Comics That Should Be Translated: Dr. Merling

Previously in this irregular series of posts, I've focused on comics from the Southern part of Europe. This time, however, things will be a bit different. Today, we're going to move up north (though its still to the south from where I'm sitting) to Scandinavia or, more precisely, to Denmark, to talk about what I'm sure is the most obscure comic I've yet mentioned on this blog: Dr. Merling.
Dr. Merling is a Danish comic strip created by Knud V. Larsen which ran from 1970-1980 in Berlingske Tidene. At one point during its run, the comic's title was changed to Dr. Merlind for legal reasons (apparently, there was actually a family named Merling). For the purpose of this post though, I'm going to keep using its original title.

A bit of personal history, before we start (don't worry, this won't take long): My first encounter with Dr. Merling came thanks to my father's old childhood copies of Seriepressen; a Swedish comics anthology magazine which existed in the 1970's and featured quite a wide array of comics. In a poll which the magazine ran, Dr. Merling came out the winner. Quite impressive, considering that in the pages of Seriepressen one could also find such works as Herriman's Krazy Kat and Lee's & Romita Jr's Spider-Man. Clearly, the Swedish readers of the time had taken Larsen's opus to their hearts and, reading the comic several decades later, I could definitely understand why.

Sadly, Seriepressen only had the chance to publish the first two story-arcs of Dr. Merling before the magazine went under. Obviously, the comic continued for longer than that in its homeland, but unavailable to the Swedish reader, especially those of us who became acquainted with it several years after the fact.
Fortunately, works of quality have a tendency to resurface: In the 2010's the entire run of Dr. Merling was collected in three volumes by the Danish publisher Forlaens.

So, what is Dr. Merling all about? Well, in the 1870's, the family Merling; consisting of our main character Albert, the titular doctor, his wife Anita, their daughters Alice and Bettina travels the countryside of Transyldavia (no, that's not me screwing up the spelling, that's what its called in the comic. Actually, its called Transyldavien, I just translated it) with their magic show. Accompanying the family is also their assistant and coachman, Boris.
Between performances, the Merling Family find themselves involved in various adventures, often with some kind of supernatural tinge. Sometimes, there's a human hand behind the events that occur, but other times the supernatural turns out to be quite real.

In the first story-arc, titled Mesmer, Dr. Merling himself is almost a supporting character and, with the exception of Anita who has a cameo at the beginning of the arc, the rest of the core cast does not appear at all. Instead, the main focus is upon the arc's villain, Dr. Scyk; who with the help of his creation Mesmer, a reanimated corpse intends to wreak bloody vengeance upon the teachers at the universty in Uldz, who mocked his theories (classic mad scientist stuff in order words). The Faculty is eventually forced to beg Dr. Merling for help in dealing with Scyk and his creation, despite the fact that they had previously dismissed him as a charlatan.

The Stories told by Larsen vary in tone: Some of them are fun and lighthearted, while others, such as the one mentioned above, are considerably darker. However, Regardless of what kind of story Larsen tells, he never fails at making it entertaining. Of course, since the stories were originally published in a newspaper and intended to be read one strip at a time, it occasionally leads to some repetition when the characters have to summarize what has happened for the benefit of readers who come in late, but that's par of the course for serialized newspaper comics and one simply has to accept it.

Of course, a huge part of what makes this comic successful is its characters, particularly the main cast. I really like the dynamic between the Merlings; they ocasionally quarrel and tease each other, but nonetheless, have a genuine love for one another, which always shines through in their interactions.  Aside from his core cast, Larsen also presents the reader with several memorable side characters, ranging from likable kooks like the two rival alchemists Fixo & Faxo to pitiable villains like the albino Count Cherzek.

During its run, Dr. Merling was cancelled twice. The First time it happened was in 1975, but it was soon brought back after the readers protested. Next time was in 1980 and this time, no amount of backlash could prevent it. Larsen never managed to get his comic picked up by another newspaper and as such, the final story-arc of Dr. Merling ends on a cliffhanger which has never been resolved. Larsen himself passed away in 2002.

Regardless of this, Dr. Merling remains, as far as I'm concerned, one of the best comics to come out of Denmark. As well as one of the most underrated comics, period. It definitely deserves to be more well-known.

Gallery:

Chapter 40

Those who travel to Tiraliros by sea will know when they have reached its territory by a particular landmark: A turqouoise rock, sticking up out of the ocean depths. Its said that in the past, mermaids would come up to the surface and sit on this very rock, combing their hair and singing to the seagulls and the ships that passed by on the way to Tiraliros itself.

However, its been a long time since any mermaid last sung upon this rock. After a few bad experiences with land-dwellers, the Ocean King had forbidden his daughters from having anything to do with the surface any more and he and all his court had retreated into their underwater Kingdom, never to be seen again.
The Absence of mermaids did not make the sight of the rock any less exciting to the members of the Troupe as their ship passed it by and Tiraliros' skyline came into view.
Standing in the ship's bow, Risha and Leorin gazed at the city that they were about to enter:

Stretching out before their eyes were buildings, the tallest of which seemed to impale the highest clouds upon their spires and there, standing on its pedestal in the harbor, ready to welcome far-away travelers from any corner of the world, was the two-hundred meter tall statue, depicting those who had given the city its name: The Griffon twins, Tira and her brother Liros. Said statue also served as a lighthouse.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Merees said. She was standing next to Risha, one of her arms wrapped around the lynx's waist.

"I've seen paintings of it" Risha said, shaking her head in awe, "but its something else to see it with your own eyes."

The Ship had reached its destination one day later than originally planned. This late arrival owed its existence to the crew having to deal with the aftermath of the encounter with the pirates. Eramus, who had picked up some medical knowledge during his voyages had dressed the wounds of the wounded on both sides, assisted by Griselda. The Ship's deck had been scrubbed free from blood and finally, a funeral ceremony had been held for the fallen with the ship of the defeated pirates serving as their pyre.
Now, though, that was all over with; the members of the troupe had dried their tears and although the memory of those they had lost would linger in their hearts, it was time to move on and focus on the here and now.

"Look!" Leorin hollered excitedly, pointing at two long rowboats approaching the ship. "I wonder what they want with us?"

"They're custom officials" Rufus explained. "They've come to check if our papers are in order and that we don't try to bring anything illegal into Tiraliros."

The Officials in the first boat climbed aboard. They were all dressed in navy-blue uniforms and wore round caps on their heads. At their head was a stoat and a calico. The Stoat, who had a feather in his cap, demanded to see the appropriate papers, in an authoritarian tone.

Eramus handed the documents over and the stoat leafed through them carefully.

"Your papers are in order" he said, handing them back. "However, we must still check your hold."

"Be my guest. By the way, there's a hidden compartment down there. Rufus, will you be so kind as to show the officials where it is?"

"Of course" the fox said.

The Stoat turned to the calico.

"You go with him" he said. "Take someone with you."

Saluting, the calico turned to a heavyset bulldog standing behind her.

"You come with me" she said.

The Hatch was opened and the two officials followed Rufus down the stairs and into the hold. They had barely set foot in it, before the calico let out a surprised gasp.

"What is it?" The Stoat called out to his subordinate.

"Sir" the calico replied, turning her head in the direction of her boss. "There...there are people down here."

The Stoat whirled around, glaring at Eramus.

"What's the meaning of this?" He asked, as his fingers gripped the hilt of the saber hanging from his belt.

Eramus was not intimidated.

"We had an encounter with pirates" he explained, stroking his beard. "We defeated them and took the survivors captive, so as to bring them to justice."

The Stoat looked at the older man with something like newfound respect in his eyes. He turned to the calico:

"Bring those rascals up. I wish to take a good look at them."

The Order was carried out and soon the surviving pirates were all standing on deck, trying to shield their eyes from the sun. Among them was a gecko, a scrawny-looking fellow whose eyes darted nervously back and forth. He looked so pathetic that some of the more soft-hearted officials could not help but feel a twinge of pity for him. The Members of the troupe, remembering all too well that the gecko had wounded two of their own in battle, were not moved by such sentiments.

The Stoat circled the pirates, his hands behind his back.

"Ah, yes" he said, as he stopped and observed each one of them. "They do look like quite a nasty group of villains." He stopped in front of the jackal. "This one in particular; something about him gives me the chills."

"I protest at being treated this way" the jackal replied and both his words and the way he carried himself made him seem the very picture of offended dignity. "I am of noble blood and demand to be treated as befits my rank."

"Is that so?" The Stoat's smile could make magma feel cold. "You just look like another flea-bitten pirate to me."

The Jackal thrust his head forward like a snake, baring his fangs menacingly. Instinctively, the stoat took a step back, his fingers closing around the handle of his sword.

"Get them to the boats!" He commanded in a shrill voice, angry that he had let himself be intimidated by an unarmed man.

Eramus turned to the calico.

"You'll find the loot from the pirate ship in the hold as well" he told her. "I recognize the seals of a few of your city's more prominent merchant houses on some of the chests."

"We'll see that it gets returned to the rightful owners" she assured him.

As the pirates were lined up, the jackal turned his head slightly and spat. The Spittle landed close to Risha's foot. Shooting lightning from her eyes, the lynx-girl took a step forward, only to be stopped by Merees gently squeezing her shoulder.

"Forget about him" the dragon said. "You won't be seeing him again."

Risha watched as the jackal climbed into one of the rowboats.

"I hope you're right" she sighed, turning to Merees. "I really hope you are"

*****

As usual, Tiraliros' harbor was bustling with activity; ships from all over the world were unloading the cargo, which was then either stored in one of the many warehouses found in the harbor, or, as was the case with some of the troupe's props, loaded onto carts for transportation into the city itself.

"I suppose this is where we part ways, at least for now" Eramus said, as he shook hands with the trio.
"We're going to head to the theater that booked us and begin preparing for tonight's performance. Of course,  we would all be honored if you came to watch."

The Rest of the troupe all nodded in agreement and Risha, Merees and Leorin assured them that they would gladly do so, as soon as they had found a place to stay.

"I know just the establishment" said Eramus and gave them the name of a hotel. "The Owner is an old friend of mine" the faun continued. "Just mention my name and he'll give you his finest room."

They thanked him for the tip and proceeded to say goodbye to the rest of the troupe.
When they came to Sara, the porcupine shook paws with Risha and Merees, but when it was Leorin's turn, she did something different and unexpected:
Taking Leorin's paw in her own, the youngest member of the troupe instead pulled the small cat closer and gave him a kiss.

Having performed such an act of spontaneity and boldness,  its only natural that Sara was overcome by a case of severe shyness. She hid her face in her paws and proceeded to run off in the opposite direction.
 Leorin watched her, completely stunned. Mechanically, he raised his paw and touched the spot that had been touched by Sara's lips.

"Aww"

The Sound of his sister's voice brought Leorin back to his senses. It did not, however, do anything to alleviate the embarrassment he felt. Quite the opposite actually.

****

"So, when I was risking my life fighting pirates, you got yourself a girlfriend?"

Leorin face became even more like a tomato than it had been before.

"Its not like that" he protested, turning to Risha, his voice shrill. "She's not my girlfriend!"

The Siblings were standing outside one of Tiraliros' banks: A huge, imposing stone building whose entrance was guarded by a pair of sphinxes; their faces showing no trace of emotion, as their eyes scanned everyone approaching the bank.
Merees had gone inside in order to exchange her Vinolian coins for the local currency. She had asked Risha and Leorin if they wanted to come with her, but they had both declined: Leo because he did not want to stand in line in a dusty old bank for who knows how long and Risha because she saw an opportunity to tease her brother about what had occurred earlier.

"Very well" she said. "I believe you, she's not your girlfriend."

"That's what I've been saying" Leorin replied, crossing his arms over his chest and letting out an annoyed snort.

"You want her to be though" Risha said, the right corner of her mouth turning upwards in a mischievous grin.

The Cat's first instinct was to deny what his sister just said, but as he was about to do this, he realized that she had hit the bulls-eye.

"I mean, she is nice and...and cute" he began, fidgeting with his thumbs. "Its just.. we barely know each other."

Risha shrugged.

"So, get to know her. She obviously wants to get to know you."

Alas, Leorin's reply to this statement must remain a mystery. He was just about to say something, when the words that was about to form in his throat were turned into a surprised gasp and he immediately dashed off.
For a second, Risha only stood there, as if frozen by surprise. Then, she shook off her temporary paralysis and dashed after her brother, pushing her way through the crowd.
It didn't take long for her to caught up with him; he was standing in the road turning his head left to right rapidly.

Angrily, Risha marched up to Leorin and gave one of his ears a twist.

"Owowowow!" Leorin whined. "Sis, what are you doing?

The Lynx-girl did not answer. She was acutely aware that they were observed by a small group of onlookers, some of them looking quite amused by the situation and that only served to fuel her anger. Without a word, she grabbed Leorin by the scruff of his neck and dragged him back to the bank's doorstep.

"What was that for?" Leorin complained, wiping a single tear from the corner of his eye.

Risha stomped the ground in frustration.

"What do you mean by running off like that?!" She growled angrily. "Do you realize what could have happened? You could have been run over by a cart, or worse, someone could have kidnapped you!"

Leorin was just about to give what he imagined to be a clever reply, but when he looked up and saw the look of concern on his sister's face, he found himself unable to do so.

"I'm sorry, sis" he said abashed, ears flat against his head. "Its just that...I thought I saw someone I recognized in the crowd and...well, it was as if my body moved on its own."

Risha looked at her brother, her anger beginning to subside.

"Just promise you won't do anything like that again" she sighed.

"I promise."

"Besides, the person you saw was probably someone from the troupe. After all, who else do we know in Tiraliros?"

"No-one, you're probably right, sis. I must have been imagining things. After all, a city of this size must be home to hundreds of tigers, right?"

That last remark caused Risha's ears to perk up: Tigers? For a moment, the lynx-girl felt a shiver run down her spine.

Calm yourself, she thought, biting her lip. Like Leo just said, there must be hundreds of tigers living here. Still, what if he saw correctly? I should probably tell Mer about this.

"Hi love, did you miss me?"

The Sound of Merees' voice brought Risha back to reality.

"Of course, I counted the seconds you were gone."

"That's my girl. So, what do you two want to do now?"

Just then, as though he had been summoned by Merees' question, an armadillo walked by. On his stomach, he carried a large box with a lid and in one of his hands he held a bell which he rung, while calling out:

"Ice cream! Get your ice cream! Cold and fresh! Perfect for staving off the heat!"

Leorin gasped excitedly.

"Princess, I want ice cream" he said, while tugging on Merees' sleeve. "Please" he added, upon noticing the disapproving look Risha gave him.

If Merees had any issue with the way Leorin had initially phrased his request, she did not show it.

"Of course" she said, smiling at him. "Let's both have one, I suddenly have a craving for ice-cream as well."

"What about me?" Risha asked.

"Well" Merees said, assuming a contemplative pose. "I guess I can let you have a taste of mine."

"Really?" Risha's voice was lightly sprinkled with sarcasm. "You're too kind."

"I know" Merees replied.

She waved at the ice-cream vendor, who came over to them. He explained that he only had one taste available: Mango. Merees' paid for three cones and handed one to each of the siblings. The Three of them then took their ice cream and sat down on a bench, watching people go by.
As she sat there, enjoying her treat with her brother on her left side and her girlfriend on her right and the sun warming her fur, Risha felt perfectly content. At that moment, any thought of tigers, were gone from her mind.