Varga Tomi doc Phantom of the Opera: The Graphic Novel

The Palais Garnier opera house in Paris was always said to be haunted, but those rumors were dismissed as excuses to explain accidents or lost items. But on the night of the gala performance celebrating the retirement of the old managers, a pair of strange events occur. A stagehand is found dead, hanged by a noose with no explanation. Also, Christine Daaé has the performance of a lifetime after replacing the lead soprano who mysteriously fell ill. Though no one was aware of it, Christine had been receiving singing lessons from a voice she hears in her dressing room. She believes it to be the Angel of Music sent from her deceased father. However, the voice belongs to the Phantom, also known as Erik, a horribly disfigured musical genius who lives in the basement under the opera. During the construction of the opera house, he built himself passages that allowed him to move through the halls of the building undetected. During this time, he fell in love with the young singer and sought to win her favor by teaching her to sing well enough to become a star. It is also during this time that Christine is reunited with her childhood friend, Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny. Though they were once enamored with each other, circumstances kept them apart. But upon seeing Christine’s performance, Raoul’s love for her comes flooding back. He professes his love for her. Christine seems to feel the same way, but something is holding her back. The voice she hears has convinced her that she must love no one but the Angel of Music if she wishes to retain her newfound gift. Raoul is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and almost dies in the process. In order to keep him from further harm, Christine tells him the truth. Together they devise a plan where she will give one last performance as a parting gift to the Phantom before they run off together. However, Erik overhears their plan and abducts Christine during the performance and brings her down to the cellar. Raoul goes after her, now aided by “The Persian” who knows Erik’s secret, as he was the one who saved Erik’s life and brought him to Paris after the Shah ordered his execution. The Persian leads Raoul to the cellar but the two of them are trapped in the torture chamber (mirrors, rats and flaming skulls!). They also discover that the cellar is filled with enough gun powder to blow the entire building sky-high. Erik gives Christine the choice: marry him or they will all die. Christine consents and upon seeing his wretched face, takes pity on him and kisses him, a level of affection he had never received before, not even from his own mother. Overcome with emotion, Erik allows Christine and Raoul to go free. He gives them his gold ring, asking only that they return it to him after his death and give him a proper burial. The Persian, for his part, will run the story in the newspaper that “Erik is Dead.”