The Rumor Factory

The Rumor Factory
Start date:	July 13th, 1942
End date:	September 12th, 1942
# of strips:	54 (9 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"Lothar the Champ"
Followed by:	"Baron Kord"

"The Rumor Factory" is the 27th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis. This story exists in two variants, one made to span four newspaper columns, the other to span five.

Plot Summary

The Office of War Information (?) have ask Mandrake for help. Vicious rumors are circulating and they are harmful for the war effort. Once a false rumor starts, it spreads like wild-fire among ordinary citizens. But who start them ? A case for Mandrake...

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda

One-time characters

• Bud, a man in a bar.
• Susie, a secretary.
• Mr. Max, head of the rumor factory.
• Mrs. White, a lady in a wheelchair.
• Joseph, Mrs. White's butler.

Locations

• Washington D.C.
• New York
  • West Street, hide-out for the rumor factory.
  • Twelve West
• Pearl Harbor, a navy base. mentioned only.
• Berlin mentioned only.

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story is taken from the strip of July 11, 1942 (Beginning Next Week - Rumor Factory).
• This story is inspired by Lee Falk's new job at the Office of War Information as associate chief of the Foreign Language Division handling radio issues.

Signifiant covers

• 
  Brazil
• 
  Finland
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  New Zealand

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Rumor Factory", Mandrake The Magician (1948)
• "The Rumor Factory", Mandrake the Magician #6 and #7 (1991)

Brazil

• "no title", Mandrake #106 (1965)
• "O Rumor", Mandrake, o Mágico #9 (1971)
• "A Fábrica de Boatos", Mandrake #3 (2015)

Finland

• "Maaron ja Mies Jolla Oli Kuulotorvi", Kippari Kalle #12 (1955)
• "Huhutehdas", Wanhat Sarjat #1 (1981)

France

• "Conjuration diabolique", Mandrake #21 (1963)
• "L'usine aux rumeurs", Mandrake le Magicien Vol. 3 (1984)

West Germany

• "Der mann mit dem Hörrohr", Phantom-Heft #11 (1954)

Italy

• "Diabolica congiura", Mandrake #29 (1963)
• "Diabolica congiura", I Classici dell'Avventura #67 (1964)
• "La villa dei misteri", Mandrake - New Comics Now #181 (1986)
• "La villa dei misteri", Mandrake 22 (Comic Art) (1993)

New Zealand

• "The Rumor Factory", Mandrake the Magician #90 and #91 (1955)

USA

• "no title", The Official Mandrake #3 (1989)
• "Rumor Factory", The Classic Mandrake Series (second series)/ "Two Thrills for Mandrake" (Pacific Comics Club) (2016)