Golden Age Collection 22 22

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The Phantom Detective (June 1935)

 

 

 

 

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[From Wikipedia]

 

The Phantom Detective

 

The Phantom Detective was the second pulp hero character published, after The Shadow. The first issue was released in February of 1933, a month before Doc Savage, which was released in March of 1933. The title continued to be released until 1953, with a total 170 issues. This is the third highest number of issues for a character pulp, after The Shadow, which had 325 issues, and Doc Savage, which had 181. In western titles, Texas Rangers' would have around 212 issues of their main character, known as the Lone Wolf.

 

The series was published by Ned Pines' Thrilling (also known as Better or Standard) Publishing. Ned Pines had a comic book imprint, which collectors usually refer to as Nedor Comics, and The Phantom Detective had a series in their title Thrilling Comics.

 

The Phantom (as he was called in the stories) was actually the wealthy Richard Curtis Van Loan. In the first few issues of the title, The Phantom was introduced as a world-famous detective, whose true identity was only known by one man. That man was Frank Havens, the publisher of the Clarion newspaper. Richard Curtis Van Loan was orphaned at an early age, but inherited wealth. Before the Great War he was an idle playboy, but during the war he became a pilot and downed many German planes.

 

After the war Richard had a difficult time returning to his idle playboy life. At the suggestion of his father's friend, Havens, Richard set out to solve a crime that had stumped the police. After solving it, Richard decided he'd found his calling, where he could have a life of adventure and danger.

 

He trained himself in all facets of detection and forensics. He became a master of disguise and escape. And then he made a name for himself as the Phantom, whom all police agencies around the world knew and respected. When dealing with law-enforcement officials he carried a platinum badge in the shape of a domino mask as proof of his true identity. The initial stories were less about a detective than an adventurer using disguise and lucky escapes to conclude his cases.

 

In one issue, Havens installed a red beacon on the roof of the Clarion building, which he'd turn on when he needed to see the Phantom. Batman's Bat-Signal may have been inspired by this signal device. Two early Batman editors, Jack Schiff and Mort Weisinger, got their start editing The Phantom Detective under Thrilling editor-in-chief Leo Margulies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Flee-Marquette]

I get a history lesson every time I click on this thread.

[Scrooge]

He trained himself in all facets of detection and forensics. He became a master of disguise and escape. And then he made a name for himself as the Phantom, whom all police agencies around the world knew and respected. When dealing with law-enforcement officials he carried a platinum badge in the shape of a domino mask as proof of his true identity.

 

Excellent copy as usual.

 

Re: the above.

 

The Spider could have really used that platinum badge!

 

What's interesting to me reading this is the variations we have in the pulp heroes and the similarities.

 

The Phantom Detective, The Spider, The Shadow, G-8, The Avenger and Doc Savage are ALL boringly master of disguises ... but they vary wildly in their relationship with law enforcement:

 

1) The Phantom Detective works closely with the law

 

2) The Spider is as Wentworth is friends with the commissioner but the law is always trying to apprehend him causing more hassle when he is solving crimes

 

3) The Shadow works in ways that will reveal the criminals to the law and while in early stories, the law is after the Shadow, soon the law starts to realize how much more they get done thanks to the Shadow

 

4) Doc Savage has a hilarious dis-regard for the authorities forces themselves but a true sense of justice

 

5) G-8: does not apply

 

6) The Avenger has I'd say a relationship similar to that of the countless private detective of the past 30 years of TV.

 

These differences are what make each pulp hero interesting and worth checking out until you find who you like best.

 

Here's a Phantom Detective. IIRC, that's my only issue -

 

[tb]

Snatch Trouble by Donald Hogarth

 

My own favorite part is the reference to "miss the Mickey Mouse" squeezed in between "his lips glued to hers" and "get rid of the lipstick".

[Flex Mentallo]

He trained himself in all facets of detection and forensics. He became a master of disguise and escape. And then he made a name for himself as the Phantom, whom all police agencies around the world knew and respected. When dealing with law-enforcement officials he carried a platinum badge in the shape of a domino mask as proof of his true identity.

 

Excellent copy as usual.

 

Re: the above.

 

The Spider could have really used that platinum badge!

 

What's interesting to me reading this is the variations we have in the pulp heroes and the similarities.

 

The Phantom Detective, The Spider, The Shadow, G-8, The Avenger and Doc Savage are ALL boringly master of disguises ... but they vary wildly in their relationship with law enforcement:

 

1) The Phantom Detective works closely with the law

 

2) The Spider is as Wentworth is friends with the commissioner but the law is always trying to apprehend him causing more hassle when he is solving crimes

 

3) The Shadow works in ways that will reveal the criminals to the law and while in early stories, the law is after the Shadow, soon the law starts to realize how much more they get done thanks to the Shadow

 

4) Doc Savage has a hilarious dis-regard for the authorities forces themselves but a true sense of justice

 

5) G-8: does not apply

 

6) The Avenger has I'd say a relationship similar to that of the countless private detective of the past 30 years of TV.

 

These differences are what make each pulp hero interesting and worth checking out until you find who you like best.

 

 

 

Very interesting - made me wonder for some reason to what extent - if any- these pulp tec creators might have been influenced by Sherlock Holmes - but being a Brit I'm bound to think of that arent I?

 

Here is a digest sized comic I dont have anymore:

 

 

 

 

[Duffman_Comics]

He trained himself in all facets of detection and forensics. He became a master of disguise and escape. And then he made a name for himself as the Phantom, whom all police agencies around the world knew and respected. When dealing with law-enforcement officials he carried a platinum badge in the shape of a domino mask as proof of his true identity.

 

Excellent copy as usual.

 

Re: the above.

 

The Spider could have really used that platinum badge!

 

What's interesting to me reading this is the variations we have in the pulp heroes and the similarities.

 

The Phantom Detective, The Spider, The Shadow, G-8, The Avenger and Doc Savage are ALL boringly master of disguises ... but they vary wildly in their relationship with law enforcement:

 

1) The Phantom Detective works closely with the law

 

2) The Spider is as Wentworth is friends with the commissioner but the law is always trying to apprehend him causing more hassle when he is solving crimes

 

3) The Shadow works in ways that will reveal the criminals to the law and while in early stories, the law is after the Shadow, soon the law starts to realize how much more they get done thanks to the Shadow

 

4) Doc Savage has a hilarious dis-regard for the authorities forces themselves but a true sense of justice

 

5) G-8: does not apply

 

6) The Avenger has I'd say a relationship similar to that of the countless private detective of the past 30 years of TV.

 

These differences are what make each pulp hero interesting and worth checking out until you find who you like best.

 

Here's a Phantom Detective. IIRC, that's my only issue -

 

 

 

 

Good analysis. You're right about Doc Savage regarding the "authorities" as more hindrance than help

 

 

 

 

 

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[BangZoom]

The Phantom Detective, The Spider, The Shadow, G-8, The Avenger and Doc Savage are ALL boringly master of disguises ... but they vary wildly in their relationship with law enforcement:

 

 

One of my favorite pulp heroes is Zorro.

 

My memories of him are mostly from the TV show where I recall he had an adversarial relationship with the authorities.

 

 

All-Story Weekly (August 9, 1919)

 

 

[BangZoom]

Very interesting - made me wonder for some reason to what extent - if any- these pulp tec creators might have been influenced by Sherlock Holmes - but being a Brit I'm bound to think of that arent I?

 

 

I would think that The Scarlet Pimpernel might have been a bigger influence.

 

Another possible influence might have been Frank Packard's Jimmie Dale.

[BangZoom]

 

 

Intriguing cover.

 

It certainly makes me curious about the story.

[Flex Mentallo]

Very interesting - made me wonder for some reason to what extent - if any- these pulp tec creators might have been influenced by Sherlock Holmes - but being a Brit I'm bound to think of that arent I?

 

 

I would think that The Scarlet Pimpernel might have been a bigger influence.

 

Another possible influence might have been Frank Packard's Jimmie Dale.

 

I guess I thought of Holmes because he too regarded the authorities as dimwits!

[Scrooge]

I thought Raffles, rather than Holmes, was an influence in the sense that he worked outside of the law.

 

Wikipedia excerpt:

 

"Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, a brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, a deliberate inversion of Holmes — he is a "gentleman thief," living in the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing cricket for the Gentlemen of England and supporting himself by carrying out ingenious burglaries. He is called the "Amateur Cracksman," and often, at first, differentiates between himself and the "professors" — professional criminals from the lower classes."

 

Of course, if one wants to be jingo, I'd like to mention Arsene Lupin has another such character -

 

Wiki entry:

 

"Arsène Lupin is a literary descendant of Pierre Alexis Ponson du Terrail's Rocambole. Like him, he is often a force for good, while operating on the wrong side of the law. Those whom Lupin defeats, always with his characteristic gallic style and panache, are worse villains than him. Lupin is somewhat similar to A. J. Raffles and anticipates characters such as The Saint."

 

While the Wiki mentions Rocambole, and Rocambole's entry does mention that: "Rocambole anticipates characters such as A.J. Raffles, Arsène Lupin, Fantômas, The Saint, Doc Savage, Judex and The Shadow." (It sounds like the same person wrote these entries btw). I am less familiar with him, having never read any of those stories.

[BangZoom]

 

Arsène Lupin was one of my father's favorite fictional characters. I can remember him telling me about the books on several occasions.

[adamstrange]

The Phantom Detective, The Spider, The Shadow, G-8, The Avenger and Doc Savage are ALL boringly master of disguises ... but they vary wildly in their relationship with law enforcement:

 

 

One of my favorite pulp heroes is Zorro.

 

My memories of him are mostly from the TV show where I recall he had an adversarial relationship with the authorities.

 

 

All-Story Weekly (August 9, 1919)

 

 

"Zorro (often called Señor or El Zorro in early stories) debuted in McCulley's 1919 story The Curse of Capistrano, serialized in five parts in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly"

 

It's absolutely awesome getting a chance to see a scan of this pulp!

 

I loved Douglas Fairbanks and Tyrone Power films and recently was talking with my second oldest niece who had just finished watching the Disney TV Series which she enjoyed.

 

Do you have the other parts of the story?

[Pat Calhoun]

Seaboard 1950

 

 

[adamstrange]

"Rocambole anticipates characters such as A.J. Raffles, Arsène Lupin, Fantômas, The Saint, Doc Savage, Judex and The Shadow."

I have the multi-part Judex silent film by Louis Feuilladeon on DVD and it was a pleasure to watch. It's a darn good movie but as it was filmed in 1917 it also provides an interesting look at the world as it was nearly a century ago.

 

Note: Judex, which translates to "Justice," is an avenger operating outside law.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Judex-Deluxe-Ren%C3%A9-Crest%C3%A9/dp/B0001Y4MJA/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1302408108&sr=1-1

[BangZoom]

All-Story Weekly (August 9, 1919)

 

 

"Zorro (often called Señor or El Zorro in early stories) debuted in McCulley's 1919 story The Curse of Capistrano, serialized in five parts in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly"

 

It's absolutely awesome getting a chance to see a scan of this pulp!

 

Do you have the other parts of the story?

 

I have all five installments.

 

Unfortunately Zorro is only pictured on the cover of the August 9th issue.

[BangZoom]

 

 

Thanks for the scans.

 

I think I sold my copy years ago.

 

However, I do have Daffy Duck starring in "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" on DVD.

 

 

 

[Pat Calhoun]

Argosy 4/22/33

 

[BangZoom]

 

Thanks, Pat.

 

I never read any Zorro stories in the pulps, but I was a big fan of his appearances in Dell comics.