***Please note that I am using a standard thumbnail image for all the full size pictures on this page. This is purely being done to save myself sometime.***

Note - please read the story below, left to right, row by row.

Page one

Page two

Page three

Page four

Page five

Page six

Page seven

Page eight

Page nine

Page ten

Page eleven

Page twelve

Page thirteen

Page fourteen

It’s strange how some stories work out. This particular addition to the series ended up being more complicated than I thought it would be. Two stories within a story plus a mini story at the beginning. And it was a far more pleasurable experience than the Halloween story I adapted last year, The Kill.

The story still presented several challenges for me. The Master Thief tale by the The Brothers Grimm is really a heist / con story and a very good one it is too. (The Brothers Grimm must have known, talked to some questionable and dubious people in order to get their stories!)

My first problem was that I wasn’t sure the The Master Thief story had enough horror in it. But having re-read the story, it did include the cutting down from a giblet a dead body, which was then shot again by another character. I changed that scene to having the thief dig up a freshly buried body. Which seemed a bit more gruesome. My story departs from the Brothers Grimm tale after the thief has completed the second theft. (Which was just as well as the third theft involved the sticking of candles onto the backs of crabs and persuading the parson to get into a black bag. All of which didn’t make a lot of sense to me).

Secondly, there was no motive in the tale as to why The Master Thief travelled to see his parents and school friend. The story would have made more sense if there had been a hidden motive for his trip or the thief had wanted to steal something. So the reader leaves this story with the feeling that something is missing, that the story is unfinished. This prompted me to workout an appropriate ending. Or for this tale, two. (Although, with hindsight, I find that I didn't provide a reason either as to why The Tallyman was at the club telling a horror story. Maybe, he didn't want to feel left out and so turned up to tell a story).

Other problems involved the tying up of the mini-figure guard in the stable between the two poles. I initially used a long piece of Lego string. All that happened was that the mini-figure did a somersault and landed on the floor. All very impressive, but not what was required. I then reverted to using a much longer piece of string. With the same result. Finally, after using approximately three feet of string, I managed to get the mini-figure hanging in the correct position between the two poles. Perseverance paying off in the end.

Then there was the case of the missing moustache. I had already decided that I would use the German lederhosen mini-figure as Manfred. The head on this figure has no moustache. But I added one. Fast forward two weeks during which I did no work on this story. I returned to the story and forgetting what I had done, spent too much time trying to locate the correct head with the dark moustache. All I could find was the head with the correct colour hair, but no moustache. It was only later that I remembered what I had done. Old age definitely wrecking havoc on my memory.

I provided clues as the reader read the story. (I had already provided one clue in the Tarmac Merchants story that showed a one panel view of the Fritzrovian Guard, (in reality the Tallyman who usually wears two tone white and black shoes), showing one of his hands wearing a black glove. When the character reappeared in this story, I first showed him with the hand wearing the white glove. Admittingly, a very obscure clue. Other clues being his name (Schwartz / black) and the station name (Scnee (white) Wald (station)). And the showing of both hands in the black and white gloves.

I took several photographs using a special effect that is available on my new camera, which provides sparkles for bright lights. Quite effective in a large photograph. The lights used in the Yorkton Railway Institue (R.I.) are lights from a Doll’s House range. Again, they added to the story. A general view of this ‘room’ showing the lights in full can be found on page two of my ‘Behind the Scenes’ article.

I enjoyed adapting the The Master Thief into a comic story. I’ve read the story several times now and I’m quite impressed with the result. It is quite an involved story with a lot going on and several twists and turns. But then I enjoy a good heist / con story. I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

Just noticed that this is story number thirteen. How suitable for a Halloween story! I didn't plan this to be story number thirteen. It just happened that way. All part of the mystery of producing a comic story.

text © Adrian Banfield, 2015; artwork © D.C. Thomson Co. Ltd.