Beware of the man who never dies

February 16, 2017 8:58 AM

Lee Falk's hero the Phantom made his comic book debut in February 1936, but he also appears on dozens of traditional war shields made by people from the Central Highlands of Papua New Guinea between the 1960s and 1980s.

via Medieval People of Color

posted by palindromic (7 comments total)

SLAM EVIL
posted by Kitteh at 9:07 AM on February 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

He also appears on mola patchwork pieces in Panama, but naturally I can't find a picture for you when I want one!
posted by blnkfrnk at 9:43 AM on February 16, 2017

Considering the Phantom is a sort of paternalistic colonialist figure, appropriating him in this way seems... appropriate.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2017 [5 favorites]

* For Ghost Who Walks!
posted by Sebmojo at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

This reminded me of an old friend who sadly could and did die, unexpectedly. The Phantom was one of his favorites (along with his dog, Devil), and he would have loved these. Thanks for posting this. It's always good to be reminded of lost friends.
posted by librosegretti at 1:10 PM on February 16, 2017

The Shield is My Brother is an interesting documentary on how the shields get made in the modern era.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 3:33 PM on February 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

In Australia, there was a safe-sex campaign, aimed largely at Aboriginal communities, centred around an off-brand Phantom named Condoman, who had the slogan “Don't be shame, be game”.
posted by acb at 9:22 AM on February 17, 2017 [1 favorite]