Captain Tornado was a British comic book that reprinted the French comic strip Capitainr Toranade, which ran from 1948 to 1954. The strip was written by Jacques Jacquemont and drawn by Claude-Henri Julliard. Forty-two issues were published by L. Miller & Son, Ltd, from 1952 through 1955 (numbered 50 through 91)
Captain Tornado is not to be confused with an earlier comic book hero. That Captain Tornado was a sea captain who led a professor and his 18-year-old daughter in a flight in the professor's experimental rocket, intending to go to Jupiter. Something happened and they ended up stranded on a strange jungle planet inhabited by three different (I want to say Barsoomian) races.
Nope. Our Captain tornado is a sea captain from centuries before rockets ships and trips to Jupiter.
Around the waters of Guadeloupe, about a dozen French boats have disappeared without a trace. Tornado sails The Vulture to the area to investigate. Tornado is warned by a local shaman/sorcerer to avoid "the hunchback" and "the skull." When a pirate ship flying the Jolly Roger is spotted, Tornado goes in chase, following the mystery ship to an island with a large rock in the shape of a skull prominent; the pirate ship swings around the island and disappears.
Rani, the daughter of the native chief, tries to warn Tornado about Wobi, the sorcerer who had tried to warn Tornado away. Wobi is in cahoots with the dastardly Carlos Rotta, who has captured the missing ships and has hidden them in a secret grotto. Tornado wanders through the maze that is the pirate's hideaway and is soon overcome by strange fumes. Did I mention that the island is volcanic? He recovers in time to see that Rotta has captured Tornado's ship and her crew. Meanwhile, Rani has managed to free Tornado's crew and they rush to overcome the pirates. As Rotta is about to shoot Tornado, one of Tornado's crewmen shoot him and Rotta plunges off a cliff. Kerplunk! But there's still the problem of the hunchback -- remember him? The hunchback sics an enormous gorilla on Tornado, but the stalwart captain lures to giant ape to a spot directly under some massive stone columns, and Petit Louis, Tornado's mate, drop the column on the gorilla. Splat! But the hunchback and Wobi escape in a boat. Ah, but remember that the island is volcanic? For no reason other that to tie up loose threads, the island blows up and a massive rock lands on the bad guys' boat, Crunch! and Splash!
In the second story, Tornado is on the frigate Le Vigilante out of Marseilles and sailing toward the den of Sousse Hassan, the Black Pirate. They are attacked by two pirate ships. They sink one, but the crew of the second overrun Le Vigilante, which begins to take on water and sink, while the barbarian pirate Ali jumps overboard, swearing vengeance. Now, Tornado and his men have taken over the second pirate ship. Le Vigilante sinks, taking most of the pirate crew it. The remaining pirate crew put up a fight but are no match for Tornado's men, nor for Petit Louis' gun ("Take that...you badly washed monkey?"). that leaves Ali, who draws his sword on Tornado. Bad mistake, engaging in a sword fight with a Frenchman. There is only one surviving pirate and he leads Tornado and his men to Hassan's "redoutable fortress." Fight! Fight! Fight! Stab! Stab! Stab! /Battle! Battle! Battle! Big explosion! Ka-Boom! Even though Tornado's men are outnumbered ten to one, you know who won. There only remains the epic final battle between Tornado and Hassan, giving Tornado the chance to utter the hero's declaration, "...because there is a Justice in this world and you'll be punished for all your evil-doings!" The Hassan takes a nosedive off a tall building. Splat! (again). The sultan's treasure is loaded on Tornado's ship and he "joyfully" sets sail.
Wow!
And the artwork is pretty good.
Enjoy.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=58235
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