Pappy’s Sunday Supplement #9: Mandrake the Magician

Lee Falk created Mandrake the Magician in 1934, which makes Mandrake about 83 years old. He is still wearing evening clothes and a top hat. Tradition is important to Mandrake.

My introduction to the character was with this 1957 newspaper continuity, called “The Penthouse Mystery” in the index of Mandrake dailies and Sundays.* Mom and Dad began a subscription to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, owned by Hearst, which also owned the King Features Syndicate. I was 10 years old, besotted by comics and in those days non-discriminating. I bought into the mystery of the flying carpet and flying horse.

In 1966, when King Features started their own short-lived comic book line, I bought Mandrake the Magician #1, and recognized the story as a redo of my introduction to Mandrake. They made it more comic bookish; even giving the unnamed thief of the 1957 strip a name, the Toymaker, but the story is essentially the same.

The newspaper strip is credited to Falk, and artist Phil Davis, assisted by his wife, Martha Davis. The comic book version is credited by the Grand Comics Database to Dick Wood for the script, and for the art Werner Roth, inked by André LeBlanc. Don Heck and Mike Peppe are credited for the cover.

*Deepwoods.org

Number 1948: Lorna: the terror of the deep, and the shallow boyfriend

Lorna is handy when her boyrfriend, Greg, gets into trouble. Not only does Lorna save him over and over, she loves him. In “Terror of the Deep” she hints that she’d like Greg to propose marriage. Greg is not dumb...he knows what Lorna is doing. He just chooses to change the subject. In those days men were expected to be head of the family, and Greg knew that in a marriage to the superbly capable and resourceful Lorna he would not be the one in charge.

From Lorna, Jungle Girl #8 (1954). Story by Don Rico, art by Werner Roth.

Number 1896: Jungle Jive Week: Lorna meets her sexist boyfriend

We have three stories this week featuring jungle women.

Issue #2 of Lorna the Jungle Queen #2 (1953) introduces us to Lorna’s boyfriend, the “mighty white hunter, Greg Knight.” Greg is a guide, leading rich “sportsmen” to unwary prey for the purposes of bagging trophies. Lorna is in the background for most of the story, watching and listening.

Greg is a male chauvinist. From this point on his relationship with Lorna is that of a downer, a naysayer telling her a woman can’t do what a man can, all while Lorna is pulling his keister out of one mess after another.

The story is by Don Rico, the pretty artwork by Werner Roth.

Number 1707: Lorna says, “I will die like a queen!”

In early issues, Atlas Comics’ answer to Sheena, Lorna, was called “Jungle Queen.” Less than a year later she lost her queen status and became just Lorna the Jungle Girl. I guess we are not privy to what act of investiture made Lorna a queen, or even what later caused her to lose her crown. In this story from Lorna, the Jungle Queen #3 (1953) Lorna considers herself a queen. While both face death, her princely partner in execution proclaims he will “die like a prince,” and Lorna swears she will “die like a queen.” If this story had been published after she lost her royal title it would have seemed odd to have her proclaim that she would “die like a girl.” So, queen she is.

Drawn by Werner Roth, story by Don Rico.

I would not be me if I did not point out that the last three panels of this story are completely gratuitous. Did editor Stan Lee tell scripter Rico, “Don, work some Reds into the story”?

Here are a couple of stories with Lorna  from the early days of Pappy’s Golden Age. Just click on the thumbnails.

Number 1631: Lorna chases the croco-ape

Lorna, tall, strong, blonde, buxom, rules her little corner of the jungle. That corner is the scene of a lot of jungle action, like this tale of a killer cross-species critter: half giant ape, half crocodile. (I don’t wish to destroy the fantasy for you, but can you imagine that thing’s parents mating? Ugh.)

Lorna has a guy, Greg, whom she likes, but who criticizes her constantly for being a “girl” out of her place (which would probably be in Greg’s jungle apartment fixing him a cocktail and his dinner of broiled zebra haunch ready and on the table when he gets home from a hard day of being a great white hunter). I say Lorna, you’re better than that. Forget this guy. He’ll just bring you down.

Finally, you’d think such a creature as a crocodile/ape would be ripe for capture by zoologists, for the purposes of study. But not in comic books where the order of the day is KILL.

Story by Don Rico, art by Werner Roth. From Lorna, the Jungle Girl #8 (1954).

More Lorna! Just click on the thumbnail: