The Mole (story)

The Mole
Start date:	August 16th, 1964
End date:	March 14th, 1965
# of strips:	31 (31 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis and Martha Davis
Preceded by:	"The Castaway"
Followed by:	"The Traveller's Tale"

"The Mole" is the 95th Mandrake Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis.

Plot Summary

A series of mysterious and impossible robberies, where it looked like a giant mole had come into the well-guarded vault, awakened Mandrake's interest.

In the gould vault of Fort Knox Mandrake faces one of the strangest and most deadly thief in the history of crime, The Mole.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Narda
• Lothar
• The Police Chief
• The Mole

One-time characters

• Fluff, a dog.

Locations

• An army camp.
• New York City
• Fort Knox.

Objects

• The green egg, the world's largest emarald.
• The Mogul ruby, a priceless ruby.

Behind the scenes

• The story title is taken from the strip of August 9, 1964 (Next Week: "The Mole").
• Lothar occurs only in the second week of this story.
• Phil Davis died of a heart attack on December 16, 1964. His wife and assistant Martha Davis continued the art, as seen from early 1965.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "O Mistério da Sala Fechada", Mandrake #103 (1965)

Finland

• "Timanttivaras", Taika-Jim #4 (1971)
• "Myyrä", Mustanaamio #9 (1982)
• "Myyrä", Mustanaamio #25 and #26 (2001)

France

• "?", Confidences (1967)
• "L'homme taupe" & "La fin de l'homme taupe", Mandrake #133 & Mandrake #134 (1967)
• "L'homme taupe", Mandrake #411 (1973)
• "La taupe", Le Journal de Mickey #1112 - 1127 (1973)
• "La taupe", Le Journal de Mickey #1 (2005)

Italy

• "L'uomo Talpa" & "La fin della Talpa", Mandrake #87 and #88 (1965)
• "L'uomo Talpa", Mandrake #57 (1973)
• "L’uomo Talpa", Mandrake - New Comics Now #348 (1995) note: ending with the strip of Desember 27, 1964.

Norway

• "Muldvarpen", Fantomet #26 (1984)
• "Muldvarpen", Serie-pocket #161 (1991)
• "Muldvarpen", Fantomet #25 and #26 (2001)

Portugal

• "A Toupeira Humana", Mundo de Aventuras #844 (1965)

Spain

• "El topo" & "El rubi mogul", Coleccion Héroes Modernos #74c and #75c (1964)
• "El topo" & "El rubi mogul", Coleccion Héroes Modernos Album de Rip Kirby (1964)
• "El topo" & "El rubi mogul", Biblioteca Eterna - Coleccion Héroes Modernos #15C (1970)
• "El topo", Mandrake el Mago: Sundays pages 1962-1965 (Dolmen Editorial) (2021)

Sweden

• "Mullvaden", Fantomen #25 (1981)
• "Mullvaden", Fantomet #25 and #26 (2001)

Turkey

• "Köstebek", Mandrake #243 & #244 & #245 & #246 & #247 (1979)
• "Köstebek", Mandrake Albüm #79 & #80 (1979)
• "Köstebek", Mandrake Albüm #198 & #199