7

Christ almighty! just look at this tax bill! I made too much money this year. What to do?. . .

uuunh?

ONE CHANCE IN one HUNDRED THOUSAND

YAAWWN

8

Nothing left but an empty bottle and a banana.

Some breakfast.

i suppose i need to head out and get something to eat.

There, the one with the white collar.

You jump out of the car and grab the brat.

I'll pull up alongsidethe kid. . .

And. . . now!

Lemme get my hands on you. . .

Slorp.

plop

9

Five scoops: Pineapple, pistachio, lemon, praline, and Malaga wine, with. . .

Slorpety slorp

shit! Drive on!

My stomach is still empty. . . an ice creamcone would hit the spot.

You mean as bait? Hmm, that might work.

What if we offer him anice cream cone?

You're a fuckup! Now he's headed downtown. . . We'dbetter bag it.

...hot fudge, whipped cream, and walnuts.

Uh oh, I'm out of cash.

Go ahead and eat it yourself. I left my wallet at home.

10

Why don't you watch where you're going?!

Sir , I think you dropped something!

Uh. . . er. . . It's, uh, one of my nephew's toys. . .

Dammit! That idiot with the shark fin growin' out of his domemessed up our plans.

Sir! Sir! Youforgot this!

They're demanding a 100,000-Euros ransom by letter.

So you pay it and you're rid of the money!

Maybe there'san address inthe letter.

I've got to return the envelope to him. . . But there was no address on it.

You're not as dumb as you. . . uh. . . as you don't look.

No, you nincompoop,of course I only pay part of that. . . therest disappears intomy pocket.

Your son is then freed and the letter provides proof of the expenditure. . . Hm, not a bad plan.

Hm! A letter...

. . .it appears that your income is 100,000 Euros too high.

meanwhileWell, my dear fellow, I'm working on a plan to make myself 100,000 Euros poorer.

Keep this under your hat… But I'm arranging for my son to be kid-napped by two highly skilled lads !

11

This is a very serious matter, Mr. christenson. We've intercepted a letter that indicates that your son is about to be kidnapped.

Oh. . . how dreadful.

Dammit.

I think it might beadvisable to keep himindoors for a few days.

This is a matter for the police!

Sir, there is someone from the police here to see you.

later that day

Excuse me.

Hello, CHristenson, is that you? We've got him. But we can't send you the ransom note you gave us. . . I'm afraid welost it.

I'm fully aware of that, you dolts. . . No. . . the game is off, at least for now.

But your son, what do we do with him?

Let him go, of course.I have to hang up now. Good day.

What th. . . He hung up on me.

Mr. christenson, we need to get down to brass tackshere!... To whom were you speakingand what. . .

Er... um... why don't you have a seat, inspector?

Inspector, this is Anita. . . Anita, would you be so kind as to pour the inspector a drink.

A cigar, perhaps? what's your pleasure? Derk De Vries? Carl Upmann? Balmoral?

12

We were just playing cops and robbers, you got that?

But, but...

Out you go! Shoo! Shoo! Scram! hnf. . . f-f-f

nf-s-hnf.

Does this make any sense to you? First we get bawled out for not getting him, and now that we finally have the kid we have to let him go.

Seems pretty pointless.

yes. But I'm getting that re-ward one way or the other!

Excuse me, but two gentlemen in the hall are here to see you.

No, no, don't worry about that, I'vegot a...

You didn't think we were gonna leave empty-handed, did you, gramps?

Let's head over to christenson to collect.

. . .surprise.

13

And if you justsign here, I'll be expecting you Monday morningat five thirty.. .

. . .on the corner of Entrepreneurs Alley and Commercial Plaza. The company bus will pick you up there and take you out to the mines.

5:30. . . the mines. . . i do need money, but this. . .

hey, there's that one-eared rabbit. The one who trip-ped me up in the ice cream parlor.

He's got a beating coming to him.

. . .Wait!christensonjust walked up!

How nice of him.. . a little token.Cigar? La

Paz? Hofnar?

Right! Got rid of the money anyway!

.. .That envelope. We gotta get our mitts on that envelope.

Excuse me, Sir, doyou have the time?

.. .No, I don't own a watch.. . And that clock isn't working.

. . .Thank you so much.. .

Thanks to you, my son was spared a terriblefate. Thanks to you, the apple of my eye was kept out of the clutches of a ruthless gang of crooks. As a token of my appreciation allow me to offer you this sealed envelope!

Excuse me, are you Mister De Pojo?

OWW

YIPE

EMPLOyMENT AGENCY

14

I got it, I got it!

Look at this. . . a 100,000-Euro re-ward, that ain't hay!

the following morning

No,but we'll track him down.

You said it. Did they report the lucky stiff's name?

. . .From the tax man?

Re: your reward of 100,000 Euros.

There was that much money in the envelope?!

good lord, where did I put that thing?

Mr. De Pojo, a letter for you.

. . .Crap, the cheapskate only gave him 2000 euros.

TAX ADMINISTRATION

15

You won't get away that easily, you mercenary!

Pick up the pace, you slug-gards! We need to reach the 3rd fort by sundown!

By Jove!

Men, get ready to engage in battle. The blue berbers are approaching!

* The blue berbers

That might be a fata morgana, but we can't afford to take the chance!

Blue barbarians, that's our name, messing up people, that's our game. Ruling the desert is our fate, we live on heat and hate. And only murder will us sate.

not very far away

Franz Kristensen can well imagine what the response will be to this incursion into those bloody Berbers' lands! That he nonetheless has neglected to rejoin his regiment can be attributed to his European carelessness.

16

Whoa… canned goods.

Watch this, mercenary!

Yaarrrghhh!

You've seen your last dawn, viper's spawn!

NO, NO, After you, father!Behind you! Aaghh!

There!dear me, I stabbed the colonel!

Fall in! Cannon. . . fire!

17

I'll show you, traitor!

Mercy.. . mercy!

Yipe, yipe.Arrgh!

Trouble-maker!

Hello, hello. . . Please send reinforcements!

Take that, you rascal!

. . .Allah save me!

Ng. . . gah

GL. . . urk

Another optimist! God will

punish you!

Anyone who thinks he can drive the Berbers out of their last remaining territory has got another think coming. Not even those natives whom hunger has driven to the side of the white interlopers can expect mercy at their hands!

1918

Such obstinacy.. . . . .MUST be punished!

That will avail you little, Thunderbird!

By the beard of the prophet, those Machiavellian Mephistos have called in reinforcements.

Ah, divine intervention!

1918

So, Caesar. . . Been a while, hasn't it?!

What? You, here?!

Everything is going exactly according to plan. . . or is it?

I wasn't expecting you. . . uh.. . I'm sorry, how are things?

Should we launcHthe assault, General? absolutely

not, Colonel. Time is our weapon!

To think that this building was erected for their own benefit.. .

when was ideal-ism ever rewarded?

The Berber marauders DO NOT TAKE KINDLY TO intruders!. . .I'm starting to have second thoughts

about the wisdom of locating our head-quarters here in the middle of the desert.

2120

To put it bluntly, they're ungrateful dogs.. . But all this talk has made me thirsty.. . can I offer you ANYTHING?

By Jove! This is the last one! The blockade has reduced our supplies to practically nothing!

I'll take a mineral water.

We must tamp down this insurrection, but we can only achieve this with military assis-tance. One of US will have to try to break through their lines, to the civilized world.. .

?? You think so?.. . Butthat seems impossible!

No, Caesar, one of us will be able to make this attempt by flyingthe prototype of the aviomobile!

The prototype? But what if it is destroyed? It's the result of years of research! I can't evenbear to think about it!

WE HAVE NO choice, Caesar. . .

. . .You're right, Zacharias. . .

SHORTLY

I admire your courage in volunteering for this MISSion, Caesar!

You can pick it up at our head office. Here is the key to the safe.

Bah, Zacharias, it must be done.. . By the way, where do I get the moneyto pay the mercenaries?

Contact!

2120

Well, damn... money for mercenaries, or.. .

money for Caesar Soda!

.. .Who wouldmournZacharias's disappearance?

. . .the Blue Berbers are sure to kill him. Unless he dies of starvation.

My future is assured!

One turn of the key, lots of loot for me.

oo-élé! oo-élé!Yipe! Yipe!

There!

laterThat will keep them busy while I take my leave!

But this box of crow's feet will come in handy.

By Allah! One of them is trying to break through!

Attack! ...I don't have much in the way of defense.. .

2322

All I need to do is verify that Zacharias is indeed dead.

Exactly as I expected. Razed to the ground,and no sign of Zacharias.

. . .That plume of smoke must be him!

A splendid villa, champagne, palm trees and women. . . Lay out the welcome mat, I'm on my way!

Yes, that is how I lost my best friend. . . Alas, all my efforts to save him turned out to have been in vain.

It must have been dreadful for you.

So, Caesar, been a while, hasn't it?!

MANY years later

Uh. . . (gulp)…I. . . I wuh-wasn't. . .uh. . . uh. . . ex-ex-expecting. . .

Ah, young lady, as you see, Caesar is moved to tears! Please leave us alone for a bit. Would you be so kind as to fetch a few bottles of champagne?

This can't be happening.

BUT OF COURSE!

Groan...

2322

So much more of a reason for you to help yourself!

DON'T DO IT, Zacharias. Let's make a deal. The POLICE will get you.

Arrest me? Don't make me laugh. After all, I've beendead for years!

UNHAND ME.. . I. . .

Were you going to. . .? No, no, how could I even think that? You're much too good for that, always trying to help others!

Well, well. A piece. Not very sporting of you.

suddenly

Go ahead, open the drawer, Caesar. Why are you hesitating?

A mineral water.

Or are you afraid that your misdeeds are about to be revealed?. . .

Uh. . . um. . . (gulp), what can I offer you?

So. . . aren't you delighted to see your old friend again?. . . No?

2524

So, old friend, now I've got you where I want you...

Years ago I sent you off duringthe siege of the Berbers. . .

. . .It was a practical wayof getting rid of you!

That didn't work out as planned, but now I'm back on top again!

I'll take your Cadillac.After all, you won't be needing it any more.

So TELL ME ABOUT THIS NEW friendof yours, Sally!

He is quite charming, as you'll see!.. .

The Cadillac with the busted brake cables, that was No. 13, right?