1973, Belgian Comics: Mr Magellan, L’Île des colosses

In 1973, the album "L’Île des colosses" ("The Island of the Colossi"), was released in the comic series Mr Magellan. The series was created in 1969 by cartoonist Henri Ghion, known as Géri, with scripts by Jean Van Hamme (1969-1970) and André-Paul Duchâteau (1971-1979). It was serialised in the weekly magazine Tintin/Kuifje from 1969 to 1979, and later published as 8 albums by Éditions du Lombard in Belguim and Dargaud in France.

Mr Magellan is an agent of the International Testing Organisation (I.T.O.). He drives a white Rolls-Royce Phantom V equipped with rockets that enable the car to fly. He smokes cigars and makes use of a wide range of ingenious gadgets. In his investigations, Magellan is assisted by Capella, a red-haired expert in Eastern martial arts.

"L’Île des colosses"
- full colour
- publisher: Éditions du Lombard
- Dutch title: "De wandelende beelden"
- never published in English
- drawings by Géri (Henri Ghion)
- story by André-Paul Duchâteau

"De wandelende beelden" Cover

The main characters in this story are Mr Magellan, Capella, Professor Wolfgang Aloysius, Shamboy, and Myra Von Mars.

Mr Magellan

Capella and Mr Magellan

Myra Von Mars

Synopsis
Mr Magellan and Capella are expected, on a stormy and ill-omened night, to attend a meeting with Professor Wolfgang Aloysius. Capella has a strange premonition, which soon proves to be well-founded. The Professor is abducted, and his servant, Shamboy, is shot with a bronze arrow taken from a statue of Diana that mysteriously disappears...

Professor Wolfgang Aloysius

Shamboy

Trivia

• Reference to Lot’s wife from the biblical story. When Sodom was destroyed, Lot, his wife, and their children were given the chance to escape. The condition was: leave the evil behind, go, and do not look back. Lot’s wife ignored this warning and was turned into a pillar of salt.
• A reference to the Moai, the large stone statues located on Easter Island.
• A reference to the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

Reference to Lot’s wife

Reference to the Moai

Reference to Aristotle Onassis

Vehicles

• Rolls-Royce Phantom V
• unidentified yellow flying / submarine car
• Honda Dax (Honda ST-series)
• Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander

Rolls-Royce Phantom V

unidentified yellow flying / submarine car

Honda Dax (Honda ST-series)

Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander