The Great Grando

The Great Grando
Start date:	June 23rd, 1941
End date:	November 8th, 1941
# of strips:	120 (20 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Mystery of the Striped Orchid"
Followed by:	"Lothar the Champ"

"The Great Grando" is the 25th 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 six newspaper columns, the other to span five.

Plot Summary

For a short time Grando was Mandrake's assistant. Grando was a brilliant man with a natural flair for magic. But he was unwilling to put in the hard work necessary for the art. Mandrake teach Grando what he knew about hypnotism, ventriloquism and sleight-of-hands. Grando progressed well for a time. Then he became lazy, missed rehearsals, came late for performances. Mandrake had to get rid of him, and Grando left with some knowledge of the magician's art.

Now Grando turn up in New York, using his knowledge for crimes.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Narda
• Lothar
• The Police Chief
• The Great Grando

One-time characters

• Danny, a boy.
• Mr. Smith, a bank teller and Danny's father.
• Daily Magazine, a newspaper.

Locations

• New York
  • Childrens Home, an orphanage.

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story is taken from the strip of June 23, 1941 (Beginning today - The Great Grando).
• Narda having birthday August the 8th ?

Signifiant covers

• 
  Argentina
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  Spain
• 
  USA
• 
  USA

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "El ladron invisible", Pequeños Grandes Libros #1153 (1946) text version

Australia

• "no title", Mandrake The Magician (1944)

Brazil

• "O Grande Mágico", Almanaque do Mandrake (1966)
• "O Grande Grando", Mandrake, o Mágico #7 (1971)

France

• "L'homme qui n'existait pas", Spécial Mandrake #2 (1963)
• "L'homme qui n'existait pas", Mandrake #285 & Mandrake #286 (1970)

Germany

• "Der grosse Grando", Prinz Eisenherz-Heft #1 (1955)
• "Der große Grando", Comic Taschen Buch #2 (1976)

Italy

• "Il grande Magnus", L'Avventura (1945-1946)
• "Mandrake contro Magnus" & "La vittoria di Magnus" & "L'ultima avventura di Magnus", Albi delle grandi avventure - Mandrake #10, #11 and #12 (1948)
• "L'uomo che non esisteva", Super Albo #38 (1963)
• "Il superbo Grando" & "Lotta senza tregua", Mandrake #18 & #19 (Comics Stars in the World 1977)
• "Il superbo Grando", Mandrake - New Comics Now #150 (1985)
• "Il superbo Grando", Mandrake 20 (Comic Art) (1993)

French Polynesia

• "Il superbo Grando" & "Lotta senza tregua", Mandrake #18 & #19 (Comics Stars in the World 1977) note: Italian text.

New Zealand

• "The Great Grando", Mandrake the Magician #82, Mandrake the Magician #83, Mandrake the Magician #84 and Mandrake the Magician #85 (1954)

Norway

• "Penger som forsvinner", Spøk og Spenning #2/1945 - #4/1945

Spain

• "El hombre que no existia", Grandes Clásicos de los Comics del Pasado #39 - Mandrake #13 (1992)

USA

• "The Great Grando", Three Thrillings for Mandrake (1976)
• "The Great Grando", The Official Mandrake King Size #1 – The Official Mandrake #14 – The Official Mandrake #15 (1989)