The Pirates Prisoner

The Pirates Prisoner
Produced for:	Fantomen 18/1973
# of pgs:	31
Writer:	Janne Lundström
Artist:	Jaime Vallvé
Original colorist:	N/A
Producer:	Semic Press

"The Pirates Prisoner" is a 1973 Team Fantomen story, written by Janne Lundström, with art by Jaime Vallvé.

Plot summary

Chris, the future 4th Phantom, is studying at a convent school in England. Together with a friend, Morgan, he runs off from school to become a Malteser knight. In the Mediterranean the ship they are sailing with is attacked by pirates, Barbary corsairs, from Algiers. Chris and his friend become slaves. While Morgan's uncle pay ransom for his nephew, Chris is sold again to be a galley slave under the English pirate Peter Reis. Chris refuse Reis' offer to become a crew member.

When Chris' parents finally receive news that he has run off from school, the 3rd Phantom travels to North Africa to try to locate his son. Meanwhile Chris and a friend, Abdulla, manage to escape from the corsair pirate ship only to be captured by a ship belonging to the order of the Knights Hospitaller where they again becomes galley slaves. In Algiers his father sets up a ship's supply store in the harbour to be able to inspect slaves being transported into Algiers.

Month after month go by with Chris as a galley slave for the knights hospitaller's. One day he meets his friend Morgan who has become a soldier for the order. Also a galley slave is the former pirate captain Peter Reis. In Algiers the supply store is making a profit and The Phantom use the profits to buy ships to be able to search more thoroughly. All ships carry a black skull flag and they attack corsair ships to be able to free the galley slaves. After a sea battle outside Algiers Chris and his friend Abdulla just barely makes it off the ship before it sinks. They are washed ashore and Peter Reis manages to sneak them into Algiers. Reis learns that a mysterious shop owner is looking for Chris and sells Chris to his former master, pasha Ausjar. The pasha ties Chris to a cannon and demands that the Skull flag navy leave. The Phantom manages to rescue Chris just in time before the cannons goes off and they leave Algiers while the Skull flag navy bombard the city.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Chris, the future 4th Phantom
• The 3rd Phantom
• Unnamed woman who refers to Chris as her son
• The 21st Phantom
• Rex

One-time characters

• Morgan Pembroke
• Hendrik Welde, sailor
• Fadleddin the cruel, slave owner
• Peter Reis, pirate captain
• Abdulla, galley slave
• Jamail
• Erik
• Ausjar, pasha
• Daimbert, knight hospitaller

Locations

• Algeria
  • Algiers
• Egypt
  • Suez
  • Alexandria
• England
  • Convent school
• Malta
  • Valetta
• Bengali
  • Morristown
  • The Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Chronicle Room
      • The Skull Throne

Organizations

• Knights Hospitaller

Vehicles

• Queen Elisabeth, ship

Behind the scenes

According to Fantomen Krönika 3/1994 the story takes place between 1621 and 1623.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Pirates Prisoner", The Phantom #782 (1983)

Denmark

• "I piraternes vold", Fantomet #35 – #38 (1974)
• "I piraternes vold", Fantomets Krøniker #1 (1985)

Finland

• "Merirosvojen armoilla", Mustanaamio 1/1974

Norway

• "I piratenes vold", Fantomet Jubileumsspesial (1986)
• "I piratenes vold", Fantomets Krønike 3 – 4/1994
• "I piratenes vold", Krønikebok #4 (2001)

Sweden

• "I piraternas våld", Fantomen 18/1973
• "I piraternas våld", Fantomen Krönika 3/1994
• "I piraternas våld", Fantomen Krönika Band 2 (2000)