GAL 45 - Under the Sign of the Z part2 - p1

GET A LIFE!
EPISODE 45: UNDER THE SIGN OF THE Z (2)

PREV < PAGINA 1 > NEXT

Art by Tyrell Deaver

Story & lettering by Franco Villa

Edits by Cristian Di Biase & Luca Salvadei

English Edits by Joe Teanby

The story so far:
during a stay in Los Angeles, Martin Mystère and Java help young Diego Plain to recover an ancient manuscript written in a secret code, and connected to Diego's wealthy family.
Some guards of Montcada Enterprises barge in, turning into threatening charred creatures, but a blinding light sweeps them away, right before Diego (who was busy courting one Helena Webster) arrives.
Unanswered questions pile up: why would the Montcada family, a competitor of the Plains, be interested in that manuscript? And how could Diego know that the diary is written in Gaelic, if the cipher is so complex that it eludes Martin himself?
During the night, a sleepwalking Diego begins to translate and read the story told in the manuscript.


NOTES

The facts about William The Second of Sicily are historical.
It was quite interesting that William's palace  in Palermo (la Zisa) and reputation as a decadent womanizer could connect him with a certain notorious character of the pop literature, who made his debut in the 1800s, and who appears in page 9 of this comic (see the page for more background details).
Conveniently fictionalized, now William II leads a double life, becoming a prototype of the aforementioned literary character (and maybe a previous incarnation of the same man).