The Mountain Bandits

The Mountain Bandits
Start date:	December 25th, 1939
End date:	January 20th, 1940
# of strips:	24 (4 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"Mandrake in North Africa"
Followed by:	"The Museum Mystery"

"The Mountain Bandits" is the 20th 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.

The plot are more like an interlude, presenting supporting characters and head to the next story.

Plot Summary

Passing from desert into mountain country, Mandrake and Lothar head northward. Suddenly, the road's blocked and our friends become the prisoners of the mountain bandits. In the camp of the mountain bandits Mandrake found other prisoners, Dr. White and his lovely daughter Sonny, held for ransom.

The chief of the bandits said he would set them all free for ten thousand pieces of gold. And in the eyes of the bandit chief the basket of fish in the back of Mandrake's car turns into a gold chest.

When our friends left the bandit camp Dr. White asks Mandrake if he could help him with a mystery at the Orient museum, a walking mummy.....

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Dr. White, director of the Orient museum.
• Sonny, daughter of Dr. White.

One-time characters

• Lindo, the lion killer, member of the bandit gang.

Locations

• The Orient.

Behind the scenes

Title

• The title for the story is taken from the plot. The strip of December 23 1939 indicate the title as: Next Week --- The Desert Banditti.

Signifiant covers

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  Brazil

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  Italy

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  Italy

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  Italy

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  New Zealand

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  Spain

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

France

• "Les brigands des hauts-plateaux", Spécial Mandrake #17 (1965)
• "Les brigands des hauts-plateaux", Mandrake le Magicien - L'intégrale 4 (Soleil) (1994)

Italy

• "I briganti degli altipiani", Super Albo #104 (1964)
• "I briganti degli altipiani", Mandrake #20 (Comics Stars in the World 1978)
• "I briganti degli altipiani", Mandrake - New Comics Now #148 (1985)
• "I briganti degli altipiani", Mandrake 17 (Comic Art) (1992)
• "I briganti degli altipiani", Mandrake il mago Volume 2 (2015)

French Polynesia

• "I briganti degli altipiani", Mandrake #20 (Comics Stars in the World 1978) note: Italian text.

New Zealand

• "The Mountain Bandits", Mandrake the Magician #74 (1954)

Spain

• "Los bandidos del desierto", Grandes Clásicos de los Comics del Pasado #36 - Mandrake #11 (1986 ?)

USA

• "no title", The Official Mandrake #12 (1989)
• "The Mountain Bandits", Comics Revue #433-434 (2022)

Yugoslavia

• Jutarnji list June 18, 1940 – July 11, 1940
• Mika Miš #479 – #490 (1941)