mandrake

CREATOR - STORY

Name: Leon Harrison Gross (Lee Falk).
Personal dates: Born 1911 in Missouri, USA. Died 1999 in New York, USA.
Other creations: The Phantom.
Successors: None.
Comments: Falk actually invented Mandrake already in 1924. He wrote and drew the first few stories himself, but he was not satisfied with the results. This is the reason why he did not approach a publisher until ten years later.

CREATOR - GRAPHICS

Name: Philip 'Phil' Davis.
Personal dates: Born 1906 in Missouri, USA. Died 1964 in New York, USA.
Other creations: None.
Successors: Harold 'Fred' Fredericks Jr.
Comments: Davis' wife Martha helped him for a period of time during World War 2 when he was also illustrating manuals for the air force.

MAIN STORY

The series premiered in 1934.

The character of Mandrake is a suave, mustached man (actually modelled after Falk himself!) dressed in tuxedo, cape and top hat. He fights crime by using skills that he once acquired from monks in Tibet; magic, illusionism and hypnotism.
Mandrake has two unusual sidekicks, both of royal blood. For some unknown reasons they prefer to serve him instead of serving their own countries. One is Lothar, an African prince, and the other is Narda, a European princess.

The full title of the series is Mandrake the Magician.