The Phantom was created in 1936, and so became the first costumed hero of the comics. He was created by Lee Falk who had already had great success with Mandrake the Magician. The Phantom became not just successful in the United States, but became a worldwide phenomenon. Most folks know the Phantom lore, how he's supposed to be "The Ghost Who Walks", an immortal who lives in the Deep Woods of the Bengali jungle and rules over a tribe of pygmies. But in actuality he is the descendant of a long line of men who have become the Phantom over the centuries. Now he is assisted by a dog named Devil and as he rides atop a horse named Hero. His true love is Diana Palmer. Those are the basics. Until Gold Key got hold of the property in 1962 all Phantom comic books had been reprints of comic strips.
In this debut issue from Gold Key in the story titled "The Game", the Phantom has to deal with a rogue royal named Prince Ragon who is enticing people to enter into a deadly gauntlet to get the reward they most want. The guy seems more interested in watching the people fail and die than have any real sense of competition. A classic glimpse of a life lived with few if any true challenges. Needless to say, the Phantom is forced to run the deadly gauntlet when Diana Palmer is kidnapped. Under a dynamic Wilson cover Lignante's artwork is a tad tame by any standard and he pushed the limits otherwise in that he sometimes showed the Phantom's eyes and showed where he ears might be under his omnipresent cowl.
The second issue when in a story titled "The Rattle", the action picks up a bit as the Phantom is forced to seek out and confront a tribe of "Little People" who live safely behind a molten river of lava. It seems one of his ancestors had made a pact with these folks that he'd keep them safe if they stopped thieving. To that end a tribute was paid to the Phantom of a rattle which appeared mysteriously year after year. When a crown is stolen things get dicey. A second story titled "The Test" has the Phantom confront actual aliens come to Earth to test mankind's ability to withstand invasion. They conclude it's best to go elsewhere. Lignante's artwork is not all that impressive but the storytelling is crystal clear.
"The Diamond Cup" leads off the third issue and gives us more Phantom lore as we learn he possesses a diamond cup which once belonged to Alexander the Great. This is stolen and the Phantom seeks it out with a vengeance. "The Crybaby" tells the story of how the Phantom takes a boy named Cecil under his wing and teaches him how to confront the hardships of life and bullies with confidence.
Things really pick up with the story "Oogooru" in which the Phantom confronts witch doctors who want to kill him and run the actual medical doctor he's brought into the Deep Woods out. To this end they used a mystical totem named Oogooru. The Phantom has to play on the superstitions of the natives to win the day when after being seemingly killed he returns in ghostly fashion atop Hero. "The Google-Eyed Pirates" are a gang who hide among a cruise ship's customers before donning weird disguises to rob it. The Phantom takes this bunch down with little hardship. Lignante's art seems to be tightening up some and is much improved from the earlier issues.
In the story "The Swamp Rats" the Phantom must use his authority as the Commander of the Jungle Patrol to try and bring to justice a deadly gang which is robbing caravans. The story seems significantly darker than the previous issues, an improvement. "The Phantom's Boyhood" describes how the modern Phantom was born and raised in the Deep Woods, and later sent to America with his mentor Guran.
"The Lady from Nowhere" is a rugged story of a woman who is found dangling in the jungle, moments from savage death. She has amnesia it seems and learning who she is proves to be a deadly mission the Phantom undertakes. Killers abound in this story which is the most violent yet in the series. Gold Key seems to want to amp up the interest of older readers with grimmer tales. Lignante's artwork is improved still more. George Wilson's covers have been top-notch all along, but this one has real drama. "The Phantom's Boyhood Part II" introduces our Phantom to a young Diana Palmer.
"The Super Apes" is the weirdest one yet. Three seemingly intelligent gorillas emerge from the jungle and kidnap the Llongo chief and teach him to communicate with them. They return and force the whole village to gather riches for them from other tribes. This proves to be a tough menace for the Phantom to defeat as they have a strange secret. The George Wilson cover is outstanding. So powerful is the figure of the Phantom that one might overlook the apes in the backround. "The Phantom's Boyhood Part III" tells how Kit Walker eventually finds a way to earn the respect of his schoolmates.
"The Belt" is the best story in the collection and gives us the best Lignante artwork to date. Our Phantom watched his father undertake a mission to defeat the Singh Brotherhood and does destroy their fleet, but in doing so loses his gunbelt and is stabbed in the back with a mortal wound. A decade later the Phantom learns that a man has a gunbelt which he shows off to strangers. This man named Rama leads a gang situated on Gullique Island, a haven for crime. In wildly fascinating tale the Phantom goes to the island and confronts the villain who killed his dad. This one takes up the whole issue. The George Wilson cover is of special interest as it is George Wilson's likeness itself on the baddie who is coming through the window to attack the Phantom.
But that's only half the Gold Key cache of Phantom stories over the first two years from1962 to 1964. More later this month when I dive into volume two from Hermes Press.
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