Pursuit of the Cobra

Pursuit of the Cobra
(Re-released in 2013)
Start date:	October 30th, 1995
End date:	February 10th, 1996
# of strips:	90 (15 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"General Buffo - Druglord"
Followed by:	"The S. S. Div."

"Pursuit of the Cobra" is the 220th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks. A re-release was published by KFS from July 8, 2013 after the interruption of the on-going 266th Mandrake daily story ("Vanguard of Shadows").

Plot Summary

Mandrake tells the story of his childhood at the College of Magic, and his final battle with his half brother Luciphor - aka The Cobra - aka Octon the secret leader of the crime gang "8". At the end Mandrake knocked him down and squeezed out his mental powers, like water from a sponge. Luciphor ended up in jail and now two years have gone.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda, at Xanadu only.
• Karma, at Xanadu only.
• The Police Chief
• Luciphor

One-time characters

• "Groucho", Luciphor in disguise.

Locations

• New York
• Xanadu

Organizations

• 8

Behind the scenes

Title

• The story title is taken from the strip of January 22, 1996 (Beginning: "Pursuit of Cobra").

Note

• For those who came in late, two strips. Then 19 strips retelling the story of Luciphor.
• The story ending with Monday: Answer, referring to an epilogie in the first strip of the next story, "The S. S. Div."

Mandrake Lore

• Luciphor is 10 years older than Mandrake.
• When Luciphor tried to steal the the treasure at CM, he almost killed Mandrake, Theron blazed with fire, hurled a mental blow, and told Luciphor to leave the CM.
• Luciphor leaves the sign of 8 at the scene of the crime.

• At CM there is a diamond mine.
• Theron is 408 years old.
• Mandrake left CM when he was 19 years old.

Easter Eggs – Cameos

• A Phantom mask in a toy shop (January ?? and 27, 1996).
• Man in the barber chair read the newspaper Jimmy Wells Found (January 29, 1996).

Re-released story in 2013

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Finland

• "Luciphor", Mustanaamio #4 (2002)

Norway

• "Luciphor", Fantomet #4 (2002)

Sweden

• "Luciphor", Fantomen #4 (2002)