Issue 1680 - Fortnightly, 2013

• "The Black King" - story by and art by Jens Hanselgarp and art by Kari Leppanen.

Plague ravages Europe and the population dies by the thousands whilst The Phantom attempts to track down an old flame, Julianna. Medieval Europe is a haunted place of corrupt officials and clergy playing on the superstitions of the "great unwashed", creating an ideal stage for our hero to employ a few scare tactics of his own in order to gain the information he needs.

Artist Kari Leppanen creates a visual horror for us, providing lots of detail and mood whilst our writer for this story, Jens Hansegarp builds an exciting tale with a great twist. Enough said! Kari’s first work to appear in Australia was Diamonds of Death (1985) in Frew No 838. In this issue “The Black King” he shows off a distinctive style with some great lighting effects, tortured landscapes, portrait and face details full of intrigue.

In fact, the Black Plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, killing an estimated 75 to 200 million people. The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social, and economic upheavals, profoundly affecting the course of European history. Our story depicts interesting scenes, rituals and clothing that would, perhaps, have been common in those dark times and or employed to combat disease.