The Rogues

The Rogues
Start date:	December 20, 1971
End date:	April 1, 1972
# of strips:	90 (15 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"Magic Man"
Followed by:	"The Mission"

"The Rogues" is the 149th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

Inside a dark cave halfway around the earth the Cobra making plans to steal the Crystal Cube from Mandrake. Looking through his files of Mandrake's activities for years he found an interestin case, an electronics genious called "The Mole". Soon the warden receive a package, a personalized 3-dimensional tv color set. For helping to put it together he asked the prisoners in 346b, "The Mole" for help. The Mole quickly rebuild his outfit and manage to escape. Outside he was picked up by Udd and the shark looking remote plane of the Cobra.

While Mandrake and Lothar was lured away the weirs troops (The Mole, Udd, Weasel and Krud) of the Cobra manage to break into Xanadu.

When Mandrake and Lothar finally managed to get to back to Xanadu, it was almost too late. Mandrake's study had major damage, the Crystal Cube was exposed and the villains had almost gotten hold of it. During the fight Udd managed to escape, but did not manage to pick up the Crystal Cube.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• Hojo
• The Cobra
• Udd
• The Mole

One-time characters

• Weasel, a master thief and the Cobras assistant.
• Krud, known as The Strangler or The Executioner and the Cobras assistant.
• Dr. R. Bok, (ar--boc, Cobra spelled backwards).

Locations

• Xanadu
• A Cave, the Cobra's hide-out halfway around the earth.

Objects

• The Crystal Cube

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story taken from the strip of December 12, 1971 (Beginning: "The Rogues").
• An invitation in the strip of February 8, 1971; Conley Hall, Collins rd at Pamet (refering to Lee Falk's summer house near Truro at Cape Cod).
• In Mandrake's study; an invisible beam opens a wall panel, a second invisible beam opens a second panel, then a seamless box opening with a verbal command "reveal" and inside the "Crystal Cube". The box closes with "conceal", an other command closes the wall panels and "guard" activates the laser beams protecting the wall.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "Deadly Cobra and the Crystal Cube", Mandrake the Magician Album Edition (1978)

Finland

• "Cobra -liigan paluu", Mustanaamio #6 (1986)

France

• "Taupe et Cobra et cube de cristal", Spécial Mandrake (mondes mystérieux) - Nouvelle Série #10 (1977)

India

• "The Killer Cobra" Indrajal Comics #213 (1974)

Italy

• "Talpa, Cobra e il cubo di cristallo", Mandrake Selezione #7 (1977)

Portugal

• "O Cubo de Cristal", Mundo de Aventuras #1246 (1973)

Spain

• "La evasión de el Topo", Supercomics Garbo #5 (1976)

Sweden

• "Mullvaden dyker upp igen", Fantomen #19 (1985)

Turkey

• "Eski Düşman", Mandrake #30 #31 #32 (1975)
• "Eski Düşman", Mandrake Albüm #10 #11
• "Eski Düşman", Mandrake Albüm #218
• "Eski Düşman", Mandrake #45 #46 #47
• "Eski Düşman", Mandrake Süper Albüm #13 #14
• "Eski Düşman", Mandrake Süper Albüm #57

USA

• "The Rogues", The Menomonee Falls Gazette from #3 to #17 (1971/1972)

Yugoslavia

• "Krtica' na slobodi", Super EKS Almanah #14 (1981)