The Sleeping Forest

The Sleeping Forest
Start date:	December 19, 1954
End date:	March 13, 1955
# of strips:	13 (13 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Ocean Wind"
Followed by:	"Isle of the Giant"

"The Sleeping Forest" is the 64th Mandrake Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis.

Plot Summary

While the "Ocean Wind" gets supplies in the port of a large tropical island Mandrake decided to ride across the island to meet the ship on the other side. First they have to cross "The Great Gulch" and beyond there are many strange things, among them "The Sleeping Wood". Our friends manage to cross "The Great Gulch" and soon the discovered a wood with giant flowers, with a strange perfume. And soon they fall into a trance-like sleep.

After a few days aboard the yacht they hear music, strange singing comming over the water.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda

One-time characters

• A governor
• Animals
  • Horses
  • A tiger
  • A fawn
• The flower-god of the Sleeping flowers
• A Chief
• Sir Harry, one of the world's richest men - hunter, sportsman, collector..
• Captain on the yacht
• Mermaid #1, boss of the wreckers
• Mermaid #2, boss of the wreckers
• A gang of wreckers

Locations

• A large tropical island
  • The Great Gulch
  • The Sleeping Wood
    • A village

Vehicles

• S.S. Ocean Wind, Sir Harry's yacht.

Behind the scenes

• At the deepwoods.org index the title for this story is "The Sleeping Forest", which is lifted from the plot.
• The strip of December 19, 1954 indicate a title for first part of this story (Next Week: The Great Gulch).
• The strip of February 6, 1955 indicate a title for second part of this story (Next Week: Strange Music).

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "A Ilha do Gigante", Mandrake #16 (1955)
• "A Flor da Morte" and "As Sereias Piratas", Mandrake #210 (1973)
• "Aventura nos Trópicos", Mandrake Coleção #16 (1990)

France

• "Les trois îles mystérieuses"; "Les fleurs étranges" and "Les sirènes", Mandrake #10 (1963)
• "Les trois îles mystérieuses", Mandrake #253 and #254 (1970)
• "Les sirènes", Le Journal de Mickey #984-#985 (1971)

India

• "The Sleeping Woods", The Phantom #3 (2000)

Italy

• "Le 3 isole misteriose", Il Vascello #38 (1960)
• "Le tre isole misteriose (La foresta del sonno) & (Le sirene)", I Classici dell'Avventura #11 (1962)
• "Le 3 isole misteriose", ("Mandrake #126") (1969)
• "La foresta del sonno" and "Le sirene", Mandrake - New Comics Now #257 and #258 (1989)

Mexico

• "Aventuras en el Mar", Mandrake el mago #11 (1966)

Sweden

• "Den sovande skogen" (?), Serie-pressen #11 (1972)
• "Den sovande skogen", Den vandrande vålnaden #8 (1996)

Turkey

• "Garip Yolculuk", Mandrake #89 & #90 (1976)
• "Garip Yolculuk", Mandrake Albüm #30 (1976)

USA

• "The Sleeping Forest", Mandrake Sundays #6 Mandrake the Ultimate #1 (1989)