Geek Syndicate
The Review:
COMIC REVIEW - The Scorpion Vol. 2: The Devil In The Vatican
Here we are again, continuing to pan for gold in the stream of Franco-Belgian comics issuing from the mighty Cinebook and between you and me I’ve just found my biggest nugget yet. It’s criminal that so few mainstream comic fans will be familiar with The Scorpion as to my mind this comic is head and shoulders above ninety percent of what is out there on the market today. Big words, I know. Allow me to convince you. him from having fun and getting rich selling holy relics to the Italian aristocracy. He’s well-travelled, highly educated, a ferocious swordsman and an accomplished lover, but who is The Scorpion really, and why does the Church want him dead? Some light has been shone on these mysteries in Volume 1: The Devil’s Mark but I won’t let any spoilers slip - partly to protect the enjoyment of newcomers and partly because I get the impression that this series will be full of twists and misdirection before the truth about Armando is revealed. As with The Devil’s Mark, Cinebook have gifted us with a double pack of adventures in their second Volume. It’s a great way to bring new readers in to a series and offers real value for money. The first part is called The Stone Cross and deals with the wicked Cardinal Trebaldi’s attempt to legitimise his rise to the Papacy. In his ancient home, he claims, lies the True Cross of Saint Peter, the rock upon which the Catholic Church was founded. Filled with wrath and sorrow after their previous clash, The Scorpion is determined to prevent him achieving his goal. The story is awash with political manoeuvrings, and Armando’s mission begins to look increasingly desperate and futile as he tries to lay bare the Cardinal’s sins. A little more history is revealed, moustaches are twirled, swords clash, things get a little sexy, treacheries unfold and narrow escapes
Writer: Stephen Desberg Artist: Enrico Marini Publisher: Cinebook
The Blurb:
The Stone Cross: The Scorpion, whose mother Cardinal Trebaldi burnt at the stake for loving a man of the cloth, discovers that his father was the murdered Pope himself. When Trebaldi addresses a huge crowd at the end of the