The Cobra Returns

The Cobra Returns
Start date:	August 29th, 1965
End date:	April 3rd, 1966
# of strips:	32 (32 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"The Traveller's Tale"
Followed by:	"The Underworld vs. Inter-Intel"

"The Cobra Returns" is the 97th Mandrake Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

The Police Chief accompanied by two agents of Inter-Intel came to Xanadu to discuss a mystery.

Recently, there have been three fatalities in three countries. These were unrelated except for one thing ,all three had symptoms of cobra venom poisoning. In addition, they found a strange fingerprints that looked like a cobra. Could Mandrake tell them more about his old arch-opponent, The Cobra?

Mandrake took guests into his gangster gallery and told the story of Luciphor, The Cobra.

Many years ago at the College of Magic Luciphor was a skilled teacher. One day he robbed the College and fled. Then he turned his powers to criminal use. When Mandrake was grown Luciphor had become The Cobra, Mandrake's first and most deadly opponent. Mandrake battled him for several years. At the end Luciphor died in a fire in his own lab. Mandrake had not found Luciphor's remains in the ruins but could not imagine that it was possible to survive such a intense inferno.

Then began a series of attacks on Mandrake. The Cobra was still alive!

Mandrake began pursuit of his arch enemy and discovered a sign on the gate of a mansion, Venn Ohmm - Funeral Home. Venn Ohmm? Venom! The Cobra's secret hide-out.

Once again Mandrake faces his deadly opponent, now with a dressing gown and silver mask. In an inferno of noise and flame starts a rocket. While the fire spreads Mandrake and Lothar manage escape the burning mansion, but what about The Cobra?

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Narda
• Lothar
• The Police Chief
• Jed
• The Cobra
• Udd

One-time characters

• Mac, an Inter-Intel agent killed by The Cobra.

Locations

• Xanadu
• Venn Ohmm Funeral Home, The Cobra's secret hide-out nearby Xanadu.

Organizations

• Inter-Intel, a world-wide organization that pools criminal information for many nations.

Behind the scenes

• The story title is taken from the plot.
• Luciphor was one of Mandrake's teachers at the College of Magic. One day he robbed the College, fled, and turned his powers to criminal use. When Mandrake was grown Luciphor had become The Cobra, Mandrake's first and most deadly opponent.
• The Cobra has removed his fingerprint, but on his right index finger he have an odd whorl looking like a cobra.
• He has a ring on his right hand, with an engraved cobra.
• In the lab fire The Cobra was severly burned. After years of plastic surgery on a hidden island he gave up. He hide his face behind a silver mask, looking for revange.
• The Cobras agents are all dumb, illiterates, brain-washed; almost blank, and given a poison before their mission. If they were caught they could not reval him. If they failed they did not get any antidote.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "El Cobra", Fantasía Suplemento #106 (1969)

Brazil

• "O Retorno do Cobra", Os Grandes Inimigos do Mandrake #1 (1989)
• "O Retorno do Cobra", Os Grandes Inimigos do Mandrake (Minissérie Encadernada) (1989)

Finland

• "Kobran myrkky tappaa", Taika-Jim #3 (1971)

Italy

• "Il Cobra ritorno", I Giganti #2 (1967)

Portugal

• "O Regresso do Cobra", Mundo de Aventuras #1239 (1973)

Yugoslavia

• "Oči u oči sa Kobrom", Super EKS Almanah #29 (1982)