The Dad Who Walks

The Phantom 51: You need a new bouncer.

2011-10-12T22:11:00.000+13:00

It goes without saying that if young girls and their grandfathers get picked on in the Phantom's realm, someone is going to get a walloping.

But this post is really about the conduct of Devil and The Ghost Who Walks...

In the first scene, Devil doesn't mind showing how interested he is in that sandwich, behaviour which is charming in a dog (or a wolf, as the case may be). Then this fierce jungle fighter lets the young girl cuddle him.

The Phantom is also in good form. Young Reema was frightened of him at first, but he has quickly put her at ease.

This adventure is quite late in the chronology of The Phantom comics I have, and there is something creeping in here, something slightly cruel in the way Mr Walker and his furry sidekick behave when searching for the real villains of the piece.

In contrast to his earlier demeanour, I have never seen Devil so incredibly bad tempered or snarly, almost like he has a jungle bur lodged in his nether regions.

And The Phantom seems to be in a whimsical mood, almost enjoying intimidating and manhandling the men of the barroom. The uncharacteristic grin is a dead giveaway.

You couldn't honestly say these guys are bad men, merely rough around the edges. And it's their domain after all.

The presentation of the revolver was a little out of order, but still... The Phantom started it.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

The Phantom 50: You wish to kill me?

2011-09-16T21:36:00.002+12:00

The Phantom doesn't realise he has walked into great danger.

On the surface, the two enemies couldn't be more different: one a sly manipulator with an evil power, the other a no-nonsense hero with fists and guns...

But there are similarities. Both were brought up by fathers who trained them in old traditions to lives of great purpose. Both have a commanding influence over the peoples of the jungle.

The difference is that The Phantom has earned his position through goodness and bravery and wisdom.

The drummer has misunderstood the meaning of power. His influence is achieved through deception, cruelty, and voodoo.

Even after he is vanquished, the drummer will still not understand the distinction.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

The Phantom 49: Maybe that masked man isn't dead.

2011-08-14T21:18:00.001+12:00

This is a very curious thing about The Ghost Who Walks.

When he removes his disguise, he's wearing a cowl and a mask, a skintight bodysuit and twin guns...

His "disguise" is what makes him pass for one of us. "The Phantom" is who he really is.

He shares this topsy-turvy disguise characteristic with the Man of Steel. However, The Phantom was on the job before Superman made his first appearance, so he can lay claim to it.

Kent is admittedly a far more complex and resounding persona than Walker, but the similarity is there nevertheless.

And why is it so curious? The rest of the long-underwear heroes play dress-up to become their two-fisted alter egos; Superman and The Phantom already are who they are, and sometimes pass for one of us by dressing and acting as we do.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

The Phantom 48: Maybe Mama was right.

2011-07-19T22:02:00.001+12:00

Diana has stormed off in a huff, and The Phantom has been left on his own, sitting outside and wondering what happened.

And how did he come to join the ranks of conventional manhood? He didn't say the expected things, and he didn't behave in the approved manner...

So now he has only his confused thoughts and a wolf for company on a romantic moonlit night.

A smooth charmer like Ferdy will fare much better than the bewildered Ghost Who Walks, no doubt...

Aside from all the other unsettling things regarding Diana's scheming mother, one of the most unnerving things about her is her spectacles, which have blank lenses, much in the style of The Phantom's own hoodoo mask.

One wonders why Mama didn't phone ahead to the dance, to warn the hapless Ferdy that a big angry guy and a wolf were on their way; but perhaps she was too shaken by The Phantom's inquisition.

And so all of Mama's manipulations begin to bear fruit... If only The Ghost Who Walks had decided to go to the jungle instead of the dance, all could have gone according to plan.

In all of this, I can't help feeling sorry for Ferdy, who didn't really do anything to deserve a Phantom punch. He was getting a little out of hand -- but I know Diana, and she could have sorted him out herself, had she really needed to.

But there's a silver lining...

See? This is what women really want! They want the quick-tempered he-man to crash a dance, knock down all the other suitors, and carry the woman off into the countryside!

Er... Maybe not.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Wintry walks and wanderings

2011-07-09T20:22:00.007+12:00

The Phantom 47: All the attractive men are married.

2011-06-12T07:08:00.001+12:00

Janice Helm, pretty as a picture and with a figure that makes grown men weak at the knees, receives a call from Colonel Weeks of the Jungle Patrol, whose Supreme Commander just happens to be The Ghost Who Walks.

Janice is staying at the manse of her grandfather, Major Helm, but he has suddenly disappeared after inviting her for a vacation from her school in Paris.

She returned from the cinema to find a handwritten note from the Major telling her he was leaving for Europe.

It doesn't really make much sense to Janice, but she has no choice but to accept it, and now finds herself alone at her grandfather's residence, isolated and bored...

According to Janice, all the attractive men are married (and who am I to argue?), but while she is waiting for someone "marvellous" and "exciting" to show up, a couple of unattractive men arrive (unmarried, no doubt) to take her to her grandfather.

Janice gets high marks for moxie -- but, in hindsight, she could have hidden all doubt about the note, feigned acquiescence, announced she was going to get dressed so as to accompany her grandfather's emissaries, then come up with a strategy for getting help or getting away.

As it is, her angry resistance provokes the men, and things are going badly until The Phantom appears in the garden and makes short work of the two thugs.

A third man, the driver, gets away -- so whoever is after Janice will soon know his hirelings failed.

However, despite the danger she is in, she has become distracted by the appearance and manner of her strange rescuer...

Janice is convinced that a man who wears a mask must be up to no good, but she also convinces herself that he is her dream man, having finally arrived to save her from boredom...

Unfortunately for Janice, she is headed for bitter disappointment and heartbreak, as The Ghost Who Walks is spoken for -- and by adventure's end he will have denounced her as a "foolish child".

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

My friend and a different Dunedin

2011-06-04T18:34:00.028+12:00

A close friend of mine died unexpectedly. It was all so sudden and there was no time to prepare, or to get used to the idea. I was so fortunate that I was able to be with him when he died, but I miss him terribly and he can never be replaced.

He was from Dunedin, and I happened to have a day off work mid-week last month, so I went for a big walk around our town to be alone with thoughts and memories of him. On the way I made a few photographs and I ended up (naturally enough) in the neighbourhood where he started out in life.

The neighbourhood hasn't changed, but of course everything else has changed and will never be the same without him.

Photos:

First: central city west.
Second: the Oval.
Third: Musselburgh/Tainui area.
Fourth: South Dunedin's famous Marlow's.

Happy birthday...

2011-05-19T06:10:00.000+12:00

...to another good man.

Phantom comic by Lee Falk & Wilson McCoy

Giant, green and gold

2011-05-10T21:47:00.015+12:00

Path of gold.

Lonely giant.

Sea of green.

The Phantom 45: Darling, I've got a surprise for you!

2011-04-19T20:49:00.003+12:00

Under the circumstances we can forgive the Ghost Who Walks a rare use of sarcasm...

I suppose it's comforting for the men of the world to know that even The Phantom has mother-in-law troubles.

Mother won't allow Diana to marry The Phantom, and is determined to keep her as far away from him as possible.

This isn't the end of it, however... Mother is forced to come up with more and more insidious schemes to keep them apart.

But despite all the obstacles in their way, there is somehow an inevitability about the union of Diana and Kit. Mother can't see it; but time will tell.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

My everyday Dunedin

2011-04-05T19:25:00.021+12:00

A short lunchtime walk from my office in the main business area, and the city becomes an adventure of walking trails, forests, green fields and stunning views.

Stafford Street.

Princes Street and the Oval.

Maitland Street.

Unity Park.

Trails through the Town Belt.

Looking out at the harbour and peninsula.

The Phantom 44: Unconfirmed rumours.

2011-03-20T21:16:00.020+13:00

If there are two things the Ghost Who Walks cannot tolerate, it's bullies and indiscriminate hunters... Too bad for this group of thugs that one "unconfirmed rumour" is about to run up against the granddaddy of "unconfirmed rumours" himself.

This is the moment when men with any smarts should immediately turn around and high-tail it back out of the jungle, leaving the detestable Twitchy to his fate.

But of course they won't.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

Turning red

2011-03-16T20:56:00.005+13:00

A bit of colour II

Coming next: The Phantom

Almost Up, Almost Down

2011-02-27T13:30:00.007+13:00

Wakari & St Clair.

The Phantom 43: A man of good size.

2011-02-06T14:20:00.004+13:00

The Ghost Who Walks gives a convincing demonstration of skill overcoming brute force, and also waxes lyrical about the virtues of physical fitness....

The Phantom of the year 1664 (our Phantom's ancestor) strides into the walled town of Sanloi, bloodthirsty stronghold of the worst pirates on the coast, ruled with an iron fist by the pirate king Redbeard.

Our modern day Phantom reads to the Bandar tribesmen from a 17th Century Phantom Chronicle, written in the hand of his ancestor....

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Long and Deep

2011-01-26T21:25:00.030+13:00

If I ever need reminding that we in Dunedin live in a paradise, I only have to take a short drive along the road to one of my favourite places.

Lots of exploring for my wee girl to do....

That's Saddle Hill in the distance (upper right).

For someone like me, who loves climbing rocks, there are plenty of weirdly beautiful possibilities.

Breathe long and deep.... The air is so clean and alive.

Sometimes it's just safer if you hitch a ride with Dad.

(This last photograph by V.)

Brighton, Dunedin, New Zealand

Heights of the Valley

2011-01-07T21:19:00.051+13:00

I always get a kick out of roaming in these hills.

This is an unusual entry for a blog about Dunedin and The Phantom, in that it features neither...

...but I stayed at my Dad's place over the Christmas and New Year break, so let's call this a holiday diversion, featuring Kaituna Valley in Canterbury.

Leaving home behind in the distance.

Crossing the river, getting my boots full of mucky water.

Charred remains.

The swampy watering hole.

A long and winding road.

Scarred earth.

Another bend in a steep and twisting climb.

Across the tops.

A panting dog, and the orchard far below.

The ups and downs of wild slopes.

Down into the green.

The loneliness of being unhitched and abandoned.

Home stretch.

And how is the intrepid hill-climber rewarded? With a taste of his Christmas present, of course... The superb Talisker scotch from the Isle of Skye.

The Phantom 42: Past year recap.

2010-12-21T20:42:00.014+13:00

The Phantom comic posts from the past year are listed here, along with
the title of each story and original publication date.

The Phantom 28: I hate him more than you do!
The Return of the Sky Band (1941)

The Phantom 29: Are you -- Santa Claus?
Little Toma (1937)

The Phantom 30: A marvelous physique.
The Crooner (1944)

The Phantom 31: Our baby... a girl?
The Heirs (1978)

The Phantom 32: Meet me if you can.
Adventure in Algiers (1938)

The Phantom 33: Why didn't they say so?
The Thuggees (1949)

The Phantom 34: On guard, Devil.
The Frame-Up (1968)

The Phantom 35: An elemental force for good.
The Jungle Gang (2007)

The Phantom 36: I'm the champion of the world.
The Heavyweight Champion (1956)

The Phantom 37: OK, GIRLS -- UNZIP!
The Mermaids of Melo Straits (1945)

The Phantom 38: A month's rest in the hospital.
The Masked Marvel (1948)

The Phantom 39: We don't kill unless we have to.
Visit to Baronkhan (1983)

The Phantom 40: A stab in the back.
The Phantom Goes To War (1942)

The Phantom 41: I need a husband.
The Hanta Witch (1965)

A wee jaunt across a Dunedin hill

2010-12-07T21:48:00.006+13:00

The Phantom 41: I need a husband.

2010-11-20T09:32:00.017+13:00

Like me, The Phantom occasionally sits down to read about the adventures of The Ghost Who Walks...

It's quite an offer. A gorgeous young blonde with lands and treasure wants you to become her consort, to help her rule her empire...

All you have to do is renounce your oath and turn your back on your duty.

For an ordinary man, a proposal such as this from the Queen of Hanta would be sorely tempting... But for The Phantom?

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Hills, Hikes, and Views

2010-11-05T21:35:00.006+13:00

This is me in the hills, a half-hour's walk above Dunedin City.
(Photograph by my brother.)

Looking across to the harbour from the grounds of Larnach Castle.

My brother on the Pineapple Track.

Jubilee Park.

The Phantom 40: A stab in the back.

2010-10-19T22:10:00.002+13:00

Diana's expression says it all...

The Ghost Who Walks has never been quite so grim. There are glimpses of his trademark sense of humour, but it's tainted with bitterness.

And off the top of my head, I can't recall another occasion on which he killed a man in cold blood.

This is in stark contrast to The Phantom's attitude in the previous post, We don't kill unless we have to, showing his reluctance to harm a tiger.

Kurachi, however, appears to be a far more dangerous animal. Clearly, there is a time to kill, and a time to die.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

Sheltering Sky on the Taieri

2010-10-03T21:04:00.001+13:00

Even the carparks of Otago have greener and lusher grass than the faraway lawns of the rich and famous.

The Phantom 39: We don't kill unless we have to.

2010-09-18T07:53:00.002+12:00

The wicked Count from Baronkhan has left young Rex, the Phantom's ward, alone in the jungle to die. Rex knows how to survive in the jungle, but this time the odds are against him: a boy armed with a small crossbow facing a hungry tiger.

So the tiger lives to hunt another day. With The Phantom now on his trail, the Count may not be so lucky!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Quirky corner

2010-09-02T22:12:00.001+12:00

Brighton IV

2010-08-22T21:51:00.003+12:00

Brighton was stunning today... as always.

The Phantom 38: A month's rest in the hospital.

2010-08-03T19:58:00.004+12:00

Diana can look after herself, but it's the champ's misfortune that Mr. Walker happens to be with her on this occasion...

I think The Phantom hit this guy harder than he ever hit anyone... but what's really interesting is that a mere slip of a girl can hold back the right arm that has knocked out thugs, gangsters and pirates all around the world -- not to mention one or two heavyweight champions!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Dunedin on the quick

2010-07-18T20:35:00.007+12:00

A quick lunchtime walk in Dunedin... All you have to do is leave your building, pick a road that's heading uphill, and start walking...

Better head back now. The lunch break is nearly over. There's a trail over there to the right, descending through more forests and parks...

The Phantom 37: OK, GIRLS -- UNZIP!

2010-07-01T22:08:00.000+12:00

The sirens of myth who lured sailors to their doom had nothing on these gorgeous mermaids, plying their trade in a modern shipping channel notorious for the mysterious disappearances of boats and men.

Unfortunately for this murderous bevy of beauties, Mr Walker is a passenger on the Belle of the Ball...

Entranced by strange music and female beauty, the captain wants to capture the mermaids, but The Phantom is only interested in solving the mystery.

Seeing through the ruse, the captain orders the ship back on course, but runs afoul of another trick, and the ship cracks up on a hidden reef.

"What they've got" is The Phantom, sworn nemesis of pirates -- no matter how seductive or beautiful!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

The Phantom 36: I'm the champion of the world.

2010-06-16T20:45:00.004+12:00

Diana is a heck of a girl -- smart and tough and beautiful, with a pretty level head on her shoulders...

...but at heart she is a typical woman, worrying half the day over how The Phantom is feeling about things between them, conjuring up all sorts of emotions for him...

...when in actual fact he hasn't even been thinking about their relationship at all!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

The Phantom 35: An elemental force for good.

2010-06-02T21:33:00.005+12:00

This Phantom post is somewhat of an anomaly for The Dad Who Walks. As with Halley's Comet, you may not see its like again during your lifetime: it doesn't feature the writing of Lee Falk or the drawing of his three great artists, Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy, or Sy Barry.

This modern tale makes the intriguing suggestion that The Phantom is the unwitting agent of an intelligent, unseen power, and that this universal intelligence deploys "powerful unseen forces" on his behalf.

I don't have a problem with this idea. In fact, it actually makes a lot of sense. Although practically none of the Phantoms die peacefully at home in bed, each one lives long enough to beget a son and raise him to young manhood.

And, what's more, not only is each son unusually good, strong and courageous like his father, but he also has that amazing Phantom "luck" -- or tendency to make it through the most horrendous of scrapes by the skin of his teeth.

As to what, or who, this universal intelligence actually is, well... I don't have to spell everything out, do I?

And later...

WRITER: Tony De Paul

ARTIST: Paul Ryan

Happy Birthday

2010-05-19T06:27:00.003+12:00

Right about here.

My beautiful little daughter pleading with me to let her into the school where the children are. I remember being on the other side of the fence during my own abominable school years wishing I could get out.

The Cook, but not Captain Cook.

Amazing autumn in the Botanic Garden.

I could never tire of these beaches.

Stood up... in North Road.

On the Pineapple.

A peaceful morning at the waterfront.

The Phantom 34: On guard, Devil.

2010-05-01T07:48:00.004+12:00

Some time ago, I wrote about "the importance of Devil as The Phantom's confidant, comrade-in-arms, and right-hand man. (Or right-hand wolf, if you prefer.)"

The Phantom has proven time and again his mastery of the urban environment; yet, equally proven is how much his continued survival depends upon the faithful Devil.

It's a dangerous life, but the relationship is not entirely one-sided. More than once, The Ghost Who Walks has risked everything to save Devil.

And Devil gets to travel the world, having all sorts of adventures, when he's not running alongside The Phantom's horse in the jungle or chasing rabbits.

Thanks to Devil, the thugs of the disgraced General Bababu fail in their attempt to kill The Phantom. It's only a short time later that Devil gets the chance to save his master again, as they trail General Bababu's daughter, Lila.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Just recently in Dunedin...

2010-04-18T20:35:00.001+12:00

...some autumn pictures ranging from the 28th of March to the 11th of April.

Ramshackle house on a hill. That's the Harbour Cone in the distance.

Rock wall, with the helping hand of Man in evidence.

An alluring entrance.

Batting cage at the Kaikorai football club sportsground.

A true Dunedin icon, like the Arthur Barnett store itself.

Autumn leaves in the neighbourhood.

On the rocks: early morning sunshine.

Lynn Street - no. 2.

Laying down on the job.

The reason Dunedin people are so fit - no. 2.

Another of those incredibly steep Dunedin stops.

Great King and Hanover.

Purakaunui.

The Phantom 33: Why didn't they say so?

2010-04-02T07:31:00.002+13:00

This reminds me of my brother, who is around six feet tall and lean, with muscles from weight training. He drives a nice old V8 car (which he restored himself because he's a top mechanic), and he has a good job in management.

A man of sober habits, he has two beautiful teenage daughters and is a great dad. To top it all off, some say he is almost as good-looking as me, but there's really no need to make such ridiculous claims about him.

The simple fact is that he is single. How that can be, I'm not sure. But where do you find a good wife these days? The jungle chiefs seem to know...

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Dunedin all around

2010-03-21T21:19:00.007+13:00

Victoria Road, with the beach a stone's throw away.

Tahuna Park racecourse.

The sandy steps of St Kilda.

A very nice man and his well-behaved companion. Early morning up in Opoho Park.

View to the harbour and peninsula.

Down in the Brighton schoolyard: what a place for a typo.

Heading for the surf...

Keep walking and the trees will lead you to the Upper Botanic Gardens.

Ocean Beach, with Forbury Hill in the distance.

The wild back section.

Buildings before the ocean.

Early morning in the park.

The Phantom 32: Meet me if you can.

2010-03-01T06:39:00.001+13:00

This post is a companion piece to The Phantom 8: Just going for a stroll from a year ago, in which I described "two deceitful women: one crooked and the other downright treacherous".

The Ghost Who Walks has already dealt with the crooked one, which leaves the worse of the two...

The Machiavellian behaviour of a manipulative mother constitutes a special kind of evil, and -- in some ways -- despite all the challenges they would go on to face together, Diana and Kit never tackled an enemy more formidable than Mother.

Realising how serious Diana's relationship with The Phantom has become, Mother decides to go into action, "for Diana's own good".

Diana travels to Marseilles to meet Kit at the appointed time -- accompanied by Mother, who knows very well that The Phantom has been delayed and will not be on the boat.

In the face of Diana's faith that Kit is still coming for her, Mother decides to elicit more of a commitment to the cause from her companion, Doctor Ned.

Like most women of her type, Mother has a subservient male as an ally. Despite feelings of guilt, the spineless Ned goes along with her schemes.

After Diana, Mother, and Ned have departed on a ship bound for the United States, Kit arrives in Paris, and a desk clerk gives him the note.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

Around and about in the last week or so

2010-02-12T06:36:00.006+13:00

Trick rider Blake Fox at the Brighton Gala Day.

Cherubs around the fountain, some real and some imagined.

A view from Corrie Street, with the harbour and peninsula way in the distance.

No. 62 in the hills of Wakari.

View from a bedroom window.

Moto Guzzi... and Mt Cargill in the background.

This way.

Early morning in the Lower Botanic Garden.

Botanic Garden sprinkler.

Grandstand at Mosgiel.

Living in this region is such a pleasure. I need lots of air and lots of space.

The Phantom 31: Our baby... a girl?

2010-02-01T07:14:00.002+13:00

It's unusual for The Phantom to become overly excited. On those rare occasions, you can be sure it has something to do with Diana.

Now, if he is not merely excited, but overcome with joy, there must be something very special going on.

He has to leave for the jungle the next day, and of course he wants his gorgeous wife to accompany him. He can't wait to tell everyone about their baby.

Diana has big responsibilities in her job at the United Nations, and she can't just drop everything to go with The Phantom. She will have to give the appropriate amount of notice before taking maternity leave.

However, in the midst of all this good news and the making of plans, there is something The Ghost Who Walks has not thought of, and he's in for a shock...

I'm not sure I've ever seen The Phantom look so dismayed!

The Ghost Who Walks is in for even more surprises later on; but, for now, this is just about all he can handle!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

New Year's morning at Brighton

2010-01-14T21:42:00.009+13:00

Brighton on the 1st of January, 2010.

Exploring.

I was lucky enough to quietly watch a white-faced heron wading through the pools.

Variety and beauty whichever way you look.

Miles and miles of amazing golden sand, and I could make out about half-a-dozen people. For a Dunedin beach I think this constitutes overcrowding.

Lots of rocks to clamber over.

An oystercatcher up high who didn't mind me stopping carefully to watch.

The Phantom 30: A marvelous physique.

2010-01-07T20:34:00.004+13:00

I'm pretty strong, but after reading about what The Phantom does for a casual workout while he's on holiday, I had to go and have a lie down.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Aramoana and Heyward Point

2009-12-31T20:37:00.010+13:00

A hike in mid-autumn this year, around Aramoana and Heyward Point, along the beach and into the hills to the cliffs.

Walking to the beach at Aramoana.

Large rock formations and the Peninsula beyond.

Heading up into the hills above the settlement. Nice and steep.

High in the hills, overlooking the ocean.

My view from the top of the cliffs, down along the beach to the Spit, and across the inlet to Taiaroa Head and the Peninsula.

The Phantom 29: Are you -- Santa Claus?

2009-12-24T06:16:00.002+13:00

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

School

2009-12-13T20:58:00.013+13:00

One of the buildings decorated with murals at the lovely little Balmacewen Intermediate School.

One of the many colourful wall panels. I'm betting this one depicts a tui.

The Phantom 28: I hate him more than you do!

2009-12-06T15:54:00.009+13:00

Many a miscreant woman has found herself suffering from unrequited love for The Phantom...

Combined with male vanity, it usually means the chief villain cannot keep the Ghost Who Walks locked up for very long.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

The Phantom 27: Past year recap.

2009-12-01T20:26:00.014+13:00

The Phantom comic posts from the past year are listed here, along with the title of each story and original publication date.

The Phantom 1: Spank me if you dare!
The Governor's Family (1951)

The Phantom 2: Don't you think I'm pretty?
The Lady Luck (1948)

The Phantom 3: That's the only real magic.
The Betrothal (1959)

The Phantom 4: Now I think I know what bravery is.
The Movie Stars (1950)

The Phantom 5: They belong to all mankind.
Alexander's Diamond Cup (1970)

The Phantom 6: Make it eleven cows.
The Rope People (1951)

The Phantom 7: The dog goes with me.
Little Toma (1937)

The Phantom 8: Just going for a stroll.
Adventure in Algiers (1938)

The Phantom 9: Don't ever touch me again!
Return to Tarakimo (1978)

The Phantom 10: Let go of the lady.
The Bad Ones (1964)

The Phantom 11: Devil goes to work.
The Mysterious Girl (1939)

The Phantom 12: I was hired to work.
The Normal Life (1974)

The Phantom 13: A man with muscles of steel.
The Mysterious Girl (1939)

The Phantom 14: Is there trouble in here?
The Bike Gang (1972)

The Phantom 15: I never kid.
The Bike Gang (1972)

The Phantom 16: They mean business!
The Tiger Girl (1951)

The Phantom 17: It fits me perfectly!
The Female Phantom (1952)

The Phantom 18: What happened?
The Wharf Rats (1962)

The Phantom 19: Who are you?
The Singh Brotherhood (1936)

The Phantom 20: A real, man-sized wallop!
The Wild Girl (1945)

The Phantom 21: I'm more your size!
A Lesson For Prince Orq (1957)

The Phantom 22: A man... in the royal harem!
The Curse of the Sacred Image (1974)

The Phantom 23: Well done, O Ghost Who Walks.
A Lesson For Prince Orq (1957)

The Phantom 24: I'll throw him out myself.
The Mob (1954)

The Phantom 25: You lose.
Return to Tarakimo (1978)

The Phantom 26: A rose-covered cottage...
The Normal Life (1974)

Around and about in the last day or three

2009-11-23T22:06:00.005+13:00

Springtime in my neighbourhood.

When I was a young kid, my Nana always used to have Maltexo in the cupboard for a treat, and didn't we grandkids just love it! You can still see it on the supermarket shelves today.

The reason Dunedin people are so fit.

Just an average Dunedin street, on the banks of a green hill...

Sunday walking at Flagstaff Creek

2009-11-15T13:36:00.008+13:00

Gorse and broom can be beautiful. On a hot day, the fragrance from broom can be quite heady.

The magnificent pines.

The lush beauty of the ferns in Dunedin's forests.

Deep in the woods.

Growing up alongside the creek.

An old water race wheel.

Friday hike up Mt Cargill

2009-11-14T14:05:00.008+13:00

A view from the top.

Looking along the side of the mountain.

As mentioned by Dave Brown, the information plaque at the summit has been vandalised. The inner part of the disc seems porous, so the cretin who did this may have ruined it once and for all.

A little bridge on the trail up from Bethunes Gully.

The Phantom 26: A rose-covered cottage...

2009-11-01T11:16:00.018+13:00

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Well, this post marks exactly one year of The Dad Who Walks, with a Phantom entry every fortnight for all of that time.

Like The Ghost Who Walks, I will take some time "to think... to make a decision..." about whether or not I will continue with the blog.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this excerpt from the prologue of one of The Phantom's oddest adventures, and one of my favourites.

I doubt that any boys' adventure comic was ever so explicit in presenting to its impressionable readers the horrors of married life and domesticity that lay in wait to snare their hero.

For a boy, it's a no-brainer. Either you can travel the world with a wolf for a friend, being chased by brazen hussies, shooting off guns and beating up bullies, and commanding a deadly pigmy army as Ruler of the Jungle... Or you can get married, work in an office all day, then come home to change nappies, wash the dishes, and mow the lawn...

Yes, it's a tough one, I know!

Railway Station

2009-10-26T14:47:00.000+13:00

The Taieri Road

2009-10-21T19:38:00.002+13:00

The Phantom 25: You lose.

2009-10-16T19:18:00.013+13:00

The Phantom and I experience strikingly similar problems with women, especially when travelling alone... but he handles it with so much more aplomb.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

City Road station

2009-10-10T06:33:00.002+13:00

Depot

2009-10-07T06:29:00.002+13:00

DSC-W180

Towards Prospect

2009-10-05T07:41:00.000+13:00

The Phantom 24: I'll throw him out myself.

2009-10-01T16:45:00.003+13:00

There's little doubt Kit Walker could have been a success at anything he tried, had he not entered the family business of fighting pirates and helping the oppressed.

For instance, he would have made a crackerjack door-to-door salesman...

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Fab alley

2009-09-28T07:43:00.002+13:00

Stuart Street

2009-09-26T21:43:00.001+12:00

Uptown

2009-09-22T21:20:00.000+12:00

Cliff

2009-09-19T06:46:00.001+12:00

The Phantom 23: Well done, O Ghost Who Walks.

2009-09-16T08:29:00.000+12:00

It's usually a good idea to save your boasting until after you have accomplished what you're setting out to do... especially if you're going up against The Phantom!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

House

2009-09-13T19:16:00.000+12:00

The old neighbourhood

2009-09-11T16:00:00.002+12:00

Graffiti gone batty

2009-09-08T06:16:00.002+12:00

Glorious

2009-09-05T07:41:00.002+12:00

Early morning, first day of spring, 1/9/09.

The Phantom 22: A man... in the royal harem!

2009-09-01T07:36:00.000+12:00

A bevy of gorgeous women finally accomplishes what armed palace guards could not.

The girls succeed in detaining The Ghost Who Walks...

Not only is The Phantom so chivalrous that he will not manhandle them...

but he is so virtuous that he is actually trying to get away from them!

OK... I can admit it: he's not trying very hard.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Good-bye, Smiths City

2009-08-27T07:19:00.005+12:00

High Street/Broadway, yesterday afternoon, 26/08/09.

Up on Swampy

2009-08-26T13:38:00.001+12:00

Speight's water tap

2009-08-22T17:34:00.002+12:00

Forest track

2009-08-20T07:09:00.001+12:00

Brighton II

2009-08-18T10:50:00.000+12:00

The Phantom 21: I'm more your size!

2009-08-16T11:51:00.006+12:00

If there is one thing The Phantom hates, it's a bully. And if he catches a bully picking on a child, well... someone is really going to get it.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Highway

2009-08-11T19:32:00.000+12:00

Princes Street

2009-08-08T17:35:00.001+12:00

10/11/08

View to the bay

2009-08-06T16:33:00.001+12:00

The Phantom 20: A real, man-sized wallop!

2009-08-01T02:07:00.009+12:00

You know, I can't think of a greater compliment to give a girl than that she can deliver a real, man-sized wallop...

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Barb

2009-07-26T22:39:00.000+12:00

Highgate

2009-07-20T07:23:00.001+12:00

14/07/2009

The Phantom 19: Who are you?

2009-07-16T08:35:00.011+12:00

Back when he was just starting out, Batman is reputed to have said, "Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot."

But long before Batman first put on his bat-ears and pinned on his bat-cape, The Phantom had already made this observation, and was putting it to good use.

And speaking of the Caped Crusader, he chose as his companion a pre-pubescent boy who runs around in his underwear, while The Ghost Who Walks chose a sexy, scantily-clad woman. I'm just saying, is all.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Ray Moore

Mt Cargill summit

2009-07-07T19:09:00.002+12:00

Cold trail

2009-07-04T16:53:00.001+12:00

The Phantom 18: What happened?

2009-07-01T20:08:00.004+12:00

What happened...?

Three guesses.

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Banked

2009-06-26T14:41:00.002+12:00

Victorian gallery

2009-06-22T07:28:00.003+12:00

Morning Unity

2009-06-20T06:57:00.002+12:00

Wee drop

2009-06-17T20:22:00.002+12:00

Photographed 16 June, 2009.

The Phantom 17: It fits me perfectly!

2009-06-15T12:23:00.001+12:00

What can stop The Phantom in his tracks? A bully? An armed thug? A gang? A ship full of pirates, or even a dictator? No, none of these ...

... Just the sight of Diana wearing a skintight Phantom costume!

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

Church of Christ Community HQ

2009-06-11T17:41:00.005+12:00

Photograph made today, 11th of June, on a sunny winter's day in our beautiful Dunedin.

Cole

2009-06-07T19:43:00.001+12:00

Pacific

2009-06-05T16:41:00.002+12:00

The Phantom 16: They mean business!

2009-06-01T14:36:00.007+12:00

It's difficult to find good staff these days, especially in deep jungle...

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Wilson McCoy

A wee tree

2009-05-27T17:44:00.000+12:00

Coast

2009-05-23T13:26:00.000+12:00

Snow tramp

2009-05-21T23:49:00.000+12:00

In the hills of Dunedin today.

Happy Birthday

2009-05-19T12:00:00.002+12:00

All photographed this morning, 19th of May, in Forfar Street, Clyde Hill.

Yet another Autumn Thursday

2009-05-17T20:40:00.002+12:00

Photographed 14 May, 2009.

The Phantom 15: I never kid.

2009-05-15T21:02:00.007+12:00

Continued from The Phantom 14...

If you picked (a), you have chosen wisely and correctly.

Unfortunately for these outlaw bikers, they chose (b).

WRITER: Lee Falk

ARTIST: Sy Barry

Another Autumn Thursday

2009-05-07T09:32:00.000+12:00

Panes

2009-05-04T17:44:00.000+12:00