8 (story)

8
Start date:	August 1st, 1977
End date:	December 10th, 1977
# of strips:	114 (19 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"Mirage in Space"
Followed by:	"The Cooler"

"8" is the 168th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

One day mandrake discovred a plane skywriting an 8, high up in the air. Then something big, a sudden rash of violent bank robberies, all at the same time. 8 suburban banks, all within 8 miles of the city, 8 minutes to 8 - the 6th arm of 8 strikes....

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda, Xanadu only.
• Karma, Xanadu only.
• Hojo, Xanadu only.
• The Police Chief
• Octon, voice and shadow only.

One-time characters

• Morgan, of FBI.

Locations

• New York
• Xanadu

Organizations

• 8
• FBI

Behind the scenes

• Pamet and Collins, refering to Lee Falk's summer house near Truro at Cape Cod.
• 8 is in a dozen countries, a few thousand agents.
• Last picture shows the shadow of the Octon.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "Bombardeio sobre Xanadu", Almanaque do Mandrake #7 (1981)

Finland

• "8", Mustanaamio #5 and #6 (1979)

France

• "Mandrake contre Octon", Spécial Mandrake #18 (1978)

India

• "Mandrake Faces the Octon", Indrajal Comics #327 and #328 (1979)
• "no title" Diamond Comics Digest - Mandrake #11 (1993)
• "no title" Diamond Comics Digest - Mandrake #58 (1997)

Italy

• "Il ritorno della banda dell' 8", Mandrake Selezione #15 (1978)

Norway

• "8", Fantomet #6 and #7 (1980)

Portugal

• "O Oito Volta a Atacar", Mundo de Aventuras #255 (1978)

Spain

• "8 de Octon", Mandrake - Merlin el Mago #13 and #14 (1981)

Sweden

• "8", Fantomen #23 and #24 (1978)

Turkey

• "8 Çetesi", Mandrake #202, #203, #204 and #205 (1978)
• "8 Çetesi", Mandrake Albüm #65 and #66
• "8 Çetesi", Mandrake Süper Albüm #36 and #37
• "8 Çetesi", Mandrake Süper Albüm #15 and #16

Yugoslavia

• "Četvrti susret", Super EKS Almanah #4 (1980)