The Octopus Ring: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:24, 18 November 2024

The Octopus Ring

Start date:	May 6th, 1940
End date:	December 21st, 1940
# of strips:	198 (33 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Museum Mystery"
Followed by:	"Dr Griff's Invention"

"The Octopus Ring" is the 22nd 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

Mandrake is asked by the government to track down a vast spy-ring, ruled by a mysterious leader. The spy-ring leader, The Octopus, kidnaps Narda, and on the threat of killing her he forced Mandrake to join him.

Appearances

Recurring characters

One-time characters

"The Octopus", leader of the spy-ring
Mr. Foote, chief of an intelligence agency
Mr. Roark, agent of an ntelligence agency
Karl, a draftsman and spy at an airplane plant
Pete, a sandwich man at an airplane plant
Luga, member of the spy-ring
Sonya, glamorous member of the spy-ring
Bill, a young naval officer
Old Ned, worker at a distant air field

Locations

New York
- National Bank
- 243 West Street, headquarters of the spy-ring

Behind the scenes

Title

The title for the story is taken from the strip of May 6, 1940 (Beginning - The Octopus Ring !).

Mystery

In the newspapers the seventh week is correctly dated June 17 to 22. But then, the eighth week is dated July 1 to 6 - thus skipping June 24 to 29! Week nine has the strips without any date, before the correct dates again appears in the tenth week. What happend?

Signifiant covers

Australia
Australia
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand
Norway
Norway
Spain

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

no title, El Libro de la Historieta #4 (1949)

Australia

"The Octopus Ring" Mandrake the Magician #9 and #10 (1991)

Brazil

"A Quadriha do Polvo", Almanaque do Mandrake (1955)
"A Gang do Polvo" & "A Volta do Polvo", Mandrake, o Mágico #8 & #9 (1971)
"A Quadrilha do Polvo", Mandrake Coleção #18 – #19 (1991)

France

"La ligne noire", Mandrake #23 and "Echec et mat au Général", Mandrake #24 (1963)
"La ligne noire", Mandrake #341 and #342 (1971)

Italy

"Nel covo delle spie", L'Avventuroso #355 - #375 (1941)
"La fine del Polipo", L'Avventura (1944-1945)
"La fine del Polipo", Albi delle grandi avventure - Mandrake #4 (1946)
"Nel covo delle spie" & "La piovra" & "La linea nera", Mandrake #21, #22 and #23 (1947-1948)
"La linea nera" & "Scacomatto al generale", Mandrake #38 and #39 (1964)
"La linea nera", Mandrake #15 and #16 (1971)
"Nel covo delle spie", Collana Albi grandi avventure #17 & #18 (1975)
"Il covo delle spie", Mandrake - New Comics Now #149 (1985)
"Il covo delle spie", Mandrake 18 (Comic Art) (1993)
"I tentacoli della Piovra", I fumetti del Giallo Mondadori #2 (2000)
"I tentacoli della Piovra", Mandrake e il mistero dell'orchidea tigrata (2001)
"Il covo delle spie" & "La fine della piorva", Club dei Trenta #26 & #27 (200?)

Yugoslavia

Jutarnji list March 9, 1941 – April 10, 1941 (interrupted after the first half of the strip of June 3, 1940)

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Newspaperbox
 |Title= The Octopus Ring
-|image= &nbsp;
+|image= [[Image:md-1940-05-06.png|400 px]]
 |Start= May 6th, 1940
 |End= December 21st, 1940
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 |}}
 '''"The Octopus Ring"''' is the 22nd 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 ==
-{{stub}}
+Mandrake is asked by the government to track down a vast spy-ring, ruled by a mysterious leader. The spy-ring leader, The Octopus, kidnaps Narda, and on the threat of killing her he forced Mandrake to join him.
 ===Appearances===
@@ Line 22: / Line 23: @@
 *[[Lothar]]
 *[[Narda]]
-*[[Segrid]]
+*[[Segrid]], in [[Cockaigne]] only
 '''One-time characters'''
-*[[Mr. Foote]]
+*"The Octopus", leader of the spy-ring
-*[[Roark]]
+*Mr. Foote, chief of an intelligence agency
-*[[Karl]]
+*Mr. Roark, agent of an ntelligence agency
-*[[Luga]]
+*Karl, a draftsman and spy at an airplane plant
-*[[Sonya]]
+*Pete, a sandwich man at an airplane plant
-*[[Bill]]
+*Luga, member of the spy-ring
+*Sonya, glamorous member of the spy-ring
+*Bill, a young naval officer
+*Old Ned, worker at a distant air field
 </div><div style="float:right; width:50%;">
 '''Locations'''
+*New York
+**National Bank
+**243 West Street, headquarters of the spy-ring
 </div><br clear="all">
-==Related stories==
+==Behind the scenes==
-===Follows===
+===Title===
+*The title for the story is taken from the strip of May 6, 1940 (Beginning - The Octopus Ring !).
-===Referenced in===
+===Mystery===
+*In the newspapers the seventh week is correctly dated June 17 to 22. But then, the eighth week is dated July 1 to 6 - thus skipping June 24 to 29! Week nine has the strips without any date, before the correct dates again appears in the tenth week. What happend?
+== Signifiant covers ==
+<gallery>
+Frew-mtm-09.jpg|[[Image:mini_australia.gif]] Australia
+Frew-mtm-10.jpg|[[Image:mini_australia.gif]] Australia
+O globo juvenil-562.jpg|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+O globo juvenil-574.jpg|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+Almanaquemandrake1955.jpg|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+Mandrake08saber.png|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+Mandrake09saber.png|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+Mandrakecolecao18.png|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+Mandrakecolecao19.png|[[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil
+Capriotti 4.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Collana Albi grandi avventure 64.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Collana Albi grandi avventure 65.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Collana Albi grandi avventure 66.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Ilvascello mandrake-039.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Ilvascellomandrake-03-15.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Ncn-mandrake-149.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Comart18.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Mandcpio.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Mistorchtig.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Club-dei-Trenta-026.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Club-dei-Trenta-027.jpg|[[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy
+Mandrake FP 076.jpg|[[Image:mini_nz.png]] New Zealand
+Mandrake FP 077.jpg|[[Image:mini_nz.png]] New Zealand
+Mandrake FP 078.jpg|[[Image:mini_nz.png]] New Zealand
+Mandrake FP 079.jpg|[[Image:mini_nz.png]] New Zealand
+Ss194204.jpg|[[Image:mini_norway.gif]] Norway
+Ss194220.jpg|[[Image:mini_norway.gif]] Norway
+Mandrake esteve 12.jpg|[[Image:mini_spain.gif]] Spain
+</gallery>
 == Reprints ==
 This story has been published in the following publications:
+=== [[Image:mini_argentina.gif]] Argentina ===
+*''no title'', [[El Libro de la Historieta 4|''El Libro de la Historieta'' #4]] (1949)
+=== [[Image:mini_australia.gif]] Australia ===
+*"The Octopus Ring" [[Mandrake the Magician 9 (Frew)|''Mandrake the Magician'' #9]] and [[Mandrake the Magician 10 (Frew)| #10]] (1991)
 === [[Image:mini_brazil.gif]] Brazil ===
+*"A Quadriha do Polvo", [[Almanaque do Mandrake 1955|''Almanaque do Mandrake'']] (1955)
+*"A Gang do Polvo" & "A Volta do Polvo", [[Mandrake, o Mágico 8|''Mandrake, o Mágico'' #8]] & [[Mandrake, o Mágico #9|#9]] (1971)
 *"A Quadrilha do Polvo", [[Mandrake Coleção 18|''Mandrake Coleção'' #18]] &ndash; [[Mandrake Coleção 19|#19]] (1991)
+=== [[Image:mini_france.gif]] France ===
+*"La ligne noire", [[Mandrake (Mondes Mystérieux) 23|''Mandrake'' #23]] and "Echec et mat au Général", [[Mandrake (Mondes Mystérieux) 24|''Mandrake'' #24]] (1963)
+*"La ligne noire", [[Mandrake (Mondes Mystérieux) 341|''Mandrake'' #341]] and [[Mandrake (Mondes Mystérieux) 342| #342]] (1971)
 === [[Image:mini_italy.gif]] Italy ===
-*"La fine del Polipo", [[Albi delle grandi avventure - Mandrake (4)|''Albi delle grandi avventure - Mandrake'' #4]]
+*"Nel covo delle spie", [[L'Avventuroso|''L'Avventuroso'' #355 - #375]] (1941)
+*"La fine del Polipo", [[L'Avventura|''L'Avventura'']] (1944-1945)
+*"La fine del Polipo", [[Albi delle grandi avventure - Mandrake (4)|''Albi delle grandi avventure - Mandrake'' #4]] (1946)
+*"Nel covo delle spie" & "La piovra" & "La linea nera", [[Collana Albi grandi avventure 64 (second serie)|'' Mandrake'' #21]], [[Collana Albi grandi avventure 65 (second serie)| #22]] and [[Collana Albi grandi avventure 66 (second serie)| #23]] (1947-1948)
+*"La linea nera" & "Scacomatto al generale", [[Mandrake - Il Vascello 38|''Mandrake'' #38]] and [[Mandrake - Il Vascello 39| #39]] (1964)
+*"La linea nera", [[Mandrake (e le avventure Flash Gordon) - Il Vascello 15|''Mandrake'' #15]] and [[Mandrake (e le avventure Flash Gordon) - Il Vascello 16| #16]] (1971)
+*"Nel covo delle spie", [[Collana Albi grandi avventure (17)|''Collana Albi grandi avventure'' #17]] & [[Collana Albi grandi avventure (18)|#18]] (1975)
+*"Il covo delle spie", [[New Comics Now 149|''Mandrake - New Comics Now'' #149]] (1985)
+*"Il covo delle spie", [[Mandrake 18 (Comic Art)]] (1993)
+*"I tentacoli della Piovra", [[I fumetti del Giallo Mondadori 2|''I fumetti del Giallo Mondadori'' #2]] (2000)
+*"I tentacoli della Piovra", [[Oscar varia 1794|''Mandrake e il mistero dell'orchidea tigrata'']] (2001)
+*"Il covo delle spie" & "La fine della piorva", [[Club dei Trenta - Albo 26|''Club dei Trenta'' #26]] & [[Club dei Trenta - Albo 27| #27]] (200<small>?</small>)
+=== [[Image:Mini_nz.png]] New Zealand ===
+*"The Octopus Ring", [[Mandrake the Magician 76 (Feature Productions) |''Mandrake the Magician #76'']], [[Mandrake the Magician 77 (Feature Productions) |''Mandrake the Magician #77'']], [[Mandrake the Magician 78 (Feature Productions) |''Mandrake the Magician #78'']], [[Mandrake the Magician 79 (Feature Productions) |''Mandrake the Magician #79'']] and [[Mandrake the Magician 80 (Feature Productions) |''Mandrake the Magician #80'']] (1954)
 === [[Image:mini_norway.gif]] Norway ===
 *"Blekkspruten", [[Spøk og Spenning|''Spøk og Spenning'' #31/1941 - #1/1945]]
+=== [[Image:mini_spainunderfranco.gif]] [[Image:mini_spain.gif]] Spain ===
+*"La raya negra", [[Grandes Clásicos de los Comics del Pasado 37 - Mandrake 12|''Grandes Clásicos de los Comics del Pasado'' #37 - ''Mandrake'' #12]] (1986 ?)
 === [[Image:mini_sweden.gif]] Sweden ===
-*"Bläckfisken", [[Allers Family-Journal|''Allers Family-Journal'' #51/1940 - #49/1941]]
+*"Bläckfisken", [[Allers Familj-Journal|''Allers Familj-Journal'' #51/1940 - #49/1941]]
+=== [[Image:mini_usa.gif]] USA ===
+*"The Octopus Ring", [[The Official Mandrake the Magician 7|''The Official Mandrake the Magician'' #7]], &ndash; [[The Official Mandrake the Magician 8| #8]], &ndash; [[The Official Mandrake the Magician 9| #9]], &ndash; [[The Official Mandrake 12| #12]], and [[The Official Mandrake 13| #13]] (1988 - 1989)
+*"The Octopus Ring", [[Comics Revue 441-442|''Comics Revue'' #441-442]],  [[Comics Revue 445-446|''Comics Revue'' #447-448]],  [[Comics Revue 449-450|''Comics Revue'' #449-450]], [[Comics Revue 451-452|''Comics Revue'' #451-452]] , [[Comics Revue 453-454|''Comics Revue'' #453-454]] (2023/2024)
+=== [[Image:mini_kingdomyugoslavia.png|border]] Yugoslavia ===
+*''[[Jutarnji list]]'' March 9, 1941 &ndash; April 10, 1941 (interrupted after the first half of the strip of June 3, 1940)
 [[Category:Daily stories|Octopus Ring, The]]