The Black Queen

The Black Queen
Produced for:	Fantomen 14/2000
# of pgs:	30
Writer:	Terrence Longstreet
Artist:	Felmang, Anthony Benny
Original colorist:	Times Graphics Singapore
Producer:	Egmont Serieförlaget

"The Black Queen" is a 2000 Team Fantomen story written by Terrence Longstreet, with art by Felmang and Anthony Benny.

Plot synopsis

At an exclusive auction house in Morristown, the Phantom buys a 16th century painting of queen Helana of Carpatia. Back at the skull cave he tells Guran the story of how the Phantom once met the queen.

In the winter of 1591 the Phantom is travelling by horse from Turkey to Prague. Queen Helena is meeting with her wicked half-sister Ilinca and her husband count Borsod. The queen tells her that she has heard rumours that Ilinca and husband are mistreating their subjects. Ilinca denies this and invites the queen to their castle.

Queen Helena of Carpatia is travelling by coach to her half-sister's castle when the coach is struck by an avalanche, started by count Borsod's men. The queen is kidnapped but Natalia, her chambermaid, manages to escape undetected to the Carpatian capital.

Getting herself a room at The Happy Hog, she is spotted by men loyal to count Borsod, Ilinca's husband. The Phantom, also arriving in the capital, gets himself a room at the same inn. Because of a staff mixup they must switch rooms and the Phantom spends the night in Natalia's room while she sleeps in another room. At night two men try to kill the person sleeping in the bed. After a fistfight with the Phantom, the men run out of the inn. Natalia recognizes them as count Borsod's men. She tells him that queen Helena has been kidnapped and is probably kept at Ilinca's castle.

At the castle, Ilinca tries to force queen Helena to abdicate the throne in her favour; the queen flatly refuses. The Phantom arrives at the castle and climbs the walls into the queen's room. After a scuffle with three of Ilinca's men, they climb down the castle wall. The queen leaves on the Phantom's horse while he himself runs into the forest, chased by count Borsod and his men.

Suffering from hypothermia, the Phantom finds refuge at a peasant's cottage. Natalia shortly arrives there with the news that Ilinca intends to declare herself queen with count Borsod's men striking down on any opposition. A few days later, angry peasants march on the chapel where Ilinca will be crowned queen but the mostly unarmed peasants will be no match for count Borsod and his men. When queen Helena finally appears, his men refuse to fight against the people. The Phantom, still very ill, challenges count Borsod to a swordfight man to man. The Phantom wins.

When queen Helena wants to thank him for winning her kingdom back, he has already disappeared.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• The 2nd Phantom
• Guran
• Devil

One-time characters

• Queen Helena
• Ilinca (Queen Helena's half-sister)
• Natalia, the queen's chamber-maid
• Count Borsod, Ilinca's husband
• Hajdu
• Stepan, boy at the inn
• Erwin, peasant
• Radiescu, the painter (mentioned)

Locations

• Bengali
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Chronicle Room
  • Morristown
• Carpatia
• Turkey

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Black Queen", The Phantom #1267 (2000)

Finland

• "Musta kuningatar", Mustanaamio 14/2000

Norway

• "Den svarte dronningen", Fantomet 14/2000
• "Den svarte dronningen", Krønikebok #2 (2001)

Sweden

• "Den svarta drottningen", Fantomen 14/2000
• "Den svarta drottningen", Fantomen Krönika 3/2002