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trope is renamed Prefers Going Barefoot. Dewicking old name
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* DoesNotLikeShoes: Mejai goes barefoot frequently as part of her being a HotGypsyWoman.
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Moving to official English title
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[[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_scorpion_2418.jpg]]
''Le Scorpion'' (2000-) is a Franco-Belgian comics series written by Stephen Desberg, illustrated by Enrico Marini and published by Dargaud in French and Cinebook in English as ''The Scorpion''.
The story takes place in UsefulNotes/{{Rome}} during the second half of the eighteenth century. Cardinal Trebaldi decides to reinstate the power of the nine families, based on papacy. Armando Catalano, also known as The Scorpion, is a holy relics dealer. He is the son of a heretic who was burnt alive for misdirecting a priest from the church and Christian beliefs. Armando, the bearer of the “mark of the devil”, a birthmark in the shape of a scorpion, will challenge the cardinal’s authority. The cardinal, who seems to be filled with hatred for The Scorpion, sends a young gypsy specialized in poisons to kill him.
The adventures of the Scorpion lead him to the treasure of the Templars and to discover an interpretation of what might have happened to it.
----
!!''The Scorpion'' provides examples of:
* ActionGirl: Ansea Latal is not only gorgeous and intelligent, but also a skilled swashbuckler.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: Armando is more of an adventurer ''tomb robber'', but the science of archaeology hasn't been invented yet.
* AgentPeacock: The foppish and vain Nelio Trebaldi is a deadly swordsman with few equals.
* AncientConspiracy: The Nine Families have secretly ruled Western civilization since Roman times.
* BarBrawl: Armando starts one between the warrior monks and the Swiss Guard in ''In the Name of the Father'' so he and his allies can slip out off the bar without being seen by the monks.
* BigBad: This is Cardinal Trebaldi in most of the stories, but [[spoiler:after his death]] this becomes a DeconstructedTrope, as the comic is set in a world full of BlackAndGreyMorality without any true villains or heroes. Quite surprisingly, in the 12th book (''Le Mauvais Augure'') the closest to a central villain is [[VillainProtagonist Armando himself]], and his SideKick flat-out accuses him of this during his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
* BirthmarkOfDestiny: Armando has a scorpion-shaped mark on his back. [[spoiler: It's actually a scar.]]
* BlackKnight: Captain Rochnan dresses in all black armour.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The title of the third French album, "La croix de Pierre" has been translated as "The Stone Cross", where it's pretty clear that the original title refers to the upside-down cross of St. Peter (Pierre meaning both "stone" or "rock" and Peter, which you know, make sense since Peter was given that name since he would be the Rock upon which the Church would be built...) and finding the original Cross of Saint Peter is what the whole album was about [[spoiler: The Scorpion needs to find the original to prove that the upside-down cross Trebaldi is using to establish his claim to the Papacy is a forgery.]] Adding insult to injury, the word "Pierre" in the original title is capitalized, which given French title capitalization conventions means it's a proper name and a lot of the titles are explicitly religious, like "Au Nom du pere"... "In the name of the father." The best part? The cross in question is ''wooden''.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: Some nudity is covered up in the official English releases, including at least one case of FanDisservice (a woman being ''tortured'').
* BurnTheWitch: Armando's mother was burnt as a witch by the Inquisition for misdirecting a priest from the church and his Christian duties.
* CainAndAbelAndSeth: Late in the series it is revealed that Cosimo and Nelio Trebaldi may have an illegitimate half-sibling. [[spoiler:Said half-sibling turns out to be none other than Armando himself.]]
* CarnivalOfKillers: In ''The Mask of Truth'', Cardinal Trebaldi puts a 1,000 gold coin price of the Scorpion's head. Every assassin in Rome tries to claim it.
* CatapultNightmare: Armando experiences one at the beginning of ''The Stone Cross''.
* TheCharmer: Armando. He could easily be TheCasanova but sex is not his primary goal. It's just another weapon in his arsenal.
* ChurchMilitant: The Warrior Monks are highly-trained religious fanatics.
* ChurchPolice: The Warrior Monks are used by Cardinal Trebaldi to enforce his various decrees.
* CoolMask: The series has both this and FacelessGoons, handily coded by different levels of mask coverage: the BigBad's warrior monk mooks, who wear half-mask helmets, aren't a very big deal; but [[TheDragon their leader]] captain Rochnan, who is distinguished by his ornate mask that covers his entire face except for the eyes, is one of the most dangerous characters in the series.
* ConvenientlyPlacedSharpThing: At one point, Armando uses on of Mejai's spilled poisons to [[PoisonIsCorrosive to burn through his bonds]].
* CorruptChurch: The Catholic Church is decadent and corrupt, and controlled by the Nine Families.
* DarkActionGirl: Mejai is a HotGypsyWoman assassin, while Ansea Latal is a FieryRedhead swashbuckler who is part of the AncientConspiracy.
* DepravedHomosexual or possibly DepravedBisexual: Nelio Trebaldi. He revels in his decadence, mostly because of how much it disgusts his father and brother.
* DistinguishingMark: Why the Scorpion is called the Scorpion: he has a very distinctive scorpion birthmark [[spoiler:(later revealed to be a scar)]] on his shoulder.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Mejai goes barefoot frequently as part of her being a HotGypsyWoman.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Done twice ''The Angel's Shadow''. First Armando disguises himself as a warrior monk as part of a TrojanPrisoner gambit to gain access to the Vatican dungeons. Later, he and Hussar disguise themselves as Warrior Monks to steal a shipment of gold.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Hussar's first name is Aristotle. His father thought it would help him become a great philosopher.
* EverybodyCallsHimBarkeep: It is never made explicit, but it appears that Hussar is actually his nickname from his time as a soldier rather than his surname. (His first name, which nobody--including himself--uses, is [[EmbarrassingFirstName Aristotle]].)
* TheFaceless: Rochnan's face is not revealed until ''The Treasure of the Templars''; his face being concealed by his armoured helmet before this. [[spoiler: And he falls to death not long after the reveal]].
* FauxSymbolism: In-universe, the Trebaldi family uses this in order to make themselves appear more significant. For example, while skimming through the comics, a first-time reader might think that the Warrior Monks are somehow unique due to their masks, or that the exotic birds held by the Trebaldis have some kind of magic properties, but it's frequently shown how there is absolutely no real deeper meaning to anything that the Trebaldis do or own – the Warrior Monks are just regular FacelessMooks, there is nothing specials about the Trwbaldis' birds, the Cross owned by Trebaldi is a forgery, etc.
* FieryRedhead: Ansea Latal, a hotblooded swashbuckler who is the equal of any man in a fight.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: the prostitutes' brand marks]] in ''The Mark of the Devil'' foreshadow the fact that [[spoiler: The Scorpion's "birth mark" is actually a brand as well]] as seen in ''The Mask of Truth''.
* GrapplingHookPistol: The Scorpion sometimes uses a grappling hook crossbow.
* HandyCuffs: In ''The Mask of Truth'', Nelio Trebaldi uses the shackles around his wrists to strangle the warrior monk who is guarding him.
* TheHermit: Gottfried dwells in the middle of the desert, protecting the Cross of Peter.
* HidingBehindReligion: Cardinal Trebaldi. He doesn't even believe in God but plots to become Pope because the Vatican's position will give him a stranglehold on power in Europe.
* HighDiveEscape: The Scorpion does it to escape from Trebaldi's castle in ''The Stone Cross''.
* HotGypsyWoman: A Gypsy assassin who plays with the ancient idea that the Gypsies emerged from Egypt, Mejai uses her beauty as a weapon almost as much as her [[MasterPoisoner poisons]]. Her appearance hits all of the stereotypes: olive skin, loose wavy black hair, a low-cut, midriff-baring top, a low-waisted skirt slit to the hip, bare feet and lots of jewelry.
* HumanNotepad: In ''The Treasure of the Templars'', it is revealed that Rochnan was punished for pretending to convert to Islam by having the 99 names of Allah tattooed over his body.
* InTheHood: Mejai frequently wears a long, hooded cloak that wraps right round her whenever she is attempting to move about incognito.
* KnightTemplar: Captain Rochnan, the fanatical leader of the Warrior Monks.
* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:The Scorpion eventually learns that Trebaldi is his father.]]
** [[spoiler: Which in turn is subverted and becomes a case of LukeIMightBeYourFather... at the end of one volume, it would appear that actually, Trebaldi is not his father, and the Scorpion is being led away to meet his true father. Maybe he is the Devil's son after all?]]
** [[spoiler: And now it's revealed Trebaldi, Nelio and Armando are all half-brothers, after Trebaldi senior raped Trebaldi's girl.]]
* MasterPoisoner: Mejai is a gypsy assassin famed for her use of poisons.
* TheMurderAfter: In ''In the Name of the Father'', Nelio Trebaldi wakes up to find his lover lying dead next to him. This is not an attempt to frame him for murder, but a warning from his father that he can get to him anywhere.
* PoisonIsCorrosive: Several of Mejai's poisons are shown to be acidic. Armando uses one to burn through the ropes holding him at one point.
* RedBaron: Armando is universally known as 'the Scorpion'.
* RoguishRomani: One of the main villains is Mejai, a HotGypsyWoman and an [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]] who [[MasterPoisoner specializes in the use of poison]]. She is eventually forced into an EnemyMine partnership with the hero Armando when her employers betray her.
* ScarsAreForever: [[spoiler: The scorpion mark is actually a scar from when the main character was a baby.]]
* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: on the cover of ''The Stone Cross'', [[http://img.bd-sanctuary.com/bds/big/le-scorpion-bd-volume-3-simple-3245.gif the Scorpion is about to shoot you with a crossbow]].
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: The subplot about Armando's alleged "son" is this, with the poor boy having a particularly [[DeaderThanDead brutal death]].]]
* SinisterMinister: Cardinal Trebaldi, the BigBad of the series.
* SlaveBrand: All of the prostitutes in Armando's hometown were branded with a 'P' by order of the local bishop.
* TrojanPrisoner: In ''The Angel's Shadow'', Armando and Mejai pull this stunt (with Armando DressingAsTheEnemy as a Warrior Monk) to gain access to the Vatican dungeons to rescue Hussar.
* VillainousBreakdown: Trebaldi suffers one as all of his villainous schemes come crashing down around him.
* WallBangHer: Armando takes Ansea like this when she offers herself to him in ''In the Name of The Son''.
----
%%
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%%
%%
[[quoteright:339:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_scorpion_2418.jpg]]
''Le Scorpion'' (2000-) is a Franco-Belgian comics series written by Stephen Desberg, illustrated by Enrico Marini and published by Dargaud in French and Cinebook in English as ''The Scorpion''.
The story takes place in UsefulNotes/{{Rome}} during the second half of the eighteenth century. Cardinal Trebaldi decides to reinstate the power of the nine families, based on papacy. Armando Catalano, also known as The Scorpion, is a holy relics dealer. He is the son of a heretic who was burnt alive for misdirecting a priest from the church and Christian beliefs. Armando, the bearer of the “mark of the devil”, a birthmark in the shape of a scorpion, will challenge the cardinal’s authority. The cardinal, who seems to be filled with hatred for The Scorpion, sends a young gypsy specialized in poisons to kill him.
The adventures of the Scorpion lead him to the treasure of the Templars and to discover an interpretation of what might have happened to it.
----
!!''The Scorpion'' provides examples of:
* ActionGirl: Ansea Latal is not only gorgeous and intelligent, but also a skilled swashbuckler.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: Armando is more of an adventurer ''tomb robber'', but the science of archaeology hasn't been invented yet.
* AgentPeacock: The foppish and vain Nelio Trebaldi is a deadly swordsman with few equals.
* AncientConspiracy: The Nine Families have secretly ruled Western civilization since Roman times.
* BarBrawl: Armando starts one between the warrior monks and the Swiss Guard in ''In the Name of the Father'' so he and his allies can slip out off the bar without being seen by the monks.
* BigBad: This is Cardinal Trebaldi in most of the stories, but [[spoiler:after his death]] this becomes a DeconstructedTrope, as the comic is set in a world full of BlackAndGreyMorality without any true villains or heroes. Quite surprisingly, in the 12th book (''Le Mauvais Augure'') the closest to a central villain is [[VillainProtagonist Armando himself]], and his SideKick flat-out accuses him of this during his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
* BirthmarkOfDestiny: Armando has a scorpion-shaped mark on his back. [[spoiler: It's actually a scar.]]
* BlackKnight: Captain Rochnan dresses in all black armour.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The title of the third French album, "La croix de Pierre" has been translated as "The Stone Cross", where it's pretty clear that the original title refers to the upside-down cross of St. Peter (Pierre meaning both "stone" or "rock" and Peter, which you know, make sense since Peter was given that name since he would be the Rock upon which the Church would be built...) and finding the original Cross of Saint Peter is what the whole album was about [[spoiler: The Scorpion needs to find the original to prove that the upside-down cross Trebaldi is using to establish his claim to the Papacy is a forgery.]] Adding insult to injury, the word "Pierre" in the original title is capitalized, which given French title capitalization conventions means it's a proper name and a lot of the titles are explicitly religious, like "Au Nom du pere"... "In the name of the father." The best part? The cross in question is ''wooden''.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: Some nudity is covered up in the official English releases, including at least one case of FanDisservice (a woman being ''tortured'').
* BurnTheWitch: Armando's mother was burnt as a witch by the Inquisition for misdirecting a priest from the church and his Christian duties.
* CainAndAbelAndSeth: Late in the series it is revealed that Cosimo and Nelio Trebaldi may have an illegitimate half-sibling. [[spoiler:Said half-sibling turns out to be none other than Armando himself.]]
* CarnivalOfKillers: In ''The Mask of Truth'', Cardinal Trebaldi puts a 1,000 gold coin price of the Scorpion's head. Every assassin in Rome tries to claim it.
* CatapultNightmare: Armando experiences one at the beginning of ''The Stone Cross''.
* TheCharmer: Armando. He could easily be TheCasanova but sex is not his primary goal. It's just another weapon in his arsenal.
* ChurchMilitant: The Warrior Monks are highly-trained religious fanatics.
* ChurchPolice: The Warrior Monks are used by Cardinal Trebaldi to enforce his various decrees.
* CoolMask: The series has both this and FacelessGoons, handily coded by different levels of mask coverage: the BigBad's warrior monk mooks, who wear half-mask helmets, aren't a very big deal; but [[TheDragon their leader]] captain Rochnan, who is distinguished by his ornate mask that covers his entire face except for the eyes, is one of the most dangerous characters in the series.
* ConvenientlyPlacedSharpThing: At one point, Armando uses on of Mejai's spilled poisons to [[PoisonIsCorrosive to burn through his bonds]].
* CorruptChurch: The Catholic Church is decadent and corrupt, and controlled by the Nine Families.
* DarkActionGirl: Mejai is a HotGypsyWoman assassin, while Ansea Latal is a FieryRedhead swashbuckler who is part of the AncientConspiracy.
* DepravedHomosexual or possibly DepravedBisexual: Nelio Trebaldi. He revels in his decadence, mostly because of how much it disgusts his father and brother.
* DistinguishingMark: Why the Scorpion is called the Scorpion: he has a very distinctive scorpion birthmark [[spoiler:(later revealed to be a scar)]] on his shoulder.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Mejai goes barefoot frequently as part of her being a HotGypsyWoman.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Done twice ''The Angel's Shadow''. First Armando disguises himself as a warrior monk as part of a TrojanPrisoner gambit to gain access to the Vatican dungeons. Later, he and Hussar disguise themselves as Warrior Monks to steal a shipment of gold.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Hussar's first name is Aristotle. His father thought it would help him become a great philosopher.
* EverybodyCallsHimBarkeep: It is never made explicit, but it appears that Hussar is actually his nickname from his time as a soldier rather than his surname. (His first name, which nobody--including himself--uses, is [[EmbarrassingFirstName Aristotle]].)
* TheFaceless: Rochnan's face is not revealed until ''The Treasure of the Templars''; his face being concealed by his armoured helmet before this. [[spoiler: And he falls to death not long after the reveal]].
* FauxSymbolism: In-universe, the Trebaldi family uses this in order to make themselves appear more significant. For example, while skimming through the comics, a first-time reader might think that the Warrior Monks are somehow unique due to their masks, or that the exotic birds held by the Trebaldis have some kind of magic properties, but it's frequently shown how there is absolutely no real deeper meaning to anything that the Trebaldis do or own – the Warrior Monks are just regular FacelessMooks, there is nothing specials about the Trwbaldis' birds, the Cross owned by Trebaldi is a forgery, etc.
* FieryRedhead: Ansea Latal, a hotblooded swashbuckler who is the equal of any man in a fight.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler: the prostitutes' brand marks]] in ''The Mark of the Devil'' foreshadow the fact that [[spoiler: The Scorpion's "birth mark" is actually a brand as well]] as seen in ''The Mask of Truth''.
* GrapplingHookPistol: The Scorpion sometimes uses a grappling hook crossbow.
* HandyCuffs: In ''The Mask of Truth'', Nelio Trebaldi uses the shackles around his wrists to strangle the warrior monk who is guarding him.
* TheHermit: Gottfried dwells in the middle of the desert, protecting the Cross of Peter.
* HidingBehindReligion: Cardinal Trebaldi. He doesn't even believe in God but plots to become Pope because the Vatican's position will give him a stranglehold on power in Europe.
* HighDiveEscape: The Scorpion does it to escape from Trebaldi's castle in ''The Stone Cross''.
* HotGypsyWoman: A Gypsy assassin who plays with the ancient idea that the Gypsies emerged from Egypt, Mejai uses her beauty as a weapon almost as much as her [[MasterPoisoner poisons]]. Her appearance hits all of the stereotypes: olive skin, loose wavy black hair, a low-cut, midriff-baring top, a low-waisted skirt slit to the hip, bare feet and lots of jewelry.
* HumanNotepad: In ''The Treasure of the Templars'', it is revealed that Rochnan was punished for pretending to convert to Islam by having the 99 names of Allah tattooed over his body.
* InTheHood: Mejai frequently wears a long, hooded cloak that wraps right round her whenever she is attempting to move about incognito.
* KnightTemplar: Captain Rochnan, the fanatical leader of the Warrior Monks.
* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:The Scorpion eventually learns that Trebaldi is his father.]]
** [[spoiler: Which in turn is subverted and becomes a case of LukeIMightBeYourFather... at the end of one volume, it would appear that actually, Trebaldi is not his father, and the Scorpion is being led away to meet his true father. Maybe he is the Devil's son after all?]]
** [[spoiler: And now it's revealed Trebaldi, Nelio and Armando are all half-brothers, after Trebaldi senior raped Trebaldi's girl.]]
* MasterPoisoner: Mejai is a gypsy assassin famed for her use of poisons.
* TheMurderAfter: In ''In the Name of the Father'', Nelio Trebaldi wakes up to find his lover lying dead next to him. This is not an attempt to frame him for murder, but a warning from his father that he can get to him anywhere.
* PoisonIsCorrosive: Several of Mejai's poisons are shown to be acidic. Armando uses one to burn through the ropes holding him at one point.
* RedBaron: Armando is universally known as 'the Scorpion'.
* RoguishRomani: One of the main villains is Mejai, a HotGypsyWoman and an [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]] who [[MasterPoisoner specializes in the use of poison]]. She is eventually forced into an EnemyMine partnership with the hero Armando when her employers betray her.
* ScarsAreForever: [[spoiler: The scorpion mark is actually a scar from when the main character was a baby.]]
* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: on the cover of ''The Stone Cross'', [[http://img.bd-sanctuary.com/bds/big/le-scorpion-bd-volume-3-simple-3245.gif the Scorpion is about to shoot you with a crossbow]].
* ShootTheDog: [[spoiler: The subplot about Armando's alleged "son" is this, with the poor boy having a particularly [[DeaderThanDead brutal death]].]]
* SinisterMinister: Cardinal Trebaldi, the BigBad of the series.
* SlaveBrand: All of the prostitutes in Armando's hometown were branded with a 'P' by order of the local bishop.
* TrojanPrisoner: In ''The Angel's Shadow'', Armando and Mejai pull this stunt (with Armando DressingAsTheEnemy as a Warrior Monk) to gain access to the Vatican dungeons to rescue Hussar.
* VillainousBreakdown: Trebaldi suffers one as all of his villainous schemes come crashing down around him.
* WallBangHer: Armando takes Ansea like this when she offers herself to him in ''In the Name of The Son''.
----
