Tuesday, May 19, 2009

#148: KING Comics #6 Incredible Space Menace

Another interesting story from King Comics, has been released as an Indrajal Comic.
Thanks to an unknown Mandrake fan for scanning this. Enjoy.



Download Mandrake the Magician 06(King) - Incredible Space Menace.cbr

Friday, May 15, 2009

#147: S094 The Castaway From 26 Jan 1964 To 9 Aug 1964

Thanks to Myron & Rick Hy for sharing this story. Missing one sunday, not a problem. Very good story indeed. Enjoy


Download S094 The Castaway From 26 Jan 1964 To 9 Aug 1964.cbr

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

#145:D090 The Chess Kings From 24 Dec 1956 To 2 Mar 1957

Presenting another nice daily story about the Kings of Gambita & Philador, the cousins who we saw in the previous post and their madness for the game of Chess. Thanks a ton to Myron and Rick Hy for providing the scans.




Download D090 The Chess Kings From 24 Dec 1956 To 2 Mar 1957.cbr

Sunday, May 10, 2009

#144: KING Comics #5 Cape Cod Caper & The Fear Mongers

Presenting a King Features release. Thanks to an unknown scanner. Mandrake encounters Pirates from sea and air. 2 Nice stories. Enjoy. I wish there was Mandrake patrolling the Somali seas where piracy is flourishing.



Download Mandrake the Magician 005 - Cape Cod Caper.cbr

Friday, May 8, 2009

#143: S150 The Cloud Men From 27 Feb 1983 To 4 Sep 1983

Another interesting sunday story, Mandrke with the anti gravity belt and the cloud men, what a concept. Enjoy. Scans provided by the pioneer Ajay Mishra. Thanks a lot.




Download S150 The Cloud Men From 27 Feb 1983 To 4 Sep 1983.cbr

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

#142: S085 Sky Raid From 11 Dec 1960 to 5 Feb 1961

Presenting a classic sunday story compliments of Myron & Rick. Enjoyed the story. I hope you do as well. Narda is taken as a hostage and has an active role in this story.



Download S085 Sky Raid From 11 Dec 1960 To 5 Feb 1961.cbr

News of Yore 1949: Mandrake Art a Family Affair From a Blog

Very Nice Article on Phil & Martha Davis's Work from http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/

Interesting to know how Mandrake comic strip survived through all those tough years.

Thanks to Thomas Grimaldi for emailing me the article... I thought this warrants to have a post by itself.

Found a good link on Phil Davis: http://lambiek.net/artists/d/davis_p.htm

Some More info from s9.com:
1906 - born on the 4th of March in St. Louis, Missouri.

- Davis became interested in drawing when he was six years old. "I had a mania for parades," he recalled. "I drew every parade I could see.
- His first professional artwork was for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and he left the newspaper to do magazine illustrations and advertising art before eventually landing at King Features Syndicate.
1934 - He met Lee Falk, the two collaborated on Mandrake the Magician.
- One of Davis' assistants was Ray Moore, who later became the first artist on Falk's other comic strip, The Phantom.

1964 - Davis died.

News of Yore 1949: Mandrake and Narda Look Like Creators

by Ogden J. Rochelle (E&P, 1/22/49)

Cartoonists often draw heroes (i.e. principal characters) that resemble themselves.

This statement is trite, with varying degrees of accuracy, but it is doubly true in the case of "Mandrake the Magician," drawn for King Features Syndicate by Phil Davis.

Not only can Davis put on silk topper and cloak and pass for Mandrake, but Mrs. Davis can slip into one of the fashionable frocks of Narda, the heroine, and Mandrake fans would see the resemblance.

Mrs. Davis, as a matter of fact, often draws Narda. An artist in her own right, and a fashion illustrator for a St. Louis department store until early in War II, Martha Davis got in the habit of drawing Narda—and sometimes the entire strip — when her husband was working with the Curtiss-Wright Corp., illustrating Air Force manuals.

"Without her help," says Davis, "Mandrake probably would have folded."

Mrs. Davis enjoyed her work on the strip so much she stayed on after the War. Now the couple produce it as a joint effort, but Phil usually does Mandrake and Martha usually does Narda. They work in a studio in downtown St. Louis, move out into the Ozarks in the Summer.

The strip was hatched when Lee Falk, a St. Louis advertising agency executive, asked Davis to draw a dozen panels on a speculative basis. Davis agreed and in 1934 Falk took the idea to New York and sold it. Falk has continued to supply the continuity. Artist and continuity writer are no longer geographically close. Falk, now a New Yorker, spends his summers in Massachusetts, where he is co-owner of Cambridge Summer Theater.

Mandrake is another strip with double-appeal—to the men for adventure action, and to the women because of the accurate modishness of Narda's wardrobe.

Davis denies any resemblance, especially Mandrake's lust for strenuous exercise.

"When I get the desire to exercise," he says, "I just lie down for awhile until it passes."

Monday, May 4, 2009

#141: D255 The Unknown Island From 2008.01.07 to 2008.06.14

Here's an another recent daily of Fred Fredricks. Narda comes through dangers in her trip without Mandrake's help. Another one of those stories where Narda has a major role. Enjoy.




Download D255 The Unknown Island From 2008.01.07 to 2008.06.14.cbr

Password:D255 The Unknown Island

Missing Strips in the Bookworm Story...

I did not realize I had 4 days strips missing in the Bookworm story. Emile Schwarz has provided me the strips and here they are. Thanks a lot for the research and providing the missing strips.
The missing strips are Mandrake_2008-06-17.gif, Mandrake_2008-06-21.gif, Mandrake_2008-07-11.gif and Mandrake_2008-08-30.gif
I hope all of you know how to include them into the CBR file. If not, let me know and I can help you.




























Friday, May 1, 2009

#140: Mandrake & L'uomo Mascherato Italian Scans

Presenting Italian scans I came across looking for Mandrake. Thanks to Unknown scanners.
The book has 2 Phantom stories and 1 Mandrake Daily. Nice coloring...













Since, I have the Mandrake Daily D010 in English , I am going to post it here as many people may not know Italian.

D010 - Mandrake in America 09-13-1937 to 01-29-1938


Download MANDRAKE e L'UOMO MASCHERATO

Password: MASCHERATO

Download D010 - Mandrake in America 09-13-1937 to 01-29-1938