The League of Lost Men

The League of Lost Men
Start date:	May 28th, 1939
End date:	October 15th, 1939
# of strips:	21
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Ray Moore
Original colorist:	KFS staff
Preceded by:	none
Followed by:	"The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn"

"The League of Lost Men" is the very first Phantom Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore.

Plot synopsis

A prison ship sinks near the coast of Bengal. Around 40 convicts survive and decide to stay in the jungle and begin to terrorize the tribes and extort protection money. Professor Thrush and his daughter Helen who are visiting the jungle for research are kidnapped for ransom. The Phantom decides to stop the menace!

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Guran

One-time characters

• Twitchy
• Bull
• Helen Thrush
• Professor Thrush
• Dutch
• Bud
• Peppo
• Slim

Locations

• Bay of Bengal
• Bengal
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Skull Throne
    • The Bandar Village
  • The fortress of The League of Lost Men
• Satan's Isle

Tribes

• Pogali
• Bandar

Organizations

• The Singh Brotherhood (mentioned)
• The League of Lost Men

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• The title "The League of Lost Men" appears in the first strip of the story.
• This is the first Sunday story, and is introduced by the most detail story of the origin of the Phantom published since "The Singh Brotherhood".
• For the second time in the history of the Phantom strip, Guran's position among the Bandars is mentioned; He is said to be the witch doctor of the tribe.
• On the last page of the story, it's title is notably changed, from "The League of the Lost Men" to "The League of the Missing Men".
• The Phantom uses Death's-head hawkmoth to unnerve the bandits.

Related stories

Referenced in

• "The Fire Goddess" by Lee Falk and Ray Moore

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Crítica Aventuras ?, 1940 – June 10, 1940

Australia

• The Phantom #43 (1952)
• Giantsize Phantom #11 (1958)
• The Phantom #939A (1989)
• The Phantom #1472 (2007)

Austria

• "Die Liga der Verlorenen", Phantom – Die Legende #1 (2025)

Brazil

• Gibi #36 – #53 (1939)
• "A Liga dos Homens Perdidos", O Fantasma: Sempre aos Domingos (2006)

Canada

• La Patrie May 28, 1939 – October 15, 1939

Croatia

• "Priča o Fantomu!" and "Liga izgubljenih ljudi", Strip revija #7 (2011)

Denmark

• "Junglebanditterne", Serie-pocket #2 (1973; edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")

Finland

• "Viidakkokonnat", Sarjakirja #5 (1973; edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")
• "Viidakkokonnat", Sarjakirja #110 (1986; edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")
• "Viidakkorosvot", Mustanaamio 1 – 3/1996

France

• Robinson #181 – #201 (1939–1940)
• Le Fantôme #387 – #389 (1972)
• "Les hors-la-loi de la jungle", L'âge d'or – Le Fantôme #1 (1980)

Ireland

• "The Story of the Phantom", The Phantom Dublin Comic Con 80th Anniversary Special (2016; first page only)

Italy

• "I pirati della giungla", L'Uomo Mascherato #2 (1962)
• "I pirati della giungla", I Classici dell'Avventura #28 (1963)
• "I pirati della giungla", Serie Cronologica #1 – #3 (1972)
• "I pirati della giungla", L'epoca d'oro di Phantom #1
• Phantom - L'Uomo Mascherato #1 (2017)

New Zealand

• The Phantom #162 – #163
• The Phantom #406 – #407

Norway

• "De fortapte menns bande", A-magasinet 47/1939–14/1940
• "Jungelbandittene", Serie-pocket #1 (1973; edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")
• "Jungelbandittene", Fantomet 1 – 3/1996
• "Jungelbandittene", Klassiske jungelhistorier #3 (2015)

The Philippines

• The Tribune July 9, 1939 – December 3, 1939

Serbia

• "Liga nestalih ljudi", Biblioteka Nostalgija #1 (2015)

Spain

• "Los piratas de la Jungla", Phantom #1 (1998?)

Sweden

• "Djungelligan “De förtappade”", Vecko-Revyn 10 – 29/1942
• "Djungelpiraterna", Fantomen Christmas Album 1951
• "Djungelbanditerna", Fantomen 8/1961 (edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")
• "Djungelbanditerna", Serie-pocket #8 (1973; edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")
• "Djungelbanditerna", Fantomen 1 – 3/1996
• "Djungelpiraterna", Fantomen Christmas Album 2001 - facsimile reprint of 1951 Christmas Album

Turkey

• Çocuk Sesi #5 – #25 (1939-40; traced)
• 1001 Özel #115 (1954; traced by Yılmaz Bora)
• Kızıl Maske (1958; traced)
• "Kızıl Maskenin İntikamı", Red Kit #1 – #3 (1965; traced)
• "Kızıl Maskenin İntikamı", Kızıl Maske (#11-12?) (1968; traced)

USA

• Ledger-Enquirer May 28, 1939 – October 15, 1939
• La Opinión July 9, 1939 – October 15, 1939 - without the first six weeks
• The Greensboro Record July 23, 1939 – October 15, 1939 - without the first eight weeks
• Richmond Times-Dispatch September 24, 1939 – October 15, 1939 - the last four weeks only
• San Antonio Light October 1, 1939 – October 15, 1939 - the last three weeks only
• The Milwaukee Sentinel October 8, 1939 – October 15, 1939 - the last two weeks only
• Future Comics #1 – #4 (1940) - without the last five weeks
• The League of Lost Men (1977)
• The Complete Sundays: Volume One 1939–1942 (2012)
• Sundays Archive: Full Size Half Pages 1939-1942 (2016)

West Germany

• "In geheimer Mission", Phantom #2 (edited together with "The Precious Cargo of Colonel Winn")
• "Die Geschichte des Mannes mit der Maske" and "Der Bund der Verlorenen", Die Sprechblase #29, #30, and #32 (1980)
• "Der Bund der Verlorenen", Bibliothek der Grossen Comics (1982)

Yugoslavia

• "Легија изгубљених" (romanized as "Legija izgubljenih"), Mika Miš #378 – #396 (1940)
• "Legija izgubljenih", Majin Strip #20 – #32 (1961)