The Phantom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Phantom |
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|---|---|
First Sunday strip (May 28, 1939);
art by Ray Moore |
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| Author(s) | Lee Falk |
| Current status/schedule | Ongoing |
| Launch date | February 17, 1936 |
| Syndicate(s) | King Features Syndicate |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
The Phantom is a famous American adventure comic strip. It was first published in February 1936 by Lee Falk. The main character, known as the Phantom, is a fictional hero who fights crime. He wears a special costume and works from a make-believe African country called Bangalla. This character has also appeared in TV shows, movies, and video games.
The Phantom's Story
The comic strip started as a daily newspaper comic on February 17, 1936. A color Sunday strip followed on May 28, 1939. Both are still being published today! In 1966, the company King Features said that The Phantom was in 583 newspapers around the world. At its most popular, over 100 million people read the strip every day.
Lee Falk created The Phantom and worked on it until he passed away in 1999. Since then, Tony DePaul has been writing the comic strip. The drawings are done by Mike Manley for the Monday-Saturday strips and Jeff Weigel for the Sunday strips.
A Family of Heroes
In the comic, the Phantom is not just one person. He is the 21st hero in a long line of crime-fighters. This special family tradition began in 1536. That year, a British sailor named Christopher Walker lost his father during a pirate attack. Christopher swore an oath on the skull of his father's killer to fight evil. This started a legacy where the role of the Phantom would pass from father to son.
The Phantom has several cool nicknames. People call him "The Ghost Who Walks," "Guardian of the Eastern Dark," and "The Man Who Cannot Die."
No Superpowers?
Unlike many other superheroes, the Phantom does not have any special powers. He uses his strength, intelligence, and the legend that he is immortal to fight bad guys. He relies on his smarts and skills to defeat evil.
The current Phantom, the 21st one, is married to Diana Palmer. They met when he was studying in the United States. They have two children, a son named Kit and a daughter named Heloise. The Phantom also has loyal animal friends: a trained wolf named Devil and a horse named Hero. Like all the Phantoms before him, he lives in a secret, ancient place called the Skull Cave.
A Trendsetter in Comics
The Phantom was the first fictional hero to wear a tight-fitting costume. This type of costume later became very common for comic-book superheroes. He was also the first hero shown with a mask that had no visible pupils in the eyes. This look also became a standard for many superheroes.
Some comic historians say the Phantom is a "transitional" hero. This means he has some features of older heroes, like those from pulp magazines such as The Shadow and the Spider. He also has traits of earlier jungle heroes like Tarzan. At the same time, he helped set the stage for later comic book heroes like Superman, Batman, and Captain America.
See also
In Spanish: The Phantom para niños
