COMIC BOOKS

The Phantom has appeared in many venues, and comic books are no exception. The following are only a sampling of Erik's adventures in the realm of graphic arts. All comic books are listed in chronological order.

The Adventures of Jerry Lewis New York; DC, 1965. ISSUE #87. When aliens bring life-sized monster models to life, the scariest and most aggressive of the lot, the Phantom of Loew’s Bijou (son of the Phantom of the Opera) leads the other monsters in an attack on the household. He looks just like his father except for the green cast to his skin, but the strange coloring has to do with the fact the character was based on then popular monster model kits.

Weird Mystery Tales DC, 1973. ISSUE #8. Final Take. As shown, the cover story has Erik as the Red Death. You could say his method of acting just kills the director. Color, 3 stories.

The Phantom Stranger Marvel, 1973. ISSUE #23. The Phantom Stranger faces off against various Parisian baddies. The Phantom is up to his old tricks and ready for a fight.

The Honeymooners New York; Triad Publications, 1988. ISSUE #8 From Triad Publications comes an issue subtitled The Phantom of the Sewer. The storyline is set in the Honeymooners world, and follows what you might expect from a good Abbott and Costello film.

Count Duckula New York; Marvel Comics, 1989. ISSUE #7 The Phantom follows up his appearance in the T.V. show with a comic book visit.The Phantom here desires to ruin the Opry and Count Duckula’s debut after the directors of the Opry humiliate him. He constructs a series of tunnels to mimic his Paris home with disastrous results.

The Phantom of the Opera Innovative Corporation, 1991. From Innovation Books comes a graphic novel (comic book) that departs from the original story by Leroux. Both the writers and artists masterfully execute the retelling, and the grainy texture of the art is a bold departure from the norm. The story line is strong, and the Phantom’s presence is clearly felt throughout the story.

Monster in My Pocket California; Harvey Comics, 1991. Published by Harvey Comics, this short-lived series was based on the idea of monsters at war. Those in favor of mankind's demise battle those who chose to defend mankind, the Phantom siding with the latter. Did I mention that they've all been shrunk to an inch tall? This series is very funny in parts, and containing enough allusions to entertain the adults. The series did spawn a toy line, video game, and several videos. The Phantom appears in the comic and toy line only.

Sherlock Holmes: Adventure of the Opera Ghost Michigan; Caliber Press, 1994. This two-issue comic book adventure features Sherlock Holmes as he intervenes in the Opera Ghost’s story. Both elements from Doyle’s and Leroux’s stories can be found here, and there are even written bits in the back of both issues about Erik and Holmes.

Trazan: Le Monstre Dark Horse Comics, 1998. Kindzierski, Manoukain, Roucher Yet another Phantom that gets the daylights beat out of him. Truly disappointing.

The Trap-Door Maker: A Pre-quel to The Phantom of the Opera Treehouse comics, 2005. This set of three comics is engrossing for all the right reasons. Erik here is more human though, to the point where his gleeful acts of violence seem out of character. Black and white

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