Mandrake the Magician: Sundays Vol.1: The Hidden Kingdom of Murderers

Mandrake the Magician continued his magic well into the year 2013 and since then we are revisiting the old adventures.From the early 1930s to the year 2013, Mandrake continued a magical spell AND we must acknowledge the extraordinary popularity of Mandrake, Narda, Lothar and Hojo.The sinister machinations of COBRA who is actually the leader of OCTON provided thrill and entertainment to multiple generations - from 1930s till 2013 and thereafter.This collection has some problems, nodoubt.The reproductions are somewhat aged and blurred and it is understandable.The source material is probably not of the highest quality and so some of the art was Hazy.However the story line is good and clearly reflects the dynamism of the 1930s when America was slowly emerging as a cultural superpower.These comics reflect a bygone era, the era of my Grandfather.I sincerely value this collection and thank the publishers for making a difficult choice by reproducing " antique" art of Mandrake comics which in a way transports us back to the world of 1930s when John Wayne was a rising star and India was still not a sovereign nation.Like Phantom, Mandrake was also created by Lee Falk and both these characters gained immense popularity in India even before 1947.After introduction of the Indrajal Comics in the mid 1960s , Mandrake became very popular in India and even now there are real magicians in India who go by the name of ' Mandrake'-cashing on in the popularity of the Magician. Indrajal comics ceased publication from April 1990 and since then there was a major vaccum as the pocket sized Diamond comics didnot do justice to the legend of Mandrake.Now we are having the opportunity to read the old adventures of Mandrake, thanks to this publication.I am looking forward to enjoy these comics in the coming years.THANKS AMAZON FOR THE SPECTACULAR COMICS

very nice stories, worth buying it.

I definitely recommend this book ! The stories are great. It is definitely a collector's item!!!

Didn't like the brown yellow paper used for the book. Otherwise a decent reproduction. Stories have vintage value being the oldest mandrake Sundays. Some nice art by Phil Davis.

Todays' Arrival : Much waited "Mandrake Sundays Vol.1" from URead.com(@2070 INR)!After going thru the whole product quickly,I can assure that,Strips from '30s(1935-1937) have been restored superbly with the "original color" intact and secondly,the paper-quality used,matt stock,which is best for these old strips to get printed properly(That's why I prefered Titan's Flash Gordon sundays over other publisher).Among the First 6 sundays covered,my all-time best was "Chamber into the X Dimension" which was the very first with X-Universe!Some snaps from this books...I would say,not only as a Mandrake maniac but a general comic-fan of all genre,that this is a must for the fan of this magician.

Arguably the first superhero (but then who isn't), Mandrake is a magician whose stage presence masks the fact that he can also use his magic powers to fight crime. In this collection of the full page Sunday stories he takes on a number of mystical forces in a sometimes eerie and uncanny way, such as when he manifests flames. There are a large number of exciting and memorable images here and the stories are well written and coherent.But. Anyone who was a kid in the 80s is likely to remember Defenders of the Earth and Mandrake's friend Lothar, prince of an African nation and the world's strongest man. Lothar is present and correct, but some might find his portrayal difficult. His speech is slightly simplistic and he wanders around in a loincloth and fez. It isn't the worst representation of an African in this era but it wouldn't be acceptable today.With this aside, this is a handsome package. A big hardback with good reproductions of the original strips. I'd like to see more and how the strip develops.

A great read. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Cette édition exceptionnelle en couleur offre au lecteur les premières aventures de Mandrake le magicien, ouvrant d'emblée un univers de fantastique doux d'une rare poésie et admirablement servi par le dessin.

Tavole iniziali pessime e illeggibili. Nessun restauro. Al di sotto di qualunque standard per collane del genere. Non vale il prezzo di copertina.

Excellent book, well worth the price and the L-O-N-G wait for it to be published. Hopefully, the second volume won't take so long.