Zagor LU #149: Tragičan bijeg

Tragičan bijeg continues the pursuit of prisoners who have escaped from Waterwall penitentiary. Zagor joins them to protect them from Quanah’s manhunters, but his particular concern is Elias Duff, a man convicted of a murder he maintains he did not commit.

Elias has an intellectual disability and an unusual ability to communicate with animals. His vulnerability makes him an easy target, while uncovering what happened to him could threaten someone who currently appears above suspicion. Saving a hunted man becomes a struggle for the truth, because somebody has a powerful interest in keeping Elias silent.

Moreno Burattini combines a tense adventure with questions of guilt and a possible miscarriage of justice. Danger comes from more than the pursuers in plain sight: concealed motives make allies and enemies difficult to distinguish. The manhunt and the concealment of a crime develop alongside each other, raising the stakes of the escape.

Mauro Laurenti illustrates the swamp setting and the vulnerability of people threatened by violence. This is the second instalment of the four-part adventure begun in Močvara robijaša, continued in Južne vode and concluded in Otok zmija.