seven crystal balls seven crystal balls french les thirteenth volume comics series belgian cartoonist story daily belgium leading newspaper december amidst german occupation belgium world war story cancelled abruptly following allied liberation september accused collaborating occupying germans banned working cleared years later story weekly new magazine september april story revolves investigations young reporter friend captain abduction friend professor connection mysterious illness afflicted members archaeological expedition peru seven crystal balls commercial success published book form shortly conclusion concluded arc begun story prisoners sun series defining comics tradition critics ranked seven crystal balls best describing frightening instalment series story adapted film temple sun animated series adventures synopsis young reporter dog snowy friend captain spend evening music hall witness performance madame illness expedition members recently returned archaeological expedition view act knife recognises president meeting backstage introduces assistant learn deposed rival general day learn members expedition falling fragments shattered crystal ball found near victim concerned friend professor visit old friend professor expedition member affected professor police guard shows visitors body king expedition brought peru lightning storm strikes house sends ball lightning chimney worried states reflects culmination prophecy declares punishment descend tomb spending stormy night house dream involving find bed accompanying crystal nearby attacker bypassed guards climbing chimney day walking grounds house discovers places later realise gone missing kidnapped individual placed coma police set road blocks switch cars able evade visits hospital seven stricken members expedition housed precise time day scream figures attacking slipping abduction learning police spotted car port race believing seek board boat abroad docks spot boarding ship south_america reveals disappeared descendants captors having lost trail decide pay visit old friend chester docked nearby port miss chester instead discover hat docks indicating taken sea investigating realise aboard ship headed peru board flight intent arrival history background amidst german occupation belgium world war accepted position working belgian largest daily newspaper confiscated original owners german authorities permitted reopen belgian editor remained firmly nazi control supporting german war effort anti joining october aided old friend cartoonist upset willing work newspaper controlled occupying nazi administration heavily size readership reached faced reality nazi oversight abandoned overt political themes earlier work instead adopting policy neutrality need political types entertainment producer author observed concentrating plot developing new style character comedy public reacted positively following culmination previous adventure treasure agreed proposal newspaper include detective story revolving characters thompson titled provided illustrations story authored crime writer began contemplating ideas new adventure idea story surrounding dangerous invention developed story probably inspired article authored science correspondent use time revived decade later basis affair previous stories secret treasure seven crystal balls designed story arc concluded unnamed prisoners sun planned story outline mystery characters undertake expedition solve use ancient curse narrative revolved inspired tales curse unearthed archaeologist discovery tomb time inspired tabloid story having previously autumn decided wanted fellow cartoonist collaborate initially hesitant eventually agreed adopting paid position january close friends artistic collaborators aiding developing aspects plot instance developing idea crystal balls story title different forms illustration narrative influenced greatly life model drew poses characters adopt story researcher sending study collections material corpse collection basis museum director professor exhibited similarities professor new character developed story included number characters previously appeared earlier adventures professor general king scenery background story copied existing sources car model types like escaped police drawn real examples closely adhered reality port docks saint professor house drawn real house identified purposes stationed outside house completed sketch building immediately grey cars containing german soldiers pulled house realised discovered interrogated publication story began title december health declined afflicted flu ear accompanied general exhaustion depression fear imminent collapse german administration face retribution collaborator accused collaborators killed experiencing breakdown took hiatus producing july message posted stating coming snowy course heard afraid dear readers bad happened sort snowy simply waiting excellent associate friend return better health sick weeks story returned july starting summary story far interrupted september brussels liberated german occupation allied forces september immediately ceased publication forced abandon story strips equivalent pages later published book volume story left hanging scene leaves hospital seeing seven members expedition having simultaneous fit days later entire staff fired new editorial team introduced arrested september having named collaborator resistance document known incidents arrested freed independence spent night jail september issued proclamation announcing journalist helped produce newspaper occupation time barred practising profession unemployed newspaper closely associated issued strip titled land nazis collaborator period witnessed widespread allegations accused collaborators military courts condemning minor charges charges sentenced life imprisonment capital punishment judiciary inquiry case launched deputy public prosecutor report urged stating inclined close case believe bring ridicule judicial system children book author illustrator hand worked war illustrations people buy newspaper unable work press worked home drawing older adventures publication book publisher completing second version starting supported ordeal remained grateful produced comic strip pseudonym publishers accepted period allowed escape pressure daily production affected working life family problems deal brother paul returned brussels german prisoner war camp mother highly moved psychiatric hospital october approached member conservative resistance group associates trio planning launching weekly magazine children fond childhood memories land soviets thought ideal agreed obtained clearance papers allowing work concerned judicial investigation wartime convinced leader charge censorship certificates good citizenship look comic creator file concluded traitor work decision stand trial belonged general der closed case december declaring regard particularly character drawings published bringing war tribunal inappropriate risky free threat prosecution continued support colleagues charged collaborators sentenced death lengthy prison sentences sentenced death friend sentence life imprisonment issued certificate good citizenship largely necessary obtain employment post war belgium celebrations marred mother death age april described post war period greatest life later described experience absolute horrible horrible considered post war trials collaborators great injustice inflicted innocent people belgian society way treated hid public persona new magazine titled advice believed help attract wide audience adopting slogan newspaper young aged magazine logo featured character inspired example set magazine weekly centred eponymous hero pages week accompanied comics time adventures colour outset assembled team artists purpose including magazine editor continued point left seven crystal balls prior embarking prisoners sun published title temple temple sun story beginning began new magazine summary story far presented press magazine instant success soon gaining weekly circulation belgium netherlands seven finally concluded april half years begun previous adventures began french catholic newspaper story finished publishing company divided volumes temple released respectively scenes found theatre removed story book form book contained additional backgrounds found original story drawn translated english publication number place names changed instance port renamed according author probably inspired real english coastal town english language translation published english translation adventures actually authored later seven crystal balls english version references events occur affair critical analysis biographer described seven crystal balls terrifying believed story come clear influence grows lush details streets suggested lines posters characters walking edge frame noted story produced gripping tale went direction supernatural fellow biographer believed seven crystal balls achieved complete integration narrative illustrations previous adventures point books begin form coherent body work stated theme seven crystal balls fear unknown adding blend humour menace remained frightening book noted story marks complete transition captain drunk introduced crab position chief sidekick comic attraction snowy relegated position normal dog described prisoners sun classic middle period commenting surprisingly balanced narrative noting exhibited evidence turbulent personal life felt seven crystal balls air doom mood europe time greater extent earlier work shooting star time thought simple detective story comparing hunt clues disappearance stories fictional detective thought story truly suspense cinematic presentation comparing use music hall story use film steps suggested scene sits awaiting news allowed step moment shoes autobiographical believed story arc represents leap forward graphic narrative skills result transition colour double pages initial means publication noted seven crystal balls surreal atmosphere knew create confronting dark oppressive force worthy hammer film asserted character professor sea adding resembled older darker hair ultimately awarded halves story arc literary critic praised character stating presence far expect novelist let cartoonist compared scenario trapped home affair professor tied house identified elements story believed reflected recurring themes argued way presented friend story manifestation recurring theme friendship thought appearance reflected use theme series removal tomb manifestation recurring concept tomb study academic believed seven crystal balls prisoners sun arc reflects confrontation sacred secular discussed position story noting scene theatre bull head mask falls head reflects constant themes union human animal added opinion transformation country gentleman believable suggested appearance start story injected feminine element story represented attempt round family dominated male figures snowy argued kidnapping represented rite passage allow join family adaptations animation company produced television series released feature length animated film temple sun adapted seven crystal balls prisoners sun story arc produced directed written cartoonist music song composed commented film based seven crystal balls suffers overly condensed timing reasons second animated series based produced time collaboration french studio canadian animation company seven crystal balls eleventh story adapted divided thirty minute episodes directed series praised generally faithful original comics extent animation directly adopted original panels video game prisoners sun developed published based seven crystal balls prisoners sun turn new century remained popular seven crystal balls prisoners sun adapted theatrical musical temple sun premiered antwerp dutch language september production directed adapted music featured musical adapted french premiered year later temple production scheduled paris cancelled returned brief run antwerp october
The Seven Crystal Balls