adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

Lee Falk Lee Falk (), born Leon Harrison Gross (; April 28, 1911 – March 13, 1999), was an American cartoonist, writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the comic strips ''Mandrake the Magician'' and ''The Phantom''. At the ...

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

Bangalla Bangalla (), also known as Bengalla (in the 1996 movie adaptation), is a fictional African country that features in the Lee Falk created comic strip ''The Phantom''. Bangalla is the home of the Phantom, who resides in the Deep Woods of the jun ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

Sunday strip The Sunday comics or Sunday strip is the comic strip section carried in most western newspapers, almost always in color. Many newspaper readers called this section the Sunday funnies, the funny papers or simply the funnies. The first US newspap ...

Tony DePaul Tony DePaul is the current writer of the Lee Falk created adventure comic strip The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional c ...

Wilson McCoy Robert Wilson McCoy (April 6, 1902 – July 20, 1961) was an American illustrator and painter, best known as the second artist on ''The Phantom'' comic strip. He always went by his middle name and signed ''The Phantom'' as Wilson McCoy, but ...

Bill Lignante William Gaetano Lignante (March 20, 1925 – February 27, 2018), better known as Bill Lignante, was an American artist notable for his varied career as a comic book illustrator, comic strip artist, animator and television courtroom sketch artist. ...

Sy Barry Seymour "Sy" Barry (born March 12, 1928)
at the

George Olesen George Olesen (December 6, 1924 – October 15, 2013) was an American comic book artist, best known for his work as a penciller on popular comic strip '' The Phantom''. He worked with the character for around forty years, although he did not ge ...

, Keith Williams,

Fred Fredericks Harold "Fred" Fredericks, Jr. (August 9, 1929 – March 10, 2015) was an American cartoonist who drew the '' Mandrake the Magician'' comic strip from June 1965, taking over for the late Phil Davis. Creator Lee Falk modernized the comic when ...

,

Graham Nolan Graham Nolan (born March 12, 1962) is an American comic book artist, best known for work for DC Comics on Batman-related titles in the 1990s and his work on ''The Phantom'' Sunday strip. He frequently collaborates with writer Chuck Dixon. Biograp ...

,

Eduardo Barreto Luis Eduardo Barreto Ferreyra (1954 – December 15, 2011) was a Uruguayan artist who worked in the comic book and comic strip industries including several years of prominent work for DC Comics. All of his children are artists. Two of them, D ...

,

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

, and

Terry Beatty Terry Beatty (born January 11, 1958''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107) is an artist who has worked as a penciler and inker in the American comic book industry, where he is perhaps best known for his co-creation of the fema ...

. In the strip, the Phantom was 21st in a line of crime-fighters which began in 1536, when the father of British sailor Christopher Walker was killed during a pirate attack. Swearing an oath on the skull of his father's murderer to fight evil, Christopher began a legacy of the Phantom which would pass from father to son. Nicknames for the Phantom include "The Ghost Who Walks", "Guardian of the Eastern Dark" and "The Man Who Cannot Die".Peter Coogan,''Superhero : The Secret Origin of a Genre''. Austin, TX : MonkeyBrain Books, 2006. (p. 185) Unlike many other superheroes, the Phantom has no superpowers; he totally relies on his strength, intelligence and the myth of his immortality to take action against the forces of evil. The 21st Phantom is married to Diana Palmer; they met while he studied in the United States and they have two children, Kit and Heloise. He has a trained wolf named Devil and a horse named Hero, and like the 20 previous Phantoms he lives in the ancient Skull Cave. The Phantom was the first fictional hero to wear the skintight costume which has become a hallmark of comic-book

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es, and was the first shown in a mask with no visible

pupils The pupil is a black hole located in the center of the iris of the eye that allows light to strike the retina.Cassin, B. and Solomon, S. (1990) ''Dictionary of Eye Terminology''. Gainesville, Florida: Triad Publishing Company. It appears black ...

(another superhero standard). Comics historian Peter Coogan has described the Phantom as a "transitional" figure, since the Phantom has some of the characteristics of

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

heroes such as

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

and

the Spider The Spider is an American pulp-magazine hero of the 1930s and 1940s. The character was created by editor Harry Steeger and written by a variety of authors for 118 monthly issues of ''The Spider'' from 1933 to 1943. A 119th Spider novel manuscrip ...

and earlier jungle heroes such as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

, as well as anticipating the features of

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

heroes such as

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

,

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, and

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

.

Publication history

Creation

After the success of ''

Mandrake the Magician ''Mandrake the Magician'' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloon ...

'',

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

asked Falk to develop a new feature. His first effort was to write and draw a strip about

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

and his

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

. When King Features rejected the strip, Falk developed the Phantom, a mysterious, costumed crime-fighter. He planned the first few months of the story, and drew the first two weeks as a sample. Fascinated by myths and legends (such as King Arthur and

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

) and the modern fictional characters

Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...

,

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

and ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...

''

Mowgli Mowgli () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's ''The Jungle Book'' stories. He is a feral boy from the Pench area in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, India, who originally appeared in Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" (co ...

, Falk envisioned the character as wealthy playboy Jimmy Wells by day and the crime-fighting Phantom by night. During his first story, "The Singh Brotherhood", before disclosing that Wells was the Phantom, Falk changed the setting to a jungle and made the Phantom an apparently immortal, mythic figure. Thinking that there were already too many characters called "the Phantom" (including

The Phantom Detective ''The Phantom Detective'' was the second pulp hero magazine published, after ''The Shadow''. The first issue was released in February 1933, a month before ''Doc Savage'', which was released in March 1933. The title continued to be released unt ...

and

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

), Falk considered calling his hero "The Gray Ghost". However, he could not find a name he liked better and decided to stay with "The Phantom". In the A&E American cable TV documentary ''The Phantom: Comic Strip Crusader'', Falk explained that Greek busts inspired him to omit the Phantom's pupils when the character was wearing his mask. He incorrectly believed that ancient Greek busts had no pupils (they were painted on originally and faded with time) which he said gave them an "inhuman, awe-inspiring appearance." In an interview for ''Comic Book Marketplace'', Falk said the Phantom's skin-tight costume was inspired by

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

, who wore tights in films and onstage. Falk was a

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

enthusiast and the comic included several references to Shakespeare. These include the third Phantom playing Juliet in the original premiere of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', as well as marrying Shakespeare's niece.

Newspaper strips

''The Phantom'' began as a daily strip on February 17, 1936 with "The Singh Brotherhood", written by Falk and drawn by him for two weeks and then by Ray Moore (assistant to artist Phil Davis on ''Mandrake the Magician''). That year, ''The Phantom'' was serialized in the ''

Australian Woman's Mirror ''The Australian Woman's Mirror'' was an Australian weekly women's magazine published by '' The Bulletin'' magazine in Sydney, between 1924 and 1961. History The first issue of the magazine was published on 25 November 1924 with the following ...

''. A Sunday ''Phantom'' strip was added on May 28, 1939. During World War II Falk joined the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

, where he became chief of the radio foreign-language division. Moore also served during the war and left the strip to his assistant,

Wilson McCoy Robert Wilson McCoy (April 6, 1902 – July 20, 1961) was an American illustrator and painter, best known as the second artist on ''The Phantom'' comic strip. He always went by his middle name and signed ''The Phantom'' as Wilson McCoy, but ...

. When Moore returned he worked sporadically on the strip until 1949, when McCoy succeeded him. During McCoy's tenure, ''The Phantom'' appeared in thousands of newspapers worldwide and was smuggled by boat into

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

-occupied Norway during the war; "Phantom" was a password for the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

. McCoy died unexpectedly in 1961.

Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...

and

Bill Lignante William Gaetano Lignante (March 20, 1925 – February 27, 2018), better known as Bill Lignante, was an American artist notable for his varied career as a comic book illustrator, comic strip artist, animator and television courtroom sketch artist. ...

(who later drew several Phantom stories for comic books) filled in before a successor was found in

Sy Barry Seymour "Sy" Barry (born March 12, 1928)
at the

During Barry's early years he and Falk modernized the strip, laying the foundation for what is considered the Phantom's modern look. Under Barry, Bangalla became a democracy and the character of President Lamanda Luaga was introduced. Barry worked on ''The Phantom'' for over 30 years until his 1994 retirement, drawing a total of about 11,000 strips. His longtime assistant George Olesen remained on the strip as penciller, with Keith Williams inking the daily strip. The Sunday strip was inked by Eric Doescher until

Fred Fredericks Harold "Fred" Fredericks, Jr. (August 9, 1929 – March 10, 2015) was an American cartoonist who drew the '' Mandrake the Magician'' comic strip from June 1965, taking over for the late Phil Davis. Creator Lee Falk modernized the comic when ...

succeeded him in 1995. Falk continued to script ''The Phantom'' and ''Mandrake'' until his death on March 13, 1999. His last daily Phantom strip story, "Terror at the Opera," was finished by his wife, Elizabeth. After Falk's death King Features cooperated with European comic publisher '' Egmont'', publisher of the Swedish ''Fantomen'' magazine (which changed from publishing ''Phantom'' stories in comic-book format to providing the newspaper strip as well) by adapting their own ''Phantom'' comic-book stories into the strip format. ''Fantomen'' writers

Tony DePaul Tony DePaul is the current writer of the Lee Falk created adventure comic strip The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional c ...

and Claes Reimerthi alternated as writers of the newspaper strip after Falk died, with DePaul handling the daily strips and Reimerthi the Sunday ones. DePaul would later become the strip's sole writer. Some stories were adapted from those originally published in ''Fantomen''. In 2000, Olesen and Fredericks retired from the Sunday strip. It was continued by comic-book artist

Graham Nolan Graham Nolan (born March 12, 1962) is an American comic book artist, best known for work for DC Comics on Batman-related titles in the 1990s and his work on ''The Phantom'' Sunday strip. He frequently collaborates with writer Chuck Dixon. Biograp ...

, who had drawn three ''Fantomen'' covers. In early 2005 Olesen and Williams left the daily strip after Olesen retired, and artist

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

(who had worked on the ''Fantomen'' comic stories and had been a fan of the character since childhood) took over the daily strip. Ryan succeeded Nolan as artist on the Sunday strip in 2007. On July 31, 2011,

Eduardo Barreto Luis Eduardo Barreto Ferreyra (1954 – December 15, 2011) was a Uruguayan artist who worked in the comic book and comic strip industries including several years of prominent work for DC Comics. All of his children are artists. Two of them, D ...

became the Sunday-page artist. He died after only a few months, and Ryan temporarily took over the Sunday page again on January 15, 2012 (which featured a memorial to Barreto). Ryan also did the following week's strip, before

Terry Beatty Terry Beatty (born January 11, 1958''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107) is an artist who has worked as a penciler and inker in the American comic book industry, where he is perhaps best known for his co-creation of the fema ...

became Barreto's replacement. Ryan died at his home unexpectedly on March 7, 2016. Mike Manley succeeded Ryan as artist on The Phantom, beginning with the strip dated May 30, 2016. Beatty stepped down as Sunday artist in 2017, and was replaced by

Jeff Weigel Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...

.

Internationally

United States

''The Phantom'' has been published by a number of publishers in the United States. During the 1940s the strips were reprinted in ''

Ace Comics ''Ace Comics'' was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, follow ...

'', published by

David McKay Publications David McKay Publications (also known as David McKay Company) was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles ''Ace Comics'', ''King Comics'', and '' Magic Comics''; as well as ...

.

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfr ...

published ''The Phantom'' during the 1950s. In 1962

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

took over, followed by

King Comics King Comics, a short-lived comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, was an attempt by King Features to publish comics of its own characters, rather than through other publishers. A few King Comics titles were picked up from Gold Key Comic ...

in 1966 and Charlton in 1969. By 1977, a total of 73 issues were published. Principal ''Phantom'' artists during this period were

Bill Lignante William Gaetano Lignante (March 20, 1925 – February 27, 2018), better known as Bill Lignante, was an American artist notable for his varied career as a comic book illustrator, comic strip artist, animator and television courtroom sketch artist. ...

,

Don Newton Don Newton (November 12, 1934 – August 19, 1984) was an American comics artist. During his career, he worked for a number of comic book publishers including Charlton Comics, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on The Phan ...

,

Jim Aparo James N. Aparo (August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre, along with famous stories ...

and Pat Boyette. In 1943,

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

released the 15-episode serial ''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...

'' starring

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 s ...

as "The Phantom" and

Jeanne Bates Jeanne Bates (May 21, 1918 – November 28, 2007) was a retired American radio, film and television actress. After performing in radio serials, she signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1942 which began her career in films both in bi ...

as " Diana Palmer".

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

published a ''Phantom'' comic book from 1988 to 1990. The initial May–August 1988 miniseries was written by

Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

, penciled by

Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of '' Mad'' and the vice president of DC Comics, ...

, and inked by

Dennis Janke Dennis Janke (born April 13, 1950Janke entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. ...

. A subsequent series, written by

Mark Verheiden Mark Verheiden (born March 26, 1956) is an American television, movie, and comic-book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series '' Falling Skies'' for DreamWorks Television and the TNT network. Career Comics and comic-r ...

and drawn by

Luke McDonnell Luke McDonnell (born July 19, 1959) is an American artist whose early career was spent specialising in comic books. Career Comic books Luke McDonnell began his career as a comics artist in 1980 and illustrated a wide variety of comics including ...

, ran for 13 issues from March 1989 to March 1990. In the series, the Phantom fought racism, toxic dumping, hunger and modern-day

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

. According to Verheiden, the series ended as much because of licensing issues as falling sales. In the final panels of issue 13, the Phantom marries Diana. In 1987,

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

published a four-issue miniseries written by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and based on the ''

Defenders of the Earth ''Defenders of the Earth'' is an American animated television series produced in 1986, featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Mandrake's assista ...

'' TV series. Another three-issue Marvel miniseries, ''The Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks'' (February–April 1995) followed which was written and drawn by

David de Vries David (Dave) de Vries (born 1961) is a New Zealand film writer, director, and producer who also writes and illustrates comic books. He was born in New Zealand and emigrated with his family to Australia. De Vries was born in Wellington, New Z ...

and

Glenn Lumsden Glenn Lumsden is an Australian comic book artist and writer. Born in Sydney in 1964, he began self publishing in 1985 with David de Vries, Gary Chaloner and Tad Pietrzykowski under the Cyclone Comics imprint, working on ''The Southern Squadr ...

; it featured the 22nd Phantom with an updated, high-tech costume. Marvel later released a four-part miniseries (May–August 1995), pencilled by

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

co-creator

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

, based on the ''

Phantom 2040 ''Phantom 2040'' is an animated series that is loosely based on the comic strip superhero ''The Phantom'', created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom. It was aired from September 18, 1994 to March 3, ...

'' TV series. One issue featured a pin-up by the original two Spider-Man signature artists, Ditko and

John Romita, Sr. John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine (character), Wolverine. He was indu ...

In the United States and Australia, ''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...

'' was released in theaters as a major motion picture starring

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promi ...

as “The Phantom/Kit Walker,” the 21st Phantom. Opened June 7, 1996 nationwide in the aforementioned markets.

Moonstone Books Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales. The company began publishing creator-owned com ...

published Phantom graphic novels beginning in 2002. Five books, written by

Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...

,

Ben Raab Benjamin Raab (born October 13, 1970, in New York City, New York) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer and editor. Early life Raab is a native of Cedarhurst, New York, and attended Lawrence High School. He gradu ...

and

Ron Goulart Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author. He published novelizations and other work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson, Con ...

with art by Mike Collins were published. In 2003, Moonstone introduced a ''Phantom'' comic-book series written by Raab, Rafael Nieves and

Chuck Dixon Charles Dixon (born April 14, 1954) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher and on the DC Comics characters Batman, Nightwing, and Robin in the 1990s and early 2000s. Early life D ...

, and drawn by Pat Quinn, Jerry DeCaire, Nick Derington,

Rich Burchett Rick Burchett (born March 9, 1952) is an American comic book artist known for his work on such characters as Batman and Superman. Career Burchett began his artistic career in St. Louis, Missouri, and did his early professional comics work at Fir ...

, and EricJ. After 11 issues

Mike Bullock Mike Bullock is an American author and musician born in Washington, DC. Bullock began writing fiction, non-fiction and poetry in the 1980s. He worked professionally in the music and comic book industries since 1986 and is best known as the creato ...

took over the scripting, with Gabriel Rearte and

Carlos Magno Carlos Magno (born 29 May 1995) is a football player who currently plays as midfielder for Pro Liga de Timor Leste club S.E. Gleno and Timor-Leste national football team. International career Carlos made his senior international debut is in 1 ...

creating the artwork before Silvestre Szilagyi became the regular artist in 2007. Bullock's stories often feature topical issues, based on actual African conflicts. In a 2007 three-part story arc, "Invisible Children", the Phantom fights a fictional warlord called "Him" (loosely based on

Joseph Kony Joseph Rao Kony (likely born 1961) is a Ugandan militant who founded the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Christian fundamentalist organization, designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Peacekeepers, the European Union and various ...

). In 2006 Moonstone published a

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

of the Phantom's origin, "Legacy", by Raab and Quinn. Three years later the company reintroduced the series as ''The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks'', beginning with issue 0 (a retelling of the first Phantom's origin). The aim was to make the comic darker, grittier and more realistic, similar to the 1930s stories by Lee Falk and Ray Moore. It updated the Phantom, giving him modern accessories, and introduced a number of supporting characters and villains. In the series, the Phantom fights reality-based enemies such as modern terrorists, organ smugglers and Somali pirates.

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...

introduced a monthly comic-book series, '' The Last Phantom'', in August 2010. The series was written by

Scott Beatty Scott Beatty is an American author, comic book writer, and superhero historian actively published since the late 1990s. Biography Scott Beatty has authored hundreds of adventures for many of comics’ most iconic characters including Batman and R ...

and drawn by Eduardo Ferigato, with covers painted by

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

. In 2013 the Phantom appeared in Dynamite's five-issue miniseries, ''Kings Watch''. In the series, written by Jeff Parker and drawn by Marc Laming, the Phantom joins Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician to fight Ming the Merciless and prevent his attempt to take over the planet. It was followed by the 2015 five-issue miniseries ''King: The Phantom'' in which Lothar as the new Phantom looks for the rightful heir to the legacy. In 2016 started a new crossover of King Features characters (The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant, Jungle Jim), ''Kings Quest''. In 2014

Hermes Press Hermes Press is an American publisher of art books, comic books, and comic book reprints. The company was founded in 2000 and is best known for their archival reprints of classic comic book and strip series and art books. History Hermes Press was ...

announced that it would publish a Phantom comic-book miniseries with new content, written by

Peter David Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...

and illustrated by Sal Velluto, scheduled for publication in November 2014. It debuted October 31, 2014. For

Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...

2015, Hermes published a Phantom comic book with art by

Bill Lignante William Gaetano Lignante (March 20, 1925 – February 27, 2018), better known as Bill Lignante, was an American artist notable for his varied career as a comic book illustrator, comic strip artist, animator and television courtroom sketch artist. ...

and samples of the new miniseries

Nordic region

Egmont Publications has published original Phantom stories in a fortnightly ''Phantom'' comic book in Sweden as ''Fantomen'', in Denmark and Norway as ''Fantomet'' and in Finland as ''Mustanaamio'' (''Black Mask''). The first issue of ''Fantomen'' was dated October 1950, and over 1,600 issues have been published. The first story created originally for ''Fantomen'' was published in 1963, and there are a total of over 900 ''Fantomen'' stories. The average ''Fantomen'' story is over 30 pages, compared to 20–24 pages for most American comics. Artists and writers who have created stories for ''Fantomen'' include

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early li ...

, Donne Avenell, Heiner Bade, David Bishop,

Georges Bess Georges Bess (born 1947) is a comics artist and comic book creator, best known for his collaborations with Alejandro Jodorowsky. Biography Early in his career Bess moved to Sweden in 1970 where he lived for a period, illustrating for publications ...

, Jaime Vallvé, Joan Boix,

Tony DePaul Tony DePaul is the current writer of the Lee Falk created adventure comic strip The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional c ...

, Ulf Granberg,

Ben Raab Benjamin Raab (born October 13, 1970, in New York City, New York) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer and editor. Early life Raab is a native of Cedarhurst, New York, and attended Lawrence High School. He gradu ...

, Rolf Gohs,

Scott Goodall Scott Goodall MBE (7 November 1935 – 7 March 2016) was a British comics writer. Career Goodall started out his comics career in the early-to-mid 1960s. He was part of a rotating cast of writers for the spooky strip ''The Strangest Stories Ever ...

, Eirik Ildahl, Kari Leppänen,

Hans Lindahl Hans Lindahl (born October 15, 1954) is a Swedish comic book artist, best known for his work on the series ''The Phantom''. His work on the ''Phantom'' has been published in countries like Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, England, Australia an ...

, Janne Lundström, Cesar Spadari, Bob McLeod, Jean-Yves Mitton, Lennart Moberg, Claes Reimerthi,

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

,

Alex Saviuk Alex Saviuk (; born August 17, 1952) is an American comics artist primarily known for his work on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Early life Alex Saviuk grew up on Long Island, New York, graduating from Floral Park Memorial High Schoo ...

,

Graham Nolan Graham Nolan (born March 12, 1962) is an American comic book artist, best known for work for DC Comics on Batman-related titles in the 1990s and his work on ''The Phantom'' Sunday strip. He frequently collaborates with writer Chuck Dixon. Biograp ...

, Romano Felmang and Norman Worker, and they have been nicknamed "Team Fantomen". The team have experimented with the character and his surroundings, with Singh Brotherhood leader Sandal Singh taking over as President of Bangalla and the Phantom and Diana having marriage problems. In 2018, the Norwegian branch of Egmont issued a statement that the Norwegian Fantomet edition would get cancelled at the end of 2018, thus leaving the Swedish edition as the only remaining edition in Scandinavia. The Phantom has been noticeable part of culture in Sweden especially. Between 1986 and 2009 there was even a "Fantomenland" (Phantom Land) at the Parken Zoo in

Eskilstuna Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna has ...

in Sweden.

Australia

In Australia, the ''

Australian Woman's Mirror ''The Australian Woman's Mirror'' was an Australian weekly women's magazine published by '' The Bulletin'' magazine in Sydney, between 1924 and 1961. History The first issue of the magazine was published on 25 November 1924 with the following ...

'' began publishing the strip in 1936 and

Frew Publications Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's ''The Phantom''. Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation '' Mandrake the Magician''. History Frew Pub ...

has published a fortnightly ''Phantom'' comic book since 1948, celebrating 60 years of uninterrupted publication in September 2008. Although Frew's comic book primarily contains reprints from the newspaper strips, ''Fantomen'' (translated into English) and other Phantom comic books, it has occasionally included original stories drawn by Australian artists such as

Keith Chatto Ronald Keith Chatto (1924 – 22 October 1992) was an Australian comic book artist and writer. He was the first Australian illustrator to draw a full-length episode of ''The Phantom'' comic. Biography Keith Chatto was born at Kogarah, New South ...

. The editor-in-chief was Jim Shepherd until his death. Frew's ''The Phantom'' is the longest-running comic-book series with the character in the world, and Australia's bestselling comic book. Frew ''Phantom'' comics appear in a number of

Sydney Royal Easter Show First held in 1823, the Sydney Royal Easter Show, commonly shortened to The Easter Show or The Show, is an annual show held in Sydney, Australia over two weeks around the Easter period. It comprises an agricultural show, an amusement park and a ...

, Royal Adelaide Show, Melbourne Show and

Perth Royal Show The Perth Royal Show is an annual agricultural show held in Perth, Western Australia at the Claremont Showground. It features informational exhibits, agricultural competitions and animal showcases, a sideshow alley and rides, and showbags. It ...

showbag A showbag is a themed bag of commercial products, novelty items and promotional merchandise, usually made available for purchase. It is a distinctive feature of Australian agricultural shows (the Australian equivalent of state fairs or travelling ...

s. In 2013 publisher Jim Shepherd, who had bought the rights from the original owners during the late 1980s, died of a heart attack. Shepherd had taken over the company and introduced some minor changes to placate King Features, which had become unhappy at Frew's treatment of its character. Shepherd's changes included glossy covers (replacing the standard newsprint covers), brief editorials, regular 100-page specials and, most significantly, an annual special of between 200 and 300 pages which included multiple stories and a standalone "replica" reprint of a very early Frew edition. Shepherd also embarked on an ambitious project to reprint the entire backlist of Lee Falk stories in their original formats: Frew's reprints had often been heavily edited to fit its 32-page format. Following Shepherd's death, Frew and ''The Phantom'' were continued by Shepherd's wife Judith until she sold the business to artist

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...

and Rene White in 2016. Since then, the new "Frew Crew" (with new publisher Dudley Hogarth) have introduced a range of innovations: * ''Kid Phantom'', a standalone quarterly all-colour, glossy comic book aimed at children, with original material, illustrated by Dr Paul Mason and written by Andrew Constant. * ''Giant-Size Phantom'', a standalone quarterly comic book series reprinting Frew's other characters from the 1950s as well as ''The Phantom''. The title revives an earlier title published by Frew between 1957 and 1960. * ''Phantom's World'', a standalone quarterly comic book series which features Phantom stories from around the world, often seen for the first time in English, as well as original material.

New Zealand

King Features sold ''The Phantom'' to a number of New Zealand newspapers, included ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

''. ''The Phantom'' also appeared in a successful comic from the Wellington-based Feature Publications during the 1950s. The Frew comics are also available in New Zealand.

India

In India, ''The Phantom'' first appeared in ''The Illustrated Weekly of India'' in the 1950s. In 1964, the Indian publisher

Indrajal Comics Indrajal Comics was a comic book series in India launched by the publisher of ''The Times of India'', Bennet, Coleman & Co in March 1964. The first 32 issues contained Lee Falk's ''The Phantom'' stories, but thereafter, the title alternated betwe ...

began publishing a ''Phantom'' comic book in English.Karline McLain,''India's Immortal Comic Books''. Indiana University Press, 2009, , (p. 30, 36). Later Indrajal would also publish ''The Phantom'' in several Indian languages. Over the years, other Indian publishers have printed Phantom comic books, the most prominent being

Diamond Comics Diamond Comics is an Indian comic books publisher and distribution company, headquartered in Delhi. It is the largest comic book distributor and publisher in India. Diamond Comics created several original Indian comic characters like Chacha C ...

, Euro Books (formerly Egmont Imagination India), and Rani Comics. The

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

regional daily

Eenadu ''Eenadu'' () is the largest circulated Telugu-language daily newspaper of India sold mostly in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.Anandabazar Patrika ''Anandabazar Patrika'' (Bengali: আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা, ) is an Indian Bengali-language daily newspaper owned by the ABP Group. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1 million cop ...

, had published the comics in Bengali, under the character name, Aranyadeb (the god of the jungle), in their elite magazine, '' Desh'', later in their children's periodical, ''

Anandamela ''Anandamela'', ''Anondamela'', or ''Anondomela'' (Bengali: আনন্দমেলা) is a children's periodical in the Bengali language published by the ABP Group from Kolkata, India. History and profile The first issue of ''Anandamela'' ...

'', and continue to publish the strips in their Bengali newspaper, ''Anandabazar Patrika''.Gujarathi newspaper Mumbai Samachar also used to print the Phantom comics in their Sunday supplement named Utsav.

Other countries

Italian publisher Nerbini reprinted the Phantom strip in its weekly comic newspaper L’Avventuroso, starting in issue 101, September 13, 1936. In 1939, Roberto Lemmi and Emilio Fancelli started to produce some new stories. Italian publisher Fratelli Spada produced original Phantom stories for their ''L'Uomo Mascherato'' (''The Masked Man'') series of comic books during the 1960s and 1970s. Contributing artists included Raul Buzzelli, Mario Caria, Umberto Sammarini ("Usam"), Germano Ferri, Senio Pratesi, Angelo R. Todaro, and Romano Felmang. Ferri, Usam, Felmang and Caria later worked for ''Fantomen''. Brazilian publisher RGE and German publisher

Bastei The Bastei is a rock formation rising 194 metres above the Elbe River in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of Germany. Reaching a height of 305 metres above sea level, the jagged rocks of the Bastei were formed by water erosion over one million years ...

produced original Phantom stories for their comic books; in Brazil, the Phantom is known as ''o Fantasma''. In 1939, the Phantom appeared in the second story of the Yugoslav comic '' Zigomar'', "Zigomar versus the Phantom", as an opponent and then an ally of the title character. In South Africa, ''The Phantom'' ran in Afrikaans newspapers as ''Die Skim''. In the Republic of Ireland, the Phantom appeared in both the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'' and '' Sunday Independent'' newspapers during the 1950s and 1960s. Also in 1939, the Phantom appeared in Turkey as "Kizilmaske", which translates to "Red Mask" in Turkish, by publishers Tay Yayinlari. Originally, the publishers colored the hero's costume in red on the covers, and decided to stay with that color throughout the history of the comic in Turkey, rather than use the original purple coloring. Under the name "Kizilmaske" and with color covers drawn by Turkish artists, older Lee Falk stories of the Phantom has since appeared in Turkish comic books primarily in black and white.

Reprints

The entire run of the ''Phantom'' newspaper strip was reprinted in Australia by

Frew Publications Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's ''The Phantom''. Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation '' Mandrake the Magician''. History Frew Pub ...

, and edited versions of most stories have been published in the Scandinavian ''Phantom'' comics. In the United States, the following Phantom stories (written by Lee Falk) have been reprinted by

Nostalgia Press Woodrow Gelman (1915 – February 9, 1978) was a publisher, cartoonist, novelist and an artist-writer for both animation and comic books. As the publisher of Nostalgia Press, he pioneered the reprinting of vintage comic strips in quality hardcov ...

(NP), Pacific Comics Club (PCC) or

Comics Revue ''Comics Revue'' is a bi-monthly small press comic book published by Manuscript Press and edited by Rick Norwood. Don Markstein's Toonopedia, Don Markstein edited the publication from 1984 to 1987 and 1992 to 1996. As of 2020, it has published ...

(CR): * "The Sky Band", Ray Moore, November 9, 1936, CR * "The Diamond Hunters", Ray Moore, April 12, 1937, PCC * "Little Tommy", Ray Moore, September 20, 1937, PCC * "The Prisoner of the Himalayas", Ray Moore, February 7, 1938, NP * "Adventure in Algiers", Ray Moore, June 20, 1938, CR * "The Shark's Nest", Ray Moore, July 25, 1938, PCC * "Fishers of Pearls", Ray Moore, November 7, 1938, CR * "The Slave Traders", Ray Moore, January 30, 1939, CR * "The Mysterious Girl", Ray Moore, May 8, 1939, CR * "The Golden Circle", Ray Moore, September 4, 1939, PCC * "The Seahorse", Ray Moore, January 22, 1940, PCC * "The Game of Alvar", Ray Moore, July 29, 1940, PCC * "Diana Aviatrix", Ray Moore, December 16, 1940, PCC * "The Phantom's Treasure", Ray Moore, July 14, 1941, PCC * "The Phantom Goes to War", Ray Moore and Wilson McCoy, February 2, 1942, PCC * "The Slave Markets of Mucar", Sy Barry, August 21, 1961, CR Phantom image on Papua New Guinea shield

Phantom image on Papua New Guinea shield

In its October 2009 issue, ''Comics Revue'' began reprinting the Sunday story "The Return of the Sky Band" in color. As of August 2019,

Hermes Press Hermes Press is an American publisher of art books, comic books, and comic book reprints. The company was founded in 2000 and is best known for their archival reprints of classic comic book and strip series and art books. History Hermes Press was ...

has reprinted sixteen volumes of Phantom dailies and five volumes of Phantom Sundays. Volumes nine and ten of the dailies also carry the color Sundays from 1949 to 1951, when the stories for dailies and Sundays were synchronized. More planned. In 2011 Hermes began reprinting the Complete Gold Key Volumes 1 & 2 with issues 1–17 and King's Complete ''Phantom'' issues 18–28 comics side by side. The following year, it began reprinting the Charlton Years: Volume One through volume Five issues 30–74 (There is no issue 29, it was an international publication.) Hermes has also published a full size Phantom Sunday Archives, 1939–1942.

Other media

A live action serial entitled ''The Phantom'' was released in 1943 stars

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 s ...

. As the

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

of Kit Walker had not yet been introduced in the comic strip the serial uses the moniker Geoffrey Prescott. The 1986 Animated series ''

Defenders of the Earth ''Defenders of the Earth'' is an American animated television series produced in 1986, featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Mandrake's assista ...

'' is a team-up between The Phantom,

Mandrake the Magician ''Mandrake the Magician'' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloon ...

(another hero by Lee Falk) and Flash Gordon. The animated series ''

Phantom 2040 ''Phantom 2040'' is an animated series that is loosely based on the comic strip superhero ''The Phantom'', created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom. It was aired from September 18, 1994 to March 3, ...

''ran for two series between 1994 and 1996. It follows the 24th Phantom. A live action film of ''The Phantom'' was released in 1996, starring

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promi ...

. A live action mini-series, ''The Phantom'', was released on

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

in 2009 starring

Ryan Carnes Ryan Gregg Carnes
at TV.com (born November 21, 1982) is an American actor. He is most known for playing the ...

as the 22nd phantom.

Tribal pop art

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, soldiers received care packages containing comics. The soldiers stationed in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

shared these comics, and the Phantom became extremely popular among the tribes. The Papuan people who could read English would read the stories and share the images with others (by the 1970s they were available in

Pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from s ...

,

Tok Pisin Tok Pisin (,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh ; Tok Pisin ), often referred to by English speakers as "New Guinea Pidgin" or simply Pidgin, is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an ...

). The character's image is often painted on ceremonial shields or alongside other tribal art. This is sometimes referred to as "tribal pop art."Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

The Phantom
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom, The Adventure comic strips American comic strips Australian comics titles Charlton Comics titles 1936 comics debuts DC Comics titles Dynamite Entertainment characters Gold Key Comics titles Harvey Comics titles Marvel Comics titles Jungle (genre) comics American comics adapted into films Comics adapted into television series Comics adapted into novels Comics adapted into video games Superhero comic strips