Zagor Original #50: Težak protivnik

In Težak protivnik (A Tough Opponent), Chico is mistaken for “Guitar” Jim, a singing outlaw with a few scores left unsettled. Chico takes a beating meant for someone else. Zagor decides to find the real Jim, and the two friends come up with a way to make him come to them.

They pose as wealthy gold prospectors, betting that word of their riches will be enough to draw him out. But the prospect of easy loot also attracts a gang of robbers. Instead of lying in wait for Jim, Zagor and Chico have to get out of the trouble their own trick has brought upon them. What matters now is how Jim will react when he comes face to face with the two men who set the trap.

Guido Nolitta builds the adventure around two changes of identity. First Chico pays for being mistaken for an outlaw; then he and Zagor deliberately pretend to be someone else. Gallieno Ferri plays up the comedy of their disguise before the encounter with the gang raises the stakes. It is in the middle of this confusion that readers first meet the guitar player who will return in later Zagor adventures.