IpComics' Phantom reflections!
On these pages I will post some of my reflections regarding the Phantom strips. I have been writing these as I have edited the stories to be as close to the originals as possible. I will try to post several texts on one page, and will need feedback on how this works out.
Thanks.
At the beginning of 1943, just a week before this story (D017 - Bent Beak Broder) starts, the papers, because of papers shortage, did reduce the height of their comic strips. The idea was to make room for a bit more art on the same space of paper. Two versions of the strip were made, one complete and another version with some unused bottom art.
Several publishers have reprinted the Phantom strips from the 40s and the 50s, but almost every time the reduced strips have been used. The reason for this is partly that these are what KFS and other have filed for later use.
Of course, none of the action and dialogs is gone, but as a fan, and a bit careful one, I want the strips to be complete in the most possible way. This is not easy for reasons mentioned above, but some of the stories I now have complete, and I hope there will be more to come. My goal is only to collect as many stories with complete as possible.
Not only the daily, but the Sunday strip as well were reduced to make more space, but that will be described in connection to a Sunday story, see you there.
World War 2 and reduced strips.
The engagement is off ...
In the next (D018 - The Phantom's Engagement) story, the Phantom asks Diana to marry him, and she say “yes”! That well, now we think they will live happy ever after, but wait, there is more ...
For reasons explained in the story, Diana call of the wedding and the Phantom goes away thinking he will never see her again. As we have been reading the strip regular since then we know that is not so, but how will not be reviled until the next volume, so just wait and see.
A difficult proposal
We learned that to propose was hard for the Phantom, and it shall be even harder. It is not until sometime in 1978 he finally ask here again. Why did Falk change the way of telling about the Phantom? What happened with the strip right after this proposal?
I have elsewhere been writing about my idea that Falk was not very much present in the story telling. Perhaps he did not have time to tell a story about romance and wedding just yet?
Anyway, during war times and the years after, the readers wanted action and exciting stories, just as they got in other strips, who was Falk to write a romantic wedding story about his crime fighter?
Well, whatever the reason for not letting the Phantom propose very soon is, I am glad. I do not think the proposal and wedding brought much good into the strip.