The Ring

The Ring

Produced for:	Fantomen 11/1977
# of pgs:	34
Writer:	Ulf Granberg
Artist:	Jaime Vallvé
Original colorist:	N/A
Producer:	Semic Press

"The Ring" is a 1977 Team Fantomen story, written by Ulf Granberg, with art by Jaime Vallvé.

Plot synopsis

It's a rainy day in the Deep Woods and Rex and Tom-Tom ask the Phantom to read the story of the skull ring. The story is set in 1541 when the 1st Phantom has lived in the jungle for a few years. He suffers from homesickness and decides to leave for good and return to England. Sailing in the Mediterranean, The Falcon, the ship he is travelling on, is attacked by pirates. At the very last they are saved by a Spanish galleon.

In his mother's house in Portsmouth lives a Swiss scholar, Paracelsus, unsuccessfully searching for the Philosopher's stone, the ability to transmute base metals into gold. The earl of Gatswick is supporting him financially but is growing tired of Paracelsus' failures. The earl must have gold to plot against the English King Henry VIII. He finally decides to have Paracelsus' house burned down. With the house on fire, the Phantom arrives, saves Paracelsus but finds that his mother dies in the fire.

Paracelsus admits to the Phantom that the earl of Gatswick is responsible for his mother's death. The Phantom promises to have his revenge before returning to the deep woods of Bengali. Some time later the Phantom travels to the earl's castle Gatswick, climbs the walls and leave his skull mark, terrifying the guards and staff of the castle. In the scuffle, the Phantom is hit by an arrow from a crossbow. He leaves the castle but not before hearing that the earl will make another attempt on Paracelsus' life. Paracelsus leaves the city while the Phantom stops the assassins.

Two nights later the Phantom visits another of the earl's castles outside London. To the earl he explains that he has come as an avenger. After a sword fight the earl falls into the moat and drowns. The Phantom is arrested by the guards and taken to the Tower of London as a prisoner.

Paracelsus asks to meet the king in an audience. He explains to the king that the earl has been plotting against him and the king gives the Phantom a full royal pardon. A few days later Paracelsus and the Phantom leave England, Paracelsus for Salzburg, Austria, the Phantom for Venice, Italy. After arriving in Salzburg, the old man suffers a seizure. Knowing that he only has a short time left, Paracelsus presents a gift to the Phantom, an old ring once worn by Roman emperor Nero. Moments later, the old man suffers another seizure. In a few hours he dies.

Leaving Salzburg, the Phantom travels to Venice and from there to the Red Sea and on to Bengali.

Appearances

Recurring characters

Real-life characters

Locations

Bengali
- Deep Woods
  - The Skull Cave
    - The Chronicle Room
The Red Sea
England
- Portsmouth Harbour
Austria
- Salzburg

Tribes

Bandar

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

"The Ring", The Phantom #1341 (2002)
"The Ring", Frew Trade Paperback #1 (2017; colored by Ivan Pedersen)

Brazil

"O Anel", Fantasma Especial #8 (1987)

Denmark

"Ringen", Fantomet #100 (1979)

West Germany

"Das Geheimnis der Totenkopfringes", Phantom #14

The Ring

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