Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Human with great hypnotic powers

Occupation: Stage hypnotist

Affiliations: None known

Enemies: Inspector Claudius Gumble; Parker (Gumble's assistant)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Man of Mystery, the Great Zarga

Base of Operations: Mobile across England

First Appearance: Buster and Jet (IPC, 29th April 1972)

Powers/Abilities: Able to hypnotise himself to gain any skill he wants. Among the many abilities he bestowed on himself were: safe-cracker, train engineer, champion motorcyclist, heavyweight boxer,  Olympic level pole vaulter and long jumper, test pilot, escapologist, champion skier, tank driver, chemist, and stuntman.

History: A stage hypnotist called the Great Zarga had the amazing power to hypnotise himself in a mirror and immediately become skilled in any profession he chose. Bitter at a public he felt had stopped appreciating him, he decided to embark on a life of crime to make them pay for this affront. After an abortive attempt to break into a safe in a well known bank, he then succeeded in robbing a bullion train carrying £3 million in gold, becoming public enemy number 1. His nemesis on the police force was Inspector Gumble of Scotland Yard, who led the pursuit of the incredible crook and hopes of gaining a knighthood if he could only capture him. Zarga led him a merry chase, impersonating a Baron in order to steal a valuable diamond,

Comments: The artists for the strip were Joe Colquhoun and Dave Gibbons, while the writer was Marcus Scott Goodall.

Zarga;s run in Buster and Jet lasted for around a year and a half, ending in the 3rd November 1973 issue.

There is a French website devoted to the character. In France he appeared in the Janus Stark comic. Alain Decayeux, who wrote that site, kindly let me plunder it for extra information about the character.

CLARIFICATIONS: None

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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