Quoth The Raven

Some collectors of old Australian comics may be looking at the illustration to their left, and scratching their heads in puzzlement, while thinking to themselves, "Gee, that cover looks familiar - but I'm sure I haven't seen it before."

And they'd be right on both counts - because it is both old and new. What you're looking at is the pencilled version for a new cover for The Raven #1, based on the original debut issue's cover illustration drawn by the series' creator, Paul Wheelahan, back in 1962.

This new - and previously unseen - version was drawn by the incomparable Gary Chaloner, who's best known for such comic series as The Jackaroo and Will Eisner's John Law - Detective.

And why was Gary trying his hand at depcting The Raven? Well, because I asked him to.

You see, back in 2003, I hadn't entirely given up on the idea of publishing comic books, even after I'd pulled the pin on my reprint series of Paul Wheelahan's other major comic book character, The Panther.

My plan was to reprint The Raven series, but on a more modest scale, to be sold exclusively through specialty comic shops and selected retail outlets. But I couldn't get the sums to add up in my favour, so for once, I decided to let my head overule my heart, and shelved the idea.

I had, however, gone as far as planning some of the supporting editorial features to accompany the first issue of the re-released Raven comic book, which included an interview I conducted with Paul Wheelahan back in 2003, wherein he recounted how he created this short-lived, but memorable character.

That interview, like the Gary Chaloner illustration above, went unseen for the last four years, until I decided to dust it off and publish it in the April 2007 edition of Collectormania magazine.

However, given that many local Aussie comic fans (and overseas collectors, as well) may not have had access to that magazine, I've decided to reprint it here, online, at Comics Down Under.

A solitary, hooded figure roams the battlements of Ravenscourt Manor, his only companion a sleek, black raven. Who is this mysterious stranger and why does he stalk the fog-shrouded moors of England?

He is The Raven, a man wrongly accused of committing a crime, who dedicates himself to avenging injustice. His solemn oath: "There shall be fear and terror…nevermore!"

Yet where did he come from? Why does he live the life of a lonely crusader against evil? For the answer to these questions, we must turn to the man who brought him to life – Paul Wheelahan.

One of Australia’s most celebrated comic book creators, Paul Wheelahan is best known for his classic jungle action hero, The Panther.

The wind-blasted countryside of Frith was worlds away from The Panther’s jungle home in the Belgian Congo, but it was the perfect setting for Paul’s next comic book series.

"I’d always read a lot of books by Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters and their concept of ‘the moors’ always fascinated me," says Paul.

Paul would get the chance to use this atmospheric landscape as the backdrop for a new series, when his publisher, Charles Young, asked him to come up with another successful comic to complement The Panther.

The timing, however, couldn’t have been worse. When Paul began work on The Raven comic around 1962, the Australian comic book market was nearing collapse, unable to compete with the advent of television and the reintroduction of imported, full-colour American comic books.

"Sales on The Panther were still okay," says Paul, "but I wanted something else up my sleeve should it fail."

“I’d had a ‘Cain & Abel’ idea about feuding brothers in my head for a long time,” he recalls, “so I incorporated this into the new comic.”

The story of The Raven begins when Lord Ashley, the Seventh Earl of Ravenscourt, receives an unexpected visit from Chief Inspector Blugstone of Scotland Yard. When Blugstone’s uniformed officers uncover a cache of stolen artworks at Ravenscout, Lord Ashley protests his innocence, but is eventually sentenced to 10 years’ gaol at Dartmoor Prison.

Swapping his Saville Row suits for convicts’ stripes, Lord Ashley discovers he is not the only inmate to have suffered from a miscarriage of ‘British justice’. Upon the death of his elderly cellmate, Eddie, falsely accused of murdering a security guard during a bank robber, he pledges to devote his life to helping those who, like himself, have been wrongly imprisoned for the crimes of others.

Suddenly, a sleek, black raven appears in his cell, its unblinking gaze urging the young nobleman to take his chance for freedom. After overpowering a prison guard and stealing his uniform, the Earl escapes from Dartmoor, eluding the police as he return to the only home he has ever known – Ravenscourt Manor.

Accompanied by his winged companion, Lord Ashley is shocked to discover his brother, Sebastian, looting a hitherto undiscovered vault, buried deep within the castle’s walls. Sebastian, who dwells on the fringes of London’s underworld, confesses that he framed his brother for the theft, on the orders of Monty Dukes, a crooked art dealer. Their plan was to get him out of the way, so that Sebastian could search the castle for its hidden treasure room, splitting the loot with Dukes.

Blind with rage, the young aristocrat banishes Sebastian from Ravenscourt, forbidding him from ever returning. Roaming the bleak stone corridors, he accidentally discovers a glass case hidden behind an ancestral portrait, containing a black hood, tunic, trousers and leather boots.

Examining the clothes, he discovers a letter, brittle with age, which reveals that, centuries ago, his forefather once wore this very costume to protect and defend his subjects.

Inspired by this heroic tale, the Earl of Ravenscourt dons his ancestor’s menacing costume, which, as fate would have it, fits him perfectly. He charges out into the night, determined to extract a confession from Dukes which would clear his name. Tragically, when The Raven breaks into the dealer’s London showroom, he discovers that Dukes has been murdered.

With no one other than his treacherous brother Sebastian left alive to clear his name, The Raven returns to the foreboding castle which gave him his name, knowing that he will spend the rest of his days pursued by Scotland Yard as a fugitive from justice.

Thus began The Raven which, during its short life, proved to be one of the most atmospheric and compelling Australian comics of its era. Each issue shifted effortlessly between stories rich with supernatural and science-fiction themes, interspersed with more ‘traditional’ tales of crime and punishment.

Fans of Gothic literature no doubt recognised the comic’s references to the works of American author Edgar Allen Poe, including his famous poem, ‘The Raven’.

“I certainly did draw on his poem,” admits Paul, “but I dreamed up the comic first without reference to him.”

“However, the connection between the character’s name saw me take a second look, so I ‘lifted’ Poe’s bird for The Raven,” he says. “The bird in the comic is immortal and preternaturally wise.”

Keen-eyed Aussie comic fans will also notice a strong resemblance between The Raven and another Australian comic book character, The Scorpion.

“I’d seen The Scorpion and decided I wanted to use his hood,” says Paul. “Out of respect, I contacted the creator of The Scorpion, Monty Wedd, and asked him if I could borrow The Scorpion’s hood style and he said ‘Sure’ – he’s a nice guy.”

Apart from the superficial differences between the characters and their settings, The Raven was, in many respects, a very different comic book to The Panther, not least because of its strikingly different art style.

“I did draw The Raven differently from The Panther – deliberately so,” says Paul.

“At one stage – I’m not sure what issue, but it had to do with the sea – I came up with a then-original technique,” he explains.

“I’d draw the figures upfront, as always, but I’d render the people and scenery in the background in a single line, with no shading or solid blacks.”

“I’d have loved to explore that style to greater effect,” he adds, “but later, an American artist named John Severin also used it – I’d like to think he nicked it from The Raven!”

The combination f the moody, dramatic character, exotic settings and striking artwork all helped to make The Raven a surprise hit with readers.

“It was swimming against the prevailing commercial current and sales were good,” says Paul.

“There was quite a bit of fan mail, as I recall, moreso than for The Panther,” he adds, “but we did get quite a big reaction for any outstanding Panther story.”

“I liked The Raven because he was less physical than The Panther – he was more flawed, dark and brooding,” says Paul. “A solitary man with a certain spooky, timelessness about him.”

Sadly, Paul’s publisher, Charles Young, died suddenly in 1963, with his business (Young’s Merchandising Co.) dissolved soon after his death. Both The Raven and The Panther were cancelled as a result.

“I did envision European stories for The Raven, set in old cathedrals (invoking the son of Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame), in Dracula’s homeland of Transylvania, or have him visiting Stalingrad in Russia.”

“I do believe I had – in my mind, at least – resolved the good brother versus bad brother issue,” he adds, “but here, the [passing] decades defeat me.”

Looking back, Paul says he enjoyed working on both The Panther and The Raven: “I only wish I could have done them bi-monthly, so I could really kick up the artwork!”

This article was previously published in the April 2007 edition of Collectormania magazine. Text copyright © Kevin Patrick 2003-2007.