Search Results for: phantom

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What is this John X business? January – April 2024


The past couple months in Tony DePaul and Jeff Weigel’s The Phantom (Sundays) has seen a lot of Jungle Patrol head Colonel Worubu looking over the Unknown Commander’s new office. This is justified by the import of the thing. Tony DePaul is trying to revise a big part of Phantom Pholklore. Up to now, The … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What is this John X business? January – April 2024”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Why does every comic look funny these days? December 2023 – March 2024


More likely than not, whatever strip you’re reading looks funny because of Mike Manley’s health problems. This forced him to take leave of The Phantom weekday edition as well as Judge Parker. The weekday Phantom has been drawn by Jeff Weigel and then Bret Blevins. Judge Parker, D D Degg observed at The Daily Cartoonist, … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Why does every comic look funny these days? December 2023 – March 2024”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What’s with the Jungle Patrol safe? November 2023 – January 2024


The Safe in the closed room is the means by which the Unknown Commander ordinarily receives reports from, and transmits orders to, his Jungle Patrol. A light outside the door lets the Jungle Patrol know there’s something to pick up. No one in Jungle Patrol has figured how the Unknown Commander gets into a locked … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What’s with the Jungle Patrol safe? November 2023 – January 2024”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? What’s with the art in The Phantom? September – December 2023


Regular Phantom weekday-strip artist Mike Manley has been ill, and has had to take time off. Sunday artist Jeff Weigel stepped in, with strips featuring his work appearing from last week on. On his blog, Phantom writer Tony DePaul reports that Bret Blevins — who’s filled in in the past — will be on the … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? What’s with the art in The Phantom? September – December 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why is that guy on a typewriter in the strip? August – November 2023


Show some respect, little one. That guy with the typewriter is Lee Falk, the creator of The Phantom and its sister strip Mandrake the Magician. Legend in the serial adventure comic business. Falk died in 1999, but his name remains in the credit box on the comic strips, I assume out of sentiment rather than … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why is that guy on a typewriter in the strip? August – November 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Why does Mozz care when Kit Jr decided to come home? July – September 2023


The weekday story has just started the seventh and final part of the tremendous wrack-and-ruin story. It begins with Kit Junior visiting the Skull Cave and finding everybody but Mozz gone. Mozz is low-key freaked out because to get from Arunachal Pradesh, India, to Bangalla he must have set out more than a day or … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Why does Mozz care when Kit Jr decided to come home? July – September 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Was there a point to that whole Sunday Phantom story? May – August 2023


Of course there was. There was soaking in an interesting place. There was seeing aspects of The Phantom’s world, and lore, that we hadn’t. It didn’t lead to a big dramatic battle royale, no. Nor the destruction of a lost world, like you’d see in a 20th-century movie about a Dr Moreau-esque city. As will … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Was there a point to that whole Sunday Phantom story? May – August 2023”

What’s Going On In DePaul and Mike Manley’s The Phantom (Weekdays)? Who is John X and why does Jungle Patrol care? April – June 2023


John X is yet another alias of The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks, Kit Walker, the Unknown Commander, et cetera. Jungle Patrol cares because they know him. In a story back in 2014-15 The Phantom got a case of jungle-poison-induced amnesia. Jungle Patrol found and nursed him back to health, and gave him the placeholder … Continue reading “What’s Going On In DePaul and Mike Manley’s The Phantom (Weekdays)? Who is John X and why does Jungle Patrol care? April – June 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why do the secret furries live in the 19th century? February – May 2023


The animal-like people in Tony DePaul and Jeff Weigel’s The Phantom‘s Sunday-continuity story, “Return to the Temple of the Gods”, came about from an Ancient Egyptian Cult that somehow developed a race of super-men. This was introduced in a daily-continuity story back in 2005. I’m considering doing a special recap of that as the Return … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why do the secret furries live in the 19th century? February – May 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Are tribesmen really going to conquer a prison? January – April 2023


Well, not only tribesmen. Women are there too. But yes, the current story in Tony DePaul and Mike Manley’s The Phantom, weekday continuity, has the Bandar tribe’s warriors attacking Gravelines. It’s the maximum security prison for fascist Rhodia. Tony DePaul has tried to make this a fairer fight. The prison’s a lousy posting. The already-lousy … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Are tribesmen really going to conquer a prison? January – April 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why are there furries in The Phantom? November 2022 – February 2023


OK, first, this is about the Sunday continuity for Tony DePaul and Jeff Weigel’s The Phantom. This has been a much lower-key story than the daily continuity, currently in a chapter about a massive impromptu jailbreak. If you’re interested in that story, or if you’re trying to catch up on the Sunday strips after about … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why are there furries in The Phantom? November 2022 – February 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Where did the Bandar cavalry come from? October 2022 – January 2023


From Bandar. Do try to keep up. For those who came in late: The Phantom, in his escape from Gravelines Prison, saw “the Bandar nation” ride out of the mists to save him and Savarna Devi. The question is how they knew where to be. This hasn’t been explicitly answered but we can surmise. Mozz … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Where did the Bandar cavalry come from? October 2022 – January 2023”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why are you publishing on Monday? September – November 2022


After a lot of running late I wanted to prove I could meet my own deadline, okay? Also I’m probably going to want to explain why everyone’s angry at Funky Winkerbean soon and I’ll need to clear some publication slots for that, too. So this should catch you up to the end of November in … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why are you publishing on Monday? September – November 2022”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Why are we seeing the death of The Phantom? August – October 2022


OK so, once again I am asking people to get this straight: the Phantom is the man who cannot die. If we see what looks like him dying, it’s because that is not what we’re seeing. Which is, indirectly, a key point in a lovely essay Tony DePaul published recently. In The Death of the … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Why are we seeing the death of The Phantom? August – October 2022”

Statistics September: How Many People Wanted Me To Tell Them The Phantom Wasn’t Dead Last Month


If there is a refrain for 2022, it’s “boy, remember when we thought 2020 was a rough year?”. But the other is that Tony DePaul and Mike Manley’s project, to show what it would look like were The Phantom to die, sends people here to check if he’s dead. Four of the five most popular … Continue reading “Statistics September: How Many People Wanted Me To Tell Them The Phantom Wasn’t Dead Last Month”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Did *anything* happen in The Phantom? June – September 2022


The last couple months of the Sunday continuity of The Phantom have not been dense in plot. You’ll see that in how short this recap is. But a story is not its plot; plot is only the easiest part of a story to summarize. There is mood and character and art and how they come … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Did *anything* happen in The Phantom? June – September 2022”

Statistics August: People Want Me To Explain If The Phantom Is Dead Already


Once again, not to spoil things, but the man who cannot die. But people are very interested in the current, yearlong-and-still-going, story in which Mozz foresees and tries to prevent The Phantom’s death. And the wholesale destruction of his family’s heritage. Let me start off by sharing the five most popular things published in August, … Continue reading “Statistics August: People Want Me To Explain If The Phantom Is Dead Already”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Did Captain Savarna have kids with The Phantom? May – July 2022


That is the surface implication of the 24th of June’s strip. We see The Phantom, about to go to North India to search for his estranged son again, kissing goodbye to a quite pregnant Savarna Devi. This is normal dramatic shorthand for someone bidding farewell to their spouse. Mozz tells us that this is the … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Did Captain Savarna have kids with The Phantom? May – July 2022”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why does The Phantom have an Eden? April – June 2022


“Eden” is, in The Phantom universe, an island at the end of a river in Bangalla. It’s another of The Phantom’s many side projects. All the animals on it live in harmony, including the predatory creatures like the lions and the tigers. The Phantom Wiki explains that they eat fish, to keep their hunting instincts … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why does The Phantom have an Eden? April – June 2022”

Judge Parker and The Phantom look odd because Mike Manley isn’t drawing them


Just passing on some news for readers of Judge Parker and The Phantom, weekday continuity, who didn’t see the news already at Daily Cartoonist. Mike Manley, who ordinarily draws both, has some health issues not shared with us. This, I hope, is a temporary matter while he recovers and that he’ll be back soon. I … Continue reading “Judge Parker and The Phantom look odd because Mike Manley isn’t drawing them”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Is anything real happening in The Phantom? February – May 2022


For most of the last year Tony DePaul and Mike Manley’s The Phantom weekday continuity has been an imaginary story. A story of how the current, 21st, Phantom could die. It’s Tony DePaul’s chance to tell a story that probably couldn’t be done in-continuity. Not with how much The Phantom Publishing Empire sprawls, even if … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Is anything real happening in The Phantom? February – May 2022”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why is the Sunday Phantom illegible now? January – April 2022


So back in February Comics Kingdom pushed a big change in their server code. This caused it all to break for a couple days. Most of this has been fixed. But among the things still broken are that some strips, including The Phantom, appear on Sundays in the wrong aspect ratio. That is, they’re shown … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? Why is the Sunday Phantom illegible now? January – April 2022”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Why is Savarna trying to destroy The Phantom? December 2021 – February 2022


She’s not. It would never occur to her to try. But once you start the avalanche you can’t tell — you know, I mentioned how of course Terry Beatty, of Rex Morgan M.D., was not trying to upstage me. This in providing a good succinct plot recap right as my plot recap was ready to … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Weekdays)? Why is Savarna trying to destroy The Phantom? December 2021 – February 2022”

Statistics 2021: At Last, How The Old Year Liked Me Writing About _The Phantom_


I have not been avoiding a check back on the past year, to see what WordPress figures my readership was like. I simply have had that thing happen where I get up, have lunch, do three things, and then it’s 11 pm. You may have noticed this in your own lives, depending on when you … Continue reading “Statistics 2021: At Last, How The Old Year Liked Me Writing About _The Phantom_”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? How many ritual responsibilities does The Phantom have? October 2021 – January 2022


I’m not deeply versed in all 85 years of The Phantom‘s lore. I’m just a more-than-casual reader. By my estimate he’s got about 412 days a year that he needs to attend some part of some ritual event. One of these rituals started off the current Sunday strip storyline. In the 1950s daily strips Comics … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? How many ritual responsibilities does The Phantom have? October 2021 – January 2022”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Why should we read this imaginary story? September – December 2021


To paraphrase Alan Moore, you know they’re all imaginary, right? Still, the past three months in Tony DePaul and Mike Manley’s The Phantom has been what would happen if The Phantom made a disastrous choice. (This is the weekday continuity. The Sunday stories have been less ominous material.) As discussed on X-Band: The Phantom Podcast, … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Why should we read this imaginary story? September – December 2021”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What exactly is The Visitor? August – October 2021


We don’t know! The past three months in the Sunday continuity saw The Phantom share what’s known about The Visitor. It seems to be material; it leaves footprints and can punch out and skull-mark minions. It doesn’t seem to be material; it disappears from exitless rooms and caves. It seems to know language; it told … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What exactly is The Visitor? August – October 2021”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Are we about to see the death of the 21st Phantom? June – September 2021


I know I answered this last time, but: no, The Phantom is the Man Who Cannot Die. It’s right there in the premise. Ghost Who Walks and all that. That said, we are seeing what sure looks like a death of the current, 21st, Phantom, at the hands of Gravelines Prison guards. And Old Man … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Are we about to see the death of the 21st Phantom? June – September 2021”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What is this Visitor the Phantoms keep getting? May – August 2021


The Sunday continuity has been The Current, 21st, Phantom, telling of encounters four previous Phantoms had. These all involved The Visitor, who looks like The Phantom, and seems to have knowledge and abilities only The Phantom should have. We’ve now seen stories from all the four previous Phantoms to encounter The Visitor. This implies we’re … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (Sundays)? What is this Visitor the Phantoms keep getting? May – August 2021”

What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Is The Phantom about to die? April – June 2021


Don’t be silly; The Phantom is immortal. That’s, like, the second thing you learn about the comic, after how he’s called The Ghost Who Walks. But yeah, there has been a lot of foreshadowing the end of the current Phantom’s life. It’s been like this for several years now, but the current story is hitting … Continue reading “What’s Going On In The Phantom (weekdays)? Is The Phantom about to die? April – June 2021”