The Phantom - The Island Of Dogs!

The Island of Dogs is the thirteenth installment in the Avon Books series "The Story of the Phantom". It was originally published in 1975 and was written by Warren Shanahan. It's adapted from the Lee Falk and Sy Barry story from 1963 titled "The Mystery of the Island of the Dogs". It features an incredibly dynamic Geore Wilson cover. The Phantom look seriously dangerous. 

When a young couple are treated to the local lore about a remote island which once upon a time was filled with stray dogs and became literally a savage dog-eat-dog hell, they choose to trot along the beach and find a strange, electrified fence which warns of trespassing. They are then shot at, and this news finds its way to the Phantom who moves to take a hand. We meet an impulsive but capable young woman named Janice Helm who is liberated and just so happens to be the niece of the man who owns the island. She is attacked and the Phantom saves the day. When the Jungle Patrol takes a helicopter over the island and is shot at, the situation is elevated. Things really get hairy when Janice and Riggs, the young and alert Jungle Patrol officer take a boat out to the island. At the same time the Phantom makes a quiet incursion and discovers a deadly secret which threatens not just Bangalla but the whole world. 

This is a rare adventure novel which seems more interested in character than plot. We get extensive insights into the personalities of Janice Helm and later her uncle Matt Helm. (It's only now as I type this that I wonder if that name is an homage to the spy-fi hero played by Dean Martin.) The top nemesis is named Serge, and we find out a great deal about his past and his motivations for the plot which is uncovered on the Island of the Dogs. The Phantom for his part in this adventure is more of a mysterious figure, which adds to his power. 

I was fascinated by this one beyond its adventure which is pretty good. We seem to have an actual theme here about the way societies organize themselves. We are given a literal dog-eat-dog situation that metamorphizes into a larger threat which then becomes a problem for the civilized law enforcement. On top of that we have the Phantom's law which is that he enforces peace for the good of all. There are echoes of the Cuban Missile Crisis which brings to the fore all manner of political implications for the story. All in all, it's a fascinating little Phantom adventure. 

Next time the Phantom confronts The Assassins. 

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