

   
ADELE BLANC-SEC
 
 :
PTERROR OVER PARIS
PARIS, November 4, 1911. The Museum
of Natural History, located in the Jardin
des Plantes (Botanical Gardens). The
time: 11:45 p.m.
3.
YL EGG
PTERODACTSSIC
)
(LATE JURA
136 MILLI ON YEARS
4.
Meanwhile, in the
city of LYON…
5.
M'sieur, we found
this fellow in the
street yellin' his
head off. Appears
t'be a few sheets
to the wind.
1:03 a.m., a police station in
Paris' 12th arrondissement…
I ain't drunk! I got
attacked by this big red
bird creature with a beak
full'a teeth! Honest, Chief,
I ain't on the sauce!
I ain't
drunk…
Move it!
Sure, sure, you're stone cold
sober. Throw him in the tank!
It wuz 'orrible!
I ain't pullin' yer leg,
Chief! For once in
y'r life make y'rself
useful by catching
that thing! As a taxpayer I am disgusted
by this turn of
events. Coppers…
phooey!
6.
The following evening. 7:30
p.m.: Georges Plot prepares
to lock up his pharmacy.
At the same moment…
7.


   
ADELE BLANC-SEC
 
 :
THE DEMON OF THE EIFFEL TOWER
Paris, December 12, 1911.
“THE CASE OF THE JARDIN
DES PLANTES IS SPINNING
ITS WHEELS! …Apparently Inspector
CAPONI is not yet in possession
of enough imformation in order to…”
etc., etc… but
“it shouldn't be
long now,”
”
he told
our reporter… etc…
THE CASE OF THE JARDIN DES
PLANTES! It had begun with the
maiden flight of a prehistoric monster
which, revived under mysterious
circumstances, had broken free from
its fossilized egg... then, upon wings
now made flesh, had brushed past its
petrified compatriots on display in the
Museum of Natural History.
Adèle BLANC-SEC had been among the players in this
story, as had her abductee Edith RABATJOIE…
Ah, you've settled down!
Your continual attempts to
damage this door are futile
-- it is quite solid and there
are two gentlemen downstairs who will bar
your escape.
Cease your
squawking -it's pointless,
this house is
isolated.
YOU
BITCH!
51.
…Adèle had intended to break out Lucien
RIPOL, a burglar sentenced to the guillotine for a murder he had not committed…
There had ensued an eventful
…and Adèle betrayed
treasure hunt aimed at recovtwice over, first by
ering the goods stolen from the
ALBERT and then by
banker MIGNONNEAU. Readers
JOSEPH, her erstwill recall the tragic night when
while subordinates.
gunshots rang out in the Jardin
des Plantes, leaving RIPOL dead…
Inspector CAPONI, who
had been put in charge
of the case, had displayed singular obtuseness.
ALBERT had fled, grievously
wounded, while JOSEPH…
Bah…
He won't
get far!
And Simon FLAGEOLET's intervention
had come, alas, too late.
No doubt you are wondering what role I
play in this affair? Well, I'll have you know
that I too am interested in the loot stolen
from the banker MIGNONNEAU. One of the
bags contains an object of
inestimable value for
certain parties, who
have charged me with
its recovery.
And I know
OH, you'll help me.
SO?
First: Locate JOSEPH
and ALBERT... Toward
that end, I will need to
check in with
FLAGEOLET.
52.
In other words,
Adèle had been duped.
…absconded with the two
bags containing the plunder.
THIS
ISN’T OVER!
Whatever
you say…
Everyone
has been taking
me for a ride… But
this is where
I get off!
I'd be surprised
to learn that he
was hot on anyone's
trail… He's not the
kind to show much
initiative…
Adèle
BLANC-SEC.
AH! Here we
are. Well! FLAGEOLET's nest is
nicely feathered.
Good day!
Please sit down.
I have run into a
cul-de-sac. No leads.
Rien de rien.
Well?
First of all,
what is this mysterious
object of which you spoke,
and who charged you with
its recovery?
I am not surprised.
You ought to take up the violin.
Twice I met an individual at the
SÈVRES-BABYLONE Metro station,
at which point he gave me a large
sum of money. Of course he
spoke not a word about my employer, or employers. And so…
Candidly, I have no idea as to the
identity of the people who asked
me to track down the “object.”
I was contacted via letter.
I was told it was of inestimable
value to certain parties.
Intrigued, I accepted.
53.
Come in, Mademoiselle! Monsieur
is expecting
you.
And this
“object”...?
Let's see now… PAZUZU
was stolen from MIGNONNEAU's… I remember
reading an article about
MIGNONNEAU after the
murder… He collected
antiques, and modern art
as well. I believe he owned
several PEISSONIERs…
How does this all fit
together?
An Assyrian
What is this statuette…
thing?
A depiction of
the demon
PAZUZU.
Here is a photograph.
PEISSONIER… PEISSONIER… That rings a bell,
PEISSONIER does…
Hang on a minute!
Multiple rendezvous
at the SEVRESBABYLONE Metro
station to launch a
search for an Assyrian
statuette! The parties
interested in PAZUZU
are not lacking
in wit!
Aha!
I knew there
was a link.
Listen to this: “Among the
works on display at the Salon,
let us single out those bequeathed to us
by Jules-Emile PEISSONIER, who captures,
with force and accuracy, a scene of
sacrifice honoring some ancient demon.
Few artists have had the good fortune to
mark their epoch by restoring with such vim
and vigor the savage splendors of the ChaldeoAssyrian empire… A stirring achievement! Such
towering talent! Such
Evidently PEISSONIER
an unerring sense of
has specialized in the
composition!”
representation of scenes
from Assyrian antiquity.
Observe: PAZUZU, dead
center in the painting.
54.
Let's pay him a visit. This might
be a lead… a slender one, but our options are limited.
The next day...
What do we tell him?
That you are
interested in purchasing one of his daubings
and that I am your
secretary.
A queer affair…
I set up a meeting,
under an assumed name,
of course… PEISSONIER
is expecting us.
Mhh… Indeed. I was contacted
shortly after MIGNONNEAU's murder
to begin this research.
I was present at
RIPOL's trial and
our paths ended
up crossing…
Like JOSEPH and ALBERT,
I was expecting RIPOL, once set
free, and yourself to lead me to
the loot and thus to PAZUZU
secreted in one of the two bags.
But I arrived too late at the
Jardin des Plantes, albeit in time
to save you from CAPONI's tender
mercies.
A NEW PLAGUE
VICTIM IN PARIS!
THE THIRD THIS MONTH!
ANOTHER DISAPPEARANCE
ON THE PONT-NEUF! AN
EYEWITNESS SPEAKS!
Presently, in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
The plague!
That's all we needed!
Here we
are.
55.