The Return of Evil

The Return of Evil - The Cobra
Start date:	January 16, 1967
End date:	June 3, 1967
# of strips:	120 (20 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"The Trail of 8"
Followed by:	"The Secret Weapon Caper"

"The Return of Evil - The Cobra" is the 133rd Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

In a remote village in Cockaigne has the ruins of an ancient castle has a new mysterious owner. From his new base the Cobra slowly takes hypnotic control of key personnel in Cockaigne.

When King Segrid returned to Cockaigne, after his six months' world tour, he found the Cobra had taken over the entire country.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• King Segrid
• Luciphor
• Qudd

One-time characters

• Baron Sigmund, president of the "Stat Bank of Cockaigne".
• Sir Alford, Prime Minister of Cockaigne.

Locations

• Cockaigne
• New York City
  • Xanadu

Behind the scenes

Title

• The title for this story is taken from the strip of January 16, 1967 (Beginning: The Return of Evil!)
  • Note: At the deepwoods.org index the title for this story is "The Return of Evil - The Cobra".

Mandrake Lore

• Baron Sigmund is Narda's elderly cousin.
• Mandrake's rogues' gallery: The Mole, Goliath, the Flying Horse Thief, the Cobra, the Clay Camel, the Flying Saucer Thieves

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "?", Album de El Tony #200 (1969)

Brazil

• "A volta do Cobra", Almanaque de Férias do Mandrake (1968)
• "O Retorno do Mal", Mandrake Especial #1 (1987)

Finland

• "Kobran paluu", Mustanaamio #4 and #5 (1983)

France

• "Le chateau hanté" & "Le retour du Cobra" & "Le masque du Cobra" & "Le piège fatal", Mandrake #221, #222, #223 and #224 (1969)
• "Le retour du Cobra", Spécial Mandrake #95 (1971)
• "Le retour du Cobra", Le Journal de Mickey #1539 to #1553 (1981-1982)
• "Le retour du cobra", Mandrake (Les récits du Journal de Mickey) Volume 3 (2015)
• "Le retour du cobra", Mandrake, intégrale du journal Mickey (Volume 4) (2017)

India

• "The Cobra", Indrajal Comics #146 (1971)
• "The Hypnotic Gem", Indrajal Comics Vol. 23 No. 2 (1986)
• "The Return of Evil" Diamond Comics Digest - Mandrake #27 and #28 (1995)
• "The Return of Evil" Diamond Comics Digest - Mandrake #69 (1998)
• "?" Diamond Comics Digest (free issue 2) (19??)
• "சர்ப்ப சாம்ராஜ்யம்!" Lion Library #1 (2024)

Italy

• "l castello degli sceietri" & "??" & "Il volto del Cobra" & "Trappola fatale", Mandrake #28, #29, #30 and #31, (1967)
• "Il castello degli scheletri", Mandrake - New Comics Now #381 (1997)

Norway

• "Cobra vender tilbake", Fantomet #26 & Fantomet #1 (1986/1987)

Portugal

• "O Regresso do Cobra", Mundo de Aventuras #1037 (1969)

Spain

• "El Cobra", Héroes Modernos #29 (1967)
• "Cobra: El regreso del mal", Mandrake el mago Cobra: El regreso del mal (2005)

Sweden

• "Cobrans återkomst", Fantomen #21 and #22 (1982)

Turkey

• "Şatonun Sırrı", Mandrake #15 #16 #17 (1974)
• "Şatonun Sırrı", Mandrake Albüm #5 #6
• "Şatonun Sırrı", Mandrake Albüm #205
• "Şatonun Sırrı", Mandrake #5 #6 #7
• "Şatonun Sırrı", Mandrake Süper Albüm #2
• "Şatonun Sırrı", Mandrake Süper Albüm #30 #31
• "Kobra'nin Dönüşü", Yeni Mandrake #1 (2011)

United Kingdom

• "The Return of Evil - The Cobra", Mandrake the Magician - The Dailies Volume 1: The Return of Evil - The Cobra (2017)

Yugoslavia

• "Ujed Kobre", Stripoteka #403 (1976)
• "Bitka za kraljevstvo", Super EKS Almanah #36 (1982)