The Prisoner of Zerss

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Episode 30 of The Trigan Empire

The Prisoner of Zerss
aka The Worst Man on the Planet
The Great Reign of Terror
De gevangene van Zerss (Dutch title)
The Prisoner Of Zerss (Dutch title, translated)

Written by Mike Butterworth
Illustrated by Don Lawrence

The Prisoner of Zerss was originally published in 10 instalments in issues 517 (11 December 1971) to 526 (12 February 1972) of Look and Learn magazine.

It is reprinted in Volume 8 of The Trigan Empire—The Collection (the Don Lawrence Collection).

It is reprinted in Volume 3 of The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire (Rebellion).

Plot summary

One day, a man dressed in black named Mepho comes to Peric. He says he has kidnapped Peric’s daughter Salvia. He will release her if Peric manages to free the prisoner of Zerss. The prisoner of Zerss is the most criminal and repulsive man on Elekton. He is locked up in a prison cell on top of a high pole. Several attempts to free him have already failed.

Janno, who has come to visit Salvia, sees Mepho leaving. After studying the construction plans of the prison, Peric comes up with a plan. He asks Trigo for permission to visit the prisoner of Zerss for scientific research. He lets the prisoner escape through the pole on which the cell stands: the pole is hollow inside. As he leaves the island on which the prison stands by boat, he takes the prisoner with him.

Janno has followed Mepho home and discovers that Salvia is being held there. He frees her and brings her back to Peric, who now tells the truth. The prisoner of Zerss is now with Mepho, but he kills him immediately. Trigo begins a search for the prisoner. The latter seeks help from Soyab, a wealthy criminal. Many calamitous things now happen on Elekton, all caused by the prisoner of Zerss bribing people. Pilots desert, there is an assassination attempt on Trigo, and ships are sunk.

By having leaflets dropped from an airplane, Trigo challenges the prisoner of Zerss to a duel. In the harsh province of Vorg, in a sinister ravine, they meet. They fight to the death, but Soyab shoots Trigo to help the prisoner of Zerss. This enrages the prisoner, and he kills Soyab. He wants to defeat Trigo fairly and decides to bring him back through the desert to the capital to save him. Then Trigo is attacked by a nobra, and the prisoner of Zerss tries to save him. He grabs the nobra but is bitten himself and dies.