The Diamond Trader

The Diamond Trader
Start date:	March 21st, 1994
End date:	August 20th, 1994
# of strips:	132 (22 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"Mandrake’s Sunday Walk"
Followed by:	"The Secret Place"

"The Diamond Trader" is the 216th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

Each week farmers come to the College of Magic to sell their products, and are paid in cash. Each year the CM obtain cash by selling diamonds, but the source for the diamond are a secret. Now, after the diamond dealer had left the College of Magic the bandit attack, the dealer and the diamonds was captured by unknown bandits.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• Karma
• Theron

One-time characters

• Philo, man living at the College of Magic.
• Moozar, a bandit.

Locations

• Xanadu
• Hong Kong
• The College of Magic

Organizations

• Hong Kong Purple Gang

Objects

• The Crystal Cube, at CM only.

Behind the scenes

Title

• The story title is lifted from the plot.

Mandrake Lore

• Near Tibet, a war a thousand years ago they found safty in an enormous cave inside a peak, a secret word (ancient language) the great rock swings silently open and revealing a dark tunnel. Inside the peak, vast, bright, fountains, gardens, temples, soft music.
• Inside CM there are a diamond mine.
• Theron is about 411 or 412 years old.

Mystery

• First time Narda visiting CM.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Finland

• "Timanttikauppias", Mustanaamio #26 (1995)

India

• "The Diamond Trader" and "The Purple Gang", Diamond Comics Digest - Mandrake #47 and #48 (1996)
• "Theft in the College of Magic" and "The Purple Gang", Diamond Comics Digest - Mandrake #83 (1999)

Sweden

• "Diamanthandlaren", Fantomen #26 (1995)