The Girl Phantom is a regrettable addition to the grand mythos of Lee Falk's Ghost Who Walks. Her story is featured and told in the above issue of the King Reading Library. You can read the story at this link. This story like all the stories in this fun series was reprinted.
It appeared originally in 1967's The Phantom #20 featuring art by Bill Lignante and a script by Pat Fortunato. This appears to be one of two stories by Fortunato and Lignante featuring the character, the other one appearing in The Phantom #24 (which GCD credits to editor Bill Harris).
But the saga of the cover is a bit more complicated.
Part of the cover of for the Reading Library issue is taken from The Phantom #21, a dramatic image of The Phantom himself by Sy Barry.
The image of the Girl Phantom though comes from an interior page, a panel by artist Bill Lignante.
Then stick at the bottom of the cover this dynamic image of Mandrake by Andre LeBlanc from 1967's Mandrake the Magiciian #4 and the cover assembly is complete.
The Girl Phantom though is actually featured along with many of the more classic King Features characters on the back cover. She looks downright adorable huddling next to Blondie and Beetle and the others reading a comic. Someone at King must've thought they had a real winner here to draw in the ever elusive girl audience. Perhaps, but I still hate the concept.
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According to Pat Fortunato herself in her blog, the Phantom 24 story was her first comic book script. The Girl Phantom stories in Phantom 20 and Mandrake 4 were by Dick Wood; the exclamation "Great ghosts" in the reprinted page is one of his pets.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. From what I could find at GCD and elsewhere, I was confused, hence my use of "appears". I suspected I didn't have the whole of it. It's nice to get the real story.
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Actually, Moonstone Comics' take on Julie Walker was pretty well crafted.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Massie did an excellent job on the script, and the art is really well rendered.
Even if you aren't sold on the concept, it's a pretty good read.