Phantom Of The Phuture!

Wandering through a discount retail store last week just browsing, I stumbled across an intriguing display of vintage DVDs. Almost immediately I spied a copy of Phantom 2040 "The Ghost Who Walks". This is a feature-length version of the 1990's cartoon show, the first five episodes melded together.

This is one of the better and more imaginative variations on Lee Falk's classic hero. Set obviously in the future, the Phantom dynasty is almost sundered by the murder of the 23rd Phantom when he tries to stop a madman industrialist named Maxwell Madison from destroying Earth's eco-system. His son grows up unaware of his heritage but is brought into the know by  Guran and his aunt Heloise. He quickly enough ends up battling Rebecca Madison, the widow of his father's murderer and her son Maxwell Jr. and her henchman Graft, as they seek to follow through on the mad schemes of the elder Madison.

Removed from his classic African setting, this Phantom is a sleek post-modern  hero who has lots of high-tech equipment to wage his battle for justice in Metropia, a typical future environment where the people are hypnotized by technological entertainment and suffer from all manner of subtle mind control. Robots called "Biots" are ubiquitous and often are pitted against the Phantom. It is this basic conflict, between the natural world and the technological one which forms the primary tension in the series. The suggestion is that by being torn from his natural connection with the world, man has become poisoned in a manner of speaking. It is the purpose of the Phantom to reform that connection and achieve a proper balance between nature and technology. As he says in the movie's last line "The world is his jungle".

This above average cartoon was engaging during its initial run. The character designs are by the same talents who sprung Aeon Flux on the world and while they seem a tad quaint today, certainly weren't so in the early 90's. The animation seems a bit underwhelming, looming larger my memory than in reality. But it's still an engaging experience with some offbeat sequences.

The series was adapted to comics by Marvel of all folks. They tapped the great Steve Ditko to pencil the four issues. Here's a look at the covers.

Here's a glimpse of Ditko's rendition of the futuristic Phantom.

This Phantom succeeded, at least in my mind because while they changed up the background, they did not tamper with his desire to battle for justice. He is still an admirable man who is trying to find a way to make his world better by standing up for those who need his help. In the case of this Phantom, it just happens to be the whole planet which needs his help.

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Aparo Phakes!

The late and most certainly great Jim Aparo made a splash first at Charlton Comics before he became a DC Comics stalwart. And before he became one of the key Batman artists of the Bronze Age and beyond, he cut his teeth on Lee Falk's jungle hero The Phantom. Aparo's art was sophisticated and sleek and because he did his own lettering, his work was distinctive.

Above are a couple of utterly fantastic Aparo covers his Phantom run alongside a couple of Indrajal Comics which seem to...ahem...draw their inspiration from them. A great detail is how in his original, Aparo has the riding Phantom's arm loose by his side as you wold do on a horse and propped in preening fashion like the copy. On the Pharaoh cover note how much movement and drama Aparo implies, which is woefully missing from the later swipe.

A swipe is a good way sometimes to appreciate what a true talent the original artist really was.

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Newtonian Phakes!

Here is a beautiful example of the simply mind-boggling artwork Don Newton fashioned for his brief but inspired run on Charlton's The Phantom. Newton took Lee Falk's character to new heights by adding a shadowy flavor to the images, giving the whole book a noir feel at times.

This cover painting for and issue of the comic that Newton did not do the interiors for is a prime example. As beautiful as Newton's work was, the Charlton folks found it printed dark and Newton had a difficult time hitting deadlines and giving the work his all. His tenure was brief but is still seared in my memory.
 

The story "The Shining City" written by Joe Gill and featuring art by the Recreo Studio was evidently reprinted in this issue of Indrajal Comics. Someone thought it a good idea to try and recreate the lush Newton painting. The mood is absent but the fundamental structure of the image keeps hits power.

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Thru Space And Time!

I'll be the first to admit that not every issue of Alter Ego commands my attention as perhaps it ought. But I've been a faithful follower of the Roy Thomas edited magazine since its second coming as part of the Twomorrows line-up many moons ago now. But the most recent issue, scheduled to hit the stands today, does look like a sweet one. 3-D comics are just plain fun, and this looks to be a nice heaping helping of them, properly packaged with some great background info. Here's a link with more details.

And while I'm at it, I have to admit it's been a long time since I was so excited month in and month out about a comic book. Getting my mitts on the next Classic Popeye by the late great Bud Sagendorf from YOe Comics and IDW has become a real treat and reminds me of simpler times when I looked forward to all sorts of great comics.

It's a darn good week.

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The Green Team!

Here's a revival I never saw coming. DC is bringing back The Green Team, a gang of kid millionaires created by Joe Simon and Jerry Grandenetti for an early installment of 1st Issue Special. These were Richie Riches who joined forces to help humanity across the globe. The series lasted all of one issue though another did manage to creep into the legendary Cancelled Comic Cavalcade.

Now the Simon and Grandenetti creations are being revived in an upcoming comic which examines the Occupy Wall Street movement from the perspective of the ultra-wealthy, the one percent if you will and the less well off, everyone else or the ninety-nine percent. The two series are titled The Green Team and The Movement. Here are some more details.

I'm frankly surprised that Jack Kirby's 1st Issue Special offering The Dingbats of Danger Street wasn't tapped for a role in "The Movement", or maybe they were. The title "Dingbat" wouldn't go over well I'd imagine. These impoverished Kirby urchins do seem to be the natural counterparts to ultra-rich Green Team.

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Popeye's Can-Do Attitude!

Popeye: The Great Comic Book Tales by Bud Sagendorf , a handsome YOe Books collection is one I've toyed with getting for over a year. A shop in the town my daughters live and work in has had one on its shelves for nearly all that time. When I visit, I go there and pick this volume up and think to buy it, but until this weekend failed to do so. After haggling a bit on the price, I went ahead and bit. I know from the great Popeye comics from YOe and IDW that these are awesome stories, so I snapped it up with calm assurance I'd enjoy it.

There's some dandy behind-the-scenes and historical material included, but the heart of the collection are the totally compelling Popeye tales. This is a hefty and handsome volume. I'm glad to add this Popeye goodness to my collection at long last. The spinach can motif is a hoot and a half.

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Blazing Western!

Charlton's Cheyenne Kid has almost always been well served by the artists who worked on the series. From Sanho Kim to Pat Boyette and others like Rocke Mastroserio and John Severin, the series always looked sharp. Here is a 1997 reprint of some western stories headlined by Cheyenne, with a new cover by an artist identified only as "Christopher". I don't know anymore, but I do know it's a striking image.

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