A guide to the Ghost Who Walks
The Phantom
A newspaper hero, a family legend and a worldwide publishing history. Start here, then follow the stories and editions through the index.
A brief history
Lee Falk created The Phantom for newspaper readers. The daily strip began on 17 February 1936, with the adventure The Singh Brotherhood. Ray Moore drew the early strips, giving them much of their shadowy atmosphere. A separate Sunday strip followed in 1939. Over time, the character appeared in newspapers and magazines far beyond the United States.
One reason the series has lasted is its unusual premise: criminals believe they face a man who cannot die. Readers know that the mask and costume pass from one generation to the next. Each Phantom continues the work of the one before him.
The legend in the stories
In the fictional history, the first Phantom swears to fight piracy, cruelty and injustice. His descendants inherit the role. The present-day Phantom is usually Kit Walker, the 21st Phantom, whose home is the Skull Cave. Diana Palmer Walker and his animal companions, Hero and Devil, are central figures in his world.
The stories move between the jungle, the sea and cities across the world. Some are adventures about the current Phantom; others return to earlier members of the family. The recurring characters and settings make the series familiar, while each publisher has also given it a distinct local history.
From newspaper strip to international icon
The Singh Brotherhood introduced the world from which the long-running strip would grow. Daily and Sunday strips were later reprinted and adapted in magazines, where readers in different countries encountered the same hero in different formats.
The family legend gives The Phantom continuity. Publication history gives him variety: daily and Sunday strips, original magazine stories, national editions, different cover art and translated titles. A newspaper episode may turn up in several editions, under different titles and with different covers.
That variety is exactly what the Phantom Index is built to explore. It brings those connections together: which magazine printed a particular adventure, which title it used, and which artists contributed to it. Begin with the first daily story, then follow the editions and creators linked to each adventure.
Explore the index
The index connects newspaper stories, magazine editions, covers and creators. These links take you directly into its existing sections.
