Lothar the Champ

Lothar the Champ
Start date:	November 10th, 1941
End date:	July 11th, 1942
# of strips:	210 (35 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Great Grando"
Followed by:	"The Rumor Factory"

"Lothar the Champ" is the 26th 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 six-column variant was replaced with a four-column variant from the week of April 20.

Plot Summary

Sharpy tricked Lothar into signing a contract, forcing him to wrestle under Sharpy's management. Soon Lothar, "The Jungle King", starts his sensational career as a wrestler.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda

One-time characters

• Snaggle-Tooth Joe, a professional wrestler.
• Gorilla Mike, a professional wrestler.
• Sharpy, a manager in the wrestling game.
• Killer, a professional wrestler.
• Jerry, the Killer's manager.
• Joe, a promoter - signing contracts for the fights.
• Doc Splevin, journalist in Green Sheet Sport.
• Bonecrusher, a professional wrestler.
• Nails, a gangster.
• Bull Burly, the heavyweight wrestling champion of the world.
• Ed, a gangster at a pool-room.
• The Grizzly, a new wrestling sensation.

Locations

• New York
• Spring and Dale Roads, Nail's hangout.

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story is taken from the strip of November 8, 1941 (Beginning Monday: "Lothar, the Champ").
• Note the strip of June 30, 1942. Mandrake have got a wire about a new job, some sort of espionage, in Washington.

Signifiant covers

• 
  Brazil
• 
  Brazil
• 
  Brazil
• 
  Brazil
• 
  Finland
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  Brazil
• 
  Italy
• 
  Italy
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  New Zealand
• 
  Spain
• 
  Spain
• 
  Spain
• 
  USA

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "Lothar, O Lutador" & "Lothar, Campeão!", Mandrake, o Mágico #11 & #12 (1971)
• "O Campeão Lotar", Almanaque de Férias do Mandrake (1965)

Finland

• "no title", Kippari Kalle #9 (1954) Note: Only last part.

France

• "Les pirates du ring", Spécial Mandrake #4 & "Le triomphe de Lothar" Spécial Mandrake #5 (1963/1964)
• "Les pirates du ring" (I & II) & "Le triomphe de Lothar" & "La suite dès que possible", Mandrake #291 & #292 & #293 & #294 (1970)
• "Lothar le champion", Mandrake le Magicien Vol. 3 (1984)

West Germany

• no given title, Phantom-Heft #5 (1954) edited part of strips from April 4 to May 11 1942

Italy

• "I pirati del ring" and "Il trionfo di Lotar", Mandrake #40 and #42 (1963)
• "I pirati del ring" and "Il trionfo di Lotar", Mandrake #163 and #164 (1970)
• "I pirati del ring" & "I gangsters di nails" & Lothar il campione, Mandrake #9 & #10 & #11 (Comics Stars in the World 1976)
• "I pirati del ring", Mandrake - New Comics Now #181 (1986)
• "I pirati del ring", Mandrake 21 (Comic Art) (1993)

New Zealand

• "Lothar the Champ", Mandrake the Magician #85, #86, #87, #88, #89 and #90 (1954)

French Polynesia

• "I pirati del ring" & "I gangsters di nails" & Lothar il campione, Mandrake #9 & #10 & #11 (Comics Stars in the World 1976) note: Italian text.

Spain

• "Campeon a la fuerza" and "Fuerza contra fuerza", Merlin el Mago Moderno #11 and #12 (1944)
• "Los piratas del ring", Los Clásicos Americanos de El Boletín - Mandrake #14 (1992)

USA

• "Lothar the Champ", Three Thrillings for Mandrake (1976)
• "no title", The Official Mandrake #1 – The Official Mandrake #2 – The Official Mandrake #3 (1989)