Issue 1524 - Fortnightly, 2008

• "The Devil of Ravenscar" - story by Claus Reimerthi and art by Heiner Bade.

THE DEVIL OF RAVENSCAR may initially strike you as a little far-fetched—but the sad truth is that many humans have entered the world with similar disfigurements. These days, surgeons can usually remove unnatural growths and repair the damage caused. But centuries ago, such surgery was unknown and unfortunate children were often disposed of or at best, placed in total confinement for the rest of their lives.

In this new story, the ‘devil’ has only a small role to play. The story theme centres on the days during King Henry VIII’s reign in England and opposing religious beliefs created havoc throughout what we now know as the British Isles and also in Europe. It is far too complicated to even attempt an explanation of the times and I suggest all interested should conduct their own research via the internet.

There are some interesting sidelights to be found in Claes Reimerthi’s intriguing script. We’ve known for a long time that a pirate was once interred in the Skull Cave, but this is the first time a story-teller has dared include another, completely unrelated outsider! I believe it is also the first time the Skull Cave has been rocked by a very minor earthquake!

Reimerthi has developed a quite powerful story and Heiner Bade, as usual, has gone to great lengths to research the quite ancient times in which the story is set. All his depictions are near-perfect—from architecture to clothing, even the long-winded speech of those days. I’ll leave it to you to make up your own minds about the historical accuracy of the script. Suffice to say that things were quite complicated in King Henry’s days!

One thing however, which is easy to understand in this story is the compassion of The Phantom. He, more than anybody, understands the plight of the unfortunate ‘devil’ and offers the sympathy and assistance the deformed man has obviously craved all of his life.

Collectible!