Mandrake in North Africa
| Mandrake in North Africa | |
| |
| Start date: | September 4th, 1939 |
|---|---|
| End date: | December 23rd, 1939 |
| # of strips: | 96 (16 weeks) |
| Writer: | Lee Falk |
| Artist: | Phil Davis |
| Preceded by: | "Mandrake in Cockaigne" |
| Followed by: | "The Mountain Bandits" |
"Mandrake in North Africa" is the 19th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis. This story exists in two variants, one made to span six newspaper columns, the other to span five.
Plot Summary
Mandrake and Lothar are in North Africa heading to Paris when Libie Carr fools our friends aboard a plane that goes to Central Africa. They arrive at Fort Radi and are told an amazing story. Besa, the sorcerer, has killed Colonel Carr using black magic and now he threatens to kill Captain Tod Brownell. Nearby is the Wambesi village where Lothar grew up as son of the king. The people of Wambesi were under the tyranny of the jungle sorcerer and when Lothar came to visit they saw a glimpse of hope. As son of their great dead king Lothar was their prince. As the strongest of the Wambesi only Lothar could drive out the evil Besa.
Lothar manages to defeat Besa and becomes the crowned King of the great Wambesi tribe. But soon Lothar found the King stuff boring. Then when he inherited two dozen wives of the last king, and was told he had to marry them all, he fled while he shouted: "Me abdicate".
Appearances
Recurring characters
One-time characters
- Libie Carr
- Captain Tod Brownell, Libie Carr's fiancé.
- Besa, a sorcerer.
- Colonel Carr, was the commandant of Fort Radi.
- Narob, a houseboy at Fort Radi.
- Oogubay, the previous King of Wambesi.
- Gugu, wife of the king.
- Lala, wife of the king.
- Tradi, wife of the king.
- Madi, wife of the king.
Locations
- North Africa
- Central Africa
- Fort Radi
- Wambesi village.
Behind the scenes
Title
- The title for the story is taken from the plot.
Mandrake Lore
Signifiant covers
Australia
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil
France
France
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
Italy
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand
Spain
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Reprints
This story has been published in the following publications:
Australia
- "Mandrake in Africa", The Supercomic Series #34 (1950)
Brazil
- "A Maldição do Feiticeiro", Mandrake #71 (1962)
- "Magia Negra", Mandrake, o Mágico #1 (1970)
- "Mandrake na África", Mandrake #238 (1976)
- "Mandrake na África", Mandrake Coleção #11 (1990)
France
- "Un drame de la sorcellerie", Aventures et Mystère #54 & "Lothar 1er", Aventures et Mystère #56 (1948)
- "Le sorcier des Wambesi", Spécial Mandrake #13 (1964)
Italy
- "L'inesorabile Besa", Super Albo #98 (1964)
- "Besa lo stregone" & "Re Lothar contro Besa", Mandrake #16 & #17 (Comics Stars in the World 1977)
- "Besa, lo stregone", Mandrake - New Comics Now #148 (1985)
- "Besa, lo stregone", Mandrake 16 (Comic Art) (1992)
- "Besa lo stregone", Mandrake il mago Volume 2 (2015)
French Polynesia
- "Besa lo stregone" & "Re Lothar contro Besa", Mandrake #16 & #17 (Comics Stars in the World 1977) note: Italian text.
New Zealand
- "Mandrake in North Africa", Mandrake the Magician #72, Mandrake the Magician #73 and Mandrake the Magician #74 (1954)
Spain
- "Besa el hechicero", Grandes Clásicos de los Comics del Pasado #36- Mandrake #11 (1986 ?)
Turkey
- "no title", Mandrake #3 and #4 (2017)
USA
- "no title", The Official Mandrake #10 – #11 – #12 (1989)
- "North Africa", Comics Revue #423-424, Comics Revue #425-426, Comics Revue#427-428, Comics Revue#429-430, Comics Revue#431-432 (2021 / 2022)
Yugoslavia
- Jutarnji list March 5, 1940 – June 17, 1940
- (no given title), Mika Miš #426 – #460 and "Принц Лотар" (romanized as "Princ Lotar"), Mika Miš #463 – #471 (1940)
- "Принц Лотар" (romanized as "Princ Lotar"), Zabavnik #106 (1941)
- (no given title), Strip #1, #2, #3 and #4 (1951) (Note: ending with the strip of October 5, 1939)