The Treasure from Rhodes

The Treasure from Rhodes
Produced for:	Fantomen 6/1980
# of pgs:	32
Writer:	Norman Worker
Artist:	Kari Leppänen
Original colorist:	N/A
Producer:	Semic Press

"The Treasure from Rhodes" is a 1980 Team Fantomen story, written by Norman Worker, with art by Kari Leppänen.

Plot synopsis

The Phantom and Guran are hunting in the jungle. They take shelter for the night in an ancient temple. Sitting around the fire, Guran wants to know how the Phantom first got his name and the Phantom starts to to tell the tale.

The 1st Phantom grew up in England with his cousin Simon. As they grew up, Kit chose the life of the sea while Simon wanted to become a knight. Sometime after 1536 Simon had in fact become a squire to count Emile de Auvergne and had travelled with him to Malta where the Grand Master of The Order of the Knights of Saint John had given the count the assignment to find the order's lost treasure. A ship loaded with the treasure went ashore after a storm some years earlier and the survivors hid the treasure on the coast of Africa. The only survivor was Gunther and he travels with the count to retrieve the lost treasure. Also traveling is Simon and his misshaped servant Drango.

After going ashore they are attacked by thugs who bring them to their master Suliman the cruel in his stronghold Ismahan. The christian party is tortured and Simon refuses to disclose the location of the treasure. Simon is killed but the location is finally revealed by count Emile.

In the Skull Cave, the Phantom wakes up one night and see a vision of his cousin, saying that he has been betrayed and that his name has been dishonoured. Simon asks his cousin to clear his name, not revealing any details. The Phantom travels north through the desert to Bizerte in North Africa where a friend of his father's, the merchant Behadar, help him with passage to Malta. In Malta he meets with the grand master who tells him that it was Simon who cowardly revealed the location of the treasure before he died. The Phantom asks for permission to clear his cousin's name by retrieving the order's treasure.

The Phantom travel back to Bizerte and joins the caravan of Behadar to travel into Ismahan. He learns from other merchants that they all fear Suliman who is protected by his pirate fleet. Suliman has arranged a yearly feast. The celebrations include a ritual where anybody is allowed to challenge him for leadership. When the celebrations begin, the Phantom and Drango release the slaves from the pirate galleys in the harbour. Dressed in the armour of the Order of St John, the Phantom challenges Suliman for leadership. Suliman does not fight fair until he sees the Phantom's face and believe that it is Simon Walker who has returned back from the dead as a phantom.

Meanwhile the freed galley slaves capture the city and set fire to the buildings. The terrified Suliman shows the way to the treasure. Before he can shoot the Phantom, the burning roof falls down over his head. The Phantom and his friends leave by ship with the treasure. After returning to Malta, the Phantom and his cousin are knighted. Word of mouth spreads to Africa that Suliman the cruel was killed by a phantom.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Guran
• The 1st Phantom

One-time characters

• Suliman the cruel
• Simon Walker
• Emile de Auvergne
• Gunther from Tun
• Drango, Simon's servant
• Behadar, father's friend
• Yussuf
• Omar

Real-life characters

• Juan de Homedes y Coscon

Locations

• Bengali
  • The Skull Cave
  • The Valley of the Long Dead
• England
• Malta
  • Medina
• Africa
  • North Africa
    • Barbary Coast
    • Bizerte

Tribes

• Bandar

Behind the scenes

• According to Fantomen Krönika 1/1993 the story is set in 1538.

Related stories

Followed by

• "Duel in Venice" by Norman Worker and Kari Leppänen
• "The Battle on Malta" by Norman Worker and Kari Leppänen

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Treasure from Rhodes", The Phantom #1737 (2015)

Brazil

• "O Tesouro da Ilha de Rhodes", Fantasma #336 (1983)

Denmark

• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Fantomet #154 (1981)
• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Fantomets Krøniker #4 (1987)

Finland

• "Rhodoksen aarre", Mustanaamio 12/1980
• "Rhodoksen aarre", Mustanaamio 12/1988
• "Rhodoksen aarre", Mustanaamion kronikka 1/1995

Hungary

• "A Rhodoszi kincs", Fantom #8 (1990)

Norway

• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Fantomet 15/1980
• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Fantomets Krøniker (1984)
• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Fantomets Krønike 2/1997
• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Krønikebok #1 (2000)
• "Skatten fra Rhodos", Fantomet Gullalderen #8 (2012)

Spain

• "El Tesoro de Rodas", El Hombre Enmascarado #34 (1981)

Sweden

• "Skatten från Rhodos", Fantomen 6/1980
• "Skatten från Rhodos", Fantomen 4/1988
• "Skatten från Rhodos", Fantomen Krönika 1/1993
• "Skatten från Rhodos", Fantomen Krönika Band 1 (1999)

West Germany

• "Die Arena der Menschenjäger", Phantom #174 (1981)
• "Die Arena der Menschenjäger", Phantom Super-band #43
• "Die Arena der Menschenjäger", Phantom Super-band #49

Awards

• Best story (Sweden) 1980

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Best Story Winners
Finland
1985: "The Prisoner at Capitolium" | 1986: "The Moor of Death"
Norway
1979: "The Heirs" | 1983: "Tale of Rex" | 1984: "Hero" | 1985: "Pirates of the Yellow Snake" | 1986: "The Beanstalk" & "Race Against Death" (tie) | 1987: "Devil's Adventure" | 1988: "Eden" | 1989: "The Last Unicorn" | 1990: "The Last Emperor" | 1991: "Death of a Patrolman, Part 2: Tracking the Killers" | 1992: "The Wolf is Coming" | 1993: "Aron" | 1994: "The Commander is Dead" | 1995: "The Demon's Image" | 1996: "Johnny Hotwire" | 1997: "The Ghost Who Died Twice" | 1998: "The Last Phantom, Part 1: The Eighth Circle" | 1999: "Devil's Story" | 2000: "The Phantom vs Singh 2050" | 2001: "The Invisible Phantom" | 2002: "In A Strange Land, Part 2" | 2003: "My Darling Pirate" | 2004: "Son of the Pirate Queen" | 2005: "The King of Norway" | 2006: "The Singh Brotherhood" | 2007: "Dogai - The Road to Power" & "The Commander is Dead" (best reprint) | 2008: "The Devil of Ravenscar" & "Kingdom of the Amazons" (best reprint) | 2009: "Duel at Deadman's Gulch" | 2010: "The Cabin Boy and the Princess" | 2011: "The Gulf of Aden Pirates" | 2012: "The Pirates' Prisoner" | 2013: "The Slave Ship Zong" | 2014: "Death of a Pirate Queen" | 2015: "A Plague in Venice" | 2016: "John X" & "Patrolman X" | 2017: "The Karabasan League"
Sweden
1978: "The Avenger from the Sea" & "Phantom Wedding" (tie) | 1979: "Devil's Story" | 1980: "The Treasure from Rhodes" | 1981: "The Legend of the Swords, Part 1: Excalibur" | 1982: "The Stone Carving People" | 1983: "The Water of Life" | 1984: "The First Phantom" | 1985: "The Beanstalk" | 1986: "The Battle on Malta" & "Devil's Story" (best reprint) | 1987: "The King is Dead" | 1988: "Eden" | 1989: "The Last Unicorn" | 1990: "The Cathedral Mystery" | 1991: "Devil's Story" | 1992: "Hoogan's Revenge" | 1993: "The Test" | 1994: "The Commander is Dead" | 1995: "The Set Up, Part 1" & Part 2 | 1996: "The Last Viking" | 1997: "The Ghost Who Died Twice" | 1998: "Return of the Zombies" | 1999: "Devil's Story" | 2000: "The Phantom vs Singh 2050" | 2001: "The Prodigal Son" | 2002: "The Long Bow of Little John" | 2003: "My Darling Pirate" | 2004: "Son of the Pirate Queen" | 2005: "The Battle on Malta" | 2006: "The Singh Brotherhood" | 2007: "The Phantom Crusader, Part 1" & "The Commander is Dead" (best reprint) | 2008: "The Castaways" & "Kingdom of the Amazons" (best reprint)" | 2009: "The  Phantom Gladiator, Part 1" | 2010: "The Cabin Boy and the Princess" & "The Dragon Throne" (tie) | 2011: "The Sons of Captain Walker" | 2012: "The Pirates' Prisoner" | 2013: "Year 1349" | 2014: "Death of a Pirate Queen" | 2015: "A Plague in Venice" | 2016: "Nat Turner's Spirit, Part 6: The King of Louisiana" | 2017: "Farewell to the Deep Woods" | 2018: "The Ghost at Gallows' Inn" | 2019: "The Devil in Stockholm" | 2020: "A Reckoning with the Nomad" | 2021: "Devil's Story" | 2022: "Saga of the Vultures Chapter One: The Haunted Castle" | 2023: "Ku Klux Klan"