Episode 91 of The Trigan Empire
The Forbidden Plant
aka The Poisoned Rallis
Written by Yarri Zemph
Illustrated by Various Artists
A draft version of The Forbidden Plant was originally published here on Yarri’s Blog in 10 instalments between 10 January 2024 and 10 January 2025. The latest draft version is unpublished below.
Plot preview
This new Trigan tale is the first from the pen of Yarri Zemph and follows tried and true formulae developed by Mike Butterworth. The plot device is a mind poison plot by a foreign power to seize control of Trigan—but with a modern twist. It’s a cautionary tale of drug prohibition and regulatory capture.
The story opens as the Trigans are about to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Empire. The Emperor Trigo launches a bold public safety initiative in the form of a new government department, the Ministry of Public Health. Ironically, only a matter of days after the anniversary, the Emperor is taken ill.
A series of strange events unfolds. Brawls erupt at The Thirsty Zargot. Driving past the popular Trigan City tavern, Janno notices the unusual goings-on. He puts it down to over-excitement brought on by the fiftieth anniversary celebrations. Elsewhere in the city, people are toppling to their deaths from tall buildings, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, the Emperor Trigo’s condition worsens after he is treated by Salvia, the palace physician. Tensions mount in the palace . . .
The occasion of the fiftieth anniversary allows for a reunion of three old comrades, Janno, Keren, and Roffa. This fabled trio of (former) Air Fleet pilots, the heroes of many of Butterworth’s tales, have gone separate ways. Keren is now King of Daveli, after the death of his father Imbala. Janno remains in the Air Fleet but more and more his responsibilities, as the Emperor Trigo’s chosen successor, are the affairs of the Imperial Palace. Roffa has taken early retirement. He is a recluse and, seemingly, a man of leisure, with a new-found interest in horticulture. As for wise old Peric the scientist. He’s certainly not forgotten. But is he gone?
