The third volume of The Phantom -The Complete DC Comics wraps up the relatively short run on the classic Lee Falk character by writer Mark Verheiden and artist Luke McDonnell.
"Trains" from the ninth issue showcases just what Verheiden wanted to do with his Phantoms stories, and that is to confront the grim realities of Africa and somehow find a place for the Phantom's justice. The grinding poverty creates strange and dangerous games for children to play.
"Blind!" is perhaps the most tragic of the stories in the run. It speaks of people robbed of their sight by contamination and then into rice fields as slaves. The Phantom can possibly give them back their freedom, but they have lost something even beyond the powers of the Ghost Who Walks. He gets involved though when Dr. Axel, the man who delivered the current Phantom many years before is attacked. This is McDonnell's most powerful cover in the series.
The story "Famine" is yet another brutal reminder of how this world is so powerfully indifferent to the suffering of the helpless. The Phantom rushes to save a Nun and her companion when they are captured by a warlord who is stealing food supplies. We also meet Rex, a young boy the Phantom adopted some years before. The impending marriage of the Phantom to Diana has given him some qualms.
Verheiden and McDonnell wrap up this fascinating run of Phantom stories with a potent two-parter in which the Phantom himself is set up to look like a murderer. "Framed" introduces us to a noble leader who is assassinated, and the police believe the Phantom is involved when a mysterious skull is found on the victim's forehead. Sadly, the Ghost Who Walks must leave the Deep Woods just as his wedding to Diana Palmer is getting planned. We all know he will prevail. The wedding goes off without a hitch and includes a few guests we know. Though he's not namechecked a man in a top hat and tails, and his ally introduced as Prince Lothar shows up to celebrate the union. We are treated to a wonderful last page for this saga.
I have always liked the Verheiden and McDonnell run on the character. Mark Verheiden is a fantastic writer and McDonnell's work is shown in its finest form in this series which presents the material in a slightly larger format. They brought more depth and a wonderful characterization to a hero who all too often is presented as invulnerable. And truth told, sometimes I like that juggernaut of justice, but it's great to see him as just a man, a man who has chosen a difficult path for honorable reasons, but sometimes struggles with the cost.
And that wraps up my long look at The Phantom comics. I have one more glance at a classic Avon novel tomorrow.
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