The Last Phantom!

Years ago, I was annoyed that Moonstone had lost the Phantom license, but I still wanted to read Dynamite's version of Lee Falk's classic hero The Phantom. I didn't get the issues as they arrived on the stands. But I did get hold of the trade paper reprints of these stories and I'm glad I did in the end. The two volumes are divided relating to storyline. In the first titled Ghostwalk, we meet a Phantom who has rejected his heritage for a seemingly better way to help and learns that he's not going to get away from his family work all that easily when his trust is betrayed. This is a story loaded with violence. In the second volume titled Jungle Rules the aftermath of the events of the first story continues to unfold, and we revisit the origin and move the plot threads from the first volume forward some. 

Actually, I have to say I was taken away by them. I get what purists object to in this much more violent version of the classic "Ghost Who Walks", but I did detect a clear knowledge of and a fundamental respect for the classic version. If this bloody Phantom was all I had, then I might sigh mightily and move on, but seen merely as a version of the classic, I was intrigued.

This Phantom might or might not be the twenty-first we all know and admire. The arrival of Diana Palmer at the end makes me think he must be. My initial impressions was that this was the twenty-second Phantom, the son of the classic we'd been following so long who was trying to find a Twenty-first Century solution to the Phantom mission, something other than shooting forty-fives and traipsing across the jungle saving folk who need saving. This is a good man who wanted to do good on a broader scale. But we soon find, as does he, that fate has other plans.

The death toll in this story is exceedingly high, and The Phantom is not shy about leaving those who deal death to a fatal reward. That's a definite shift in the nature of the heroics here. It's pretty high octane stuff in this story which never really stops. Thank goodness I waited to read the tale in its entirety. Following along month by month would've been far too tedious.

This Phantom is already married with a son, a wife and son who are killed when the worldwide network he has established for the betterment of the poor of the world is sabotaged by his second in command, a man named appropriately Quisling. Kit Walker must survive long enough to return to his roots as the "Ghost Who Walks" and bring hard justice to those who have killed so many innocents.

I liked how Scott Beatty's story reinterpreted so many of the classic tropes of the original tale, giving them a new and often darker spin. The addition of a stealth suit to the Phantom's arms was a nice idea, adding to the Phantom's power and living up to his name. Hero and Devil are both along for the ride, though the pair do prove nettlesome when it comes to intercontinental transport.

(Edwardo Ferrigato)

The artwork by Edwardo Ferrigato is still of the new school which usually leaves me a bit cold, but has enough classic touches that I can endure it. The Phantom doesn't look off model in most of the panels and the storytelling is sufficient. I would've preferred an artist with a bit more atmosphere, or perhaps a more detailed inker would've helped. The covers by Alex Ross and others are magnificent by and large, though as always with Dynamite they become a fetish with so many different versions being available. I'm happy to have them all in these trades where they can be savored.

The second story arc gives us a new version of the classic origin, a much bloodier retelling but one that still rings essentially true. The Phantom is a concept which is sturdy enough to handle these revisions, so I don't mind when writers try to bring a bit of a change to the details, as long as they don't tinker with the core.

Overall, I found myself swept along by the story which I will caution one and all does end abruptly. But not without a wink to the fans who know that the Phantom regardless of circumstances will always prevail. I will caution you that not all the plot threads are answered in this collection, and it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. The annual drawn by Johnny Desjardins tells a story of how the father of the current Phantom might have died. Despite the lack of a neat finale, these are still compelling reads. 

Here are the superb covers by Alex Ross with their logos for all twelve regular issues and the annual. 

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