The Zota Club

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Episode 32 of The Trigan Empire

The Zota Club
aka The Hypnotist
Het hypnotisch medaillon (Dutch title)
The Hypnotic Locket (Dutch title, translated)

Written by Mike Butterworth
Illustrated by Miguel Quesada

The Zota Club was originally published in 6 instalments in issues 535 (15 April 1972) to 540 (20 May 1972) of Look and Learn magazine.

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

Plot summary

Garran is carrying out a routine flight for the Trigan Air Fleet. Suddenly, he heads for the air base, firing his cannons, and crashes to his death.

In a laboratory of the Imperial Science Laboratories, Ricco loses control of an experiment, and the centre explodes.

Trigo receives the ambassador of Cato. War is threatening once again, and talks must be held. The guard Karlos starts shooting at the ambassador, but thanks to Janno’s timely intervention, the guard misses his target.

Janno goes with Captain Nenni to the new Zota Hall to play the ball game Zota. Janno wins the duel, and Nenni returns to his aircraft carrier The Vorg, where he is stationed. Shortly afterward, he takes off in his plane, turns around, and crashes into the aircraft carrier, causing it to sink.

Peric discovers using the computer that Garran, Ricco, Karlos, and Nenni are all members of the new Zota Club. Janno is also a member and begins investigating. At the club, he encounters his old friend Doran. Doran’s father died in the war with the Lokians. When Janno visits Peric, one of his experiments explodes, and Janno suffers from impaired vision. Peric says it’s due to the escaping gas but that it will pass soon.

When Janno goes to Doran’s house for dinner, Doran pulls out a medallion and tries to hypnotize Janno. He wants him to shoot down Trigo’s plane while escorting it on a state visit to Cato. Due to his impaired vision, the hypnosis has no effect on Janno, but he pretends that it does. During the flight to Cato, Doran arrives in his own plane and tries to shoot down Trigo. Janno prevents this and shoots Doran down. Peric discovers that Doran believed his father had died due to a mistake by the Trigan army and wanted revenge. Janno is honoured by Trigo.