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Mandrake the Magician (view source)

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Lee Falk's (''[[The Phantom (Comiccomic Stripstrip)|The Phantom]]'') first comic series, ''Mandrake the Magician'' is his other contender for "first costumed [[Superhero|superhero]] in the comics". It all depends on if you want to count a tuxedo, with top hat and cape no less, as a costume.
 
''Mandrake'' started publication in 1934, and is still going. The first story ''The Cobra'' introduced Mandrake's [[Bash Brothers|bash brother]], Lothar, an African prince who preferred fighting evil to his princely duties. Oh, yeah, Lothar is black. And perhaps the earliest black character portrayed seriously in comics. The second story ''The Hawk'' introduced Narda, who would become Mandrake's romantic interest. After [[Comic Book Time|sixty years]] they finally married in 1998.
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=== Mandrake's adventures provide examples of: ===
 
* [[Animated Adaptation]]: Mandrake has been animated twice, in the 1972 special ''[[The Man Who Hated Laughter (Animation)|The Man Who Hated Laughter]]'' and the 1986 series ''[[Defenders of the Earth (Animation)|Defenders of the Earth]]''. He co-starred with other King Features characters in both projects.
* [[Badass Moustache]]: Of the pencil-thin variety, which [[Zorro|few good guys]] can pull off so well.
* [[Bald of Awesome]]: Lothar
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* [[The Big Guy]]: Lothar
* [[Calling Card]]: The Clay Camel would always leave a small clay camel figurine at the scene of a crime, and whenever he escaped capture. His daughter, The Brass Monkey, did a similar thing.
* [[Captain Ersatz]]: Mandrake had ''many'' imitators in [[The Golden Age of Comic Books]], most of them with an almost identical costume and moustache. The one that is best remembered today is [[DC Comics]]'s Zatara, father of [[Justice League of America|Justice League]] member Zatanna. Another who pops up once in a while in current [[DC Comics]] is [[Shazam|Fawcett Comics's]] Ibis the Invincible, a [[Sealed Good in Aa Can|revived Ancient Egyptian]] who wears a turban instead of a top hat.
* [[Comic Book Time]]
* [[Cool Old Guy]]: Mandrake's dad Theron.
* [[Crossover]]: As an African prince, Lothar is invited to [[The Phantom (Comiccomic Stripstrip)|The Phantom]]'s wedding. Mandrake gets to tag along.
* [[Everything's Better Withwith Princesses]]: Princess Narda
* [[Evil Twin]]: Derek
* [[Fair for Its Day]]: Lothar being an African prince as well as the team muscle may seem very stereotypical. But compared to almost any other black characters in the forties and fifties, he was portrayed with much respect and dignity.
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