RASKOL RECALLS His LAST EXCHANGE WITH THE MISERLY, OLD PAWNBROKER, YOU BRING SUCH TR/FLES, SiR! OW AW EXCEPTIONALLY HOT NIGHT, IN AN EXTREMELY SMALL GARRET, SITS THE BRILLIANT, POVERTY- STRICKEN STUDENT KNOWN. AS RASKOL! PONDERING HIS MISERABLE CONDITION, HE CONSIDERS A DESPERATE PROJECT TO DRAMATICALLY REVERSE HIS FORTUNES. WHAT 15 HIS RADICAL NEW IDEA? WHO WILL STAND IN HIS WAY? WHY WILL HE ATTEMPT IT AT ALL? HERE ARE THE ANSWERS. IN THE STORY OF. Cm a HE REMEMBERS HEARING THE STORY OF THE RAGGED, MAD DRUNK... HE RECONSIDERS THE LETTER FROM HIS_OWN, KIND FAMILY... THEY'VE SACRIFICED THEMSELVES FOR ME! I LIVE ON THE MONEY THEY BORROWED! MY DEAREST SONNY WALKS THE STREETS TO SUPPORT US... AND I DRINK HISTHE PAWNBROKER Is THE KEY! sue’s \| AND 80) WiTH A SWIFT CHANGE OF GARB, A STUPID, AILING, EV/L WOMAN WHO HAS || RASKOL EMERGES INTO THE NIGHT” NOTHING TO LIVE FOR-- BUT WITH ALL HER WEALTH, HUNDREDS OF DESPERATE LIVES COULD BE SAVED! IT WOULD BE JUST TO KILL HER AND STEAL HER FORTUNE TO USE IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANKIND! SOON, He ARRIVES AT HEAVENS! }| THE PAWNBROKER’‘S- YOU‘RE PLEDGE FOR YOU OZ w A | IN fe ) ALMOST MECHANICALLY, RASKOL SWINGS THE AXE DOWN ONTO THE PAWNBROKER'S HEAD’ RANSACKS HER BELONGINGS.WN 15 SEARCH FOR VALUABLES AND RUNS OUT OF THE BUILDING! x 4 xt & si 8 x u Qa LY ah ShBUT IT IS TOO LATE! THE DYING MAN SONNY, DRESSED IN SHAMEFUL, GUTTER Fi STEPS FORWARD TO SAY GOODBYE. PRESENTLY, RASKOL BURSTS INTO THE MAN'S HOME AND EXPLAINS TO HIS HORRIFIED FAMILY... > YOUR FATHER TOLD ME OF YOUR-- CIRCUMSTANCES. IT ALLOW ME TO DO SOME- ; AT THING FOR MY DEAD FRIEND! | | I’M DONE WITH IMAGINARY will b T FEARS! FE 15 REAL! YoY I DID NOT DIE WITH THE Lely OLD PAWNBROKER! My \ FEVER 15 GONE’ NOW I WILL TRY MY STRENGTH! THE NEXT DAY, HE VISITS INSPECTOR PORFIRY, WHO. 15 INVESTIGATING THE PAWNBROKER’S MURDER. I-- WOULD ‘VE COME SOONER YES, 1 HEARD! I'VE’ DISCOVERED BUT I'VE QUITE A giT MR. PORFIRY, I'VE COME AH, YES! IT’S A BEEN /LL ABOUT YOu! TO ACQUIRE SOME PLEASURE! WE FOUND ITEMS I PAWNED TO } YOUR PLEDGES! I’VE THE OLD WOMAN- BEEN EXPECTING You!NO THERE EXTRAORDINARY MEN KINDS OF ORDINARY, THOSE OF CONSERVATIVE TEMPERAMENT, AND SHARING THEIR DISCOVERIES EXTRAORDINARY, WITH THE WORLD!” 2 ANU UINEEAS) | = ALLOW ME ONE QUESTION... COULD YOU BRING IF I DID, I WHEN YOU CONCEIVED OF YOURSELF, IN HARDSHIP, TO CERTAINLY THIS NEW /DEA, SURELY Z "ELIMINATE OBSTACLES”-- WOULD NOT YOU THOUGHT OF YOURSELF F TO ROB AND MURDER? TELL YOU! AS EXTRAORDINARY... THAT NIGHT, RASKOL DREAMS OF STRIKING THE PAWNBROKER AGAIN AND AGAIN, BUT NOW SHE WILL NOT DIE’‘SOON AFTER, RASKOL V/5/TS SONNY, WHO 15 IN MOURNING... T/VE COME, PERHAPS FOR THE LAST TIME, TO SEE WHAT WILL BECOME OF YOU! WITHOUT YOUR FATHER, 4; THE CHILDREN WILL BE OUT ON THE STREETS... HE 15 TORMENTED BY HIS DEGRADING POSITION-- WHAT KEEPS Hi FROM THE SUFFERING ENDING IT ALL? IS HE MAD? OF HUMANITY! READ TO ] | WiTH GREAT PASSION, ME AS SONNY READS THE STORY YOU DID OF LAZARUS, WHILE SHE WAS KiLLED Ml To HER... J | RASKOL SITS MOTIONLESS... WITH AN AXE-- BUT SHE WILL SEE GOD!WHEN SONNY 15 FINISHED, FIVE MINUTES PASS IN SILENCE’ THEN... SONNY, I CAME TO SPEAK OF SOMETHING... KNOW 'WHO KILLED L/Z! HE DID NOT MEAN TO KILL HER, HE-- MEANT ONLY TO KILL THE KER... "T ASKED MYSELF WHAT WOULD NAPOLEON DO IF HE WERE IN MY POSITION? WOULD HE MURDER THAT RIDICULOUS OLD WOMAN IF SHE ‘STOOD IN HIS WAY? WHY, HE WOULDN'T HESITATE > 7 "YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY HAD HOPES FOR ME... BUT NO MONEY! I NEEDED THE PAWNBROKER'S FORTUNE TO WORK MY WAY UP IN THE WORLD...” "SHE WAS A LOATHSOME, HARMFUL CREATURE-- OR MAYBE IT 15 THAT Am VAIN,STAND UP! I/LL GET USED TO IT... YOU MUST GO JM I MUST NOT CONDEMN AT ONCE AND MYSELF! THE POLICE CONFESS! SUSPECT ME, BUT I WILL OTHERWISE, MAKE A STRUGGLE-- HOW CAN YOU GO ON LIVING? NOT NOW. SONNY... BETTER A AN WN AN \ I REGARD YOU AS A MAN OF NOBLE CHARACTER, AND I DON’T WISH TO DECEIVE YOU! I BECAME SUSPICIOUS OF YOU BY ACCIDENT! I HEARD RUMORS, I READ YOUR FANTASTIC ARTICLE-- YOU SEEMED HEADSTRONG AND RECKLESS! THERE WERE OTHER SUSPECTS, BUT NONE SEEMED LIKELY. BEEN WAITING FOR YOU your DOOR Was WIDE open! xy | S0-- WHO-- 15 THE MURDERER? WHY, YOU, YES, I AM CONVINCED OF IT, RASKOL, YOU'VE LOST FAITH! RASKOL! BUT I DO NOT WISH TO YOU _ARE ASHAMED THAT YOUR YOU ARREST YOU! INSTEAD, I THEORY 15 BASE! BUT YOU ARE THE Vj OPENLY PROPOSE THAT YOU ARE NOT BASE! KEEP A GOOD ‘MURDERER! SURRENDER AND CONFESS! HEART, HAVE LESS FEAR, AND IT WOULD LESSEN YOUR UFE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH! SENTENCE CONSIDERABLY! I BELIEVE YOU WILL ACCEPT YOUR SUFFERING!RASKOL HIS FATE... wire THAT, WON pee iS TOWARD 5 ASK FOOLISH NOW, I WILL PRISON AND YOU'LL WAS ALL THIS RIGHT? DID I WANT HIS CROSS? NO, I WANTED TO SEE HIS TEARS, TO SEE HIS HEART RASKOL TURNS BACK TO SEE ONNY, ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FROM :BY-- THEN, WITH A PAINED GRIM, NTERS THE POLICE STATION! 2 y\ VS " ‘ Wi : ie .) NJ UREN Y IT WAS I WHO MURDERED. THE PAWNBROKER AND. HER S/STER-- IT WAS I! THUS BEGINS A NEW STORY... OF A MAN'S GRADUAL REGENERATION, OF HIS JOURNEY INTO AN UNKNOWN LIFE... BUT OUR PRESENT STORY 15 ENDED’ DON'T MISS OUR NEXT /SSUE!7 bi rat ae Cle Lemme ee lets Cle ee tees ee eee ee ee ell