A true classic and a standard among comic strips, Mandrake the Magician has been mystifying readers since 1934!
Mandrake the Magician was created by Lee Falk during the Great Depression, a time in our nation’s history when adventurous comic strips became popular for their morale-building appeal.
The dapper, mustached magician remains one of the most famous characters in the comic strip medium, his adventures appearing in newspapers worldwide. Mandrake uses his legendary powers of hypnotism and illusion to combat crime, and has worked his debonair magic to find a place in the hearts of comic strip fans everywhere.
Many comic strips and comic books throughout the history of the medium have starred mystics and magicians. Over the years, characters such as Merzah the Mystic, Sargon the Sorcerer and Zanzibar the Magician have worked their magic on readers, but none have displayed the longevity of the Mandrake the Magician comic strip.
Mandrake was also the first comic strip with a racially integrated cast of crime-fighters. Mandrake’s partner in adventure is the gigantic Lothar, and the two of them have been fighting evildoers for decades! Mandrake is also aided by his wife, the lovely and exotic Princess Narda.
Falk originally drew the Mandrake strip but soon turned the job over to artist Phil Davis, who illustrated the silken illusionist’s doings for more than 30 years. When Davis passed away, Falk recruited current Mandrake artist Fred Fredericks.
Lee Falk passed away in March of 1999, but his legacy lives on with Mandrake the Magician.