Overfour-hundred years ago, a large British merchantman was attacked by Singgpirates off the remote shores of Bangalia. The captain of the trading vessel was a famous seafarer who, in hisyouth, had served as cabin boy to Christopher Columbus on his first voyage todiscover the New Word. With the captain,was his son Kit, a strong young man who idolized his father and hoped to followin his footsteps as a seafarer. But thepirate attack was disastrous. In afurious battle, the entire crew of the merchantman was killed and the ship sankin flames. The sole survivor was youngKit, who, as he fell off the burning ship, saw his father killed by apirate. Kit was washed ashore, halfdead, and friendly pygmies found him and nursed him to health.
Walkingon the beach one day, he found a dead pirate dressed in his father’s clothes,and realized this was the pirate who had killed his father. Grief-stricken, he waited until vultures hadstripped the body clean. Then, on theskull of his father’s murderer, he swore an oath by firelight as the friendlypygmies watched. “I swear to devote mylife to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and in justice, and sons andtheir sons shall follow me.”
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Andthus we come to an exciting day in the life of the twentieth generation ofPhantoms; the birth of a boy baby. It isthis boy baby who will grow up to become the twentieth generation of Phantoms,the Phantom of our day, whose adventures we know and follow. And the tale we are about to tell is hisstory as he grows from that baby boy in the mysterious Man Who Cannot Die, theGhost Who Walks – the Phantom.
fromThe Story of The Phantom
Anovel by Lee Falk
LeeFalk began writing and drawing The Phantom comic strip in 1936. When he died, in 1999, he was still tellingthe story of The Phantom. The Phantomcomic strip continues to run today. From1972 to 1975, Lee Falk, and four friends, all internationally renowned authors,recorded the legend of The Phantom in fifteen novels.
ThePhantom is the reason you’re reading this. I was born in 1942. One of myearliest memories is sitting in my Daddy’s lap, every day, while he read thelatest adventure of The Phantom to me. At least once during each daily session, my mother would call out fromthe kitchen, “Bert, you shouldn’t read that to him. He’s too young.
In1946, my younger brother was born. Withmore demands on his time and the constant criticism from my mother for readingThe Phantom to me, our daily sessions came to an end. But there was no way I’d give up ThePhantom. I learned to read. As a byproduct of learning to read, I learnedto write. That’s why The Phantom is thereason we are sharing this moment.
ThePhantom is testimony to the power of storytellers in our life. I’m a storyteller, the real oldestprofession in the world, and I’m proud to be one. This site is a series of stories, snapshotsof my life and work. Thanks for takingthe time to walk along my path, with me, and The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks.
Welcometo my Skull Cave….
