Phantom
Promotional art for DC Comics' The Phantom vol. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company 1, #1 (May 1988), by Joe Orlando and Dave Gibbons
Publication information
Publisher	King Features Syndicate, Egmont Frew Moonstone and many others
First appearance	February 17, 1936
Created by	Lee Falk
In story information
Alter ego	Christopher "Kit" Walker
Team affiliations	The Jungle Patrol (Commander),
Notable aliases	Mr Walker; Christopher Standish
Abilities	Is at peak physical and mental fitness, has quick reflexes, and is a sharpshooter. Joe Orlando ( April 4, 1927, Bari, Italy — December 23, 1998) was an illustrator writer editor and cartoonist Dave Gibbons (born April 14, 1949) is a British Comic book Artist, writer and sometime letterer King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An adventure is an activity that comprises Risky dangerous and uncertain experiences A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Leon Harrison Gross, more known by the alias of Lee Falk ( April 28, 1911 - March 13, 1999) was an American writer Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing A popular feature adapted into many forms of media, including television and film, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the African jungle. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Jungle usually refers to a dense Forest in a hot climate such as a Tropical rainforest. The series began with a daily newspaper strip on February 17, 1936, followed by a color Sunday strip on May 28, 1939; both are still running as of 2007. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. See also Comic strip A Sunday strip is a Newspaper Comic strip format where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper usually in a

Lee Falk died in 1999. As of 2007, the comic strip is produced by writer Tony DePaul and artist Paul Ryan. Tony DePaul is the current writer of the Lee Falk created adventure comic strip The Phantom, which is read by Paul Ryan (born in 1949 in Massachusetts) is an American Comic book and Comic strip artist Previous artists on the newspaper strip include Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy, Bill Lignante, Sy Barry, George Olesen, Keith Williams, Fred Fredericks and Graham Nolan. Raymond S Moore, better known as Ray Moore, was the co-creator together with Lee Falk, and first artist on what would grow to become the world's most popular R Wilson McCoy (1902-1961 is the second artist on the (still running The Phantom Comic strip. Bill Lignante ( March 20, 1925 in Brooklyn New York) is an American Illustrator. Seymour "Sy" Barry, born in 1928 is an American Comic strip Artist, best known for his work on The Phantom comic strip which he drew George Olesen is best known for his work as a penciller on popular comic strip The Phantom. Keith Williams is an American Comic book and Comic strip artist Fred Fredericks is an American cartoonist born in 1929 who has drawn the Mandrake the Magician cartoon for over 40 years taking over for the late Phil Davis Graham Nolan is a Comic book artist best-known for work for DC Comics on Batman -related titles in the 1990s and his work on The Phantom

New Phantom stories are also published in comic books in different parts of the world, among them by Moonstone Books in U.S., Egmont in Scandinavia, and Frew in Australia. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Moonstone Books is an American Comic book, graphic novel and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Frew Publications publishes Lee Falk 's The Phantom comic in Australia, and formerly published other comics including Falk's earlier For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

While the Phantom is not the first fictional costumed crimefighter, he is the first to wear the skintight costume that has become a hallmark of comic-book superheroes, and the first to wear a mask with no visible pupils, another superhero standard. A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do The pupil is the hole that is located in the center of the iris of the eye and that controls the amount of light that enters the Eye.

Contents 1 Publication history 1.1 Creation 1.2 Newspaper strips 2 Fictional character biography 2.1 Origin 2.2 Mythos 2.3 Family 2.4 Kit Walker, the 21st Phantom 2.5 Costume 2.6 Reprints 3 Comic books 3.1 United States 3.2 Scandinavia and Nordic region 3.3 Australia 3.4 India 3.5 Others 4 In other media 4.1 Novels and short stories 4.1.1 Whitman 4.1.2 Avon 4.1.3 Moonstone Books 4.1.4 Other appearances 4.2 Movies 4.2.1 The Phantom serials 4.2.2 The Phantom (1996) 4.2.3 The Ghost Who Walks 4.2.4 Cameos 4.2.5 Unauthorized versions 4.3 Television 4.3.1 Mythbusters 4.3.2 1961 pilot 4.3.2.1 Defenders of the Earth 4.3.2.2 Phantom 2040 4.3.2.3 Betaal Pachisi 4.3.2.4 Parodies 4.3.2.5 Documentaries 4.4 Stage 4.5 Video games 4.6 Theme park 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 External links

Publication history

Creation

After the success of his Mandrake the Magician strip, the King Features newspaper syndicate asked Lee Falk to develop a new feature. King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, Falk's first attempt was a strip about King Arthur, which Falk both wrote and drew. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders When King Features turned him down, Falk developed what would become The Phantom, about a mysterious, costumed crimefighter. He planned out the first few months of the story and drew the first two weeks of a sample strip.

Inspired by Falk's lifelong fascination with such myths and legends as that of El Cid and King Arthur, and such modern fictional characters as Zorro, Tarzan, and The Jungle Book 's Mowgli, Falk originally envisioned the Phantom's alias as rich playboy Jimmy Wells, fighting crime by night as the mysterious Phantom; partway through his first story, The Singh Brotherhood, he moved the Phantom to the jungle. Rodrigo (or Ruy) Díaz de Vivar (c 1040 Vivar, near Burgos &ndash 10 July 1099, Valencia) known as Zorro (originally called Señor Zorro) is a Fictional character created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to The Jungle Book (1894 is a collection of stories written by Rudyard Kipling. Mowgli (ˈmaʊɡli is a fictional character who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling 's Short story "In the Rukh" (collected in Many Inventions He had tinkered with the idea of calling his hero The Gray Ghost (which later became the name of a Batman character) after thinking there were already too many Phantoms in fiction, such as The Phantom Detective and The Phantom of the Opera. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created The Phantom Detective was the second Pulp hero character published after The Shadow. The Phantom of the Opera (in French, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a French Novel by Gaston Leroux. He could not, ultimately, come up with a name he liked better than 'The Phantom', and therefore retained it. ^[1]

In an A&E American cable TV documentary about the Phantom^[2], Falk said Greek busts inspired the idea that the Phantom's pupils would not appear when he wore his mask. A&E is a cable and Satellite television network with headquarters in Manhattan and offices in Stamford, Atlanta, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality The Greek busts had no pupils, which Falk felt gave them an inhuman, interesting look. In an interview published in Comic Book Marketplace in 2005,^[3] Falk also told that the Phantom's skin-tight costume was inspired by the legendary figure of Robin Hood, who often wore tights in film and stage adaptations. Robin Hood is an archetypal figure in English folklore, whose story originates from medieval times but who remains significant in popular culture where

Newspaper strips

The Phantom started as a daily strip on February 17, 1936, with the story "The Singh Brotherhood", written by Falk and drawn first by him, for two weeks, followed by Ray Moore, who was an assistant to artist Phil Davis on Falk's Mandrake the Magician strip. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Raymond S Moore, better known as Ray Moore, was the co-creator together with Lee Falk, and first artist on what would grow to become the world's most popular Not to be confused with Jim Davis (cartoonist Phil Davis ( March 4, 1906 – 16 December A Sunday Phantom strip was added May 28, 1939. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

During World War II, Falk joined the Office of War Information, where he became chief of his radio foreign language division. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United States Office of War Information (OWI was a US government agency created during World War II to consolidate government information services Moore also served in the war, during which he left the strip to his assistant Wilson McCoy. R Wilson McCoy (1902-1961 is the second artist on the (still running The Phantom Comic strip. On Moore's return, he worked on the strip on and off until 1949, when McCoy succeeded him. During McCoy's tenure, the strip appeared in thousands of newspapers worldwide, and The Phantom strip was smuggled by boats into the Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The word "Phantom " was also used as a password for the Norwegian Resistance, leading the character to receive iconic status in the country.

McCoy died suddenly in 1961. Carmine Infantino and Bill Lignante (who would later draw Phantom stories directly for comic books) filled in before a successor was found in Sy Barry. Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925) is an American Comic book Artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age Bill Lignante ( March 20, 1925 in Brooklyn New York) is an American Illustrator. Seymour "Sy" Barry, born in 1928 is an American Comic strip Artist, best known for his work on The Phantom comic strip which he drew During Barry's early years, he and Falk modernized the strip, and laid the foundation for what is considered the modern look of the Phantom. Barry would continue working on the strip for over 30 years before retiring in 1994.

Barry's longtime assistant George Olesen remained on the strip as penciller, with Keith Williams joining as inker for the daily strip. Keith Williams is the name of Keith Williams (architect (born 1958 British architect Keith Williams (comics, American comic book The Sunday strip was inked by Eric Doescher until Mandrake the Magician artist Fred Fredericks became the regular inker in 1995. Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing Fred Fredericks is an American cartoonist born in 1929 who has drawn the Mandrake the Magician cartoon for over 40 years taking over for the late Phil Davis

Falk continued to script Phantom (and Mandrake) until his death on March 13, 1999. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) His last daily and Sunday strip stories, "Terror at the Opera" and "The Kidnappers", respectively, were finished by his wife, Elizabeth Falk. ^[4] After Falk's passing, King Features Syndicate began to cooperate with European comic publisher Egmont, publisher of the Swedish Fantomen magazine, which now went from only publishing Phantom stories in licenced comic books to providing the stories for the newspaper strip as well, by adapting their own Phantom comic book stories into the comic strip format. King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, Egmont is one of the leading Media industry groups of Scandinavia. Fantomen writers Tony De Paul and Claes Reimerthi alternated as writers of the newspaper strip after Falk died, with De Paul handling the daily strips and Reimerthi being responsible for the Sunday strips. Claes Reimerthi is a Swedish comic writer having worked with characters such as The Phantom and Bamse. As of 2008, De Paul is the regular writer. Some of the stories have been adapted from comic magazine stories originally published in Fantomen.

In 2000, Olesen and Fredericks retired from the Sunday strip which was then taken over by respected comic book artist Graham Nolan. Graham Nolan is a Comic book artist best-known for work for DC Comics on Batman -related titles in the 1990s and his work on The Phantom A few years later, Olesen and Williams left the daily strip after Olesen decided to retire and artist Paul Ryan, who had worked on the Fantomen comic stories, took over the daily strip in early 2005. Paul Ryan (born in 1949 in Massachusetts) is an American Comic book and Comic strip artist Ryan succeeded Nolan as artist on the Sunday strip in 2007.

The Phantom is one of few adventure comic strips still published in the mid-2000s.

Fictional character biography

In the jungles of the fictional African country of Bangalla, there is a myth featuring "The Ghost Who Walks", a powerful and indestructible guardian of the innocent. Jungle usually refers to a dense Forest in a hot climate such as a Tropical rainforest. Bangalla, also known as Bengali and Bangolia, is a fictional African country (originally set in Asia, near India, until the 1960s See also Mythology Myth is derived from the Greek word μύθος mythos, which simply means 'story' Because he seems to have existed for generations, some believe him to be immortal. In reality, the Phantom is descended from 20 previous generations of crime-fighters who all adopt the same persona. When a new Phantom takes the task from his dying father, he swears the Oath of the Skull: "I swear to devote my life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all their forms, and my sons and their sons shall follow me". (The comic strip sometimes runs flashback adventures of previous Phantoms. In history film television and other media a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current )

The Phantom of 2008 is the 21st in the line. Unlike most costumed heroes, he has no superhuman powers, relying only on his wits, physical strength, skill with his weapons, and fearsome reputation to fight crime. A superhuman is an entity with intelligence or abilities exceeding normal human standards

A signature of the character is his two rings. One has a swastika-like pattern, "The Good Mark", that he leaves on visitors whom he befriends, placing the person under his protection. The other, "The Evil Mark" or "Skull Mark" has a skull shape, which leaves a scar of the corresponding shape on the enemies he punches with it. He wears the Good mark on his left hand because it is closer to the heart, and the Evil Mark on his right hand.

His base is in the Deep Woods of Bengali (originally “Bengalla,” or “Bangalla” and renamed Denkali in the Indian edition), a fictional country initially said to be set in Asia, near India, but depicted as in Africa during and after the 1960s. Bangalla, also known as Bengali and Bangolia, is a fictional African country (originally set in Asia, near India, until the 1960s India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A fictional country is a Country that is made up for fictional stories India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The Phantom's base is the fabled Skull Cave, where all previous Phantoms are buried. The Skull Cave is the hideout of The Phantom. The Skull Cave is hidden behind a large waterfall in the Deep Woods of Bangalla. He lives in a tree house with his family built by the Rope People a tribe he had assisted. The Phantom has an Isle of Eden in which he has trained animals that are natural enemies to live in harmony, a Mesa in America called Walkers Table and a Castle in the Old World. A mesa ( Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic for "table" is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs

The Phantom is a commander of Bangalla's world-famous Jungle Patrol, who never see him or know his name but answer consistently to his orders. Due to a betrayal leading to the death of the 14th Phantom, the identity of the commander has been kept hidden from members of the patrol ever since. The sixth Phantom originally formed the Jungle Patrol with the help of former pirate Redbeard and his men back in 1664.

Another character who has aided the modern-day Phantom is Guran, chief of the local pygmy tribe, who are the only tribe to know his true nature. Guran is a character from The Phantom comic strip and is the Phantom's best friend since childhood Pygmies (singular Pygmy) refers to a member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches in average height or less than 155 cm Guran is the Phantom's best friend since childhood, and a support of his cause.

The Phantom has three helpers, a mountain wolf called Devil, a horse named Hero, and a trained falcon named Fraka. The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. A falcon (fɔlkən or fælkən is any Species of raptor in the Genus Falco. From 1962 on, The Phantom raised an orphan named Rex King, who was later on revealed to be the prince of the kingdom of Baronkhan. A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or

In 1978, he married his sweetheart since his days in American college, Diana Palmer, who works at the United Nations. Diana Palmer is a character in the American Comic strip The Phantom. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Guran, his best friend since boyhood, was best man. Guran is a character from The Phantom comic strip and is the Phantom's best friend since childhood The guests present at the wedding included Mandrake the Magician, the Presidents of Bangalla, Ivory Lana; Luaga, and Goranda. Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing

A year later, twins were born to the Palmer-Walkers; Kit and Heloise.

The Phantom's family have always played a significant role in the series. His romance with Diana Palmer was an ongoing part of the story from the beginning, and many later stories revolved around the Phantom becoming involved in adventures as a result of young charges including his children.

When the Phantom leaves the jungle, he dresses in a fedora, a trench coat, and sunglasses, and is known as "Kit Walker". A fedora is a soft Felt Hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and Pinched in the front on both sides A trench coat or trenchcoat is a Raincoat made of Waterproof heavy-duty Cotton drill or Poplin, Wool Gabardine Sunglasses or sun glasses are a visual aid variously termed Spectacles or Glasses, which feature lenses that are coloured or darkened to prevent strong References to "Mr. Walker" are traditionally accompanied by a footnote saying "For 'The Ghost Who Walks'", although some versions of the Phantom's history suggest that Walker was actually the surname of the man who became the first Phantom. Like The Lone Ranger, the Phantom does not allow his unmasked or undisguised face to be seen except by close friends or members of his family. The Lone Ranger is an American, long-running Old-time radio and early Television show created by George W In the newspaper strips, even the readers were never shown the Phantom's unmasked face clearly.

Origin

The story of the Phantom started with a young sailor named Christopher Walker (sometimes called Christopher Standish in certain versions of the story). Christopher was born in 1516 in Portsmouth. History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which His father, also named Christopher Walker, had been a seaman since he was a young boy, and was the cabin boy on Christopher Columbus's ship Santa María when he sailed to the Americas. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The Santa María was the largest of the three Ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America

Christopher Jr. became a shipboy on his father's ship in 1526, of which Christopher Sr. was Captain.

In 1536, when Christopher was 20 years old, he was a part of what was supposed to be his father's last voyage. On February 17, the ship was attacked by pirates of the Singh Brotherhood in a bay on the coast of Bengalla. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori The Singh Brotherhood is a fictional global crime syndicate They are the best known adversaries of the Lee Falk created superhero The Phantom, and have The last thing Christopher saw before he fell unconscious and into the sea was his father being murdered by the leader of the pirates. Both ships exploded, making Christopher the sole survivor of the attack.

Christopher was washed ashore on a Bengalla beach, seemingly half dead. He was found by pygmies of the Bandar tribe, who nursed him and took care of him. Pygmies (singular Pygmy) refers to a member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches in average height or less than 155 cm Bandar or Bunder (in Persian بندر is a Persian word meaning "port" and "haven"

A time later, Christopher took a walk on the same beach, and found a dead body there, whom he recognized as the pirate who killed his father. He allowed the vultures flying around the body to eat its meat, took up the skull of the killer, raised it above his head, and swore an oath: "I swear to devote my life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all their forms! My sons and their sons shall follow me". Vultures are scavenging Birds feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead Animals Vultures are found on every continent except Antarctica and

After learning the language of the Bandar tribe, Christopher learned that the majority of their people were slaves of the Wasaka, a tribe consisting of what the Bandars called "giants". Immediately, Christopher walked into the village of the Wasaka, and asked them to set the Bandars free. He was taken prisoner, and laid before the Demon God of the Wasaka, Uzuki, who was supposed to decide his destiny. Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events It may be conceived as a predetermined future whether in general or of an individual Christopher was tied up and laid on an altar made of stone, where vultures surrounded him. Christopher was quickly saved by a group of Bandar before the vultures or the Wasaka could do him any real harm. They managed to escape from the village of the Wasaka unharmed.

Christopher later learned of a Bandar prophecy that featured a man coming from the ocean to save them from their slavery. He made a costume inspired by the look of the Demon God of the Wasaka and went to the Wasaka village again, this time with a small army of Bandar armed with their newly discovered poisoned arrows, which were capable of killing a man in a few seconds. The Wasaka, shocked at seeing what many of them thought was their Demon God come alive, were fought down, and the Bandars were finally set free, after centuries in slavery. This resulted in a dedicated friendship between Christopher and the Bandars, which would be brought on to the generations to come after them.

The Bandars showed Christopher to a cave, which resembled the look of a human skull. Christopher later carved it to enhance this. This Skull Cave became his home. The Skull Cave is the hideout of The Phantom. The Skull Cave is hidden behind a large waterfall in the Deep Woods of Bangalla.

Wearing the costume based on the Demon God, Christopher became the first of what would later be known as the Phantom. When he died, his son took over for him; when the second Phantom died, his son took over. So it would go on through the centuries, causing people to believe that the Phantom was immortal. These people gave him nicknames including "The Ghost Who Walks" and "The Man Who Cannot Die".

Mythos

Over the course of more than seventy years' worth of stories, the backstory "legend" of the Phantom grew to become an integral part of the series. The legend of the "Ghost Who Walks" made the character stand out from the innumerable costumed heroes who have battled crime throughout the 20th century, and has helped maintain his appeal through to the present day.

Much of the underlying, continuing plots and "themes" of the series focus on the continuing legend of the Phantom. The series regularly gives quotes from "old jungle sayings" surrounding the myth of the Phantom. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the tradition that anyone who sees the Phantom's true face without his mask will certainly "die a terrible death". This is true only for those whom he cannot trust, whom he kills or in whose deaths he is involved soon after their seeing of his face.

The Phantom is feared by criminals over the entire world, and knows how to use his frightening image against them.

Family

See: Family tree of the Phantom

Kit Walker, the 21st Phantom

The twenty-first Phantom's birth name is Kit Walker, as was the name of all the Phantoms before him. This family tree for the comic character The Phantom is primarily based on the Scandinavian comic book version of the Phantom which incorporates (but also differs from the family tree Kit was born in the Skull Cave, and spent his first years in the jungle in Bengalla. The Skull Cave is the hideout of The Phantom. The Skull Cave is hidden behind a large waterfall in the Deep Woods of Bangalla. His mother, Maud Thorne McPatrick, was born in Mississippi of the United States, where Walker went to study when he was 12 years old, living with his aunt Lucy and uncle Jasper in the town of Clarksville. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Here he met his wife-to-be, Diana Palmer. Diana Palmer is a character in the American Comic strip The Phantom. Kit was an extremely talented sportsman and was predicted to become the world champion of many different events (even knocking out the world heavyweight boxing champion in a sparring match when the champion visited Clarksville). Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, Despite the opportunity to choose any career he wanted, Kit faithfully returned to Bengalla to take over the role of the Phantom when he received word that his father was dying from a knife-wound.

One of Kit's first missions as the Phantom was to find his father's killer, Rama Singh, who had betrayed and murdered the 20th Phantom by stabbing him in the back, stealing his special gunbelt in the process. The Phantom eventually found him and reclaimed the belt at the island of Gullique, but before he could avenge his father and bring Rama to jail, Rama blew up his lair, killing himself and his henchmen in the process.

Costume

As part of the official uniform, the Phantom wears a black mask and a purple skintight bodysuit. A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face typically for protection concealment performance or amusement He also carries period-appropriate sidearm(s), currently two M1911 pistols, in a special belt with a skull-like buckle. A side arm is a Firearm, usually a Pistol, which is worn on the body in a Holster to permit immediate access and use The M1911 is a single-action, Semi-automatic pistol ( Handgun) chambered for the. While there had been masked crime fighters like the costumed Zorro or the business-suited The Clock, the Phantom was the first fictional character to wear the skintight costume that has become a trademark of superheroes. Zorro (originally called Señor Zorro) is a Fictional character created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The Clock is a fictional masked crime-fighter published during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Creator Lee Falk had originally envisioned a grey costume and even considered naming his creation "The Gray Ghost". It was not until the Phantom Sunday strip debuted in 1939 that the costume was shown to be purple. See also Comic strip A Sunday strip is a Newspaper Comic strip format where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper usually in a Falk, however, continued to refer to the costume as gray in the text of the strip on several occasions afterward, but finally accepted the purple color. ^[5] In a retcon it was shown that the first Phantom chose the costume based on the appearance of a jungle idol, and colored the cloth with purple jungle berries. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction

The Phantom's costume is colored blue in Scandinavia, red in Italy, Turkey, and formerly in Brazil, and brown in New Zealand. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

Reprints

The entire run of the Phantom newspaper strip has been reprinted in Australia by Frew. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Frew Publications publishes Lee Falk 's The Phantom comic in Australia, and formerly published other comics including Falk's earlier Edited versions of most of his stories have also been published in the Scandinavian Phantom comics. In the United States, the following Phantom stories have been reprinted, by Nostalgia Press (NP), Pacific Comics Club (PCC), or Comics Revue (CR), all written by Lee Falk. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Comics Revue is a monthly Small press Comic book published by Manuscript Press.

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

Comic books

United States

In the United States the Phantom has been published by a variety of publishers over the years. Through the 1940s, strips were reprinted in Ace Comics published by David McKay Publications. Ace Comics is a comic book series published by David McKay Publications during and just prior to the Golden Age era of comics David McKay Publications was a comic book publisher that published some of the Ace Comics (1937 series Blondie Comics Dick Tracy, Mandrake the Magician In the 1950s, Harvey Comics published the Phantom. Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey Publications) was an American Comic book Publisher, founded by Alfred Harvey in 1941 after buying In 1962, Gold Key Comics took over, followed by King Comics in 1966 and Charlton Comics in 1969. Gold Key Comics was an Imprint of Western Publishing created for Comic books distributed to Newsstands History Gold Key King Comics was a short-lived Comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, and an attempt by King to publish comics of its own characters rather than through Charlton Comics was an American Comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1986 having begun under a different name in 1944 This lasted until 1977, with a total number of 73 issues being published. Some of the main Phantom artists during these years were Bill Lignante, Don Newton, Jim Aparo and Pat Boyette. Bill Lignante ( March 20, 1925 in Brooklyn New York) is an American Illustrator. Don Newton (born November 12, 1934 in St Charles Virginia and died August 19, 1984 in Phoenix Arizona) was an James N "Jim" Aparo ( 1932 - July 19, 2005) was an American Comic book artist best known for his 1960's and 1970's work on various

DC Comics published a Phantom comic book from 1988 to 1990. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The initial mini-series (dated May-August 1988) was written by Peter David and drawn by Joe Orlando and Dennis Janke. For the Grenadian politician see Peter David (politician. Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) (born September 23 Joe Orlando ( April 4, 1927, Bari, Italy — December 23, 1998) was an illustrator writer editor and cartoonist The subsequent series, written by Mark Verheiden and drawn by Luke McDonnellm lasted 13 issues (March 1989 - March 1990). Mark Verheiden is an American television movie and comic book writer Luke McDonnell is an American Artist whose early career was spent specialising in Comic books. It depicted the Phantom being involved with such issues as racism, toxic dumping, hunger, and modern-day piracy. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering

In 1987, Marvel Comics did a four-issue miniseries based on the Defenders of the Earth TV series (written by Stan Lee). Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc A miniseries (also mini-series) in a serial Storytelling medium is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in the late 1980s featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Another four-issue Marvel miniseries, Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks (Feb. -April 1995) followed. The latter series was written and drawn by Dave DeVries and Glenn Lumsden and explored a futuristic, high-tech version of the Phantom in three issues. Marvel later released a four-part miniseries (May-Aug. 1995), pencilled by Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, based on the Phantom 2040 TV series. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Steve Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is an American Comic book Artist and Writer best known as the co-creator of the Phantom 2040 is an animated Science fiction television series loosely based on the Comic strip hero The Phantom, created One issue featured a pin-up by the original two Spider-Man signature artists, Ditko and John Romita, Sr.

The gadgets used by Marvel's 22nd Phantom were reminiscent of those in Phantom 2040, only less advanced. For instance, while the 2040 Phantom had a talking artificial intelligence built into one of his wristbands, the 22nd's wristband contained a sophisticated, but clearly present-day, palmtop computer.

Moonstone Books published Phantom graphic novels beginning in 2002. Moonstone Books is an American Comic book, graphic novel and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and Five books, written by Tom DeFalco, Ben Raab, and Ron Goulart, were published. Tom DeFalco (b June 26 1950) is an American comics Writer and Editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Benjamin "Ben" Raab is a Comic book Writer and editor. Ron Goulart (born January 13, 1933) is an American Pop-culture historian and mystery, Fantasy, and Science fiction In 2003, Moonstone debuted a Phantom comic-book series written by Raab, Rafael Nieves, and Chuck Dixon, and drawn by artists including Pat Quinn, Jerry DeCaire, Nick Derington, Rich Burchett, and EricJ. Charles "Chuck" Dixon (b 1954 is an American Comic book Writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the John Brian Patrick "Pat" "Morch" Quinn (born January 29, 1943 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former Head coach in the Jerry DeCaire is a Comic book Illustrator. In his career he has adapted sequential visuals to a general plot provided by a writer on a free-lance basis After 11 issues, Mike Bullock took over scripting, with Gabriel Rearte and Carlos Magno creating the artwork before Silvestre Szilagyi became the regular artist in 2007. Mike Bullock is an award-winning writer of poetry and creative fiction a published lyricist and an accomplished non-fiction writer Bullock's stories featured topical issues of real-life African conflicts. In a 2007 three-part story arc called "Invisible Children", the Phantom fought a fictional warlord called "Him", based on Joseph Kony. Joseph Kony (born ca 1962 is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish a theocratic

In 2006, Moonstone published a retcon of the Phantom's origin, called Legacy, by Raab and Quinn. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction That same year, the company published a hybrid comic book and prose book it called "wide-vision", premiering the format with the Phantom story "Law of the Jungle". Moonstone also released the first U. S. Phantom annual. An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a Magazine, Comic book or Comic strip published yearly

Scandinavia and Nordic region

Egmont Publications has published original Phantom stories in a fortnightly Phantom comic book published in Norway as Fantomet, in Sweden as Fantomen, and in Finland as Mustanaamio ("[the] Black-Mask"). Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe.

The first issue of Fantomen was cover-dated October 1950. Over 1,400 issues have been published.

The first story created originally for the Swedish Fantomen magazine was published as early as 1963, and today the total number of Fantomen stories is close over 800. The average length of a Fantomen story is 30+ pages (compared to 20-24 pages for most U. S. comics). Among the most prolific artists and writers that have created stories for Fantomen are: Dick Giordano, Donne Avenell, Heiner Bade, David Bishop, Georges Bess, Jaime Vallvé, Joan Boix, Tony DePaul, Ulf Granberg, Ben Raab, Rolf Gohs, Scott Goodall, Eirik Ildahl, Kari Leppänen, Hans Lindahl, Janne Lundström, Cesar Spadari, Bob McLeod, Jean-Yves Mitton, Lennart Moberg, Claes Reimerthi, Paul Ryan, Alex Saviuk, Graham Nolan, Romano Felmang, and Norman Worker. Dick Giordano (born Richard Joseph Giordano on July 20, 1932) is an American Comic book Artist and editor David Bishop is an award-winning screenwriter and author Born in New Zealand, he was a UK comics editor during the 1990s running such titles as the Judge Dredd Georges Bess (1947 France) is a Comics artist and Comic book creator, best known for his collaborations with Alejandro Jodorowsky. Tony DePaul is the current writer of the Lee Falk created adventure comic strip The Phantom, which is read by Benjamin "Ben" Raab is a Comic book Writer and editor. Rolf Gohs (born in 1933 is a Swedish comic creator. He was born in Estonia but moved to Sweden in 1946 Hans Lindahl is a Swedish comic book artist best known for his work on the Lee Falk created The Phantom. Bob McLeod (born August 9, 1951 in Tampa Florida) is an American Comic book artist best known for co-creating the New Mutants Claes Reimerthi is a Swedish comic writer having worked with characters such as The Phantom and Bamse. Paul Ryan (born in 1949 in Massachusetts) is an American Comic book and Comic strip artist Graham Nolan is a Comic book artist best-known for work for DC Comics on Batman -related titles in the 1990s and his work on The Phantom Romano Felmang (1941 -) is an Italian Artist best known for his illustrations of American Comic strip characters such as The Phantom Norman Worker was a British comic book writer best known for his work on comic books featuring Lee Falk 's The Phantom. The artists and writers working on these stories have been nick-named Team Fantomen. Instead of the American purple version, the Scandinavian Phantom's costume is dark blue. In later years, the Team have started to experiment more with the character and his surroundings, in more emotional and challenging stories than what was common before. Egmont have also been trying to dvelve deeper into the character's psyche lately, often giving him more personal problems beside his crime fighting.

Australia

Another country where the Phantom is popular is Australia, where Frew Publications has published a fortnightly comic book, The Phantom, since 1948. Frew Publications publishes Lee Falk 's The Phantom comic in Australia, and formerly published other comics including Falk's earlier Frew's book mostly contains reprints, from the newspaper strips and from Fantomen (in English translation), but has on a few occasions also included original stories, drawn by Australian artists. The editor-in-chief is Jim Shepherd. Frew's The Phantom is the longest running comic book series with the character in the world, and is Australia's best selling comic. The Frew comics are also imported and sold in New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

India

The Phantom also has a long publishing history in India. The Phantom first appeared in India in the 1940s via a magazine called The Illustrated Weekly of India, which carried Phantom on Sundays. Indrajal Comics took up publication of Phantom comics in English and other Indian languages in 1964. Indrajal Comics was a series launched by the publisher of The Times of India, Bennet Coleman & Co in March 1964 They ceased publication in 1990. This same year, Diamond Comics started publishing Phantom comics in digest form, again in many languages including English. Diamond Comics Pvt Ltd is the largest Comic book Distributor and publisher in India This continued until 2000, when Diamond Comics stopped publishing Phantom comics; Egmont Imagination India (formerly Indian Express Egmont Publications) took up publication the same year. They published monthly comics (in English only) until 2002. Since then they have only brought out reprints of their earlier stories with new covers and formats. The last regular publisher of the Phantom in India was Rani Comics which started publication in 1990 and ceased in 2005. However, Rani comics were available only in the Tamil language. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It may be noted that, for the most part, Indrajal Comics, Diamond Comics, and Rani Comics all published reprints of Lee Falk's daily or Sunday strips. Egmont Imagination India printed the Scandinavian work.

Phantom was printed in other news papers also as a daily strip. Phantom was published in a newspaper published from Varanasi "AAJ" as Vanbhairav.

Times of India delhi edition was printing daily strips of Phantom.

Others

Italian publisher Fratelli Spada in Italy also produced a large number of original Phantom stories for their L'Uomo Mascherato series of comic books in the 1960s and 70s. Among the artists that worked for Fratelli Spada were Guido Buzzelli, Mario Caria, Umberto Sammarini (Usam), Germano Ferri, Senio Pratesi, Mario Caria and Felmang. Ferri, Usam, Felmang and Caria have all later worked for the Swedish Fantomen magazine.

Brazilian publisher RGE and German publisher Bastei also produced original Phantom stories for their comic books. The Bastei is a rocky prominence overlooking the Elbe River within the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Germany. In Brazil the Phantom is known as o Fantasma. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

Different Phantom comics are published and have been published in England, Israel, Spain, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Germany, Turkey, Jugoslavia, New Zealand, South America, France, Thailand, Singapore, Netherlands, Hellas, Fiji and Venezuela. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Singapore The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the

In other media

Novels and short stories

Main article: Phantom novels

Whitman

The first novel about the Phantom was published in 1944 by Whitman Publishing Company, and was called "Son of the Phantom". Lee Falk 's comic strip character The Phantom have also appeared in several novels and short stories It was written by Dale Robertson. The book was based on Lee Falk's comic strip story "Childhood of the Phantom", although Falk had no involvement with the novel.

Avon

Avon Publications in the U. S. put out 15 books based on Lee Falk's stories. These ran from 1972 to 1975, and were written by Lee Falk or a ghost writer. A ghostwriter is a professional Writer who is paid to write books articles stories reports or other content which are officially credited to another person The covers were done by George Wilson. George Wilson may refer to Politics George A Wilson (1884&ndash1953 United States Senator and Governor of Iowa George Many of the books were translated into foreign languages.

1. The Story of the Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks 1972, Lee Falk
2. The Slave Market of Mucar 1972, Basil Copper
3. The Scorpia Menace 1972, Basil Copper
4. The Veiled Lady 1973, Frank S. Shawn
5. The Golden Circle 1973, Frank S. See also Phantom novels "The Story of the Phantom The Ghost Who Walks" is a novel written by Lee Falk in 1973 based on his own comic strip creation Basil Copper (1924 –) is an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor Ron Goulart (born January 13, 1933) is an American Pop-culture historian and mystery, Fantasy, and Science fiction Shawn
6. The Mysterious Ambassador 1973, Lee Falk
7. The Mystery of the Sea Horse 1973, Frank S. Shawn
8. The Hydra Monster 1973, Frank S. Shawn
9. Killer's Town 1973, Lee Falk
10. The Goggle-Eyed Pirates 1974, Frank S. Shawn
11. The Swamp Rats 1974, Frank S. Shawn
12. The Vampires & the Witch 1974, Lee Falk
13. The Island of Dogs 1975, Warren Shanahan
14. The Assassins 1975, Carson Bingham
15. The Curse of the Two-Headed Bull 1975, Lee Falk

In 2006, the books The Story of the Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks and The Veiled Lady were released as audio books in Norway and Sweden, as part of the celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the character.

Moonstone Books

In 2007, Moonstone Books released The Phantom Chronicles, a collection of short stories written by authors Mike Bullock, Ron Fortier, Jim Alexander, David Michelinie, Craig Shaw Gardner, CJ Henderson, Clay and Susan Griffith, Jim Alexander, Will Murray, Mike Oliveri, Nancy Kilpatrick, Ed Rhoades, David Bishop, Grant Suave, Trina Robbins, Richard Dean Starr, Dan Wickline and Martin Powell. Moonstone Books is an American Comic book, graphic novel and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and Mike Bullock is an award-winning writer of poetry and creative fiction a published lyricist and an accomplished non-fiction writer Ron Fortier (born 5 Nov1946 is an American author primarily know for his Green Hornet and The Terminator Comic books and his revival of the pulp hero David Michelinie (born May 6 1948) is an American Comic book Writer. Craig Shaw Gardner (born July 2, 1949) is an American Author, best known for producing fantasy parodies similar to those of Terry Pratchett The New Democratic Party of Ontario is one of three major political parties in Ontario, Canada which ran in the 2007 Ontario provincial election David Bishop is an award-winning screenwriter and author Born in New Zealand, he was a UK comics editor during the 1990s running such titles as the Judge Dredd Trina Robbins (born 1938) is an American Comics artist and writer Richard Dean Starr is an American copywriter editor and author of fiction and graphic novels whose work has featured characters including Hellboy, Zorro Dan Wickline (born April 29, 1970 in Norwalk California) is a published writer and photographer

The book was released in both a softcover and limited hardcover edition.

Other appearances

In Umberto Eco's novel The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, the main character describes his childhood experiences of reading The Phantom in great detail, as well as other comic strip characters like Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best La Misteriosa Fiamma della Regina Loana ("The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana" is a Novel by Italian writer Umberto Eco. Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing The book also features illustrations of the Phantom, drawn by Ray Moore.

Movies

The Phantom serials

Main article: The Phantom (1943 movie serial)

A fifteen-part movie serial starring Tom Tyler was made in 1943, with Jeanne Bates as Diana Palmer, and Ace the Wonder Dog as Devil. The Phantom ( 1943) is a classic Columbia Pictures cliffhanger serial starring Tom Tyler in the title role Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were Short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a Feature Tom Tyler ( August 9 1903 &ndash May 1 1954) was an American Actor in silent and sound motion pictures The story featured The Phantom in his search for the lost jungle-city of Zoloz. The Phantom's real name in the serial was Geodfrey Prescott, as the alias of Kit Walker had not been mentioned in the strip at that point.

A sequel was filmed in 1955 starring John Hart, but after problems with the rights to the character it was partially re-shot and re-named The Adventures of Captain Africa. There have been at least three American cinema Actors named "John Hart" The Adventures of Captain Africa ( 1955) is a Columbia serial starring John Hart. ^[6]

The Phantom (1996)

Main article: The Phantom (film)

The Phantom was also made into a movie in 1996. The Phantom is a 1996 action/adventure movie starring Billy Zane, and directed by Simon Wincer. The movie was set in the 1930s, and incorporated elements from several of the Phantom's earliest comic-strip adventures. It starred Billy Zane in the title role, Kristy Swanson as Diana Palmer, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Sala, an aviatrix. William George "Billy" Zane Jr (born February 24, 1966) is an American Actor and director. Kristen Noel "Kristy" Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American Actress best known as the original Buffy Summers Catherine Zeta-Jones ( "zeeta" born September 25, 1969) is a Welsh actress, presently based in the United States It was directed by Simon Wincer, after Joe Dante dropped out of the project, and was written by Jeffrey Boam, who also wrote Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Simon Wincer (born 1943 in Sydney) is an Australian Film director and Film producer. Joseph Domenick "Joe" Dante (born November 28, 1946) is an American Film director and producer of films generally with Jeffrey Boam ( November 30, 1946 &ndash January 24, 2000) was an American Screenwriter and Film producer. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by Executive producer Cult-icon Bruce Campbell was another choice for the role, but Zane, already a huge fan of the comic strip, ended up getting the part after actively lobbying for it for years. Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22 1958) is an American Actor, producer, Writer and director. After his casting, he feverishly pumped iron for a year and a half to fill the Phantom's costume, refusing to wear a Batman-like costume with moulded muscles. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created

The movie was filmed on location in Australia, Thailand, and in Los Angeles, and featured the Phantom in his attempt to stop madman Xander Drax (Treat Williams) from obtaining a weapon of doom, the legendary "Skulls of Touganda". For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor who has appeared on film stage and television over the course of his prolific career The story also features the Sengh Brotherhood, a fraternity of pirates who are held to be the killers of the first Phantom's father; the all-female clan of air pirates known as the Skyband, of whom Sala is leader; and the subplot wherein the 21st Phantom recovers his father's gunbelt and takes revenge for his father's murder.

The Ghost Who Walks

Hyde Park Entertainment and Crusader Entertainment announced in 2002^[7] that they had acquired the feature film rights to the Phantom, with screenwriter Steven E. de Souza hired to script a movie in a contemporary setting. Steven E de Souza (born 17 November 1947) is an American producer, director and Scriptwriter of Portuguese As of March 3, 2006, the movie's working title was The Ghost Who Walks. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[8] Two-time 1992 Olympic gold medalist Mel Stewart had been announced as a screenwriter for the production,^[9] replacing de Souza. The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Barcelona, Melvin ("Mel" Stewart (born November 16, 1968 in Gastonia North Carolina) is an American former swimmer who won two gold

Cameos

The Phantom also made an appearance alongside other King Features characters in the 1972 animated movie Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter. King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, He also appeared in the animated Beatles movie Yellow Submarine, together with other fictional characters such as Mandrake the Magician. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated Feature film based on the music of The Beatles.

Unauthorized versions

At least three unauthorized Phantom movies were made in Turkey. Two were made in 1968 and both were titled Kızıl Maske (the Turkish name for the Phantom, translated as "Red Mask"). The Phantom was played by Ismet Erten and Irfan Atasoy, respectively. In 1971, the unauthorized Phantom movie Kızıl Maske'nin Intikamı (The Phantom's Revenge) appeared.

Television

Main articles: Phantom 2040 and Defenders of the Earth

Mythbusters

On Mythbusters season 6, episode 86 (Superhero Special) , they tested whether or not if you punch someone while wearing a ring, will it make a ring-shaped imprint on them. Phantom 2040 is an animated Science fiction television series loosely based on the Comic strip hero The Phantom, created Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in the late 1980s featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate MythBusters is a Popular science Television program produced by Australian firm Beyond Television Productions originally for the This myth was based on the Phantom comics. It turned out to be busted.

1961 pilot

A color Phantom TV-pilot was made in 1961 starring Roger Creed as the Phantom, with Lon Chaney Jr., Paulette Goddard as the antagonists and Richard Kiel as an assassin called "Big Mike" in supporting roles. Lon Chaney Jr ( February 10, 1906 – July 12, 1973) was an American Character actor, known mainly for his roles Paulette Goddard ( June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an Oscar -nominated American Film and Theatre Richard Dawson Kiel (born September 13, 1939, in Detroit Michigan) is an American Actor best known for his role as the steel-toothed AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. [1] The pilot, which never aired anywhere in the world, was called "No Escape", and saw the Phantom trying to break up a slave camp in the jungle.

The pilot also featured the Phantom's horse Hero and his wolf Devil. It was made on a limited budget and only featured small-budget action. Scriptwriter John Carr originally wrote four episodes, but due to the fact that the pilot was never broadcast, they were never filmed. John Carr may refer to John Carr (architect (1723–1807 English architect John Carr (Indiana (1793–1845 American politician from Actress Marilyn Manning had originally been cast as Diana Palmer, but never appeared in the pilot.

Defenders of the Earth

In Defenders of the Earth from the 1980s, the twenty seventh Phantom, voiced by actor Peter Mark Richman, teams up with fellow King Features adventurers Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician. Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in the late 1980s featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate Peter Mark Richman (born April 16, 1927) is an American actor who has starred in films and on television King Features Syndicate, a Print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 Comic strips newspaper columns, Flash Gordon is the hero of a Science fiction adventure Comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing The cartoon also featured a daughter, Jedda Walker, who briefly took on the Phantom mantle in an episode where she believed her father to have perished. Other episodes of the series featured classic Phantom villains like the Sky Band. The episode "Return of the Sky Band" also featured flashbacks to the Phantom of Lee Falk's comic strip; the 21st Phantom, and his wife Diana Palmer.

In the Original Presentation Pilot for the series, The Phantom had a son, Kit Walker, and Flash Gordon had a daughter. This pilot featured music from Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends and can be found on the Volume 1 DVD set. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an animated series produced by Marvel Productions Ltd

In Defenders of the Earth, The Phantom was able to use supernatural means to give himself increased strength and speed, by saying the incantation:

"By Jungle Law
The Ghost Who Walks
Calls forth the strength of ten tigers"

It is only in this cartoon series that the Phantom has such an ability. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus In the series, the Phantom also used a special helicopter nicknamed "The Skull Copter".

Phantom 2040

Premiering in the mid-1990s, Phantom 2040 is about the adventures of a descendant, the 24th Phantom. Phantom 2040 is an animated Science fiction television series loosely based on the Comic strip hero The Phantom, created Young Kit Walker, living happily with his aunt Heloise (daughter of the 21st Phantom), and knows nothing about his family's legacy, when one day, The Phantom's friend Guran turns up to reveal the secret of the Phantom legacy. Guran is a character from The Phantom comic strip and is the Phantom's best friend since childhood Kit takes up on the mantle of The Phantom, and starts a battle against the evil company Maximum Inc. , and their plans to destroy Earth's ecosystem while a select few seal themselves in a controlled environment. He also tries to solve the mystery of the death of his father, the 23rd Phantom. The series lasted for two seasons, and spawned a large number of merchandise. The Phantom/Kit Walker was voiced by actor Scott Valentine, while other names like Mark Hamill, Ron Perlman, and Margot Kidder lent their voices to other characters. Scott Valentine ( June 3, 1958 in Saratoga Springs New York) is an American Actor. Mark Richard Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is an American Actor, Comedian and Voice actor. Ronald Francis "Ron" Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American Television, Film and voice over actor Margot Kidder (born October 17, 1948) is a Canadian-American Film and Television actress best known for playing Lois

Betaal Pachisi

An Indian TV serial named "Betaal Pachisi" (meaning Phantom XXV), starring Shahbaz Khan, Tom Alter and Sonu Walia, and directed by Sunil Agnihotri, was inspired by the Phantom, after the producers failed to obtain the rights to make an actual series about the character. ^[10] It was first aired in May, 1997 on the Doordarshan TV network of India. Each episode was half an hour long and in the Hindi language. There were 49 episodes.

Parodies

Paul Hogan, of Crocodile Dundee fame, continually parodied the Phantom on his Australian TV-show, The Paul Hogan Show. Paul Hogan AM (born October 8, 1939) is an Australian Golden Globe -winning actor and comedian most famous for his role as Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australian Comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City The Paul Hogan Show aired on Australian television from 1973 until 1984. He would dress up in the purple Phantom costume, and act out different humorous situations. The Phantom has also been frequently parodied on Scandinavian television, in different humour programs. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well

In the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros., the character The Phantom Limb is a direct parody of the Phantom, right down to the same purple suit and mask, except that the Phantom Limb's limbs are invisible, making him look like a floating torso. Adult Swim, (usually stylized swim with its signature square Brackets, is an adult-oriented Television network sharing channel space with Cartoon The Venture Bros (alternatively The Venture Brothers) is an American Animated television series airing as part of Adult Swim Phantom Limb (birth name Hamilton G Fantomas) is a fictional Supervillain on the Adult Swim television series The Venture Bros However, The Venture Brothers' Phantom Limb is a villainous character.

The myth surrounding the Phantom also provided Turkish humorists with a lot of material. The humor magazine Leman has published many comic strips some of which were inspired by the (imaginary) saying "in the jungle, it is rumored that the Phantom has the strength of ten tigers" where Phantom runs into trouble with 11 or more tigers.

Documentaries

In 1996, the A&E Network made a documentary about the history of the character for television, called The Phantom: Comic strip crusader, which featured interviews with creator Lee Falk, actors Billy Zane and Kristy Swanson, director Simon Wincer, Frew-editor Jim Shepherd, George Olesen, Keith Williams, and president of the US Phantom fan club Friends of the Phantom, Ed Rhoades. A&E is a cable and Satellite television network with headquarters in Manhattan and offices in Stamford, Atlanta, William George "Billy" Zane Jr (born February 24, 1966) is an American Actor and director. Kristen Noel "Kristy" Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American Actress best known as the original Buffy Summers Simon Wincer (born 1943 in Sydney) is an Australian Film director and Film producer. The documentary was released on DVD in 2006. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

To promote the 1996 Paramount Phantom movie, numerous TV-programs about the Phantom were made. One of them was an HBO special called "Making of The Phantom", which featured behind-the-scenes information on the movie and the comic.

An original documentary presentation for "The Phantom" is scheduled for the non-profit Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in September of 2008. The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention is held annually in Aberdeen Maryland. The event will be filmed and a 16 mm master of the TV pilot (in color) will be screened.

Stage

A musical about the Phantom was produced in Sweden in 1985. ^[11] It was written by Peter Falck and Urban Wrethagen and starred Urban Wrethagen as the Phantom. A recording of the songs was released on LP and a comic adaption of the story was published in the Swedish Fantomen magazine. The Falck-Wrethagen musical was also performed in Perth, Western Australia in 1989. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. The Phantom was played by Robert Peron.

Another musical called "Fantomets glade bryllup" ("Phantom's Happy Wedding") was made in Norway, with actor Knut Husebø as Fantomet and popular Norwegian singer Jahn Teigen composing the music and playing the antagonist. Jahn Teigen (born September 27, 1949 in Tønsberg) is a Norwegian singer and musician An antagonist (from Greek ανταγωνιστής - antagonistes, "opponent competitor rival" is a character or ^[12] This humorous take on the character included the Phantom clashing with Tarzan. Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to Teigen also had a hit song about the Phantom's relationship with Diana Palmer. Diana Palmer is a character in the American Comic strip The Phantom.

In the 1990s, Toadshow ([2]), produced a Rock Opera entitled Phantoad of the Opera, about the Phantoad (the Ghost who hops), a masked musical genius wanted to appear on Broadway. The show uses elements of many different stories including The Phantom, Phantom of the Opera, Greystoke, and even The Pirates of Penzance. The Phantom of the Opera (in French, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a French Novel by Gaston Leroux. The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by W This rock opera continues to be produced by schools.

A parody called The Phantum ([3]) was written and directed by Zac Gillam and performed in 2002 by UDS ([4]) with Brendon Fisher playing the lead as "The Ghost who Baulks".

Video games

See also: Phantom 2040 (video game)

The Phantom has appeared as a playable character in two video games, "Phantom 2040" and "Defenders of the Earth". Phantom 2040 is a side-scrolling action-adventure video game developed by Hearst Entertainment and published by Viacom in 1995 for the Sega Phantom 2040 is an animated Science fiction television series loosely based on the Comic strip hero The Phantom, created Defenders of the Earth is an animated television series produced in the late 1980s featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate Both were based on the animated series with the same titles. However, in Defenders of the Earth, the Phantom was not the only playable character, as players were given the choice to control Mandrake the Magician and Flash Gordon as well.

In "Phantom 2040", released on Sega Genesis, Game Gear and Super NES, the Phantom was the only playable character. Phantom 2040 is an animated Science fiction television series loosely based on the Comic strip hero The Phantom, created The is a 16-bit Video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 North America in 1989 and the PAL region in 1990 The Sega Game Gear is a Handheld game console which was Sega 's response to Nintendo 's Game Boy. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) is a 16-bit Video game console that was He had use of a number of his special skills and high-tech gadgets from the Phantom 2040 TV-series. Although the game enjoys somewhat of a cult following, it received luke-warm reviews from critics (it has an aggregated score of 6/10 at GameRankings. com) and did not sell as well as other super hero titles of the time such as The Death and Return of Superman or Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage. The Death and Return of Superman is a Beat 'em up Video game based on The Death of Superman storyline Spider-Man and Venom Maximum Carnage is a scrolling fighting game for the Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Software

In 2003, a video game made for Game Boy Advance was announced, called "The Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks". The Game Boy Advance (often shortened to GBA) is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. It was developed by 7th Sense, and produced by Microids, and was described as a free-roaming jungle adventure. During the development process, Microids went bankrupt, and the game was never released (7th sense's game based on Mandrake the Magician suffered the same fate). Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing

In 2006, a The Phantom Mobile Game became available for cellphones, where the Phantom fought zombies, floating skulls and other magical creatures to find his kidnapped wife, Diana Palmer. It was described as a free-roaming jungle adventure, with a film-like plot.

Theme park

"Fantomenland" ("Phantom Land") is a part of the Swedish zoo Parken Zoo, Eskilstuna, where audiences can visit the Skull Cave, and several other places from the comic, like the Whispering Grove and the headquarters of the Jungle Patrol. A zoological garden, shortened to zoo, is an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity Eskilstuna (ˈɛscɪlsˌtʰʉːna is a city in Södermanland, Sweden and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality. The Skull Cave is the hideout of The Phantom. The Skull Cave is hidden behind a large waterfall in the Deep Woods of Bangalla. Visitors can also meet actors dressed up as the Phantom, and witness short plays featuring the characters of the comic. Fantomenland was inaugurated by Lee Falk in 1986.

Footnotes

References

• The Phantom at King Features
• The Chronicle Chamber
• Comicon.con Pulse News (March 6, 2006): "How Moonstone Landed the Phantom", by Joe Gentile
• The Moonstone Books Phantom 2006 San Diego Presentation

External links

• Phantom (comics) at the Internet Movie Database
• Comicon.con Pulse News (March 8, 2006): "Bullock & The Phantom Help Invisible Children", by Jennifer M. Contino
• The Phantom Phorum - Discussion forum dedicated to The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician

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