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Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French
crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11 volumes written by Allain alone after Souvestre's death. The character was also the basis of various film, television, and comic book adaptations. In the history of crime fiction, he represents a transition from
Gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean ...
villains of the 19th century to modern-day
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
s and
supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
s. It was partly influenced by the Era of Attacks (18921894) and most especially by the figure of Ravachol. The books and films were released in rapid succession anticipated current production methods of Hollywood, in two respects. First, the authors distributed the writing among themselves; their "working method was to draw up the general plot between them and then go off and write alternate chapters independently of each other, meeting up to tie the two halves of the story together in the final chapter". This approach allowed the authors to produce almost one novel per month. Second, the film rights to the books were immediately snapped up, ensuring that the
film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...
could produce sequels reliably. The popular depiction of Fantômas as wearing a blue mask and black gloves and using technological devices did not originate in the novels, but is a result of the popularity of the trilogy of Fantômas films directed by André Hunebelle in the 1960s. The trilogy, which started in 1964 with ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'', departed considerably from the novels by giving the story a more comedic tone as preceded by the first two '' Pink Panther'' films, and by making Fantômas (played by Jean Marais) more of a
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
enemy by likewise borrowing from the first two Bond films. Despite these discrepancies, the blue-masked Fantômas is arguably the one that is most easily remembered.


Overview

Fantômas is a criminal genius, ruthless and particularly elusive. As described by Schütt (2003) in her analysis of French crime fiction literature, Fantômas is the cause of almost any unsolved crime, a merciless criminal who can get away with his evil deeds by impersonating pretty much anyone. He is obsessively chased by Inspector Juve, who is generally the only one able to identify Fantômas's tracks. Fantômas was introduced a few years after
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...
, another well-known thief. But whereas Lupin draws the line at murder, Fantômas has no such qualms, and is shown as a sociopath who enjoys killing in a sadistic fashion. He is totally ruthless, shows no mercy, and is loyal to none, not even his own children. He is a master of disguise, always appearing under an assumed identity, often that of a person whom he has murdered. Fantômas makes use of bizarre and improbable techniques in his crimes, such as plague-infested rats, giant snakes, and rooms that fill with sand. Fantômas's background remains vague. He might be of British and/or French ancestry. He appears to have been born in 1867. In the books, it is established that c. 1892, the man who later became Fantômas called himself Archduke Juan North and operated in the German principality of Hesse-Weimar. There he fathered a child, Vladimir, with an unidentified noblewoman. In circumstances unrevealed, he was arrested and sent to prison. In 1895, Fantômas was in India. There, an unidentified European woman gave birth to a baby girl, Hélène, whose father might be Fantômas or an Indian prince who was Fantômas' acolyte. The girl was raised in South Africa. In 1897, Fantômas was in the United States of America and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. There, he ruined his then business partner, Etienne Rambert. In 1899, he fought in the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
in South Africa under the name of Gurn. He fought in the Transvaal as an artillery sergeant under the command of Lord Roberts. He became aide-de-camp to Lord Edward Beltham of Scottwell Hill and fell in love with his younger wife, Lady Maud Beltham. Upon their return to Europe, soon before the first novel begins (c. 1900), Gurn and Lady Beltham were surprised in their Paris love nest, Rue Levert, by her husband. Lord Beltham was about to shoot Maud when Gurn hit him with a hammer then strangled him. Fantômas then impersonated Etienne Rambert and framed his son, Charles, for a murder he had committed. As Etienne, he persuaded Charles to go into hiding, but the young man was soon found out by French police detective Juve, who had become truly obsessed with the capture of Fantômas. Juve knew that Charles was innocent and gave him a new identity: journalist Jerôme Fandor, who is employed at the newspaper ''La Capitale''. Juve later arrested Gurn and, at his trial, brought forward a convincing argument that Gurn and Fantômas were one and the same, though the evidence was too circumstantial to make a real case. On the eve of his execution, Gurn/Fantômas escaped from custody by being replaced by an actor who had modelled the appearance of his latest character after him and was executed in his place. Lady Beltham remained constantly torn between her passion for the villain and her horror at his criminal schemes. She eventually committed suicide in 1910. Fandor fell in love with Hélène and, despite Fantômas's repeated attempts to break them up, married her. Fantômas's evil son, Vladimir, reappeared in 1911. Vladimir's girlfriend was murdered by Fantômas and Vladimir himself was eventually shot by Juve.


Characters

* Fantômas: A criminal genius, known by many nicknames, such as the "master of everything and everyone", the "torturer" or the "elusive", and whose face and true identity remain unknown. A ruthless criminal who'll torture and kill to achieve his goals. * Juve: An inspector in the Sûreté of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and the sworn archenemy of Fantômas, whom he pursues obsessively. The intelligent and stubborn Juve is completely devoted to capturing or killing Fantômas. * Jérôme Fandor: A former victim of Fantômas, he was originally named Charles Rambert until Fantômas killed his parents and framed him for the crime. Juve, the only one to understand his unjust accusation, provides him with the identity of journalist Fandor so as to save him from going to jail and to use his help in capturing the murderer. He falls in love with Hélène. * Hélène: The beautiful daughter or stepdaughter of Fantômas, whom he protects jealously. She falls in love with J. Fandor, and is engaged to marry him, eventually helping her fiancé to fight the criminal. * Lady Maud Beltham: The wife of Lord Beltham and the lover of Fantômas, towards whom she feels both passionate love and repulsion for his many heinous crimes. * Bouzille: A streetwise tramp who often helps Juve and Fandor, and even Fantômas on occasion, and provides comic relief in the series. * The Beadle: A thug and companion of Fantômas who earns his nickname after his custom of taking the money of passersby by smashing their heads against the pavement, he is the most notorious of Fantômas' gang of
Apaches The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
. * Mother Toulouche: An old woman who is a sort of leader among Fantômas' Apaches. She is portrayed as an equally ruthless killer and thug.


Books


By Allain and Souvestre

* 1. ''Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 1915; retransl. 1986) * 2. ''Juve contre Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 1916 as ''The Exploits of Juve''; retransl. 1987 as ''The Silent Executioner'') * 3. ''Le Mort qui Tue'' (1911; transl. 1917 as ''Messengers of Evil''; retransl. 2008 as ''The Corpse who Kills'') * 4. ''L'Agent Secret'' (1911; transl. 1917 as ''A Nest of Spies'') * 5. ''Un Roi Prisonnier de Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 1918 as ''A Royal Prisoner'') * 6. ''Le Policier Apache'' (1911; transl. 1924 by Alfred Allinson as ''The Long Arm of Fantômas'' K title: ''The Limb of Satan'' * 7. ''Le Pendu de Londres'' (1911; transl. 1920 as '' Slippery as Sin'') * 8. ''La Fille de Fantômas'' (1911; transl. 2006 by Mark P. Steele as ''The Daughter of Fantomas'') () * 9. ''Le Fiacre de Nuit'' (1911) * 10. ''La Main Coupée'' * 11. ''L'Arrestation de Fantômas'' (1912) * 12. ''Le Magistrat Cambrioleur'' (1912) * 13. ''La Livrée du Crime'' (1912) * 14. ''La Mort de Juve'' (1912) * 15. ''L'Evadée de Saint-Lazare'' (1912) * 16. ''La Disparition de Fandor'' (1912) * 17. ''Le Mariage de Fantômas'' (1912) * 18. ''L'Assassin de Lady Beltham'' (1912) * 19. ''La Guêpe Rouge'' (1912) * 20. ''Les Souliers du Mort'' (1912) * 21. ''Le Train Perdu'' (1912) * 22. ''Les Amours d'un Prince'' (1912) * 23. ''Le Bouquet Tragique'' (1912) * 24. ''Le Jockey Masqué'' (1913) * 25. ''Le Cercueil Vide'' (1913) * 26. ''Le Faiseur de Reines'' (1913) * 27. ''Le Cadavre Géant'' (1913) * 28. ''Le Voleur d'Or'' (1913) * 29. ''La Série Rouge'' (1913) * 30. ''L'Hôtel du Crime'' (1913) * 31. ''La Cravate de Chanvre'' (1913, transl. 2017 by Sheryl Curtis as ''The Death of Fantomas'') * 32. ''La Fin de Fantômas'' (1913, transl. 2017 by Sheryl Curtis as ''The Death of Fantomas'')


By Allain

* 33. ''Fantômas est-il ressuscité?'' (1925; transl. 1925 by Alfred Allinson as ''The Lord of Terror'') * 34. ''Fantômas, Roi des Recéleurs'' (1926; transl. 1926 by Alfred Allinson as ''Juve in the Dock'') * 35. ''Fantômas en Danger'' (1926; transl. 1926 by Alfred Allinson as ''Fantômas Captured'') * 36. ''Fantômas prend sa Revanche'' (1926; transl. 1927 by [Alfred Allinson as ''The Revenge of Fantômas'') * 37. ''Fantômas Attaque Fandor'' (1926; transl. 1928 by Alfred Allinson as ''Bulldog and Rats'') * 38. ''Si c'était Fantômas?'' (1933) * 39. ''Oui, c'est Fantômas!'' (1934) * 40. ''Fantômas Joue et Gagne'' (1935) * 41. ''Fantômas Rencontre l'Amour'' (1946) * 42. ''Fantômas Vole des Blondes'' (1948) * 43. ''Fantômas Mène le Bal'' (1963)


Notes

* The original covers by Gino Starace are often considered works of lurid genius in themselves and may be seen at the "Fantômas Lives" site. The first Fantômas book cover, showing a contemplative masked man dressed in evening dress and holding a dagger, boldly stepping over Paris, is so well known that it has become a visual cliché. * The novel ''The Yellow Document, or Fantômas of Berlin'' by Marcel Allain (1919), despite its title, is not a Fantômas novel. * The last novel written by Allain was published as a newspaper serial, but never appeared in book form. * During the 1980s, the first two novels of the series were published in revised English translations: ''Fantômas'' appeared in 1986 with an introduction by American poet John Ashbery; and ''Juve contre Fantômas'' appeared in 1987 under the title ''The Silent Executioner'', with an introduction by American artist Edward Gorey.


Film and television


Silent film serials

* 1. ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' (1913) * 2. ''Juve Contre Fantômas'' (1913) * 3. ''Le Mort Qui Tue'' (1913) * 4. ''Fantômas Contre Fantômas'' (1914) * 5. ''Le Faux Magistrat'' (1914) The
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
pioneer Louis Feuillade directed five ''Fantômas'' serials starring René Navarre as Fantômas, Bréon as Juve, Georges Melchior as Fandor, and Renée Carl as Lady Beltham. They are regarded as masterpieces of silent film. His later serial '' Les Vampires'', which concerns the eponymous crime syndicate (and not actual
vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
) is also reminiscent of the ''Fantômas'' series. There was a 1920 20-episode American ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' serial directed by
Edward Sedgwick Edward Sedgwick, Jr. (November 7, 1889 – May 7, 1953) was an American film director, screenwriter, writer, actor and film producer, producer. Early life He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, ...
and starring Edward Roseman as Fantômas, which bore little resemblance to the French series. In it, Fantômas's nemesis is detective Fred Dixon, played by John Willard. It was partially released in France (12 episodes only) under the title ''Les Exploits de Diabolos'' (''The Exploits of Diabolos''). A novelization of this serial was written by David Lee White for Black Coat Press under the title ''Fantômas in America'' in 2007.


Other films

* 6. ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' (1932), directed by Paul Féjos, with Jean Galland as Fantômas. * 7. ''Monsieur Fantômas'' (1937), directed by Ernst Moerman is a surrealist silent comedy short subject. * 8. ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' (1946), directed by Jean Sacha, with Marcel Herrand as Fantomas. * 9. '' Fantomas Against Fantomas'' (1949), directed by Robert Vernay, with Maurice Teynac as Fantomas. * 10. ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' (1964), the first of three films directed by André Hunebelle; with Jean Marais as both Fantômas and Fandor, Louis de Funès as Juve, and Mylène Demongeot as Fandor's bride, the photographer Hélène. Their tone was generally much more light-hearted than the novels' and the characters were updated in a
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
-like style including Bond-type gadgets like the flying Citroën DS of Fantômas with retractable wings that converts to an airplane. * 11. '' Fantômas se déchaîne'' (1965) * 12. '' Fantômas contre Scotland Yard'' (1967) * 13. '' Macario Against Zagomar'' was a 1944 Italian film that used "Zagomar" when they were unable to obtain the rights of Fantomas.


Television

A ''Fantômas'' series of four 90-minute episodes was produced in 1980 starring
Helmut Berger Helmut Berger (; ''né'' Steinberger; 29 May 1944 – 18 May 2023) was an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is r ...
as Fantômas, Jacques Dufilho as Juve, and Gayle Hunnicutt as Lady Beltham. Episodes 1 and 4 were directed by
Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...
; episodes 2 and 3 by
Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
's son, Juan Luis Buñuel. The French movie version of ''Fantômas'' appears in the
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''ÄŒesko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
n 1979-1981 children fantasy series '' Arabela'' as well as its sequel series ''Arabela se vrací'', performed respectively by actors František Peterka and Pavel Nový. In this version, he does not perform a villain's role, but becomes an ally and friend of the protagonists. Fantômas also has a cameo appearance in the Czech children's series ''Lucie, postrach ulice'' as a TV character, where he resembles his original 1911 book serial covers' depiction.


Unproduced and upcoming screen adaptations

In May 2010, Christophe Gans was revealed to be co-writing and directing a new film version of ''Fantômas'', with
Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He has earned a César Awards, César Award and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Awards, European Film Award and a Screen Ac ...
and
Jean Reno Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno (), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a Leading actor, leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has w ...
attached to star. Cassel later dropped out, and the film ultimately went unmade. In August 2022, Wassim Béji and production company SND acquired the adaptation rights to ''Fantômas'', and are planning both a new film and a series, which is said to return to the character's darker roots.


Comic books


French

* "Fantômas contre les Nains", a weekly color page written by Marcel Allain and drawn by Santini was published in ''Gavroche'' #24-30 (1941). This series was interrupted because of censorship; a sequel, ''Fantômas et l'Enfer Sous-Marin'' was written but not published. * A daily "Fantômas" strip drawn by Pierre Tabary was syndicated by Opera Mundi from November 1957 to March 1958 (192 strips in total), adapting the first two novels. * Seventeen ''Fantômas'' fumetti magazines adapting books 1, 2, 3, and 5 were published by Del Duca in 1962 and 1963. * A new weekly "Fantômas" color page, written by Agnès Guilloteau and drawn by Jacques Taillefer, was again syndicated by Opera Mundi in 1969 and published in ''Jours de France''. * Finally, a series of ''Fantômas'' graphic novels written by L. Dellisse and drawn by Claude Laverdure were published by Belgian publisher Claude Lefrancq: ''L'Affaire Beltham'' (1990), ''Juve contre Fantômas'' (1991), and ''Le Mort qui Tue'' (1995).


Mexican

During the 1960s the Mexican comics publisher Editorial Novaro produced a ''Fantomas, La Amenaza Elegante'' ("Fantomas, the Elegant Menace") comic book series that became popular throughout
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
. This was apparently meant to be the same character, although rewritten as a hero, perhaps as a way to make the original French character more attuned to Latin American audiences who crave justice avengers in fiction and national politics. It is not known if this was done with or without legal permission. This Fantômas was a thief who committed spectacular robberies just for the thrill of it, and wore a white skintight mask all the time or a variety of disguises so his true face was never shown to his nemeses. The character was also pursued by the authorities, in his case mainly by a French police inspector named Gerard. His mask in the Latin American version – which was clearly inspired by the black mask worn by the Italian comic book criminal ''
Diabolik ''Diabolik'' () is an Italian comic series created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. One of the most popular series in the history of Italian comics, ''Diabolik'' was created in 1962 and consists of more than 900 volumes, and has led to ...
'' — and his use of it, seems to have been influenced by the popular images generated by Mexican wrestling. Apparently the series was also influenced by the ''
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
'' films, as Fantômas, equipped with advanced technology created by a scientist called Professor Semo, had all kind of adventures around the world, and even fought other, more cruel criminals. The Latin American Fantômas, created in Mexico, encompassed the aesthetic of both the British James Bond and American
Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...
, who created ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' magazine, with a necessary dose of traditional Latin American machismo. This mixture immediately gained traction with vast Latino audiences, mostly prepubescent and adolescents males. Latino Fantômas was also a millionaire, owning several corporations under assumed identities, had secret headquarters outside Paris, and was assisted by several secret agents, including the 12 "Zodiac Girls", beautiful women who assisted him personally and dressed provocatively, known only by their codenames – the signs of the
zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
. The attractive female element was another concession to Latin American audiences familiar with beautiful women as part of male-dominated environments playing key roles without hiding their
femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...
, and preceding Charlie's Angels by decades. Although cancelled years ago (Novaro folded in 1985, and a character revival by rival Grupo Editorial Vid in Mexico in the 1990s did not last long), it is from this Mexican comic that the character is best known in both
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
and South America. Fantômas continues to be one of Latin America's favorite comic characters.


American

A ''Fantômas'' short story by Paul Kupperberg and Roy Mann appeared in '' Captain Action Comics'' No. 1, published in 2009 by Moonstone Books.


Polish

The 1979 Polish edition of the novella ''Fantomas contra los vampiros multinacionales'' by Julio Cortázar, published as ''Fantomas przeciw wielonarodowym wampirom'' (''Fantomas Against the Multinational Vampires'') featured a series of illustrations by painter Jerzy Skarżyński, which formed a mini-comic book about Fantômas, largely independent from the plot of the novella. Fantômas's depiction in the comic was based on the appearance of Jean Marais in the 1964 film.


New fiction

"Yes Virginia, There is a Fantomas" by William Patrick Maynard was published in '' Tales of the Shadowmen'' Volume 6, published in 2009 by
Black Coat Press Jean-Marc Lofficier (; born June 22, 1954) is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comics and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier ( ...
. Fantomas has appeared in several stories in the series. The first third of the novella, "Reign of Terror" by R. Allen Leider was published in ''Awesome Tales'' No. 3, published in 2016 by Bold Venture Press. The second third of the novella was published in ''Awesome Tales'' No. 9, with the final third coming.


Cultural influence

Partly influenced by the Era of Attacks (1892-1894) and most especially by the figure of Ravachol, an unknown - then known - 'people's avenger' who was glorified and whom the police hunted down, the ''Fantômas'' novels and the subsequent films were highly regarded by the French avant-garde of the day, particularly by the surrealists. Blaise Cendrars called the series "the modern
Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...
";
Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...
said that "from the imaginative standpoint ''Fantômas'' is one of the richest works that exist". The painter
René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...
, the surrealist poet and novelist Robert Desnos and the cubist painter Juan Gris produced works alluding to Fantômas. The films were also popular in the Soviet Union. After their success Fantômas had a short appearance in two popular Soviet comedies: '' Seven Old Men and One Girl'' (1968) and '' Grandads-Robbers'' (1972). In 2007, Russian author Andrey Shary published the book ''Sign F: Fantomas in Books and on the Screen'', dealing in particular with this phenomenon.
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California. It features vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle), drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer), guitarist Buzz Osborne (Melvins) and bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk).


Pastiches, homages, and related characters

* ''Fantômas'' may well have been influenced by its less well remembered predecessor, ''Zigomar'', the creation of Léon Sazie, which first appeared as a serial in ''Le Matin'' in 1909, then as a pulp magazine (28 issues) in 1913, and again in ''Zigomar contre Zigomar'' for eight more issues in 1924. * In France alone, Fantômas spawned numerous imitators. Among those are Arnould Galopin's ''Tenebras'', Gaston René's ''Masque Rouge'', Arthur Bernède's '' Belphégor'', R. Collard's ''Demonax'' and Marcel Allain's own ''Tigris'', ''Fatala'', ''Miss Teria'' and ''Ferocias''. * The 1915 adventure film '' Filibus'' was probably inspired largely by the popularity of ''Fantômas'', although the film's title character, a female air pirate, strongly resembles
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...
. * After the success of the first ''Fantômas'' film serial directed by Louis Feuillade, Gaumont produced another serial directed by Feuillade in the same style, '' Les Vampires'', about a gang of criminals. As Feuillade had been criticized for glorifying outlaws, his next serial for Gaumont, '' Judex'', starred this time a positive hero, a mysterious avenger conceived as an honest version of Fantômas. Judex was himself featured in various adaptations, sequels and remakes. The original ''Judex'' serial was released in the United States and appears to have been an inspiration for the American pulp character The Shadow, who was himself an inspiration for
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
. * Fantômas has appeared in an unauthorized fashion in two French stage plays: ''Nick Carter vs. Fantômas'' (1910) by Alexandre Bisson and Guillaume Livet (translated, ) and ''
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
vs. Fantômas'' (''La Mort d' Herlock Sholmes, ou Bandits en Habits Noirs'', 1914) by Pierre de Wattyne and Yorril Walter (translated, ). * A number of Italian dark villains of the 1960s were clearly influenced by Fantômas. Among the most famous are
Diabolik ''Diabolik'' () is an Italian comic series created by sisters Angela and Luciana Giussani. One of the most popular series in the history of Italian comics, ''Diabolik'' was created in 1962 and consists of more than 900 volumes, and has led to ...
, Kriminal, Killing, and Satanik. * The British film critic and writer Kim Newman has argued that ''Fantômas'' inspired the '' Pink Panther'' film series starring Peter Sellers. In the initial 1963 '' Pink Panther'' film, Fantômas was transformed into Sir Charles Lytton (the Phantom), and Inspector Juve became Inspector Clouseau. The Phantom's aversion to killing places him closer to Arsène Lupin. * One of the antagonists on '' Lupin III Part 2'' is Fantomas the Third, who is depicted as a terrorist with a gremlin-like appearance inspired by Jean Marais' version, who threatens to flood the world unless Lupin hands over a precious ruby in his possession. * ''Fantômas'' also has many plot points in common with the 1969 Hong Kong film ''Temptress of a Thousand Faces''. * Paperinik (Duck Avenger) alter-ego of Donald Duck created by Guido Martina and Giovan Battista Carpi in 1969, is partly based on Fantômas. His predecessor, Fantomius (Fantomallard) was obviously also named after Fantômas. In France, the character is known as Fantomiald; in Germany as Phantomias; in Greek as Phantom Duck and in Spain as Patomas. * ''Fantômas'' inspired Julio Cortázar's 1975 novella ''Fantomas Contra Los Vampiros Multinacionales''. * A character in the
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
novel '' The Man in the Velvet Mask'' (1996) is named Fantômas. * ''Fantomas'' was the inspiration for the character Mr. Ixnay, who appears in ''The Chuckling Whatsit'', a 1997 graphic novel by writer/artist Richard Sala, creator of ''Invisible Hands'', an animated homage to old-fashioned mystery thrillers which aired on MTV. * In 1999, Faith No More singer Mike Patton named his
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
group
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
after the fictional character. * There is a
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
character named Fantomex, first appearing in August 2002. He was created by
Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...
and Igor Kordey for the title '' New X-Men''. * In one of the back-story sections of the graphic novel '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II'', Fantômas is described as being a member of "Les Hommes Mystérieux", the French counterpart of the League, alongside
Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...
, the sky-pirate Robur, and the Nyctalope. In the follow-up, '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier'', the League's encounter with Les Hommes is halted once Fantômas detonates a bomb which destroys the Opera Garnier, after saying in unaccented English, "I win". * The character of Spectrobert in Gahan Wilson's book '' Everybody's Favorite Duck'' is a direct parody of Fantômas. * Fantômas is a partial inspiration for the character of Phantom Limb on the
Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...
cartoon '' The Venture Bros.'' His last name, in fact, is Fantômas. A picture similar in appearance to the masked villain can be seen hanging on the wall of his office at State University in " The Invisible Hand of Fate". It is revealed that Phantom Limb is actually the grandson of the famous criminal. Fantômas himself briefly appears in the series during a flashback in the season 3 episode "ORB" as one of the original members of ''The Guild,'' a precursor of the Guild of Calamitous Intent. * Fantômas has a German cousin in the person of the (supposedly British) Lord Lister. * In the story "Fantômville" by Nick Campbell, in the book '' Wildthyme in Purple'', Fantomas meets the time traveller Iris Wildthyme. * In the
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
and Kevin O'Neill's ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'', the Fantom (a character resembling the title character from '' The Phantom of the Opera'') owes more than a little to Fantômas, although he is ultimately revealed to be M, who in turn is revealed to be Professor Moriarty. * In the Egyptian film, ''Romantic Chase'', produced in 1968, Fantômas is played by Egyptian actor Hasan Mustafa. The role of Fantômas is a butler that wants to steal all the money of his employer. The film itself is an adaptation of '' What's New Pussycat?'' which was produced in 1965. * In the Czech Fantasy 1980 TV series '' Arabela'' and the 1993 sequel ''Arabela Returns (Arabela se vrací)'', the French movie version of Fantomas is the leader of the World of Fairy Tales for Adults.


References


Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

* *
Fantômas works
at
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

French Wold Newton Universe – Fantômas

Picture of the Fantômas Citroën DS with retractable wings that converts to an airplane
via the Internet Archive
Centenary of the birth of the character of Fantômas: February 10, 2011
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fantomas Literary characters introduced in 1911 1911 French novels Book series Fictional serial killers Characters in French novels of the 20th century Characters in pulp fiction Fictional French people Fictional French criminals Male literary villains Male film villains America's Best Comics characters Fictional war veterans Male characters in literature French crime novels Crime novel series Film serial characters