The Devil's Mark (Volume 1) (The Scorpion, 1)

As Armando Catalano, a holy relic dealer, raids the underground tombs of 18th century Rome for the bones of martyred saints, a prince of the Church plots with a Gypsy poisoner to murder him. For Armando bears the mark of the scorpion on his shoulder, a devil's mark identifying him as the son of a heretic who was burnt alive for seducing a priest from the church and Christian beliefs. While the poisoner toys with him, Armando sets out to learn the name of the cardinal who torments him, the reason for the enmity, and the truth behind his mother's death. Along the way, he stumbles across an ancient conspiracy from the days of Rome and a plot to murder the Pope. Digging deeper, Armando, known to all as the Scorpion, discovers a stolen Vatican archive in Cardinal Trebaldi's mansion. These papers deal with his mother's trial and execution, leading Armando to believe that he is the illegitimate son of the Pope. Can the Scorpion save his presumed father from the assassin's blade?Written by Stephen Desberg and illustrated by Enrico Marini, The Scorpion follows Armando as he seeks to unravel the conspiracy, challenge the power of Cardinal Trebaldi, and discover why his mother's execution lays at the center of both. Following in the footsteps of Zorro and Alexandre Dumas, this Scorpion is at home in high society and in the gutters, a dashing, cultured swordsman and scholar who will not rest until he brings down the men behind his mother's death--no matter how powerful they might be. The first book offered in English, The Devil's Mark, serves up the first two volumes of the Scorpion's adventures, The Devil's Mark and The Pope's Secret, taking readers from the discovery to the end of the Papal conspiracy in one sitting.The Scorpion's tales brim with conspiracy and mystery, with multiple threads weaving simultaneously. While Armando raids tombs and mansions, Cardinal Trebaldi plots his treacheries, the Gypsy poisoner Mejai conducts her double-dealings, and as-yet unnamed members of the ancient Nine Families conspiracy hold their counsels. Yet The Devil's Mark is able to navigate seamlessly between these threads without confusing the reader, even as it switches between them multiple times on the same page. The economy is impressive, as Desberg and Marini wring as much storytelling and emotion as possible from the space provided by each panel. The fight sequences are sharp, and forceful, with the elegance of a swashbuckler and the brevity found in the pulps. The narrative always remains clear and uncluttered, even as it runs along at pulp speed.This clarity is helped by the art. The character designs are clean-lined and unique, allowing for instant identification of each of the characters. Even when age or scarring etches lines into a character's face, these adornments are worn lightly. And color and composition are used to help distinguish the elements of each panel from each other. The Scorpion loves the opulence of its red palettes, but not once did a panel blur into an indistinguishable mass of reds and browns. With a year to work on each volume, the greater care offered by more time is evident. Fortunately, the opportunity for indulgences in art was passed up.As always, it is the characters that make a swashbuckler. Armando is as quick with his sword as he is with his wits and witticisms, but both are a veneer over the burden set upon his scorpion-scarred shoulders. As the Scorpion, he wears no mask, and his identity is protected by the stratification of society. Those of his lordly clients that know him as Armando the holy relics dealer never interact with the guards and ruffians that know him only as the Scorpion. His banter with his assistant Hussard bears more than a passing resemblance to Indiana Jones's with Sallah, illuminated by Hussard's physical resemblance to Dr. Jones's grave-digging friend. Indeed, comparisons to other swashbucklers come easy, but the Scorpion never falls into imitation or pastiche of the more well-known sword and cape heroes. As the first of the Scorpion's foes, the Gypsy Mejai is a dusky beauty, as dangerous as she is alluring. Her tongue is as venomous as any of the 36 poisons she employs on the Cardinal's behalf, yet she truly serves no interest but her own. The seeds are planted in The Devil's Mark for a tumultuous romance with Armando, although her place in his bed is not assured. Women are drawn to the Scorpion like moths to a candle, and other rivals for his affection will emerge. Finally, as the engine pushing the plot and mysteries forward, Cardinal Trebaldi shines. Driven by the demands of a dying family, his will is only exceeded by his obsession and ambition, although why he should aim all three--and the new order of warrior monks he has founded--at the Scorpion is as yet unrevealed. Right now, the mysteries this prince of the Church is hiding make him a more compelling figure than the average corrupt politician. Hopefully, when he loses his grasp on his schemes and his secrets, the Cardinal will not lose his appeal.The Scorpion: Devil's Mark offers an engaging mix of swordplay and secret history set in 18th century Rome, and is a worthy addition to the canon of adventure romances. Armando's journey to find the truth about his mother's death and to foil Cardinal Trebaldi's plans also serves as an excellent introduction for readers considering stepping into the world of European comics. Along with the rest of the Scorpion's adventures,

I had been following the artist in instagram for the past two years and I just decided to take a look at one of the books he has worked on. After I’m done with this series to move to the Rome series. I finished this book and can’t wait to start the next one.

Fun adventure mixed with church history and swash buckling pirates. Beautiful art, good characters with a nice mix of different motives. The story is woven well throughout.

Very good graphic novel on intrigue and political infighting in Rome in the Middle Ages. Well worth getting into the series!

Great art on this one, rich characters and an intriguing storyline. Mysteries and conspiracies, rooted from real history make for a compelling read!

This is beautifully drawn in the ligne claire style with very nice colouring. The art is clean, slightly cartoony but in the best possible way. The characters all have their own body shapes and posture, that add to who they are. The detail on the landscapes and cityscapes is exquisite. For those of you into comic art, this is just wonderful stuff.The story? Matches the art. The Scorpion is the son of a witch burned at the stake. He has a birthmark that gives him his name, and people believe it a mark that shows he is protected by the devil. So he lives up to this as a hellraising swashbuckler who steals for a living, likes the women (and the women like him) and duels with authority every chance he gets. There's a little angst at his mother's death in there too to give the character piquancy and a thundery temper. But mostly he gallops by on horses, swings through windows on ropes, and swings his sword with glee. The setting is Rome in the Renaissance, with the Catholic church at the height of its power, and a nasty cardinal called Trebaldi (although I can't help thinking Richelieu) who is aided by warrior monks who wear masks with crosses on them.It's a ripsnorting adventure. The book is marked for 15+, but there's no swearing, no nudity or gore. (There is a note to say that the artwork has been altered with the creators' knowledge for sensitive minds, so this may be why - though it makes me hungry for an unexpurgated version.) I can only presume some of the moral situations presented are the reason for this.Undoubtedly, now that my taste for superheroes palls, this is exactly the sort of thing, a central character a little bit like the Nikolai Dante strip from 2000 AD minus the science fiction, a little like the Three Musketeers, that I want to find. I shall be sampling more of Cinebook's delights after this.

I'll make it clear that the one star awarded to this book does not reflect on the story or the art. From what I can see both look compelling and intriguing.However, the book has not been properly formatted for reading on the Kindle—as a consequence the right and bottom edge of every page has been cropped, leaving the book impossible to read.If you check the 'Look Inside' facility that is offered with the Amazon listing for this title, you will see what I refer to.The fact that Cinebooks have allowed this to remain uncorrected is a very poor reflection on their prioritization of customer satisfaction.So don't buy the Kindle edition.