The Phantom: Why Has America Ignored This Proto-Superhero?
Three years before Batman donned his cape and cowl, and two before Superman crashed into a field in Smallville, there was another hero who would leave an indelible mark on the history of pop culture.
He wore a skin tight costume and a black mask. He left his symbol upon those he vanquished; a permanent skull-shaped brand so that all would know these were evil men. He may not have been a superhero as we know them today, but he taught those who were to come a thing or two.
Debuting as a newspaper strip on February 17th, 1936, American writer Lee Falk’s The Phantom is widely considered to be the template upon which the heroes of DC and Marvel were based. A “proto-superhero” of sorts, The Phantom character introduced for the first time many of the stapes of the superhero genre.
Many comic strips previous to The Phantom were either humorous (Blondie), crime stories (Dick Tracy) or funny-animals tales (Krazy Kat). The Phantom was the first costume wearing adventure hero, and also the first to done the now standard “white-eye” mask. The strip introduced the idea of a secret identity (The Phantom in reality being Kit Walker), a secret hideout (the hidden Skull Cave) and a “calling card” symbol he would leave at the scene of his escapades as well as on the jaws of those be defeated; the infamous Skull…
