The Hijacking

The Hijacking
Start date:	September 23, 1985
End date:	December 14, 1985
# of strips:	72 (12 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"Reni's Place"
Followed by:	"Lothar’s Afternoon"

"The Hijacking" is the 190th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

FBI are on the trial of a gang of vicious killer terrorists. They plan to board a loaded passenger plane, flight XV69, and FBI want to catch them in act. A case for Mandrake..

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar, at Xanadu only.
• Jed, deputy chief of Inter-Intel

One-time characters

• Vicky, a hijacker.
• Rudy, a hijacker.

Locations

• Xanadu

Organizations

• FBI

Behind the scenes

Title

• The story title is lifted from the plot.

Real Magic

• Mandrake use kinetic magic to play with the phone.

Easter Eggs

• The Phantom on a comic book cover.

• 

  23 Sep, 1985

"End World Hunger" Day

The November 28,1985 daily strip, published on Thanksgiving Day, includes - in its left bottom part- a text box with the words "End World Hunger". It was part of a campaign where several syndicated comic strips referenced world hunger on this day. The Mandrake strip was also reprinted in the 1986 book "Comic Relief - Drawnings from the Cartoonists Thanksgiving Day Hunger Project", project organized by comics creators Milton Caniff, Charles M. Schulz and Garry Trudeau. The book presents 175 cartoonists' strips and panels dedicated to the "End World Hunger".

Samples

• 

  Mandrake November 28, 1985 daily strip

• 

  Front cover of 1986 book "Comic Relief"

• 

  1986 book "Comic Relief" / inside page with Mandrake strip

• 

  Reverse cover of 1986 book "Comic Relief"

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "Brincadeira de Criança", Mandrake Extra #5 (1987)

Finland

• "Konekaappaus", Mustanaamio #4 (1990)
• "Lentokonekaappaus", Mustanaamio #2 (1996)

India

• "The Noose of Guilt", Indrajal Comics Vol. 23 No. 40 and Vol. 23 No. 41 (1986)

Italy

• "Pirateria aerea", Mandrake - New Comics Now #186 (1986)

Norway

• "Flygkapningen", Fantomet #2 (1996)

Spain

• "Mandrake, Sheriff del Aire", Mandrake #46 (2000)

Sweden

• "Flygkapningen", Fantomen #20 (1989)
• "Flygkapningen", Fantomen #2 (1996)

Yugoslavia

• "Otmičari aviona vole igru", Super EKS Almanah #81 (1986)