The Phantom In The Dock!

When I chanced upon the article from The Monster Times below at From Zombo's Closet, it prompted me to dig out my 1970s copy of "The Prisoner of the Himalayas" by Lee Falk and Ray Moore from Nostalgia Press, and to give it a read through to see if I concurred with the writer. I'll have more to say after you read this.

There's little to disagree with here in terms of seeing the world in the light of expansive colonialist expansion which has served to subjugate myriad peoples across the globe. The Phantom, like so many expressions of heroism of his time, buys into the innate and unstated racism which informed the society as a commonplace.

As the author states, we have to strip out the "romanticism" for the truth to be revealed. Well, if we don't do that, then the story becomes what it is at its core, a skewed first-world myth of what heroes do, dashing about, wooing and wowing and fighting. It's utter hogwash, but it's intoxicating entertaining hogwash.

The Phantom in this story is the less thoughtful version who preceded, the more sedate and even-tempered variation we have today. While part of the famous four-hundred-year-old heritage, he is not yet that far removed from creator Lee Falk's original impression that the Phantom was a glib masquerading playboy. He certainly walks and talks like it.

The writer of the article is correct as far as "she" goes, but then the writer "Mrs. M.J. "Blowemup" Weatherperson" almost completely misses the point of the adventure. But that might be intentional.

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The Case Against The Phantom!

When I found the article from The Monster Times below at From Zombo's Closet, it prompted me to dig out my copy of "The Prisoner of the Himalayas" by Lee Falk and Ray Moore, and give it a read through to see if I concurred with the writer. I'll have more to say after you read this.

There's little to disagree with here in terms of seeing the world in the light of expansive colonialist expansion which has served to subjugate myriad peoples across the globe. The Phantom, like so many expressions of heroism of his time, buys into the innate and unstated racism which informed the society as a commonplace.

As the author states, we have to strip out the "romanticism" for the truth to be revealed. Well if we don't do that, then the story becomes what it is at its core, a skewed first-world myth of what heroes do, dashing about, wooing and wowing and fighting. It's hogwash, but intoxicating entertaining hogwash.

The Phantom in this story is the less thoughtful version who preceded, the more sedate and even-tempered variation we have today. While part of the famous four hundred year old heritage, he is not yet that far removed from creator Lee Falk's original impression that the Phantom was a glib masquerading playboy. He certainly walks and talks like it.

The writer of the article is correct as far as "she" goes, but then the writer "Mrs. M.J. "Blowemup" Weatherperson"  almost completely misses the point of the adventure. But that might be intentional.

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Fantasma Fantastic!

These Phantom covers from Brazil are simply stunning. I stumbled across these and fell utterly in love with this primitive, wood-cut style of art on Lee Falk's Phantom. It's at once arresting and attractive. The elegantly simple design of the Phantom makes this kind of experimentation possible and ultimately successful. Album Do Fantasma from EBAL (Editorial Brazil-Ameria) debuted in 1979 and lasted a mere five installments. Here are the covers of the other four issues, all in the same utterly compelling style.

The artist is A. Monteiro Filho. The covers are the only original material here, as the interiors of these issues reprint vintage Lee Falk and Ray Moore comic strips. Outstanding!

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Phantom Phrenzy!

When Hermes Press after much ballyhoo finally launched their Phantom comic strip reprints, I gleefully picked up the first volume. It solid and the comics were outstanding. I'd have like a bit more density on the pages but the strips were very easy to read.

I then went ahead and picked up the second volume too. It was much the same. The earliest work by Lee Falk and artist Ray Moore on these early Phantoms has a raw energy that's fascinating. It's easy to see why this earliest of superheroes caught on.

Then for whatever reason, I did not pick up the third volume. My attention shifted or something, but I let it slip and slip. I'd think from time to time I needed to get it, but somehow I never did. Always there was another priority somehow. Then I saw the other day that prices on these earliest volumes were shooting through the roof. I realized that I needed to act fast, I'd soon be unable to get hold of one. My local store has had one for some time, so I went and...ahem...happily paid full price, since the alternative seemed so much more painful.

On returning home, I then ordered the fourth volume as well as the first of the Sunday comics volumes. With luck they should be on my doorstep early this week. I've got a lot of grand Phantom adventure to enjoy it seems. The other volumes coming later this  year (two more have been solicited) catch me up, at least on the comic stirps.

Since I own so many of the comic books, I've not yet picked up the volumes collecting up the Gold Key, King, and Charlton runs of the character. I need to correct that oversight. Alas the life of a comics fan is not an easy one, either we hanker for gems we'll never see or we are awash with jewels we can barely afford to take hold of. Sigh.

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The Phantom - Year One!

Today's my birthday, and with my beloved wife's blessing I picked out a present for myself. I bought the freshly released The Phantom Complete Dailies 1936-1937 at my local comics store. I quickly cancelled my pre-order on Amazon which still shows the book as unavailable. Sigh.

I've been eager to see this volume, but the delays over the past year have been frustrating to say the least. And even now the volume which originally promised two years of continuities in one volume only delivers one (for the same price I'll add). But it's still neat to have the first Phantom story by Lee Falk and Ray Moore in my mitts.


I'm not heartened by the things I see Dynamite planning for the Ghost Who Walks, but I'm confident the earliest adventures have the right stuff.

I'll settle in later today and give that initial story a good solid read. School's out and I've a pretty quiet summer to look forward to, the first I've taken off since I started teaching over twenty years ago. We can't really afford to travel, but I still get to go to Africa, at least the Africa of Lee Falk's and Ray Moore's fertile imaginations.

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