The Strange Encounter is the eleventh album in the Belgian Comics series Blake and Mortimer.
Mortimer is called to the United States to verify a curious finding: a corpse dressed in the uniform of a British Redcoat found by a farmer who claims it suddenly appeared on a field followed by three beams of colored light shining from the sky. Preliminary studies seem to indicate that this is the corpse of Scottish Major Lachlan Macquarrie (an ancestor of Mortimer's) who disappeared after the British defeat at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 and was convicted in absentia of desertion.
Once Mortimer confirms this is the corpse of his ancestor, perfectly preserved, his host Dr. Kaufman reveals Macquarrie was found with some curious items: a pair of glasses that allow the wearer to see in the dark, a mysterious miniature stun ray and a shoulder strap with a cryptic message engraved.
Just as the possibility of the involvement of extraterrestrial life is discussed, Mortimer finds himself pursued by mysterious men armed with the same glasses and weapons. And he could never suspect the impossible return of one of his worst enemies, the horrifying truth behind his pursuers and that the fate of mankind hangs in the balance...
The Strange Encounter tropes:
- Black Sheep: Subverted in the end. After his kidnapping by the future humans of 8061, Lachlan Macquarrie was branded as a desertor and is considered an old shame in Mortimer's family. When he discovers what they wanted to do to the world in the 20th century, he tried to escape to 1954 to alert the current authorities about the plan. He died in the trip but not before engraving a cryptic message on his shoulder strap. After the plot is resolved thanks to his last message, his status in the British Army is restored and he is buried with honors in Scotland.
- The Dragon: Olrik is, once more, one to Basam Damdu.
- Dying Clue: Macquarrie's shoulder strap message counts as this in the end. The message is: "Yellow King, 8061, Danger, Light, Plutonian, H, Poplar Trees, Temple 1954".
- Earth All Along: The freakish green humanoids aren't aliens: they're humans mutated from nuclear war. More precisely, they are time travelers from 8061.
- Easily Forgiven: Olrik by Basam Damdu. In their last encounter in Secret of the Swordfish, Basam Damdu had ordered Olrik to be strapped onto the first nuclear missile to be launched against the rest of the world.
- Historical In-Joke: While studying the stun ray, Mortimer is astounded by its unusual physical properties. Dr. Kaufman's assistant explains that the beam is comprised of coherent monochromatic light, something multiple American physicists have been trying to produce for some time. A caption box helpfully informs us that we now know such light beams as "lasers".
- Irony: The future mutated humans from nuclear war-ravaged Earth of 8061 seeked to prevent their fate by placing the 20th century Earth under the leadership of Basam Damdu, the same person who was very close to nuking the entire world in a fit of rage. And for further irony, their plans (more likely crafted by Basam Damdu and his generals) involve stealing nukes too.
- Not Quite Dead: Emperor Basam Damdu. It is revealed that the future humans saved him in the last moment just before the destruction of his palace in the Secret of the Swordfish.
- Oh, Crap!: Mortimer looks like he's on the verge of an Heroic BSoD once he's brought to the presence of the still alive Basam Damdu.
- Villain Decay: Olrik returns again, and this time he's reduced to being Damdu's lackey.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The future mutated humans seek to prevent their post nuclear war Bad Future by taking over the world in the 20th century under the person who came closest to doing so: Basam Damdu.
