The Phantom - The Complete DC Comics Volume One!

The tale of The Phantom in comic books is a tattered one indeed. The Phantom was created by Lee Falk for the comic strip pages in 1936 and is the first of the costumed heroes which would fill the imaginations of youngsters and others in the decades to come. The comic strip is immensely popular and still appears today with new stories. The Phantom has proven to be wildly popular around the globe and many countries produce comics starring "The Ghost Who Walks". But for some strange reason the Phantom has never had great success in comics in the U.S. There were reprints of the strips for decades until Gold Key initiated a series of fresh stories in the early 60's. This was taken over by King Features briefly before Charlton Comics got hold of the hero and produced some very interesting comics with the character in the 70's. Then it went silent for many years. And then DC showed up at the door. 

Hermes Press has reprinted the DC Comics Phantoms in three volumes. The first begins with the original 1987 four-part limited series by writer Peter David and veteran artist Joe Orlando and Dennis Janke. We are treated to parallel stories about Phantoms of different eras. Despite the fact that he carries two automatic pistols, the Phantom has always been a relatively bloodless adventure series. That changes here. When a Jungle Patrol officer is murdered the Phantom is off to the streets of the modern city to find the culprits. It is a powerful businessman named Chessman, who it turns out is a friend of the Phantom's girlfriend Diana Palmer. He's also the descendant of a family of pirates who fought against the thirteenth Phantom centuries before. We follow that long ago saga as related in the Phantom's Chronicles at the same time as we follow the modern Phantom on his quest for justice. 

I am of two minds on its success at what it sets out to do. David seems to have wanted to make the Phantom a bit less of a cypher when it comes to his emotions and that seems a good idea, but in practice I'm not sure I like seeing his cool exterior cracked by rage. Joe Orlando's art is lively and Dennis Janke's inks it well and in keeping with the styles of the time. But it seems off to me somehow, and that could my problem. I've always thought that the franchise didn't mine its rich history enough and that we needed to see the adventures of long-ago Phantoms, and this certainly delivers on that score. But the thirteenth Phantom actually comes across early on as a bit too weak for my tastes.

Above are the action-filled covers for the limited series by Joe Orlando and inker Dave Gibbons. 

The volume then shifts its focus to the next series with new creators Mark Verheiden and Luke McDonnell. Verheiden was a writer who a time was fresh from the Indy market where he raised eyebrows with The American series. He brings that same toughness to this new project. Luke McDonnell was an artist I knew well from his tenure on Iron Man. McDonnell had a style which wasn't that fan-friendly, but not unlike Herb Trimpe found a way to warm you to his work. 

We get the first two issues which together tell the story titled merely "Guns". A ruthless run runner kills three members of the Jungle Patrol, and the Phantom has him in his sights from that point on. The spar with each gaining an advantage in the struggle, but we all know the inevitable outcome. It's a nice yarn told with vigor and power.

Overall, a nice beginning. The second volume by Verheiden and McDonnell will be reviewed next time. 

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The Rocketeer At The Cinema!

(John Mattos)

How The Rocketeer movie didn't make enough money to convince the powers in Hollywood to make more is beyond me. It's an exquisite movie, with wonderful actors in perfect roles giving ideal performances, and a delightful period setting which evokes at once realism and romance. There's no reason this shouldn't have been a bigger hit, buy it just wasn't. 

Released in 1991 I immediately went to see it. Later I collected it on VHS and later still on DVD. I dug out my DVD and watched it again just a few days ago. I was much impressed by how well this story held up after several decades. The actors were convincing in a story which demands a lot from actors to sell parts which are at once naturalistic and extreme. Bill Campbell is ideal as Cliff Secord. His youthful face sells with conviction the love he has for Jenny and the desire he has to fly using the rocket pack. Jennifer Connelly was a perfect choice to play Jenny (not Betty), though she is a good deal less openly sexy than Betty found in the original Stevens story.  Disney wanted her a bit more demure. Alan Arkin is a great Peevy.  And a bunch of the other parts are well filled out. The standout for me though is Timothy Dalton. 

(Promotional art by Stevens)

Timothy Dalton as the Nazi agent posing as an actor in Hollywood. I'm a big Dalton fan and think his days as Bond were much better than is generally remembered. He's the actor closest to the Bond of the novels, at least as I envision him. Turning him into a baddie is delightful and he seems to enjoy. He's played many a great bad guy since. The use of Lothar from the second Rocketeer story (which also gives us the auto-gyro at the end of the movie) was a stroke of genius. 

But it's the world that the movie recreates that is the real star of The Rocketeer. I never for a moment feel I'm not in the late 1930's in Los Angeles. The period is maintained wonderfully, at least to my untrained eyes. Not only does the movie recreate the delightful settings from the Stevens comic but they also give us more. There's a nifty blend of scenes and settings coming from both Dave Stevens stories, the second on not even finished when the movie was produced. The humble Bulldog Cafe and the swanky nightclub are all well realized. 

Somewhen along the way I picked up The Rocketeer Official Movie Souvenir Magazine which is chock full of imagery from the movie while at the same time offering up a lighthearted summary of the movie's action. In those days before the internet, these kinds of artifacts held greater value. This book is from Topps which also did a card set for the movie. I also have those. 

My favorite movie-tie in item is The Rocketeer - The Official Movie Adaptation which sports an iconic Dave Stevens cover, one of his most famous Rocketeer images. The story inside was actually written by Peter David and drawn magnificently by Russ Heath. Heath's interpretation of the Rocketeer world cleaves very close to the Stevens original without being cloying or imitative. 

One of the weirder tie-ins in my collection is the 3-D adaptation of the story by Neal Adams and his Continuity Associates outfit. The 3-D is pretty good in places, but the imagery is less effective as a comic story. The characters are often off model quite a bit. This originally came with a cassette tape which followed the comics story, but I don't have that. Those were different times indeed and it's sometimes painful to remember just how long it's been. I've read off and on for decades of a potential sequel, but I'll believe it when I see it in the theaters. 

Above is a fun piece of artwork by Dave Stevens for the movie. This does appear in the movie as part of the folder with all the rocket specifications which Howard Hughes tosses into a fire when he determines the rocket is just too dangerous to continue to develop. 

And here's the infamous Nazi propaganda film from the movie showing what the deadly forces of Hitler planned to do with the rocket packs if they got their hands on the prototype again. 

And here is a delightfully scandalous image of Betty (not Jenny) reminding Cliff and all of us what they were fighting for. Why include this? Why not! 

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The Not-So Phleet-Phooted Phantom!

With the long-awaited arrival of The Phantom #6 from Hermes Press we at long last get the final installment of a Phantom yarn which has been unfolding now for nearly two years. Hermes is a lot of things, but despite their name, swift ain't one of them. Peter David and Sal Velluto worked together to bring a story with some potent action, some striking callbacks to the earliest days of the original Phantom strip by Lee Falk, and the whole is presented under some striking covers which repeat an interesting motif of distinctive texture for the background with a portrait style for key images. 

The story begins with the always threatening Singh Brotherhood seeking out a mysterious hidden land and to that end they threaten the lives of some humble natives and one in particular who knows the way. Word gets to the Phantom who along with Diana Palmer rushes to help. They discover though that a mysterious Jungle Man is also there to solve the problem.

Ironically the mysterious Jungle Man turns out to be Jimmy Wells, a man Diana knew and (who for a time might have been thought to be the Phantom even by Falk himself before he abandoned the idea). He seems to be a man of an unusually long life who has grown up in the jungle and raised by elephants after the death of his parents, civilized but ferocious all the same, and he is married to a mysterious woman named June who turns out to be the Baroness, the former leader of the notorious Sky Band.

The quartet patch up their differences and head to the mysterious land of Ophir, hidden in a forbidden jungle inside a mountain. The Phantom fends off an attack from fighter planes and is thought to be lost. Diana, June, and Jimmy head on to the mountain but soon fall victim to the powerful queen of the natives there.

Needless to say the reports of the Phantom's demise are overdone and he survives to join up with Diana and the gang in the city, using his guile to force the information of the mountain kingdom from a member of the Singh Brotherhood. 

They are all taken captive though and pitted against one another. The queen's son seems very like Jimmy Wells and assumptions are made as to his parentage. The Singh Brotherhood resurface and joined by the King of the mountain tribe form a fatal threat to the heroes.

A battle ensues and the the heroes are saved, and the threat of the Singh Brotherhood is forestalled yet again. The new allies return to their jungle home atop an elephant, and the Phantom and Diana return to their own jungle to keep watch over their people. All is once again right with the world...for now.

This is a striking story with a wonderful awareness of classic Phantom lore. It reads very quickly, the brisk pace making for an exciting yarn. There are questions left unanswered and to be frank some of the characterizations seem a bit off at times (especially Diana) but overall a solid Phantom story. I just wish they hadn't taken so long to get it out. The artwork by Velluto does seem to suffer a bit as the story nears its end, though I cannot really tell if it's because of changes he made or the techniques of publication.

Advertised though in the back is a ad for the next Hermes new Phantom story, this one by Ron Goulart. Hopefully this one will hit the stands more frequently. 

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Phantom Threes!

It's an odd day since later I hope to pick up not one Phantom comic book from my local store, but two, and ironically both are number three issues. In a legal morass of rights ownership I will never fathom both Hermes Press and Dynamite Comics currently have the rights to publish new adventures of the classic Lee Falk comic strip costumed jungle hero.

Hermes is in the middle of publishing a six-issue story by Peter David and Sal Velluto done in a classic comic book storytelling style I can really sink my teeth into. Alas the frequency of publication has made following the story a bit of a chore since months and months pass between installments. Hermes has rigorously, if not fluidly, issued reprints of the vintage comic strips and comic books themselves, and I'm happy to see material of this kind being done by them, but I'd love to see it published with a greater fidelity to the predictable.

Arguably even more maddening is the absolute calamity the knotheads at Dynamite have made of their King Features "celebration". The plan, I guess, was to publish five four-issue books with an integrated storyline starring some of King Features' most recognizable stars. It began with a bang under an exceedingly handsome set of covers by Darwyn Cooke, but swiftly fell into disrepair. By my present count we currently have a full set of four comics starring Flash Gordon, three starring Jungle Jim, two featuring Prince Valiant, and only one with Mandrake the Magician. Today, if it arrives as planned, we will finally get three comics focused on the Phantom (this version is Lothar of Mandrake fame under the mantle). The storyline is a shambles and the frustration at even discovering when these books are coming out has been palpable.

I can say with no small amount of certainty that I will not follow another Dynamite series after this. I will wait for the trades, if they appear, but this utter contempt for and complete lack of respect for the reading public is one of the reasons I abandoned practically all periodical pamphlet comics eight years ago.

But all that said, I am pleased to find two Phantom comics waiting for me today. As I wrap up my school year with the obligatory paperwork woes, I have some fun pending at the close of business.

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Popeye's Ocean Crossings!

Among the most unusual comics I have buried around here somewhere the Popeye Specials from Ocean Comics. These comics showcase stories by Ron Fortier which put out a rather detailed back story and origin for the famous Sailor Man. Drawn by Ben Dunn and Bill Pearson the first issue shows us Popeye as a child. Check this out for a glimpse.

The following year in 1988 another issue drops with Fortier and Dunn still aboard, but with Dell Barras and  Tom Grummett joining in on the art chores. This issue takes Popeye and Bluto to the land down under, Australia.

A full decade passes, but in 1999 another special issue appears this time written by Peter David with a cover by Tom Grummett and interior art by Dave Garcia and Sam De La Rosa. As you can tell by the title, at long last Popeye and Olive tie the knot, though with enough action for all Popeye fans. Here the writer reflects on the project.

Three very unusual and oddly interesting comics. 

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The Phleet-Phooted Phantom!

The debut issue of The Phantom from Hermes Press was simply smashing. The gorgeous artwork by Sal Velluto is refreshingly old-school, giving us a lush fully rendered interior which is nonetheless rock-solid storytelling.  Peter David's story begins with a nice domestic calm for "The Ghost Who Walks" and Diana Palmer, but quickly finds our hero and his best girl on the trail of the Singh Brotherhood. They go to rescue a man who knows the secret of an oddly familiar lost city named "Ophir" -- wink wink, nudge nudge.

Sample Pages by Sal Velluto

We'll soon have two Phantom series by two different companies (Hermes and Dynamite) in the U.S. at the same time. Odd. There is a dispute between the companies as to holds the rights. It calls to mind the time some years ago when Dynamite first took hold of the rights when Moonstone seemed still to have some at least limited access to them.

Here are the alternate covers. The artwork for these is also contained inside the issue as well as some delicious Velluto pencil work, so save your shekels.

Sal Velluto

Graham Nolan

Alex Saviuk

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The Phantom Sallies Phorth!

Hermes Press which has been releasing Phantom reprints for some years now has just announced that they are publishing some new Phantom adventures later this year. That's fantastic as the artwork is supplied by the awesome Sal Velluto, one of the finest artists of recent years, a guy with a lush vivid style. Here's the news bulletin:

"The Phantom returns to comic books with Hermes Press!  Starting in September, Hermes Press will begin the release of an all-new, six part mini-series featuring the classic Ghost Who Walks, helmed by super-star writer Peter David with artwork by seasoned veteran and Phantom chronicler extraordinaire Sal Velluto.

Hermes Press Publisher Daniel Herman observed that, “When we asked King Features to allow us to build on the mythos of The Phantom we were clear that we wanted to expand the canon of one of comics’ greatest legends by embracing the character and his history, and by building on it.  We want to create new stories that Lee Falk would be proud of!”

Herman said that the selection of Peter David was the obvious choice as he is a well known fan of the strip and understands its mythos.  David has written extensively for comic books for over twenty-five years, as well as for television and film. He is currently hard at work creating a story arc that fans won’t want to miss.

David pointed out that, “I’ve been a huge Phantom fan for years, and even had the chance to work on him for DC many years ago.  I’m thrilled that Daniel approached me about this series and I’m taking the opportunity to produce a story I’ve literally been thinking about for a couple of decades.  I’m very much looking forward to seeing Sal’s pencils and putting the book out there for the fans.”

Velluto is also hard at work crafting the art for issue #1.  “This will be a classic story that will attract both fans and those who have yet to enjoy the adventures of The Phantom,” he commented.

Issue #1 will be solicited in August Previews and will hit comic shops boasting two covers by Velluto as well as variants by seasoned Phantom artists Alex Saviuk and Graham Nolan.  A special poster created by Velluto will also be released at the San Diego Comic-Con to mark the new series.

“For the last five years Hermes Press has published reprints of Lee Falk’s classic comic strip together with our comprehensive reprint series of the Gold Key, King, and Charlton Comics adventures of The Phantom—now we’ll have the opportunity to add to that material with original comic books,” Herman said, adding, “We couldn’t be more excited and we think fans will be too.”

I have no idea how this affects Dynamite's work with the Phantom character. He was most recently part of their King's Watch storyline, but that has shifted its focus on just Flash Gordon for now. Curious indeed.

Here's a glimpse of the greatness Velluto brings to the "Ghost Who Walks" with some outstanding covers from Sweden's Egmont "Fantomen" series:

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