Dr Dell and 8

Dr Dell and 8
Start date:	January 15, 1968
End date:	May 11, 1968
# of strips:	102 (17 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Fred Fredericks
Preceded by:	"The Mysterious Bureau"
Followed by:	"The Gold Crisis"

"Dr Dell and 8" is the 136th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Fred Fredericks.

Plot Summary

Dr. Dell, a famed crime expert is in US for a lecture tour. She visits Mandrake to see and hear about the criminals in his gangster gallery. In a lecture afterwards she mentions the sign of 8 in a footnote. Soon she was kidnapped, and then Mandrake and Lothar.

They woke up in a strange place: a small island with an 8-shaped castle. In the garden: 8 shaped hedge, a sundial with only 8 numbers, and in the a basement room; an aquarium with a giant ocopus. Inside a room with 8 people around a 8 shaped table, the Masters of the 7th arm, controlled by the voice of their secret leader - the Octon.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda
• Jed
• Octon, his voice only.

One-time characters

• Dr. Dell, professor of chriminology (her father was head of Scotland Yard)
• Dr. Zorb, a history professor and junior member of 8.
• The Masters of the 7th arm of 8.

Locations

• Kennedy Airport
• New York City
  • Xanadu

Organizations

• Inter-Intel
• 8

Behind the scenes

Title

• The title for this story is taken from the strip of January 15, 1968 (Beginning: Dr. Dell & 8)

Mandrake Lore

• Mandrake's rogues' gallery: the Cobra, the Mole, Goliath, (the Clay Camel), 8

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Brazil

• "A Volta del Signo Oito", Mandrake #155 (1969)
• "O Signo Oito", Os Grandes Inimigos do Mandrake #4 (1989)
• "O Signo Oito", Os Grandes Inimigos do Mandrake (Minissérie Encadernada) (1989)

Finland

• "Tri Dell", Mustanaamio #23 (1983)

France

• "La salle interdite", Mandrake #311, #312, #313 and #314 (1971)
• "Le professeur Dell", Le Journal de Mickey #1578 to #1590 (1982)
• "Le professeur Dell", Donald Magazine #82-23 to #82-35 (1982)
• "Le professeur Dell", Mandrake (Les récits du Journal de Mickey) Volume 4 (2015)

India

• "Gigantic Octopus", Indrajal Comics #226 (1975)
• "The Hideous Underworld", Indrajal Comics Vol. 23 No. 10 (1986)

Italy

• "La stanza proibita", Mandrake #117, #118 and #119 (1969)
• "La stanza proibita", Mandrake - New Comics Now #398 (1997)

Norway

• "Dr. Dell", Fantomet #17 (1987)
• "Dr. Dell", Mandrake Spesial (1997)

Portugal

• "O misterioso bando do signo 8", Mundo de Aventuras #1016 (1969)

Sweden

• "Dr Dell", Fantomen #12 (1983)

Turkey

• "Ahtapot", Mandrake #1 #2 and #3 (1974)
• "Ahtapot", Mandrake Albüm #1
• "Ahtapot", Mandrake Albüm #214 and #215
• "Ahtapot", Mandrake #28 #29 and #30
• "Ahtapot", Mandrake Süper Albüm #8
• "Ahtapot", Mandrake Süper Albüm #48
• "Ahtapot", Mandrake Süper Albüm #26

Yugoslavia

• "У знаку осмице" (romanized as "U znaku osmice"), Politikin Zabavnik #1341 (1977)
• "Gospodari osmice", Super EKS Almanah #48 (1983)