Mandrake the Magician

Mandrake the Magician

Mandrake the Magician is a U.S. comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing in syndication in newspapers. Mandrake is important to magicians and the magic fraternity because he is widely believed to have been the first bona fide superhero.

Mandrake was an illusionist whose work was based on an impossibly fast hypnotic technique.

In 1939, Columbia produced a 12-part series, based on the King Features strip, starring Warren Hull as Mandrake and Al Kikume as Lothar.

Real magician

Leon Mandrake, who was known for his top hat, pencil line moustache and scarlet-lined cape, bears a strong resemblance to the comic strip character Mandrake the Magician. Leon Mandrake, however, had been performing for well over ten years before Lee Falk introduced the comic strip character, and a resemblance is evident. Many diverse sources assert that the comic character was drawn to resemble Leon. Davis did meet Leon Mandrake; they became good friends and corresponded for years afterward.

References

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