant moment in his own creative experience. “And here I am at the helm of an entire issue of Mickey Mouse,” says the singer. “A dream come true, like for a child to walk into a toy store and be able to take anything. At the handing over of the keys to the kingdom I felt a great responsibility go up. Mickey Mouse is one of the most influential from the point of view not only of the quality of the stories, of the comic strip itself, but also of the sociological meaning behind every cartoon, every single character. When Alex Bertani proposed a handover, I started thinking about how to make sure that this issue could conform to the level of such a high publication, but at the same time contain elements that would tell my story, in harmony with the world of Mickey Mouse.”

The creative path that led to the construction of issue 3680 stems from a dialogue between the artist and the Mickey Mouse editorial team, led by Panini Comics and developed together with a group of Disney authors. The stories featured in the issue take shape from cues, passions and suggestions that can be traced back to Max Pezzali’s imagination, and are then transformed into comic tales through the work of scriptwriters and illustrators. The result is an interweaving of different narratives, united by a common setting that reflects the structure of a music album translated into comic language.

Opening the issue is the story Donald Duck and the Sound of Time, written by Tito Faraci and drawn by Alessandro Perina, in which Max Pezzali himself appears in a “perized” version, inserted directly into the Disney fictional universe. The project also takes on a personal and almost biographical significance, considering that there is a bond between the author of the story and the musician dating back to their university days, when they both shared a passion for music and comic books. Pezzali himself recalls an episode related to a shared rehearsal room in a building in the lower Pavia area, an experience recounted in an ironic tone but significant in outlining a human and creative relationship that has never been completely interrupted.

The issue continues with a series of four self-contained stories signed by Claudio Sciarrone, titled North, South, West and East, which once again bring back the figure of Max Pezzali in a duck version, within narratives that play with direction and movement, recalling symbolic and musical suggestions. These are joined by additional stories that expand the narrative range of the album, all inspired by the artist’s passions and creative universe.

These include Chilometri di lettere, written by Marco Nucci and drawn by Davide Cesarello, which explores narrative dynamics related to communication and distance, while Manetta e la squadra che vince sempre, signed by Roberto Gagnor and Luca Usai, brings attention to choral and investigative dynamics typical of the Disney world. The issue also includes Il paperotto che leggeva Rider Duck, scripted by Francesco Pelosi and drawn by Giampaolo Soldati, which recalls the relationship between reading, imagination and narrative growth of characters.

Continuing down the issue’s path, we find Donald Duck and the Hero’s Long Day, written by Marco Nucci and illustrated by Andrea Maccarini, along with Vecchia storia, stessi amici, signed by Corrado Mastantuono as full author. Each story contributes to building a coherent mosaic that reflects the narrative identity of the project, in which the Disney universe is intertwined with Pezzali’s musical and personal universe, seamlessly bridging imagination and memory.

Completing the issue is the special cover created by Alessandro Perina, which visually synthesizes the encounter between the world of Mickey Mouse and that of the artist, symbolically marking the beginning of the editorial journey. The cover image thus becomes the first narrative element of a project that develops page after page, transforming issue 3680 into a reading experience built as a unified story.

The end result is a special issue that serves as a meeting point between generations, languages and imaginaries. On the one hand, Max Pezzali’s music, capable of crossing time and remaining rooted in collective memory, and on the other, Disney’s comic strip, which continues to renew itself while keeping intact its ability to speak to different audiences. Into this interweaving comes the idea of a narrative that does not end with the single publication, but is part of a broader tradition of cultural contamination.

Tomorrow on newsstands Mickey Mouse entirely directed by Max Pezzali

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