The first, original, and best masked hero to ever grace the pages of comic strips and comic books returns with Hermes Press' new complete reprint of The Phantom. Referred to by comic strip historian Maurice Horn as the "granddaddy of all costumed superheroes," The Phantom was created in 1936 by Lee Falk with artwork by Ray Moore. The strip hit the funny pages of newpapers well before the Dark Knight or Superman made their first appearances and has been acknowledged as an influence on every "masked man of mystery" since. The Phantom set the standard for action, adventure, intrigue, and romance in adventure comic strips and comic books - it has frequently been copied but never equaled. Included in this volume are two years of the continuity, from 1938-1940. The Phantom was the first newspaper strip to introduce the idea of a masked crime-figther to a wide audience. The Phantom, who appears to be immortal, meets his "love for life," Diana Palmer in the first continuity of the strip and at the end of the storyline she learns his secret identity. The Phantom offers readers classic action/adventure stories that span locales from the East Indian Seas to New York to Paris. The Phantom's foes include pirates, femme fatales, and mobsters. The action never stops!