The Scorpia

The Scorpia
Start date:	December 23rd, 1957
End date:	May 3rd, 1958
# of strips:	114 strips (19 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Crown Jewels of Corba"
Followed by:	"The Two Signs"

"The Scorpia" is the 69th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot synopsis

During night classes Diana discovers a reference to a 17th century pirate band called "Scorpia" which was believed to be destroyed by the Phantom in 1612. Scorpia rely on secrecy, so when Diana decides to do more research as part of a history term paper the modern pirate band encourage her to select a different topic.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The Phantom
• Hero
• Devil
• Guran
• Diana Palmer
• Lily Palmer
• Colonel Dave Palmer
• The 1st Phantom/The Phantom of 1612 (mentioned)
• The Phantom of 1715 (mentioned)
• The Phantom of 1718 (mentioned)
• The Phantom of 1765 (mentioned)
• The Phantom of 1803 (mentioned)
• Unidentified past Phantoms
• Baron
• The Scorpia leader of 1612

One-time characters

• Miss Welch
• Jimmy
• Hobby Time host
• Lil
• Airfield mechanic
• Gus
• Miki
• Miki's Grandfather (mentioned)

Locations

• USA
  • New York
    • Palmer home
    • College
      • Library
    • Police station
    • Airport
    • Museum
      • Stone wall
    • 23, Scorpia's American Branch
• Bengali
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Skull Throne
      • The Chronicle Room
  • Bengalitown
• China coast (mentioned)
• Scorpia island
  • Center
    • Radio Room
    • Dining Room
    • The Archives of Scorpia
    • The Library
    • Windowless Room
    • Cellar
• West Africa (mentioned)
• France (mentioned)
  • Paris (mentioned)
• Hong-Kong (mentioned)
• United Kingdom (mentioned)
  • London (mentioned)
• Italy (mentioned)
  • Rome (mentioned)

Tribes

• Bandar

Organizations

• Scorpia
• Society, newspaper
• Bengali World Airways

Ships

• The Destroyer 822

Phantom lore

• Jungle drums
• Skull Mark

Old Jungle Sayings

• "The Phantom strikes like a thunderbolt but moves softer than a stalking great cat."

Related stories

Remade as

• "The Island of Death" by Özcan Eralp
• "The Scorpia Menace" by Basil Copper

Referenced in

• "The Mona Lisa Caper" by Norman Worker and Jaime Vallvé
• "Return of the Scorpia" by Norman Worker and Kari Leppänen

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• The title "The Scorpia" appears in the first strip of the story.
• Diana refers to the Phantom of 1612 as the First Phantom. As the year does not match years given in later stories, one interpretation could be that Diana misremembers which Phantom was active in 1612.
• There is no connection between the name Scorpia and the animal scorpion, which often is the case in later stories featuring Scorpia.
• The Phantom very clearly strikes a Scorpia henchman with his left hand, but still leaves a skull mark.
• There are many similarities between this story and the Mandrake the Magician story "The Sign of 8" where Mandrake's girlfriend Narda goes back to school and studies a medieval gang called "8", and finds clues that they are still active in modern times.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "El fin de los Scorpia", La Sombra #15 (1959)
• "El fin de los Escorpia", Libro de Oro #11 (1963)

Australia

• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #132 – #133 (1958)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #233 – #234 (1963)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #362 – #363 (1968)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #525 – #526 (1974)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #706 – #707 (1980)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #1078 (1994)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #1683 (2014)
• "The Scorpia", The Phantom #1865 (2020)

Brazil

• "Os Escorpiões", Fantasma #34 (1958)
• "A Origem de Scorpia", O Fantasma #25 (1972)
• "Os Escorpiões", Almanaque do Fantasma (1974)
• "A Origem de Scorpia", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #15 (1995)

Canada

• The Moncton Transcript December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Le Nouvelliste December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Le Progrès du Saguenay January 16, 1958 – May 23, 1958
• "Le scorpion", L'Action catholique August 28, 1958 – January 15, 1959

Denmark

• "Skorpionen", Horsens Folkeblad December 5, 1959 – April 22, 1960
• "Skorpionen", Hejmdal January 16, 1960 – June 2, 1960
• "Skorpionen", Aalborg Stiftstidende February 18, 1959 – July 3, 1959
• "Den hemmelige liga", Serie-pocket #24 (1978)

Finland

• "Salainen liiga", Sarjakirja #45 (1978)
• "Skorpioniliiga", Ilta-Sanomat November 26, 2013 – December 23, 2013

France

• "La bande des Scorpions", Le Fantôme Spécial #84 (1970)
• "La bande des Scorpions", Le Fantôme Spécial Album #16 (1970?)

Germany

• Phantom #3 (1997)

India

• "The Scorpia Gang", Indrajal Comics #345 – #346 (1980)

Italy

• "La stirpe dei corsari Scarpia", L'Uomo Mascherato #13bis (1959)
• "La stirpe dei corsari Scorpia", L'olimpo dei fumetti #13 (1972)
• "La stirpe dei corsari Scorpia", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #192 and "Il centro del crimine", #193 (1968)
• "La stirpe dei corsari Scorpia", Phantom #45-46 (1995)
• "La stirpe dei corsari Scorpia", Phantom #256
• "La stirpe dei corsari Scorpia", L'uomo mascherato - Phantom (1998)

Mexico

• "El Alacrán", El Informador February 27, 1958 – July 12, 1958

New Zealand

• The Phantom #303 – #308

Norway

• Aftenposten April 13, 1959 – August 26, 1959
• "Den hemmelige liga", Serie-pocket #34 (1978)

Spain

• "El Alacrán", El Hombre Enmascarado #33, "La central del crimen", #34, "La isla desconocida", #35, and "Aplastando el Mal", #36 (1958)
• "El Alacrán", "La central del crimen", "La isla desconocida", El Hombre Enmascarado - Album de Lujo #7, and "Aplastando el Mal", #8 (1961)
• "El Alacrán", "La central del crimen", "La isla desconocida", and "Aplastando el Mal", Libro de Oro II (1962)
• "El Alacrán", El Hombre Enmascarado #24A, "La central del crimen", #25A, and "La isla desconocida", #26A (1964)
• "El Alacrán", "La central del crimen", and "La isla desconocida", Album de El Hombre Enmascarado (1965)
• "El Alacrán", "La central del crimen", El Hombre Enmascarado Biblioteca Eterna #6, and "La isla desconocida", #7 (1970)
• "El Escorpion", El Hombre Enmascarado #28 (1975)
• "La estirpe de los escopriones", Phantom, El Hombre Enmascarado #14 (1997?)

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet May 13, 1959 – September 24, 1959
• Katrineholmskuriren December 3, 1959 – April 4, 1960
• Göteborgs-Tidningen 1959 – 1960
• Nerikes Allehanda March 26, 1960 – August 11, 1960
• "Den hemliga ligan", Fantomen 2/1961
• Västernorrlands Allehanda November 24, 1960 – ?, 1961
• Örnsköldsviks Allehanda December 22, 1960 – ?, 1961 (the first two strips missing)
• "Den hemliga ligan", Serie-pocket #73 (1978)
• Upsala Nya Tidning July 16, 1997 – December 1, 1997 (first strip missing)
• "Den hemliga ligan", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1961, Del 1 (2012)

Turkey

• "Akrep Çetesi", Kızılmaske #190 – #192 (1977)
• "Akrep Çetesi", Kızılmaske Albüm #59 – #60 (197?)

United Kingdom

• "The Scorpia", The Phantom Illustrated Comic #2 (1959)

USA

• The Alabama Journal December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Alliance Times-Herald December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Asheville Times December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Atlanta Constitution December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Bangor Daily News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Beaver County Times December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Birmingham News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Bradford Era December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Bristol Daily Courier December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Carthage Evening Press December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Charleston Daily Mail December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Charlotte News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Chester Times December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Courier-Post December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Daily Advance December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Daily Item December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Daily Standard December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Decatur Daily December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Denton Record-Chronicle December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Evening News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Gloucester County Times December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Green Bay Press-Gazette December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Greensboro Record December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Hanford Sentinel December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Herald News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Jersey Journal December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Johnson City Press December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Laurel Leader-Call December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Leaf-Chronicle December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Ledger-Enquirer December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Lima News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Morning Press December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Morning Sentinel December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Morristown Gazette Mail December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Oneonta Star December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Oxnard Press-Courier December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Plattsburgh Press-Republican December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Pocono Record December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Reading Eagle December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Richmond Times-Dispatch December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Rome Daily Sentinel December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Rome News-Tribune December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Sandusky Register Star News December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The State December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Syracuse Herald Journal December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Times Recorder December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• Uniontown Morning Herald December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Washington Reporter December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• The Winchester Sun December 23, 1957 – May 3, 1958
• "The Scorpia", Comics Revue #387-388 (2018)
• "The Scorpia", The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Fifteen 1957–1959 (2019)

Yugoslavia

• "Stopama predaka", Denis #245 – #246 (1981)