Review: Lee Falk, Storyteller

Lee Falk, Storyteller is a handsomely produced tribute to this significant American comic-strip author, best known for his dual heroes, Mandrake the Magician (1934) and The Phantom (1936). While Falk's contributions to both the adventure-continuity strip , and to the development of comic-strip/comic-book superhero genre, have frequently been overlooked by most US comics historians, it is testament to the durability of Falk's creations that both his strips outlasted many of his more celebrated contemporaries from the 1930s and 1940s. Indeed, new adventures of The Phantom comic strip continue to appear in newspapers around the world, long after Falk's death in 1999.

Lee Falk, Storyteller seeks to reinstate Falk's place as one of the most significant American comic-strip auteurs of the 20th century. Produced by the Scandinavian Chapter of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club, this book is an amazing compendium of magazine articles, interviews, family tributes and historical retrospectives, that covers virtually all facets of Falk's creative and professional life, spanning his comic-strip work, and his lifelong involvement in American theatre and stage productions. (In a nice touch, the cover for the English-language edition depicts The Phantom in his 'original' purple costume, while the Swedish edition portrays The Phantom - or, Fantomen, as he's known in Sweden - in his 'Scandinavian' blue outfit.)

Aside from the many insightful interviews with Falk, taken from American, European and Australian sources published over many decades, the book is also bursting with rare photographs, colour illustrations and promotional artwork documenting the visual history of Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom. This book is an invaluable contribution to biographical histories of American comic strip creators, and should be recommended reading for any serious student of American comic art. Fans of Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom, however, should need little persuasion to acquire a copy, as Lee Falk, Storyteller is a 'must-have' item for their comics collection. For details on how to purchase your copy, click here. (Image courtesy of New Pulp)