Le Scorpion is a Franco-Belgian comics series written by Stephen Desberg, illustrated by Enrico Marini and published by Dargaud in French and Dutch, and by Cinebook in English.

Summary

The story takes place in Rome during the second half of the eighteenth century. Cardinal Trebaldi decides to reinstate the power of the nine families, based on papacy. Armando Catalano, also known as The Scorpion, is a holy relics dealer. He is the son of a heretic who was burnt alive for misdirecting a priest from the church and Christian beliefs. Armando, the bearer of a birthmark in the shape of a scorpion known as the "mark of the devil", challenges the cardinal's authority. The cardinal, who seems to be filled with hatred for The Scorpion, sends the young gypsy Mejai, a specialist in poisons, to kill him. The adventures of the Scorpion lead him to the treasure of the Templars and to discover an interpretation of what might have happened to it. Between fiction and history, this comic distills Machiavellian theory on religious authority.

Albums

These albums are published by Dargaud:

English Translation

Since August 2008, Cinebook Ltd has been publishing The Scorpion. Eight trade paperbacks have been released, although note that the first two correspond to two each of the French albums.