This story actually comes before a story that was printed in a 1988 issue of Heavy Metal – this is how Dieter got the dagger that he sold in the subsequent story. I guess the Heavy Metal editorial staff wasn’t so concerned about chronological order. Maybe they thought that kind of continuity pickiness undermined the whole concept of “standalone stories” that they were all wrapped up in during this period.

At any rate, the art here is just fun to look at. The detail in the market, the establishing shot of Topkapi Palace, the reflections on the floor. The last panel is interesting – occasionally these stories pull back to just a single image to break up what is really just a glorified text box. It’s something that Mignola does from time to time in his Hellboy work.

(Heavy Metal issue #123, November 1989 – Page 85 Dieter Lumpen: Istanbul by Pellejero and Zentner)