Mandrake the Magician

   Here's further proof that we're living in a Golden Age for comic reprints!

   Mandrake the Magician is one of the first super-powered comic heroes of all time, and this full-color reprint from Titan Books focuses on Sunday pages from 1935 to 1937.

   The character seems a bit quaint these days with his top hat and tuxedo, and we can cringe a bit at the characterization of his friend Lothar, a powerful African who speaks (and sometimes acts) childishly, but often saves the day for Mandrake.

   The opening storyline also features a female assistant, the beautiful Rheeta, who has a special ability of her own - she can turn into a huge panther!

    Mandrake's powers are amazing - he can manipulate reality, levitate, cause destruction and create illusions. It would all eventually be explained as (mostly) a form of mass hypnotism, but in these early tales he's more of a miracle worker and always the master of any situation.

   The stories are by Mandrake creator Lee Falk (who also made his mark by creating the first costumed hero in comics, The Phantom), and he keeps things moving along at top speed, with lots of action, humor and a bit of sex thrown in for good measure.

   The art is by Phil Davis, and it's impressive work - imaginative and vibrant, creating strange worlds and armies of evildoers for Mandrake to face. And he's quite good at drawing beautiful women. And since the reprints cover a couple of years, you can see his improvement (and perhaps the influence of other artists) on his work.

   Loaded with imagination and energy (and a fair dollop of humor), this is a terrific series. A product of its time, certainly, but loaded with timeless entertainment.

Grade: A

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Guest Review - Mandrake the Magician #1

   We have one more review from our pal Glen Davis, who has kindly provided a week's worth of excellent columns, giving Chuck a much-needed break.

   (Our invitation is open to one and all - if you'd like to send in reviews for this blog, just send them to us at the email address in the right-hand column.)

   Glen's post today is all about the most famous magician in comics history - Mandrake!

   Dynamite is giving the King's Features heroes another try in the world of comic books. It makes sense, seeing the wealth of characters controlled by the newspaper syndicate. 

   Even now, Dynamite is barely even scratching the surface.

   Since the days of the old Defenders of the Earth cartoon, Mandrake the Magician usually gets short shrift in these revivals. Even before that, in the 1970s, Flash Gordon and The Phantom got paperback prose book series, but Mandrake never did. This is a shame, as Mandrake was Lee Falk's first creation, and inspired dozens of other characters, including DC's Zatara.

   Now Dynamite attempts to redress this situation by giving Mandrake his own mini-series in what some are calling the King Comics explosion.

   The series starts out depicting a scene that led up to the events in the King's Watch mini-series, starting this comics line: Narda, Mandrake's love, goes to his arch-enemy (and half-brother Luciphor) The Cobra. Well, when you name a kid Luciphor, that's what you have to expect, I guess.

   Now five years later, after the invasion of Mongo, Mandrake puts on a benefit to raise money for charity. He gestures hypnotically, and puts on quite a show for his audience, when another magician, the beauteous Karma appears, and they combine in putting on the show. 

   In the comic strip, Karma is actually the girlfriend of Lothar, Mandrake's best friend. Lothar is currently moonlighting as the Phantom in the concurrent mini-series of that name by Dynamite. (Not to be confused with the Phantom series featuring the same property published by Hermes)

   Finally, it ends in a pretty good cliff hanger. 

   A good effort, and the cartoonish art by Jeremy Treece helps to sell the surrealist magic at work in the book.

Grade: B

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Kings Watch #1

   Anytime the Phantom shows up in comics, I try to be there - and the deal for the mysteriously-titled Kings Watch was sweetened by the inclusion of Flash Gordon and Mandrake.

   And while this introduction is a bit vague about details, it seems that we're meeting these heroes (and members of their supporting cast) early in their careers - at least Flash seems to be just starting out.

   A mysterious threat is menacing the world, and each hero is investigating on his own turf - leading to a powerful action sequence with the Phantom facing a monstrous menace.

   The story is by Jeff Parker, and while it's too early to make a final decision, it's a solid start and a good introduction for the cast.

   The art is by Marc Laming, and it's quite good, with strong designs for each character and clear storytelling.

   Lots of us remember these characters from the Defenders of the Earth cartoon, and it's good to see the band getting back together again, taking on their old job.

   A good start - let's hope for more of the same.

Grade: B+

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