It’s been quite a while since we covered an issue of Phantom Stranger on the blog — more specifically, since May, 2023, when we took a look at PS #26.  As I wrote at the time, that issue’s crossover between the comic’s lead and backup features (the latter then being “The Spawn of Frankenstein”) represented the end of an era for the Joe Orlando-edited title, as the very next issue, #27, would bring a complete overhaul of the creative teams for both strips.

Gone from the front of the book were writer Len Wein (who’d written every Phantom Stranger story since issue #14) and artist Jim Aparo (whose association with the character went all the way back to #7); replacing the duo were Arnold Drake and Gerry Talaoc, respectively.  Meanwhile, writer Marv Wolfman and artist Michael W. Kaluta had departed the back pages, leaving the chronicling of the modern adventures of Mary Shelley’s classic creation to Steve Skeates and Bernard Bailey. 

The transition was a jolt to the system for a number of Phantom Stranger fans in 1973, my younger self included.  Not only did both incoming writers immediately take their assigned features in decidedly different directions than had their predecessors, but the new artists were about as stylistically dissimilar to those they’d replaced as could be imagined.  Of course, once the original shock had worn off, the changes in “Spawn of Frankenstein” could ultimately be seen as not all that consequential for the title as a whole; the back-up had only been running for four installments prior to issue #27, after all (and one of those was the crossover with the Phantom Stranger in #26, which had been co-written by Wein and Wolfman and illustrated by Aparo, with Kaluta providing only a cover for the occasion).  But it was a little harder (at least for me) to get past the tonal shift in the lead feature.

To begin with the visual aspect of things:  Gerry Talaoc was a Filipino artist, part of the “invasion” of the American comics industry by illustrators from his homeland that had kicked off circa 1971.  Just about all of his work that had appeared in the U.S. to date had been in DC’s “mystery” (i.e., Comics Code-approved horror) titles, where his energetic, exaggerated style had fit in quite well among those of such peers as Alfredo Alcala and Alex Niño.  One can see why editor Joe Orlando thought that the Phantom Stranger strip would be an appropriate assignment for him; the problem, however, was that the Stranger’s adventures had at least one foot firmly planted in the superhero genre (a general trend that had accelerated considerably during Wein and Aparo’s tenure), and Talaoc’s approach to graphic storytelling didn’t easily lend itself to the more idealized figures and dynamic, over-the-top action that readers of “cape comics” generally expected — even in regards to such a relatively restrained hero as was the Phantom Stranger.

Meanwhile, over on the verbal side, veteran writer Arnold Drake was returning to DC following a hiatus of some five years.  In his previous stint at the company, he’d been a prolific scripter in multiple genres, as well as the co-creator of such properties as the Doom Patrol, Deadman, and Stanley and His Monster, before having a falling out with management due to his involvement with a push by several DC freelancers for better pay and benefits.  After leaving DC, he’d sojourned at Marvel just long enough to write a few issues of X-Men and Captain Marvel (and to co-create the original Guardians of the Galaxy) before moving on Gold Key; he’d continue to work regularly for the latter even after he started picking up assignments at DC again, in late 1972-early 1973.

As with his choice of Talaoc, it’s not hard to understand Orlando’s tapping Drake for Phantom Stranger.  But there were a couple of issues working against the scripter and his approach, which favored done-in-one stories over continuity.  Such tales had been the norm in the feature for years, but in the latter part of Len Wein’s run, the younger writer had presented a multi-part serial, detailing the Stranger’s struggle against a cabal of evil sorcerers called the Dark Circle, and had also given the hero an ongoing love interest, the blind psychic Cassandra Craft.  Wein had wrapped up all his loose ends before his departure, writing Ms. Craft out of the storyline in the aftermath of the Dark Circle’s defeat in issue #24.  That had given Drake a blank slate to go his own way, which in theory was all to the good; still, a return to standalone stories, with no ongoing supporting cast, somehow felt like a step backward, even if the stories were themselves well-executed.  For my own part, I found Drake’s individual yarns “okay”, but not much more than that.  Nevertheless, I continued to buy and read the book when it showed up in the spinner rack every other month; your humble blogger was a committed Phantom Stranger fan, and as long as DC kept publishing his title, I was going to stick with it, despite my diminished enthusiasm for both its story and its art.

Per the letters column in PS #30 — the first to feature reader feedback on the book’s change in direction — my younger self was hardly alone in his feelings.  As was admitted quite frankly in an editorial response (possibly written by Joe Orlando himself, though it may also have been the work of his assistant, Paul Levitz): “The general reaction to the new Phantom Stranger staff was very negative, and very loud.”  The response went on to note that the editorial staff was “working with Arnold Drake and artist Gerry Talaoc to attempt to make their version of the Stranger more pleasing to the readers”; meanwhile, any dissatisfaction regarding Skeates and Bailey’s work on “The Spawn of Frankenstein” would be a moot point henceforth, as the feature was ending as of this same issue, to be replaced in #31 by “Black Orchid” — the strip about a mysterious super-heroine that had previously run for three issues of the Orlando-edited Adventure Comics.

But there were still more changes to come.  While the first Black Orchid episode appearing in Phantom Stranger was crafted by the character’s original creative team of Sheldon Mayer and Tony DeZuñiga, the next installment, in PS #32, found them replaced by Michael Fleisher (with Russell Carley) and Nestor Redondo.  Meanwhile, Talaoc was absent from the lead feature for that issue, as Arnold Drake’s script was illustrated by Bill Draut — another comics industry veteran (and a mainstay of Orlando’s line of titles), who had drawn the first several Phantom Stranger stories of his late Sixties revival, beginning with Showcase #80.  A note in #32’s letters column called this job by Draut “a special fill-in” — but when issue #33 showed up two months later, one had to wonder if Talaoc was no longer assigned to the book.  Because behind a cover by a briefly-returning Jim Aparo, we readers found that the artist for the latest adventure of our favorite Stranger was a new young talent named Mike Grell.  What was more, the issue offered the first new book-length story to appear in the title since Wein and Aparo’s swan song in PS #26.

And to make it even more of a special occasion, the comic featured an unexpected guest star — the Phantom Stranger’s fellow ghostly-themed hero, Deadman.

Yet another editorial note in the issue’s lettercol provided further details regarding #33’s “surprising guest star and guest artist”:

The background information on Deadman provided here was accurate enough as far as it went, though the situation was actually a bit more complex than this account indicated.  Yes, two 1972 issues of Forever People guest-starring Deadman (which writer-artist Jack Kirby had produced only under duress) had indeed upended the solution to the mystery of Boston Brand’s killer that writer-artist Neal Adams had delivered near the end of the character’s 1967-68 run in Strange Adventures.  But Murray Boltinoff and Bob Haney, respectively the editor and writer of both Brave and the Bold and World’s Finest, evidently didn’t get that interoffice memo (not that the two famously continuity-averse pros would likely have paid much attention to it even if they had).  Neither of the two Deadman-featuring comics that came out on their watch between Forever People #10 and Phantom Stranger #33 — i.e., BatB #104 (Nov.-Dec., 1972) and WF #223 (May-Jun., 1974) — had anything to say about Deadman resuming the search for his murderer; indeed, the World’s Finest story (published just five months prior to PS #33) referenced Adams’ original conclusion to Deadman’s hunt for his killer as though it were still canon.  All of which just goes to show that, in 1974, the concept of a cohesive, consistent “DC Universe” was one that still existed mostly in the minds of comics fans… and, naturally, of fans-turned-pro like Paul Levitz — who, as with the earlier PS letters page comments I’ve shared in this post, may well have written the note from PS #33’s lettercol shown above.

Interestingly, one significant matter that that note doesn’t mention is that the Phantom Stranger’s own current writer, Arnold Drake, had himself co-created Deadman (with artist Carmine Infantino) back in the day.  Having left the hero’s series in Strange Adventures after its second installment, Drake hadn’t been involved in the way its central murder mystery had ultimately played out, and thus may have been fine with his successor Neal Adams’ solution having been been overturned.  As it happened, Drake had already put some effort into developing a new take on Boston Brand for editor Joe Orlando; over a year earlier, a note on the letters page of the Orlando-edited Adventure Comics #428 (Jul.-Aug., 1973) had announced:

Arnold Drake, the creator of Deadman, dropped by our office the other day with a whole bunch of new plots for our resident ghost and Deadman will return!  A booklength adventure of Deadman, followed by two more episodes of undetermined length, will appear very soon.

But none of those stories ever appeared in Adventure; rather, with issue #431, the title’s lead feature was given over to yet another in DC’s stable of ghostly heroes, the Spectre.  Perhaps working Deadman into Phantom Stranger was an attempt on Drake and Orlando’s parts to put into use at least some elements of those “new plots” for the character that the author had worked up a year earlier?  We can only speculate.

Anyway, so much for this issue’s guest star (at least for now).  What about its guest artist?  Well, since we spent a fair amount of time describing Mike Grell’s arrival at DC Comics in our post about Adventure #435 last month, I think we can consider that subject to have already been pretty well covered.  So, let’s move on to take a look at the story itself (bet you thought we’d never get here)…

Drake’s script gets off to a clever start, tweaking the usual Stranger-addressing-the-reader convention for how these stories begin with an equally symbolic (and self-aware) splash that, by showing the Stranger and Deadman confronting each other, helps establish right away the differences in attitude (not to mention speech patterns) between the two superficially similar characters.

Although, as we’ll see upon turning to the second page, our titular star isn’t quite ready to give up his “host” role completely, not even for a single issue…

I’m not quite sure why the story is set on Halloween — except perhaps to provide a justification for the assassins’ choice of disguise (though that’s not really needed).  In any event, it won’t be mentioned again.

I said earlier that Arnold Drake generally eschewed continued storylines as well as recurring characters in his approach to writing the Phantom Stranger, but there was one major exception to both tendencies, and its name was Doctor Matthew Zorn.  Introduced in Drake’s very first PS story, Zorn was a physician with a penchant for supplementing the usual array of pharmaceutical products available to licensed medical professionals with what our hero described as “medicaments of sorcerers — and witches!”  He used these substances to gain control over the minds of his “patients”, who included rock stars, Hollywood actresses — and high ranking government officials.  Zorn’s plotting culminated in an attempt on the life of the President himself, one that was only narrowly stymied by the Phantom Stranger.

The diabolical doctor was shown being taken away by the authorities in the final panel of “Dr. Zorn: Soul-Master”; nevertheless, he was back at his malefic practice two issues later in PS #29’s “The Devil Dolls of Dr. Z!”, having evaded justice after most of his victims had refused to testify against him (and he’d made the lone holdout hallucinate on the witness stand).  This time, Zorn didn’t set his sights quite as high as the White House, keeping his efforts more or less confined to his own apartment complex.  Still, that complex’s security guard appreciated the Stranger’s intervention when Dr. Zorn attempted to have him killed by a mob of “devil-dolls” — homunculi imbued with the life-forces of Zorn’s fellow tenants.  Once again, the Phantom Stranger was able to foil the doctor’s immediate scheme, but failed to see him brought to justice, as the subjects of Zorn’s occult experiments refused to rat him out.

Dr. Zorn proceeded to sit out the next three issues — but now, he’s back (and it seems he may have spent the down time working out, since he’s rather more buff-looking as drawn by Grell than he had been in Talaoc’s rendition)…

This image of Deadman at his gravesite is unquestionably dramatic, but if you think about it for more than a few moments, you’re likely to have some questions… such as, if Deadman’s determined to find his killer, why isn’t he out there in the world looking?  Plus, if this story is supposed to follow Forever People #10, what’s become of the new artificial body (called a “Follower”) that those kids from New Genesis set him up with in that issue?  (As readers of our FP #9 post may recall, that latter question will eventually get an answer, but not until Mike and Lee Allred’s 2017 miniseries Bug!.)

The rest of this page features Deadman monologing about his origin and powers, while simultaneously giving a demonstration of those powers by taking over the body of “da four-eyed creep” to lay out his would-be muggers.  It’s a very efficient means of introducing the character to new readers.

Meanwhile, back at the doctor’s office…

Superhero comics writers rely a lot on the old “we’ve never met, but I heard about you from a mutual acquaintance” bit, but for once, I can kind of believe it.  There aren’t that many spooky-types kicking around the DC Universe circa 1974, after all, so it’s not hard to imagine Batman idly asking Boston Brand over the course of one of their encounters, “Say, have you ever run into this guy in a black hat and cloak,,,?”

The guy on the phone is a federal agent; on the next page, he appears to lose the two “champion scum” he’s tailing, but looks can be deceiving.  Still, Koo and Martini arrive at Rubric’s place under the impression that they’re all clear.

Meanwhile, the Phantom Stranger appears to have given up on grilling “Dr. Zorn” for now; in any case, he’s nowhere to be seen when the story checks back in with Deadman…

Figuring that the quickest route to learning whether or not Ubric is indeed his killer leads through possessing the crimelord’s body, Deadman proceeds to do exactly that.  Then, as he continues to converse with Martini and Koo, the scene shifts to the building’s roof, where we see the federal agent listening in through a vent pipe.  Unfortunately, the lawman is discovered there by Ubric’s driver, Hadley, who clocks him in the head with his pistol…

And so concludes our tale — a pretty good one, in your humble blogger’s opinion, with Arnold Drake unsurprisingly demonstrating a sure hand in his characterization of Boston Brand, who is effectively contrasted with the Phantom Stranger throughout.  Meanwhile, the art of Mike Grell — though clearly the work of a young artist who, in 1974, still had a lot to learn — is quite easy on the eyes, with his Neal Adams-influenced style proving a good fit for both the Stranger and Deadman — again, unsurprisingly, taking into account Adams’ history with both characters (for those who don’t already know, Adams drew several early issues of Phantom Stranger, and even more covers).

There is, of course, what might be considered a fairly important loose end still left dangling at the end of the story — namely, the disposition of Dr. Matthew Zorn, last seen being doped into unconsciousness by Deadman, back on page 15.  Presumably, he woke up later off-panel, little the worse for wear, and ready for yet another go-around with the Phantom Stranger.  And, also presumably, Arnold Drake expected to be sticking around on the title long enough to write that next encounter — but that’s not how things worked out.

While Drake would script the Stranger’s next adventure, in issue #34 — a story which, incidentally, also found Gerry Talaoc back on duty — he was absent for the next two issues, which featured scripts by a newcomer, David Micheline.  Arnold Drake would have just one more credit in Phantom Stranger, for a story “idea” in #37 that was turned into a finished script by the feature’s new regular writer: assistant editor Paul Levitz.  Alas, Dr. Zorn appeared in neither #34 nor #37, so we’ll never know how Arnold Drake would have eventually bought his ongoing conflict with the Phantom Stranger to a close… assuming he ever would’ve.  (To the best of my knowledge, Dr. Zorn has never turned up in another DC comic since PS #33, so feel free to contrive your own bad end for him, should you feel so inclined.)

Issue #37 was also the final issue featuring the art of Gerry Talaoc, whose other regular series assignment — the “Unknown Soldier” feature in Star Spangled War Stories — went to a monthly publication schedule around this time.  He’d be replaced by another Filipino artist, Fred Carrillo, who’d join Levitz for #38… and remain on board for the three-part storyline beginning in the next issue, which would bring back Deadman — and serve as the closing act for the Phantom Stranger title.  But that’s a discussion we’ll save for another post, coming sometime next year.