High Seas Highjacker

High Seas Highjacker
Start date:	July 26th, 1943
End date:	February 26th, 1944
# of strips:	186 (31 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Phantom's Engagement"
Followed by:	"Diana"

"High Seas Highjacker" (also known as "The Governor and Suzie") is the 19th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot synopsis

As two women board a ship behind Mr. Walker (The 21st Phantom) and Devil, Suzie is awed by his broad shoulders but older Mrs. J admonishes her of her duty to meet the ship's captain. Suzie gets him to show her the ship's zig-zag course, then meets the radioman and gets him to show her the radio room, where she signals their path to "The General." She contrives to meet Mr. Walker atnight, but he ignores her. On another night, she signals The General with a flashlight. When the Phantom confronts her, she plays dumb blonde, then tells the captain she she caught Mr. Walker doing it. With him in custody, she leaves the flashlight on the deck.

A cannon shot goes over the ship, then the crew see the top of a submarine. A loudspeaker warns them to abandon ship. They do, but the Phantom and the two women remain. The supposed sub turns out to be a fake conning tower on a barge, which tows the ship to shore, where it is repainted and altered. The pirate crew capture the Phantom. Suzie tries to strike a deal with him, so both can get away, but he won't agree. The pirates tie him up and throw him to the sharks, but he breaks the rope and sneaks back onto the ship, which goes to its new home port. The General turns out to be the Governor, who has a dozen similarly stolen ships. The Phantom finds Suzie and gets her to direct him to the President, while the Governor has the army and police scouring the countryside for them. She has opportunities to betray him, but doesn't do so.

They get to the President and convince him that the Governor is a pirate, just as the Governor arrives. In the ensuring struggle, Suzie is fatally shot. Before she dies, she asks to see the Phantom's face, and he unmasks for her.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Diana Palmer (in a flashback)

One-time characters

• Mrs. J
• Suzie
• The Governor/The General
• Sparks
• Dirk
• Mr. Ambassador
• The Police Chief
• The President

Locations

• Bengali
• The Republic
  • The Governor's Province
    • The Governor's Palace
    • Highway 16
  • The Capital
    • The President's Palace
    • Hospital

Tribes

Organizations

Vehicles

• S.S.Harvey
  • Cabin 14

Items

Old jungle sayings

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• This story has often been reprinted with the title "The Governor and Suzie". However, the actual title "High Seas Highjacker" appears in the last daily strip of the preceding story.

Related stories

Remade as

• "The Pirate Girl" by Lee Falk and Bertil Wilhelmsson

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Tit-Bits #1908 – #1942 (1945-46)
• Libro de Oro #2 (1961; edited together with "The Spy Gang") - the last eight weeks only
• Libro de Oro #34 (1967; edited together with "The Spy Gang") - the last eight weeks only

Australia

• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #79 – #81 (1955)
• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #174 – #175 (1960)
• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #282 – #283 (1965)
• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #427 – #428 (1970)
• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #598 – #599 (1976)
• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #803 – #804 (1984)
• "The Governor and Suzie", The Phantom #1184 (1997)
• "The Governor and Suzie", The Phantom #1623 (2012)
• "High Seas Highjacker", The Phantom #1769 (2016)

Brazil

• "Pirataria em Alto Mar", O Globo Juvenil #1033 – #1124 (1944)
• "O Governador e os Piratas", Almanaque do Fantasma 1964
• "A Mulher Pirata", O Fantasma #10 (1970)
• "O Governador e os Piratas", Hiperalmanaque Fantasma #1 (1981)
• "Suzie", O Fantasma #4 (2016)
• "Intriga a Bordo", O Fantasma Vai a Guerra e Outras Histórias (2024)

Canada

• La Patrie July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• L'Action catholique August 24, 1943 – March 11, 1944

Denmark

• "Piraterne", Fantom-hefte #20 (1954)

Finland

• Karjalainen August 5, 1944 – March 1, 1945 - the first nine strips missing
• "Naamio ja merirosvot", Kippari Kalle 7/1954
• "Juonittelua laivalla", Ilta-Sanomat April 10, 2017 – June 5, 2017

France

• "Intrigue à bord", Le Fantôme du Bengale #25, "Fuite dans la nuit", #26 (1951)
• "Intrigue à bord", Le Fantôme Spécial #67 – #68, "La fuite désespérée", #69 – #70 (1969)

Italy

• "Intrigo a bordo", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #93 and "La città disperata", #95 (1964)
• "Intrigo a bordo", Phantom #18 (1992)
• "Intrigo a bordo", Phantom #209
• "Intrigo a bordo", The Phantom #3 (2015)

New Zealand

• The Phantom #123 – #131
• The Phantom #367 – #375

Norway

• Aftenposten September 21, 1944 – May 4, 1945
• Skippern 11/1947 – 26/1949
• "Piratene", Fantom-hefte #20 (1954)
• "Sjørøverpiken", Klassikerserien Wilson McCoy (1943-1959) (2006)
• "Piratene", Krønikebok #47 (2008)

Spain

• "Intriga a bordo", El Hombre Enmascarado #59, "Pirateria en alta mar", #60, "Fuga espectacular", #61, "La búsqueda del Hombre Enmascarado", #62, and "Ajuste de cuentas", #63 (194?)
• "Piratas modernos", El Hombre Enmascarado #34 (1976)
• "Piratas modernos", El Hombre Enmascarado #57 (1991; part 1 edited together with & "The Phantom's Engagement" part 2), "El gobernador", #58 – #59 (1991)
• "El gobernador y Suzie", The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado #11 (2021)

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet July 22, 1944 – February 28, 1945
• Katrineholmskuriren January 17, 1945 – August 30, 1945
• Nerikes Allehanda July 26, 1945 – March 8, 1946
• Tierps-Posten September 18, 1947 – December 28, 1948
• Östhammars Tidning September 18, 1947 – December 28, 1948
• "Suzie - Piratflickan", Wilson McCoy - de opublicerade äventyren (2000)

USA

• The Alabama Journal July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Birmingham News July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Carthage Evening Press July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Charleston Daily Mail July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Chester Times July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Coos Bay Times July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Daily Item July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Decatur Daily July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Detroit Evening Times July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Dziennik dla Wszystkich July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Evening News July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Gloucester County Times July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Greensboro Record July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Hanford Morning Journal July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Hanford Sentinel July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Herald News July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Johnson City Press July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Ledger-Enquirer July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Monessen Daily Independent July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Oxnard Press-Courier July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Richmond Times-Dispatch July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Rome Daily Sentinel July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Sandusky Register Star News July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Syracuse Herald Journal July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Times Herald July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Washington Reporter July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Winchester Sun July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The World July 26, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• Bangor Daily News July 31, 1943 – February 26, 1944
• The Advocate-Messenger November 1, 1943 – February 26, 1944 - without the first fourteen weeks
• San Antonio Light February 8, 1944 – February 26, 1944 (incomplete story)
• The Hawaii Times March 17, 1944 – September 7, 1944
• Ace Comics #110 – #125 (1946-1947)
• "The Governor and Suzie", Comics Revue #323-324 – #331-332 (2013)
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies Vol. Five 1943–1944 (2013)

West Germany

• "Späte Reue", Phantom-Heft 3/1954 - without the first seven and the last week, many strips missing

Yugoslavia

• "Morska sirena", Biblioteka Nostalgija #12 (1991; incomplete story and edited together with "The Mermaids of Melo Straits")