Biggles Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Le démon des sables -1 and its sequel Le démon des sables -2 is a reasonably faithful adaptation of Worrals Goes Afoot. However, in these earlier Worrals Tina comics, the text in the speech bubbles does not attempt to follow exactly the dialogue in the original novels. The resulting text is briefer and the action therefore a bit choppier.

In the summary below, Part 1 refers to Le démon des sables - 1 and Part 2 refers to the sequel. The subsection headings not occur in the comic book. They are only inserted here as convenient breaks for easier reading.

Part 1[]

Prelude[]

  • The character of Cedric Collington is omitted altogether as is the preambular argument which Worrals has with Raymond and Collington about their "superior male attitudes".
  • Unlike in the original, where Worrals and Frecks are free-lance individuals, the text here mentions that they are Raymond's two best female auxilliaries.
  • Raymond goes straight into a highly abbreviated mission briefing for the two girls. But he does give them the secret procedure for identifying their contact in Alexandria.

Alexandria[]

  • They make contact with Melinos by means of paying for cigarettes with a torn pound note. But the cigarettes here are English ones and not "Sultans" as in the original.
  • There is a bit more tension between Worrals/Frecks in the adaptation than in the original. Frecks gets annoyed by Melinos because she thinks he is over protective of them.
  • In the original, the dope they sell through Nicopoulos and Markoff was charas because Melinos could not get so much hashish. This is simplified in the adaptation and they just sell hashish. Of course, being French, the quantity is 100 kilos, which is roughly 100 seers.
  • Maki plays the same role as he does in the original, but the character of Ali, his son, is omitted.

On the Red Sea[]

  • Worrals and Frecks depart for their journey but the gift of chocolates and oranges from Melinos is not mentioned.
  • All the main events on the boat journey is faithfully depicted.
  • This part ends with Worrals and Frecks meeting Melinos on the government patrol boat.

Part 2[]

On the Red Sea 2[]

  • Worrals' exchange with Melinos is shorter than in the original but essentially the same.
  • She then has to beat off Markoff's pursuing boat, first by shooting at the man at the tiller and then running them aground. This is accurately depicted in the adaptation.

Meeting Cosmo[]

  • The meeting with Sheikh Abd-el-Katil is faithfully depicted.
  • The journey inland is by camel. In the original, the text appears to suggest that the cargo of arms is loaded onto mules while the people in the caravan proceeded on foot.
  • The discussion between Worrals and Cosmo covers the same ground as in the original.
  • Worrals and Frecks steal two horses to escape from the Sheikh and go after Cosmo, just as in the original book. They are not shown stealing a water skin but they drink from two water canteens during the journey.

Into the Wilderness[]

  • Upon spotting the oasis, Worrals and Frecks do not rest for a while and then wake early the next morning for a reconnaissance. Instead they tie up their horses and proceed immediately.
  • The water which Worrals steals is not in a jerrycan but in an earthenware jug.
  • They are spotted by a Catalina, just as in the original.
  • The Catalina drops instructions and also some food (which didn't happen in the original). The food includes some oranges. Compare this with the original where Melinos gave them chocolates and oranges at the beginning of the mission.
  • Worrals and Frecks are captured by the Sheikh and tied to trees as in the original. But there is no discussion about wanting to sell them as slaves or a threat to whip them. Shortly after being tied up, the aircraft appear with the paratroops.
  • The Sheikh and Cosmo are not depicted as being killed as in the original. What happened to them is not mentioned.
  • The celebratory meal at the end is depicted in detail, something which does not happen in the original. While eating, Frecks suggests to Maki that they are going to need him as a guide to visit Egypt. But Melinos interrupts to say that this is not possible. They must return to England immediately. Then the girls are shown being packed off onto a plane the next day.
Advertisement