Zagor LU #121: Delaware

In Delaware, whisky smuggler Willie Drink becomes entangled in a dangerous struggle over gold stolen by the Ward brothers’ gang. His connection to the hidden loot attracts people willing to do anything to obtain it. Red Archer and his accomplice Sarita are pursuing him, while Delaware warriors led by Double Knife pose another threat.

Zagor enters a conflict in which several groups are pursuing different objectives. The search for wealth becomes entwined with hostilities in Darkwood, and the man who knows the way to the gold becomes both a valuable ally and a target. Greed drives the pursuers, while the Spirit with the Hatchet tries to prevent the struggle over the loot from causing further bloodshed.

Jacopo Rauch constructs a western adventure with a crime mystery, built around a secret hiding place, unreliable participants and competing interests. Finding the treasure is only part of the problem: Zagor must also understand the intentions of those pursuing it.

Roberto D’Arcangelo illustrates the opening chapter of a two-part story concluded in Ludens #122, Zlato braće Ward. The adventure also marks Rauch’s debut as a Zagor writer, making it an interesting starting point for readers following his contribution to the series.