The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies #1 - 1936-1937

([June] 2010)

Enter The Ghost Who Walks (Table of Contents: 1)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ron Goulart

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

Typeset

Reprints

• in The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies (Hermes Press, 2010 series) #1 [2nd Printing] - 1936-1937 ([March] 2014)

Indexer Notes

Contains covers from various Phantom publications.

The Singh Brotherhood (Table of Contents: 2)

The Phantom / comic story / 114 pages (report information)

Script

Lee Falk

Pencils

Lee Falk; Ray Moore

Inks

Lee Falk; Ray Moore

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; jungle

Characters

The Phantom [Kit Walker]; Devil; Guran; Diana Palmer; Sala; Melville Horton; Jimmy Wells; Kabai Singh; Achmed Singh; The 19th Phantom [Kit Walker's grandfather]; The 20th Phantom [Kit Walker's father]; The first Phantom [Sir Christopher Standish]

Synopsis

Diana Palmer's ship is attacked before it reaches New York. The Phantom saves Diana. The Singh Brotherhood kidnaps Diana and takes her to their leader Kabai Singh at their base at the bottom of the sea. The Phantom manages to rescue Diana and escape but becomes severely injured. Diana is picked up by a British naval ship that destroys the base.

The Phantom is captured as he tries to enter the Singh base alone. Kabai Singh's protegé, Sala, falls in love with the Phantom and rescues him. Sala reveals that she was a spy for a group called "The Sky Band". The Phantom decides to investigate.

Reprints

• from The Phantom daily (King Features Syndicate) 1936-02-17 - 1936-11-07

Keywords

Bandar; Bandar Village; Bay of Bengal; Colonial Service; Dutch East Indies; Graveyard of the Whales; HMS Valor; Indian Ocean; Java; Java Sea; Krakatan; Long Island; Luntok; Mount Trepnich; Neglami; Neglami River; New York; Oath of the Skull; Palmer Hospital for Crippled Children; S.S. Trotter; Skull Cave; Skull Ring; Skull Throne; Sumatra; The Singh Brotherhood; The Sky Band

Indexer Notes

"The Singh Brotherhood" is the first Phantom daily story. The first few weeks were drawn by Falk; he handed the art off to Ray Moore when it became too much (he was simultaneously working on Mandrake). Several elements of the Phantom myth are introduced, including The Phantom and his alias "The Ghost Who Walks", Devil, Diana, Guran, the Bandar tribe, the Singh Brotherhood, the Skull Mark, the Oath of the Skull, the Skull Cave, the Skull Throne and others. The Bandar are said to be cannibals and Guran is introduced as "the fanatical witch-doctor" of the tribe. Diana is introduced as a "famed young explorer" and is notably wealthy. The home of the Phantom is given to be the island of Luntok in the Dutch East Indies, a British protectorate between Java and Sumatra. The name of the man who became the first Phantom is reported as Sir Christopher Standish, and the year in witch he swore the Oath of the Skull as 1525. The current Phantom is seen swearing the Oath while his father was still alive. The story features the first meeting between the Phantom and Diana, as well as the first time the Phantom propose to her. Diana is also asked to marry Jimmy Wells as well as Melville Horton. The phrase "The Phantom only warns once", years later given as an old jungle saying, is mentioned by the Phantom himself three times. The Phantom suit is said to be gray.

The Sky Band (Table of Contents: 3)

The Phantom / comic story / 66 pages (report information)

Script

Lee Falk

Pencils

Ray Moore

Inks

Ray Moore

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; jungle

Characters

The Phantom [Kit Walker]; Devil; Diana Palmer; Melville Horton; Guran; Sala; The Baroness

Synopsis

Sala escapes an army hospital and rejoins the all-female Sky Band gang on the Isle of Herons. The Phantom is arrested on the suspicion of aiding Sala. Freed by the Bandar, the Phantom reaches the Isle of Herons but is captured and taken to the Baroness, the leader of the gang. The Baroness is attracted to the Phantom, leading to conflict within the gang. The Baroness sends Sala away on a mission, resulting in Sala's arrest. Sala realizes the Baroness set her up in order to get rid of her, and cooperates with the army, leading them to the Isle of Herons, where they help defeat the Sky Band.

Reprints

• from The Phantom daily (King Features Syndicate) 1936-11-09 - 1937-04-10

Keywords

Bandar; Bassein; Batavia (Jakarta); Batavia Airport; Bombay; Burma; Calcutta; Colonial Service; India Airways; Isle of Herons; Luntok; Skull Throne; The Olympia; The Sky Band

Indexer Notes

"The Sky Band", sometimes titled "The Sky-Band", is the second Phantom daily story.
Page 185: For strip dated 1937.03.15, Panels 3 and 4 are missing. Panels 1 and 2 are Panels 3 and 4 from 1937.03.13.

The Diamond Hunters (Table of Contents: 4)

The Phantom / comic story / 69 pages (report information)

Script

Lee Falk

Pencils

Ray Moore

Inks

Ray Moore

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; jungle

Characters

The Phantom [Kit Walker]; Devil; Diana Palmer; Melville Horton; Guran

Synopsis

Rogue prospectors Smiley and Hill discover a rich deposit of diamond bearing clay in the Llongo territory but Llongo Chief Tari refuses to allow them to mine in the area. Smiley and Hill then kidnap the chief's daughter Ola and the blame is put on a neighbor tribe. War begins between the Llongo and the Osi-Wey starts. The Phantom rescues Ota from the prospectors and the war is stopped.

Diana returns to Frasertown and takes a safari to the jungle to find the Phantom. Smiley becomes the guide for her safari and kidnaps her. The Phantom rescues her killing Smiley in the process.

Reprints

• from The Phantom daily (King Features Syndicate) 1937-04-12 - 1937-09-18

Keywords

Aden; Bandar; Bandar Village; Bombay; Djarling; Frasertown; Llongo; Llongo Village; Osi-Wey; Osi-Wey Village; Port Said; Skull Throne; The Bad Camp; The Phantom's Country; Wathacti

Indexer Notes

"The Diamond Hunters" (also known as "War in the Jungle") is the third Phantom daily story. Diana sees the Phantom without his mask for the first time, and has her first visit to the Bandar Village and the Phantom's home. This story features one of the rare occasions where the Phantom kills - Smiley is shot down and dies. The settlement at the outskirt of the Phantom's jungle is named for the first time: Frasertown. In the following story, "Little Toma", Frasertown is pinpointed to be in Bengal, India. This story has often been reprinted with the title "The Diamond Hunters". However, the actual title "War in the Jungle" appears in the last daily strip of the preceding story. This story marks the first appearance of the Llongo tribe.

For Those Who Came in Late... (Table of Contents: 5)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Ed Rhoades

Pencils

Ray Moore

Inks

Ray Moore

Letters

Typeset

Reprints

• in The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies (Hermes Press, 2010 series) #1 [2nd Printing] - 1936-1937 ([March] 2014)