Return to Tarakimo: Difference between revisions
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Though Tara is a large man, his primitive bullying is no match for Diana's quick [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo Judo] moves, and the tyrant is soon flying across his throne room, smack into a large wall. While Tara "recovers," Isamu slyly extracts the Ghost's identity from Diana, amid veiled threats of what the tyrant will do when he eventually "deals with her." "What'll he do?" Diana asks nervously, realizing slowly that she's still very much at the mercy of a man who had the power and gall to bind her to a torture machine. "Something diabolic," is Isamu's dry, amused response. | Though Tara is a large man, his primitive bullying is no match for Diana's quick [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo Judo] moves, and the tyrant is soon flying across his throne room, smack into a large wall. While Tara "recovers," Isamu slyly extracts the Ghost's identity from Diana, amid veiled threats of what the tyrant will do when he eventually "deals with her." "What'll he do?" Diana asks nervously, realizing slowly that she's still very much at the mercy of a man who had the power and gall to bind her to a torture machine. "Something diabolic," is Isamu's dry, amused response. | ||
And diabolic it is: Isamu is summoned to Tara's throne room, where the slightly dazed dictator is convalescing in an elaborately trimmed smoking jacket. He is pleased when Isamu informs him that the man he seeks is definitely Diana's husband, but can't wait to start making her pay for her "crimes against his royal person." The fiendish gears of his mind begin to grind as he contemplates a fitting end for our heroine. | And diabolic it is: Isamu is summoned to Tara's throne room, where the slightly dazed dictator is convalescing comfortably in an elaborately trimmed smoking jacket, a small bandage on his bruised, bald dome. He is pleased when Isamu informs him that the man he seeks is definitely Diana's husband, but can't wait to start making her pay for her "crimes against his royal person." The fiendish gears of his mind begin to grind as he contemplates a fitting end for our heroine. | ||
Isamu, with the general's odious orders finally in hand, eagerly seeks out Diana. He forces her to watch as Tara's goons assemble a steel cage, one identical to those housing the dictator's enemies...cages that line the rim of his palace walls. Those guilty of treason, such as an attempt on the dictator's life, the irritating little man explains, are placed in such cages to be executed by firing squad. And the cage before her eyes...belongs to her! | Isamu, with the general's odious orders finally in hand, eagerly seeks out Diana. He forces her to watch as Tara's goons assemble a steel cage, one identical to those housing the dictator's enemies...cages that line the rim of his palace walls. Those guilty of treason, such as an attempt on the dictator's life, the irritating little man explains, are placed in such cages to be executed by firing squad. And the cage before her eyes...belongs to her! | ||
But Tara is far too vicious to have Diana merely shot. On the contrary, he wants her to suffer, along with the Phantom. But before her final trip to his torture chamber, he wants her capture advertised --- not to the outside world, but to the Phantom, when he arrives at the palace. He orders his pretty prisoner caged for his private pleasure at the top of his glass-domed throne room so he can enjoy her predicament, in the meantime. There, | But Tara is far too vicious to have Diana merely shot. On the contrary, he wants her to suffer, along with the Phantom. But before her final trip to his torture chamber, he wants her capture advertised --- not to the outside world, but to the Phantom, when he arrives at the palace. He orders his pretty prisoner caged for his private pleasure at the top of his glass-domed throne room so he can enjoy her predicament, in the meantime. There, lavishly sprawled on his gilded perch, ever-present [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swagger_stick swagger stick] in hand, he flaunts his "divine" authority over her until Diana spews back "You can't do this...it's illegal!" to which he laughs indulgently: "Foolish woman...*I* AM THE LAW!" (shades of [[General Bababu]] here, and a number of other Falk dictators). | ||
Tara eventually gets tired of mocking and teasing the suspended, imprisoned Diana and heads off to bed, giving strict orders to be woken when Walker is captured so he can "supervise his punishment personally." Unfortunately for Tara, the dictator's compensation packages are obviously slim, because his exhausted goons nod off into the night. | Tara eventually gets tired of mocking and teasing the suspended, imprisoned Diana and heads off to bed, giving strict orders to be woken when Walker is captured so he can "supervise his punishment personally." Unfortunately for Tara, the dictator's compensation packages are obviously slim, because his exhausted goons nod off into the night. |
Revision as of 02:59, 6 February 2008
Return to Tarakimo | |
File:Surprise.jpg | |
Start date: | April 17th, 1978 |
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End date: | September 16th, 1978 |
# of strips: | 132 (22 weeks) |
Writer: | Lee Falk |
Artist: | Sy Barry |
Original colorist: | unknown |
Preceded by: | "The Three Bandits" |
Followed by: | "Jungle City" |
"Return to Tarakimo" is the 138th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Sy Barry.
In this second installment of the Tarakimo saga, ruthless dictator General Tara orders Diana's kidnapping from America as revenge for his humiliation at the Phantom's hands in "The Tyrant of Tarakimo".
Plot Summary
After meeting the Ghost and Diana, Tara is still reeling psychologically --- literally seething --- at the humiliations forced upon him (the posturing cretin landed in a pig pen after he was pushed from the plane in which Kit made his escape). He wants the Phantom at his feet, begging for forgiveness and mercy. And, he logically figures, the key to accomplishing this is Kit's blushing bride. This time, it’s personal: he’ll set Diana out as bait, then kill them both after suitable, extended torture --- just as he promised Kit the previous year.
He cavalierly orders his thugs to spare no expense in kidnapping Diana, despite Major Isamu's warnings of the danger of abducting a UN official. After several unsuccessful stalk-and-snatch attempts, the general's self-described "killer squad" --- in reality, just a seemingly random bunch of largely incompetent goons --- finally succeed in abducting her.
Diana is delivered to the evil man as if she were a large pizza (though an expensive one, no doubt), and he relishes the old woman disguise that his henchmen have fitted her with, even placing a small mirror in front of her face so she can “admire” her “aged” countenance. But, even a heartless tub of lard can have an off day: the mask is revealed to have no eye holes and what’s worse --- she’s asleep! Not to be deprived of his sick joke, the wicked sovereign takes great delight in decreeing the "first sight" the drugged Diana sees upon waking up to be himself, hovering over her from his fancy dais-mounted throne chair as he hedonistically stuffs his face with roast chicken and fine wine.
"Surprised to see me?" the fat man chuckles pleasantly, as Diana wakes, gaping at the vision of horror before her. "Who else would go to such trouble to capture you?" he boasts, obviously unaware that there are probably at least fifty baddies who could equally be responsible for her abduction. "Do you realize what my people will do when they find out...?" Diana sputters back, not believing the nerve, or insanity, of the villain. Tara quickly cuts her off, dismissing her threats: "You've disappeared..." he giggles, "never to be seen again...no one will ever know....except one man!"
The unbearable thought of again being the despot's prisoner, combined with his eerie words "never to be seen again," added to her utter exhaustion, causes Diana to pass out, much to the dictator's chagrin --- he was just starting to have some fun with her. "Let the women attend her," he commands Isamu, "when she is rested, let her be returned here." Diana is taken to the dictator's spa, where she is bathed, fed, and allowed to rest, attended by the general's large harem.
Meanwhile, the Phantom is putting together the pieces of Diana's disappearance from the stunned bodyguard she had hired when first being stalked by the tyrant's henchmen. Upon learning Diana had actually mentioned "Tarakimo" when the general's goons stopped her (in phony police garb), the Ghost confronts Dr. Henry about taking official action. Henry reluctantly agrees to investigate the matter, but is nervous about the ramifications of accusing a head of state, even a self-appointed one, of such a crime. The Phantom takes matters into his own hands after promising David Palmer that he will bring back the fat crook in a coffin if he has in any way hurt Diana. He departs for Tarakimo, hoping his new wife isn't already in the clutches of Tara's torturers.
The torture Diana is being threatened with on this trip, though, is turning out to be more mental than physical. After Diana again wakes, Isamu spitefully clothes her in a skimpy, humiliating harem girl costume --- an "idea," he chuckles, to make her more "pleasing" to General Tara's eyes. He returns her to the throne room and orders her to kneel before the "Celestial One." Tara is in his glory, eagerly anticipating the impudent woman finally groveling at his boot tips. He leans back in his throne chair, smugly lights a cigarette in an ostentatious holder, and, lazily blowing smoke rings, begins to gloat over his imminent "victory." Diana, of course, refuses to give him that pleasure and defies him at every turn. His wicked fun foiled, he soon tires of verbally sparring with the fiesty brunette and becomes impatient for the mysterious "rescuer’s" blood ("THAT'S the man I want!" he broods).
He demands Diana reveal the identity of the Ghost Who Walks. When Diana refuses to give her husband up, Tara decides to once more have his cake and eat it: he finally decides to satisfy his lust for the lovely woman, believing this threat to "inspire" her to cooperate ("We have plenty of time...until you tell me," he purrs, grasping her tightly and licking his chops).
Though Tara is a large man, his primitive bullying is no match for Diana's quick Judo moves, and the tyrant is soon flying across his throne room, smack into a large wall. While Tara "recovers," Isamu slyly extracts the Ghost's identity from Diana, amid veiled threats of what the tyrant will do when he eventually "deals with her." "What'll he do?" Diana asks nervously, realizing slowly that she's still very much at the mercy of a man who had the power and gall to bind her to a torture machine. "Something diabolic," is Isamu's dry, amused response.
And diabolic it is: Isamu is summoned to Tara's throne room, where the slightly dazed dictator is convalescing comfortably in an elaborately trimmed smoking jacket, a small bandage on his bruised, bald dome. He is pleased when Isamu informs him that the man he seeks is definitely Diana's husband, but can't wait to start making her pay for her "crimes against his royal person." The fiendish gears of his mind begin to grind as he contemplates a fitting end for our heroine.
Isamu, with the general's odious orders finally in hand, eagerly seeks out Diana. He forces her to watch as Tara's goons assemble a steel cage, one identical to those housing the dictator's enemies...cages that line the rim of his palace walls. Those guilty of treason, such as an attempt on the dictator's life, the irritating little man explains, are placed in such cages to be executed by firing squad. And the cage before her eyes...belongs to her!
But Tara is far too vicious to have Diana merely shot. On the contrary, he wants her to suffer, along with the Phantom. But before her final trip to his torture chamber, he wants her capture advertised --- not to the outside world, but to the Phantom, when he arrives at the palace. He orders his pretty prisoner caged for his private pleasure at the top of his glass-domed throne room so he can enjoy her predicament, in the meantime. There, lavishly sprawled on his gilded perch, ever-present swagger stick in hand, he flaunts his "divine" authority over her until Diana spews back "You can't do this...it's illegal!" to which he laughs indulgently: "Foolish woman...*I* AM THE LAW!" (shades of General Bababu here, and a number of other Falk dictators).
Tara eventually gets tired of mocking and teasing the suspended, imprisoned Diana and heads off to bed, giving strict orders to be woken when Walker is captured so he can "supervise his punishment personally." Unfortunately for Tara, the dictator's compensation packages are obviously slim, because his exhausted goons nod off into the night.
The Phantom executes a daring rescue, silently and swiftly slicing a square in the glass dome above Diana's cage, and then effortlessly breaking the padlock on her portable prison cell. Seething at the cruel treatment of his wife by the general, he breaks into his richly furnished bedroom and, while the fat man snores away, places him in one of his own barbaric cages, outside the palace walls.
The general awakes, calling for his breakfast, only to be met with jeers and showers of thrown garbage. Soon, what seems to be the entire country is mocking him, causing the arrogant man to “lose face” in the ultimate sense of the expression. Even Major Isamu shrinks from helping his once mighty boss.
The second story ends with Tara being hauled off in chains, as a new dictator, Colonel --- now General --- Dito (read: ditto, as in same evil, different face), ascends Tarakimo's throne under the auspices of "democracy."
Analysis
The cynical ending to this story makes it somewhat unique in the Phantom oeuvre and seems to be an attempt by Falk at commenting on how ultimately futile forced governmental overthrows can sometimes be. He seems to be saying (and this is echoed in the story's denouement) that real change can only come through the will of the people.
Phantom comics have always been much richer than the average adventure yarns, and here, there is indeed more than initially meets the eye. The story’s moral is extremely prescient. Tara, despite his exaggerated evil-villain accouterments --- the riding crops, the cigarette holders --- isn't that much different from the bloated bullies who have attempted to rule by fear since the world began.
And his fate isn't much different from theirs, either.
Trivia
- Lee Falk has been quoted as saying that The Tyrant of Tarakimo and Return to Tarakimo (the story's sequel) were his personal "statements" on the growing number of harsh third-world dictatorships fueled by torture cartels.
- A third installment of this story is rumored to exist, but it was not an original US daily strip appearance. It is speculated to be available from Indrajal Comics. In it, Tara is supposedly tried and executed for his countless crimes against humanity.
- It's strange how easily Isamu gets Diana into her cage. He apparently does it with his bare hands, which doesn't make a lot of sense, considering he is only a fraction of his boss' size, and after Diana had easily flipped the general.
- Return To Tarakimo is sometimes identified erroneously as the 125th story in the daily series in some FREW publications.
- Both Tarakimo stories have been reprinted in FREW 1000 and in the 2008 annual FREW 1498.
- In Return to Tarakimo, the careful reader will note that the general is now referred to deferentially as "the Celestial One" by his lackeys. This is perhaps an "in-joke" referring to the tyrant's very public launching from the Phantom's plane. That Tara seems to enjoy the title definitely attests to his rampant egoism, if nothing else.
Reprints
This story has been published in the following publications: