Kingdom of Marvel

Kingdom of Marvel
Start date:	November 10th, 1946
End date:	September 7th, 1947
# of strips:	44 (44 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"Roc Island"
Followed by:	"The Blue Bandit"

"Kingdom of Marvel" is the 35th Mandrake Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis.

Plot Summary

As our friends fly over the remote and unexplored Misty Mountains. Suddenly their plane konks out and they have to make a forced landing. At the ground, they find and old sign: "Kingdom of Marvel". In the strange land they meet a hermit, telling them that they have walked right into a civil war. Where the rival states Mechanica and Flora fighting with their machines and plants.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda

One-time characters

• A hermit
• A Florian
• Dr. Florel, foremost scientist of Flora and ruler of the land of plant wonders
• Tor, (the last suvivor and) ruler of Mechana the land of mechanical marvels
• King of Marvel

Locations

• Misty Mountains
  • Kingdom of Marvel
    • Flora, a state of mechanical wonders, with cities of strange metals. Scientists have created machines far advanced beyon the outside world.
    • Mechana, a state of plant wonders, they hate machines and have developed plants and vegitabiles in a way that would astound the outside world.
    • "Crystal Peak", a state (or city ?) of futuristic wonders.
• New York

Behind the scenes

• The title for this story is taken from the strip of November 3, 1946 (Beginning Next Week = "Kingdom of Marvel").
• Strangly it is said in the beginning of the story that the Kingdom of Marvel consists of two states; Flora and Mechana, with their population concentrated in two major cities. When Mandrake and friends visiting the King of Marvel they find that they are the first visitors for a thousand years to the large city inside the crystal peak. Of course this could be the capital city of the Kingdom of Marvel, but the city is invisible and thus unknown for the people in Flora and Mechana.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "?", Ra-Ta-Plán # 616 to Ra-Ta-Plán #659 (1947)

Brazil

• "No País das Maravilhas", Almanaque do Mandrake (1964)
• "No País das Maravilhas", Mandrake #232 (1975)

Finland

• "Ihmeiden valtakunta", Wanhat Sarjat #15 (1987)

France

• "Le royaume des merveilles", Spécial Mandrake #7 (1964)
• "Le monde fantastique" & "Le royaume des merveilles", Mandrake #422 (1974)
• "(no title)", Mandrake le Magicien #2 (1980)

Italy

• "Il regno delle meraviglie", Super Albo - Mandrake #54 (1963)
• "Il regno delle meraviglie", Mandrake #68 (1974)
• "Il regno delle meraviglie", Mandrake - New Comics Now #45 and #71 (1981 and 1982)
• "Il regno delle meraviglie", Mandrake #2 (1994)
• "no title", Mandrake - La rotta delle meraviglie (2004)

The Netherlands

• "Rijk der wonderen", Stripkoerier 1/1977 – 4/1978 - without the last two weeks

New Zealand

• The Boys' Comic Paper (1948-1949)

Portugal

• "O Reino das Maravilhas", Antologia da BD Clássica #10 (1983)

Serbia

• "Kraljevstvo čudesa", Biblioteka Nostalgija #1 (2014)

USA

• "The Mysterious Kingdom of Marvel" & "Interrupted Wedding" & "The Peace Maker", Magic Comics #117 & #118 & #119 (1949)
• "Kingdom of Marvel", King Comics #149 – #159
• "Kingdom of Marvel", The Official Mandrake Sundays #2 (1989)