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Superhero Smash Season IV—Audio Issue 63: The Phantom

Original Air Date

  • July 9th, 2026

Part 1: The Hero (Begins @ 11:00 a.m.)

Super Show ID 1: Superhero Smash (0:30)

  • Good morning, listeners! You’ve waited all week, and it’s finally here: Another great episode of Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1!
    • Featuring “The Best in Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore”
    • Superhero Smash is a musical force for good!

Introducing: Doctor Smash! (1:00)

  • But… before we dive into today’s episode of Superhero Smash, I’ve got something important to share with you.
  • For the past three and a half years, you’ve known me as the New Professor X: Your guide to the worlds of comics, heroes, myth, and music.
  • But every good story has its turning point… and this one does too.
  • So today, we turn the page.
  • Same show
    • Same love of superheroes and storytelling
    • Same deep dives into the heroic universes that shape us
  • Just a new name that hits a little harder… and is a whole lot easier to remember.
  • From here on out… you can call me
  • Doctor Smash!
  • That’s right—Doctor Smash, right here on Superhero Smash
  • Because at the end of the day, this show has always been about impact!
    • Big stories
    • Big ideas
    • And the moments that hit like a punch and stay with you
  • So the mission doesn’t change
    • If anything… it gets stronger
  • Doctor Smash is here
    • And I’m just getting started
  • Let’s smash into it!

Issue Theme

  • Legacy and Honor

Heroic Spotlight: The Phantom! (1:00)

  • This season on Superhero Smash I’ve talked about King Kong and Tarzan, to mighty forces of the jungle
  • But there is another jungle hero worth discussing
  • Before Batman hid in a cave and before Superman flew through the skies, one mysterious hero protected the jungle. Wearing a purple costume, carrying twin pistols, and striking fear into pirates and criminals, he became known as The Ghost Who Walks. Today on Superhero Smash, we’re heading deep into the jungles of Bengalla to meet The Phantom!

The Superhero Smash Back Issue Bin! (0:30)

  • Legion of Superhero Smash Listeners will recall that I talked about The Phantom as a Long Lost Hero
  • Back Issue Bin: Season II
  • Well The Phantom won’t be lost for long because we’re heading back to the jungle to seek him out

Here Comes The Phantom! (1:00)

  • Some heroes fly. Some heroes swing from webs. But the people of Bengalla believe a ghost walks among them. A mysterious figure who has battled evil for generations. Today on Superhero Smash we’re asking a question that comic book fans have debated for decades: Was Superman really the first superhero, or does that title belong to The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks? Let’s head into the jungle with a true legend. Here’s Johnny Cash with “Ghost Riders in the Sky.”

Heroic Opening Song for The Phantom (3:45)

  • “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” by Johnny Cash

The History of The Phantom! (5:00)

It’s 1936. The world is recovering from the Great Depression. Europe is sliding toward war. Gangsters and pulp adventurers fill the pages of newspapers and magazines. Then a mysterious figure wearing a mask, tights, and a skull ring steps from the jungle. His name is The Phantom, and whether he’s the first superhero or the last great pulp hero depends on who you ask.

The World of 1936

  • The Phantom debuted as a newspaper strip on February 17, 1936
  • His first adventure was titled “The Singh Brotherhood”
  • The Phantom was created by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore
  • Lot - Enter The Phantom #1 (Frew, 1991), Replica 1948 Australian Release Comic Book

When readers first met The Phantom:

  • The Great Depression was still affecting much of the world.
  • Adolf Hitler was consolidating power in Germany.
  • Mussolini’s Italy had invaded Ethiopia.
  • Organized crime and corruption were major concerns in the United States.
  • People were looking for larger-than-life heroes who could stand up to evil when ordinary institutions seemed weak.

The Era of Pulp Heroes

The Phantom did not appear out of nowhere. He was part of a line of adventure heroes that included:

  • Tarzan (1912)–Who I featured 2 weeks ago on Superhero Smash
  • Zorro (1919)
  • The Shadow (1930)
  • Doc Savage (1933)

Lee Falk was influenced by myths, legends, Tarzan, Robin Hood, and other adventure stories. What made The Phantom different was that he combined elements of jungle adventure, mystery men, and heroic legend into something new.

Why The Phantom Was Revolutionary

Today he may seem familiar, but in 1936 The Phantom introduced several features that later became superhero standards:

  • A skin-tight costume.
  • A masked face with blank white eyes.
  • A secret headquarters (the Skull Cave)
  • A distinctive symbol (the skull ring).
  • A larger-than-life reputation that frightened criminals.

Is The Phantom the first superhero or is he the last great pulp hero?

  • Comics historians have debated this point for years. The Phantom has one foot in the world of Tarzan and The Shadow, and the other in the world of Superman and Batman. That’s exactly why he’s such an important figure in superhero history.

The Mythic Angle

Falk’s most ingenious idea was the legend of “The Man Who Cannot Die.”

The Phantom was not immortal. Instead, the role passed from father to son through generations. The public thought the same Phantom had been fighting evil for centuries.

That gave the hero an almost supernatural quality. He was part man, part legend.

Phantom Song 1 (3:28)

  • “Ghost Town” from Adam Lambert

Part 1: The Hero (Ends @ 15 minutes)

Part 2 The Origin Story (Begins @ 15 minutes)

Super Show ID 2: Superhero Smash (0:30)

The Superhero Smash Comic Book Vault: First Appearance of The Phantom (2:00)

  • The Comic Book Vault Sound Effect (0:12)
  • The first comic book appearance of The Phantom was in Ace Comics #11, published in February 1938 by David McKay Publications. The Phantom’s newspaper strips were reprinted in the issue, making this his first appearance in a comic book format.
    • ComicConnect - ACE COMICS (1937-49) #11 - CGC VG+: 4.5
    • Publisher: David McKay Publications
    • Writer: Lee Falk
    • Artist: Ray Moore
    • Only Issue #12, the 2nd comic book appearance of the Phantom
      • Value on eBay today: $539 (CGC graded 1.5 on a 10-point scale)
      • A copy of #11 sold in September of 2025 for $4080
    • Superman did not appear in Action Comics #1 until June 1938
    • So, if The Phantom appeared in a comic book before Superman, and wore the first recognizable superhero costume, should The Phantom get more credit as the true first superhero?

The Origin of The Phantom (2:00)

  • The Phantom’s origin story begins in 1536 when a young English sailor named Christopher Walker witnesses pirates murder his father. Stranded on the coast of Africa, he swore an oath on his father’s skull to fight piracy, injustice, and evil. He adopted a frightening costume based on a local tribal god and became known as The Phantom. Before his death, he passed his mission to his son. For nearly 500 years, each generation’s eldest son has become the next Phantom. Because the world believes it is the same man appearing century after century, he is known as “The Ghost Who Walks” and “The Man Who Cannot Die.”

Phantom Song 2 (0:52 + 2:35)

  • “Ezekiel 25:17” (Dialogue Excerpt from Pulp Fiction) by Samuel L. Jackson
  • “Pulp Fiction Theme Song” by Jean-Pierre Danel
  • With a nod to the great Samuel L. Jackson who starred in 1994’s  Pulp Fiction alongside John Travolata, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis. The film was directed by Quentin Tarantino.
  • As a pulp fiction hero, the Phantom mostly fought with his fists, but he also carried two pistols with ivory handles and he wasn’t afraid to use them to wreck vengeance on evil doers when he had to

Long Lost Hero: Mandrake the Magician (3:00)

  • Mandrake the Magician was Lee Falk’s first major comic-strip creation, debuting in 1934, two years before The Phantom. Mandrake was a stage magician, but he was far more than an entertainer. Using hypnotic gestures and seemingly supernatural powers, he battled gangsters, master criminals, mad scientists, and other threats around the world. Many comics historians consider Mandrake one of the earliest superheroes because he used extraordinary abilities to fight evil long before Superman appeared.
    • Mandrake the Magician
  • A key part of the strip was Mandrake’s partnership with Lothar, a powerful African prince who became his friend and crime-fighting companion. Together they traveled the globe solving mysteries and confronting villains. Falk’s stories mixed action, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, and stage magic, helping establish many of the storytelling conventions that later became common in superhero comics.
  • The Phantom and Mandrake did cross paths several times because they were both created by Lee Falk. Their most famous association came through Defenders of the Earth, the 1980s animated series that teamed The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Flash Gordon, and their allies against Ming the Merciless. Falk also wrote newspaper-strip crossovers in which Mandrake and The Phantom interacted directly, making them part of a shared adventure universe long before cinematic superhero universes became popular.

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Jim Kelly (2:00)

  • Let me give a Superhero Smash Super Shout-out to Jim Kelly, not the famous football player, but instead a comic book fan
  • The Phantom and Superman never met, but in 1966 there was a doll called Captain Action who had costumes for both heroes; in fact, 9 different heroes in their costumes were featured in the Captain Action ad
  • Jim put a post on a comics discussion forum where he lamented that as a kid, he wanted the Superman or Batman costume for Captain Action, but instead his parents got him the The Phantom’s bright purple costume
  • Jim thought the costume was a little dorky at the time
  • But then, even worse, when Jim went off to college, his parents threw out his Captain Action figure and the Phantom costume too
  • That costume is going for $125 on eBay now, so poor Jim is really out of luck!
    • Has superman ever crossed over with the likes of the Phantom ...

Phantom Song 3 (5:29)

  • “Magic Man” from Heart

Part 2: The Origin Story (Ends @ 35 minutes)

Part 3: The Super Romance (Begins @ 35 minutes)

Super Show ID 3: Superhero Smash (0:30)

Super Romantic Interlude: The Phantom & Diana Palmer  (4:00)

  • Diana Palmer is one of the most important characters in The Phantom and one of the earliest long-running romantic partners in superhero history. Introduced alongside the Phantom in Lee Falk’s newspaper strip in 1936, Diana is the childhood sweetheart of Kit Walker, the man behind the Phantom’s mask. Unlike many early comic-strip love interests, Diana is intelligent, educated, and capable in her own right. Over the decades she has been portrayed as an explorer, diplomat, United Nations official, and adventurer who often finds herself involved in the same international intrigues that draw the Phantom into action. Her long-distance relationship with Kit is complicated by his secret identity and his responsibilities as the latest heir to the Phantom legacy.
  • The relationship between the Phantom and Diana Palmer helped establish a model that many later superhero romances would follow. For years Diana suspected there was more to Kit Walker than he admitted, while Kit struggled to balance romance with his duty as the “Ghost Who Walks.”

Diana & Kit vs. Lois & Clark

  • Kit and Diana were married in the famous storyline “The Wedding of the Phantom”, which ran from October 30, 1977, to February 5, 1978
    • The wedding itself took place on November 24, 1977, in front of the Skull Cave in Bangalla
    • It was a major comics milestone because Lee Falk actually allowed the relationship to progress rather than keeping it in perpetual courtship.
    • Unlike many comic-book relationships that remained perpetually unresolved, Kit and Diana’s love story progressed to marriage and then they became parents to twins, Kit and Heloise. This development gave The Phantom a rare sense of growth and continuity, allowing readers to see the hero not only as a crime-fighter but also as a husband and father. Diana’s steadfast loyalty, courage, and independence have made her one of the most enduring and respected partners in comics history.
  • Superman and Lois Lane were married in Superman: The Wedding Album, published during the week of October 6, 1996.
    • The comic represented their first official marriage in main DC continuity. Earlier “marriages” had been dreams, hoaxes, alternate-universe stories, or imaginary tales.
    • DC synchronized the comic wedding with the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which aired the wedding episode at the same time.
  • In 1996, a great movie was made of The Phantom
    • It starred Billy Zane in the title role and Kristy Swanson
    • Kristy played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before Sarah Michelle Geller stole Kristy’s thunder and made the role iconic on the T.V. series
    • Equally challenging for Kristy’s character Diana was that in The Phantom movie Catherine Zeta-Jones played the beautiful villainess Sala who managed to steal a kiss from The Phantom
      • Furs on Film – The Phantom (1996)
  • As in the original newspaper strips, the film is an action adventure set in the jungle land of the fictional African country Bangalla and we do get to see The Phantom’s secret headquarters, the Skull Cave
    • The movie is well worth watching and used the wonderful tagline “Slam Evil!”
    • The Phantom (1996 film) - Wikipedia

Phantom Song 4 (3:09)

  • “Jungle Love” by the Steve Miller Band

PSA: Visit the IUP Kathleen Jones White Writing Center (1:00)

  • If you’re trying to write the perfect jungle poem like Steve Miller, but jungle love is making you mad…
  • Just head to the IUP Kathleen Jones White Writing Center
    • The Writing Center is open all summer long, and the Writing Center tutors will help IUP students with any writing challenge…
    • No matter how mysterious
    • You can get help from the Writing Center remotely this summer, via Zoom, where you can talk directly with a tutor, or asynchronously, where a tutor will give you comments on your paper
  • Let me cue that Writing Center Theme Song!

Writing Center Theme Song (0:30)

  • “I Love the Writing Center” by Dr. Weinstein

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Dr. Dan Weinstein (0:10)

  • And let me also give a Superhero Smash Super Shout-out to Dr. Dan Weinstein, the Director of the Writing Center and LLW Associate Professor
    • Dr. Weinstein might not be great at slamming evil, but he can help you write a poetic line or two if you need it

Part 3: The Super Romance (Ends @ 44 minutes)

Part 4: The Good Deed (Begins @ 44 minutes)

Super Show ID 5: Superhero Smash (0:30)

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Tom Meloy (0:10)

  • I want to give a Superhero Smash Super Shout-out to Tom Meloy
    • For helping me to come up with my new radio handle, Doctor Smash
    • Tom hosts his own radio show called “Oblique Strategies” on WIUP FM 90.1 every Saturday night from 9:00-10:00 p.m.
    • Give “Oblique Strategies” a listen!

Super Good Deed for the Week: Honor Your Past (4:00)

  • Superhero stories are about doing good
  • And in that spirit, I have been trying to make Superhero Smash be a musical force for good
  • The Phantom is the Ghost Who Walks because each generation keeps the myth going
  • Any time a Phantom is near death, he flees to the Skull Cave so that his son can don the superhero mantle in his place and the legend can continue
  • This week’s challenge is to show that same type of respect for your past

The Superhero Smash Move

For this week’s Superhero Smash Move, try the following:

  • Reach out to your parents or grandparents with a simple hello and thank them for helping to bring you up right

Super Examples

If you don’t have a good direct connection to your immediate family, then reach out to someone else you can thank for being a positive influence in your life

  • It could be teacher, a mentor, a boss, or a co-worker
  • Send them a text or, better yet, give them a quick call
  • If you don’t have a close role model, then reach out to someone and just thank them for being a good friend
  • Or if you want to go a spiritual route, then pull out a picture or some other heirloom/keepsake of a person who has passed and say a prayer of thanks that they were in your life or just take a few minutes to recall a good memory about them to help keep them present in your life
  • Nothing fancy. Just a word or thought of thanks and gratitude for someone being an important inspiration in your life

Channel The Phantom’s Energy

  • Be thankful
  • And honor your past if you can

That’s This Week’s Superhero Smash Move

  • Tap into Your Inner Phantom
    • Protect important connections and memories
    • And be thankful for the good people in your life
  • Super good deed!

Phantom Song 4 (5:23)

  • “My Father’s Eyes” by Eric Clapton

Part 4: The Good Deed (Ends @ 54 minutes)

Part 5: The Fantastic Finish (Begins @ 54 minutes)

Super Show ID 5: Superhero Smash (0:30)

The End of The Phantom, For Now! (2:00)

Before we leave The Phantom to protecting his jungle kingdom, let’s see how he stands up to the Man of Steel for superhero #1

Round 1: Who Came First?

  • Advantage: The Phantom

Round 2: Who Was More Influential?

  • Advantage: Superman

Round 3: Who Had the Better Hideout?

  • The Skull Cave vs. The Fortress of Solitude?
  • I’m going with all those cool Kryptonian crystals that make up Superman’s hideout
  • Advantage: Superman

Round 4: Who Had the Better Love Story?

  • Superman’s cold feet lasted for decades, so Kit gets the win for asking Diana to tie the knot first
  • Advantage: The Phantom

Round 5: Who Has the Better Symbol?

  • The Phantom’s Skull Ring vs. Superman’s S-Shield?
  • You can find people wearing the big red S all over the world
  • Advantage: Superman

Super Show ID 6: Superhero Smash To Be Continued Next Issue! (2:00)

Heroic End Credits Song for The Phantom (1:00 + 5:51)

  • In the battle between Superman and The Phantom, Superman gets the win. The Man of Steel is tough to beat. The Phantom is the Man Who Never Dies, though, so he might triumph over Superman in the end.
  • But I hope both heroes keep having adventures for years to come. After all, Superman reminds us to reach for the stars, while the Phantom reminds us that courage, honor, and determination can create a legend that lasts for generations. Nearly ninety years after he first appeared, the Ghost Who Walks is still riding through the jungles of Bangalla and through the imaginations of readers around the world.
  • I’m Doctor Smash, and thanks for joining me for another episode of Superhero Smash
  • And remember, while Superhero Smash is about the adventures of amazing individuals,
    • “You don’t need superpowers to be a hero. The only thing it takes to be a hero is the courage to do what’s right when someone needs your help.”–Gian Pagnucci, a.k.a. Doctor Smash
  • The Phantom had a loyal gray mountain wolf named Devil and a powerful white stallion named, Hero, which makes this final song the perfect ending for todays show about The Phantom
    • Phantom Comics. Silver Age. Rare Vintage Comics . From 1962; 1-74 Publications. Compact Disc - Etsy
  • “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler from Footloose

Part 5: The Fantastic Finish (Ends @ 60 minutes)

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