- You know, you guys really like to tell me
to take a break from Marvel and DC,
and make videos about characters
from other publishers.
Well, today, we're going way back
to talk about what many consider to be
the prototypical comic book superhero, The Phantom.
Wait, what?
Phantom comics were published
by both Marvel and DC?
(sighs) I can't catch a break with you guys.
(upbeat rock music)
Welcome to Comic Misconceptions.
I'm Scott, and I'm guessing that The Phantom
is probably not as much of a household name
as Batman or Superman,
so let me give you some quick background on the guy.
The Phantom was created by Lee Falk,
and debuted in a newspaper comic adventure strip in 1936.
Now, Falk was so dedicated to his creation
that he was still writing Phantom stories
even from his hospital bed
up until the day he died in 1999.
That's 63 years with almost 20,000
individual comic strips.
That's more dedication than I will ever have.
For the comic book origin of The Phantom,
it's pretty straight forward,
and hits a lot of the same beats
as your typical comic book origin.
Christopher Walker and his father were sailing
the African seas, when they were attacked by pirates.
Christopher was the only survivor of the attack,
and he swore an oath to never let anyone else
suffer the cruelty and injustice
that he felt that day,
thus becoming The Phantom.
But The Phantom isn't one person.
It's a whole lineage of over 20 people
who have passed down The Phantom title
from father to son.
In fact, that origin story I just told
took place in the 1500's.
And because this family has been carrying the title
and continuing the legend for centuries,
many in that world believe The Phantom
to be an immortal being.
And that's a pretty interesting trait
considering that The Phantom,
on his own, does not have any real super powers.
I mean, the idea is that it's just regular people
who have passed down this legacy
for close to 500 years.
But that idea of immortality is ingrained
in the mythos of the character so much so
that the character earned the nickname
of The Man Who Cannot Die.
Phantom comics have been printed
by many publishers, including,
as we alluded to earlier,
both Marvel and DC,
as well as Dynamite, Moonstone, Harvey Comics,
and so on.
He's had dozens of novels based on his exploits,
as well there was a 1943 Phantom serial,
and a 1996 Phantom movie
staring Billy Zane in a surprisingly accurate costume,
though, quite an epilepsy inducing trailer.
And of course we can't talk about The Phantom
without talking about his signature rings.
He has a good ring that he wears on his left hand,
and uses to mark people whom he befriends,
but it's the skull ring that grabs the most attention.
It was first owned by Roman Emperor Nero,
and was made out of the nails that crucified Jesus.
The evil mark ring has the sign of a skull on it,
so when Phantom punches his enemies,
it leaves a scar of that skull on them.
Phantom's classic purple costume
is an incredibly powerful and iconic image
in my opinion.
And I'm not the only one to think so.
Take a look at some of these images.
Do you see it?
Admittedly, some are less subtle than others.
But what exactly is going on here?
What are we looking at?
Believe it or not, these are real painted shields
from the tribesmen in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.
Now, New Guinea is home to over 800 different tribes,
each with their own distinct languages.
The culture there is ancient, but very alive
with not a lot of change happening
over tens of thousands of years.
And because of how remote the location is,
the people of the highlands were isolated
from the modern world until Europeans
entered their territory in the 1930's.
This is around the time our story takes place.
And the people we'll be talking about specifically
are the Wahgi.
The Wahgi people have a tradition of making
these large, beautiful shields from trunks of trees
that were smoothed, painted, and used in tribal warfare.
They loved their shields.
They continue today as works of ritual art.
Traditionally the shields were adorned
with mostly geometric designs,
typically with a circle in the center
representing the sun.
But in the 1940's they started getting inspiration
for their artwork from a very interesting place.
During World War Two, American soldiers
were sent overseas to combat enemy forces.
Occasionally, they would get care packages
that were originally filled with extra food,
but later included non food items
like blankets, medicine, tools, and comics.
This was the golden age of comics,
with brand new heroes like Superman,
Batman, Captain America,
all heavily spreading pro-American propaganda.
These comics usually became standard reading material
for American soldiers overseas,
so it's no surprise that some of these comics
would start to leak into the places
where the soldiers were stationed.
When American troops arrived in New Guinea
to fight against the Japanese,
comic books were bound to make an impact
on the locals there.
Out of all the superheroes who were in those comics,
it wasn't the Man of Steel that stood out
to the Wahgi people, or the Dark Knight,
but rather The Phantom.
Experts say that there were a few specific things
that made the character appealing to the tribe.
First, The Phantom is an expert combatant
who came from a long line of warriors.
The Wahgi deeply respected this aspect of the character
since they themselves worshiped their ancestors.
Secondly, The Phantom is from a jungle territory
similar to New Guinea.
He also wears a mask, much like how the Wahgi people
wore their own masks during rituals.
And lastly, but certainly not least,
is his moniker as The Man Who Cannot Die.
The highland people took to The Phantom
with great gusto.
They incorporated his striking image
into their shields, creating what some art experts
are calling "pop tribal",
showcasing how popular culture
can infiltrate even the most remote and isolated places
from around the globe.
For the most part, they never got rid
of their geometric designs,
rather they incorporated The Phantom into it,
but typically they just superimposed him on top.
And, to be fair, it wasn't just The Phantom
that the Wahgi people were incorporating
into their shield designs.
They were inspired by all sorts of things
like beer and cigarette brands,
football teams, etc.
But The Phantom seemed to trump everything else.
They were so enchanted by the character
that reportedly the very few Wahgi
who could read English,
read The Phantom's adventures aloud
in public to everyone,
while displaying the pages of the comics for all to see.
These were hard core comics fans.
And I think that's a fitting legacy
for Lee Falk's acclaimed and influential character.
The Phantom, The Man Who Cannot Die
continuing to live through these incredible
works of art.
But I have a question for you.
Which comic book character would you adopt
as your own personal symbol?
Put it in the comments.
I'd probably say Aquaman for myself,
and you can go ahead and judge me for that.
The reason I wanted to make a Phantom video
is to introduce you guys to the character
because he will be popping up a lot
on the videos over the next few months.
Why, you ask.
Because for the next few weeks we'll be doing
a mini-series of sorts about superhero costumes.
We'll be delivering you four shorter than normal videos
that answer questions that you guys have asked me a lot,
like why do superheroes wear capes?
Why do they wear underwear on the outside?
And what's up with the white eyes?
And what's the appeal of spandex tights?
The Phantom is at the center of a lot of these,
as you can tell just by looking at his overall design.
So, now that you are somewhere familiar with him,
you're prepared for these exciting videos
coming over the rest of the month.
And if you want more cool comic book history videos,
one of my favorites has to be this one about
whether or not Marvels' Black Panther
is indeed named after the Black Panther political party.
Really interesting stuff.
Or you might like this one explaining
the different ages of comics.
What does it mean when people say
golden age or silver age?
Find out by clicking right here.
And if this is your first time hanging out with us
here at NerdSync, hit that big sexy subscribe button
so you don't miss out on all the new videos
that we make for you every week
that ask questions and make learning
a little bit more fun, a little more accessible
through the amazing world of comics.
Once again, I'm Scott, and I'll see you right here on Friday
for another video.
See ya.