Well, if you're me, you slap them round the ear and tell them not to be so impertinent as to question their betters.
If you're a comic book villain, however, you keep faking your own death, returning a few years later as your own descendant and killing anyone who might discover the truth about you.
If you're blessed with magical powers, like the Phantom Stranger, you might feel moved to do something about this. But if you're the Phantom Stranger you have a bigger problem to worry about.
Redundancy.
It can't be easy to be a super-doer and know you're not wanted in your own comic but by this stage in the thing's run, the Phantom Stranger was only popping up here and there to nag people before disappearing.
| Phantom Stranger Quote of the Day. "Look! Look deep into the whirring, flashing pinball game that is the mind of man! See what drives its wild workings! You'll find three engines -- the lust for gold, the thirst for power and -- fear of the unknown!" |
I'm not sure why he's that bothered if she uncovers it or not. The last I heard, being immortal wasn't a crime. Setting fire to people however is and he therefore seems to be putting himself at risk of imprisonment for no good reason.
The truth is that, thanks to the Phantom Stranger's near absence from the tale, it feels more like one of those 1970s American made-for-TV "horror" movies than a Phantom Stranger story but it's pleasing enough, however cliched, and Bill Draut's artwork has a cunning simplicity that, early on at least, bears vague but surprising hints of Alex Nino.
That's what a latter-day Bonnie and Clyde have got up to in this issue's back-up story. Needless to say the bulletproof battler's soon on their tail and quickly wraps them up for the police to take away.
I do worry about the quality of villains the mid-1970s was producing though. The pair seem to be under the impression that if you're going to flee the country and live in Rio de Janeiro, you have to learn to speak Spanish. D'oh!
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3 comments:
Interesting. My humble 'collection' of Phantom Stranger picks up where #32 leaves off: I have Nos 33 (featuring Deadman) and (a very raggedy) 34.
Probably the best thing about #34 is the Michael Caine, er, Dr 13 backup story, '...And The Dogs Howl Through the Night' (art: Tony DeZuniga). Apparently, Marvel had Dr Strange, Charlton had Dr Graves, Gold Key had Dr Spektor, and so DC felt compelled to have a Dr 13 in the house. No worries about getting ill in the world of 1970s comics, at least on a darkly spiritual level.
It also appears that the title didn't feature anyone even resembling a regular artist: Bill Draut drew #32; Mike Grell, #33; Gerry Talaoc, #34....
Thats a fair point about the lead story seemingly like some made for TV horror flick, Steve. I actually wondered whether it was a House of Mystery/Secrets short that had a couple of pages featuring the Phantom Stranger added to meet a deadline crunch. Seeing as the regular Stranger artist at this point seemed to be Gerry Talaoc, and Draut usually did stuff for the 'mystery' anthologies.
Anyhow, the real draw here is of course the Black Orchid back-up, and Nestor Redondo.
The Orchid going undercover seemed to involve hanging around sleazy underworld bars. Love the scene where she's a sexy cigarette girl - I didn't realize they still had those in the 70s? - and decides to leave:
"I've been here hours and come up empty! Time to untie the real cigarette girl, and move on to my next stop!"
That strikes me as a somewhat questionable investigation method...
-sean
I think we can safely say the Black Orchid doesn't compromise when it comes to protecting her good name, even to the point of doing things that'll give her a bad name.
But I am now totally convinced I once saw a made-for-TV movie which had the same plot as this month's Phantom Stranger tale. If I did, I don't have a clue what it was called.
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