THE OUTLAWS
1974-1996
Magnus worked at this story as a complete author from the time he left the Editorial Corno in December 1973. However the last two episodes remained unfinished.
Shui-hu-chuan’s ” Water Margin” is a 13th century Chinese novel with political content that was for a long time prohibited during the different empires till the beginning of 1900 when it was translated into european languages.
The story is about soldiers escaping the unjust punishment to which they were sentenced by the corrupted government and taking refuge in the swamps of Liang – Shan .
The narrative is made up of many interwined political stories. Each character is described within a new adventure.
Eventually the outlaws turn into defenders of the throne against the invaders . The author of the original text did not include female characters: women are few and mostly remain in the background.
Magnus’ graphic style changes over time following his stylistic evolution. He develops the plot in a sciencefictional manner, being inspired by “Flash Gordon” and “Saturn against the Earth” and passing from the Middle Ages to spaceships.
The exotic fairytale-like setting mixes realistic and technological elements while combinig East and West .
George Lucas would choose similar contents just a few years later for his Star Wars saga.