History ComicStrip / MandrakeTheMagician

* CrossOver: As an African prince, Lothar is invited to ComicStrip/ThePhantom's wedding. Mandrake gets to tag along. The two strips have had other crossovers over the years, establishing that they and their respective supporting casts are friends.

* CrossOver: As an African prince, Lothar is invited to ComicStrip/ThePhantom's wedding. Mandrake gets to tag along. They've had other crossovers over the years, establishing that they and their respective supporting casts are friends.

* CrossOver: As an African prince, Lothar is invited to ComicStrip/ThePhantom's wedding. Mandrake gets to tag along. The've had other crossovers over the years, establishing that they and their respective supporting casts are friends.

* CrossOver: As an African prince, Lothar is invited to ComicStrip/ThePhantom's wedding. Mandrake gets to tag along.

* SocietyMarchesOn: In the early comics, Lothar was essentially Mandrake's manservant/porter/slave, who never spoke, did menial tasks (and beat up villains on command), and tended to vanish and appear when convenient. When this sort of depiction became unacceptable, he developed into a proper character with an actual personality and on equal footing with Mandrake.

King Features Syndicate started publishing ''Mandrake'' in 1934. The first story ''The Cobra'' introduced Mandrake's [[BashBrothers 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 [[ComicBookTime sixty years]] they finally married in 1998.

* BadassMoustache: Of the pencil-thin variety, which [[{{Zorro}} few good guys]] can pull off so well.

Creator/KingFeaturesSyndicate started publishing ''Mandrake'' in 1934. The first story ''The Cobra'' introduced Mandrake's [[BashBrothers 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 [[ComicBookTime sixty years]] they finally married in 1998.

''Mandrake'' started publication in 1934. The first story ''The Cobra'' introduced Mandrake's [[BashBrothers 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 [[ComicBookTime sixty years]] they finally married in 1998.

''Mandrake'' started publication in 1934, and is still going. The first story ''The Cobra'' introduced Mandrake's [[BashBrothers 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 [[ComicBookTime sixty years]] they finally married in 1998.

* FountainOfExpies: Mandrake had ''many'' imitators in TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, most of them with an almost identical costume. The one that is best remembered today is DCComics's Zatara, father of [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] member Zatanna. Another who pops up once in a while in current DCComics is [[{{Shazam}} Fawcett Comics's]] Ibis the Invincible, a [[SealedGoodInACan revived Ancient Egyptian]] who wears a turban instead of a top hat.

* CaptainErsatz: Mandrake had ''many'' imitators in TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, most of them with an almost identical costume. The one that is best remembered today is DCComics's Zatara, father of [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] member Zatanna. Another who pops up once in a while in current DCComics is [[{{Shazam}} Fawcett Comics's]] Ibis the Invincible, a [[SealedGoodInACan revived Ancient Egyptian]] who wears a turban instead of a top hat.

Art on the series was done by Phil Davis, and later by Fred Fredericks. Following Lee Falk's death, Fredericks took over writing the series as well, until his retirement on July 6, 2013. The Comics Kingdom site is currently running reprints, starting from 1995. Can be read [[http://www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/index.ssf?feature_id=Mandrake here.]]

Art on the series was done by Phil Davis, and later by Fred Fredericks. Following Lee Falk's death, Fredericks took over writing the series as well.

* ShamgriLa: ''Collegium Magikos,'' the College of Magic in the Himalayas

* TheseLookLikeJobsForTheSuperman: He's got the most logical job in the world for a magical illusionist.

* TheseLookLikeJobsForSuperman: He's got the most logical job in the world for a magical illusionist.

* CaptainErsatz: Mandrake had ''many'' imitators in TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, most of them with an almost identical costume and moustache. The one that is best remembered today is DCComics's Zatara, father of [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] member Zatanna. Another who pops up once in a while in current DCComics is [[{{Shazam}} Fawcett Comics's]] Ibis the Invincible, a [[SealedGoodInACan revived Ancient Egyptian]] who wears a turban instead of a top hat.

* FairForItsDay: 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.
** Lothar was originally just a ScaryBlackMan who accompanied Mandrake like a servant, carried luggage and beat people up if the plot called for it; he also tended to vanish whenever he wasn't needed in a story. Upgrading him to an independent and smart [[TrueCompanions True Companion]] with lines and his own background story was a pretty huge advancement.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: Lee Falk was once asked if he knew that Lothar is in fact a German name. He admitted that no, he didn't. He "just thought it sounded like a good African name".

* AnimatedAdaptation: Mandrake has been animated twice, in the 1972 special ''TheManWhoHatedLaughter'' and the 1986 series ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth''. He co-starred with other King Features characters in both projects.

Lee Falk's (ThePhantom) 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.

* CrossOver: As an African prince, Lothar is invited to ThePhantom's wedding. Mandrake gets to tag along.