The Mysterious Prince

The Mysterious Prince
Start date:	July 2nd, 1945
End date:	October 13th, 1945
# of strips:	90 (15 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Old Ones"
Followed by:	"The Sleeping Beauty"

"The Mysterious Prince" is the 36th Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis.

Plot Summary

Mandrake and Narda visiting the wealthy Mrs. Van Stoff. Then she receives a strange guest, the mysterious Prince Zombaga.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Narda

One-time characters

• Mrs Van Stoff,
• Billings, Mrs Van Stoff's butler.
• Prince Zombaga, a robot radio-controlled by Steigler..
• Count Steigler, Prince Zombaga's ambassador.
• Caesar, Steigler's servant.

Locations

• New York (?)
  • A jewelry store on Main Street.
• The Van Stoff's estate.
• An old mill.
• Steigler's sumptuous crystal apartment.

Behind the scenes

• The title for the story taken from the strip of June 30 and July 2, 1945 (Next Week = The Mysterious Prince & Beginning: The Mysterious Prince).
• Strangly Steigler's hide-out "The old mill" and the "sumptuous crystal apartment" is the same hide-out ! ?
• In an attempt to charm Narda Prince Zombaga reading a poem from Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
  • XII
    • A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
    • A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou
    • Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
    • Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!
  • Prince Zombaga:
    • Ah, Love,
    • A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread and Thou
    • and this were Paradise enow!

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Mysterious Prince", Mandrake Annual (1952)

Argentina

• "El principe misterioso", Album Pif-Paf #18 (1954)

Brazil

• "O Príncipe Zombaga", Mandrake, o Mágico #17 (1972)
• "O Estranho Príncipe", Mandrake #247 (1976)

Finland

• "Intian Prinssi", Kippari Kalle #1 (1955)

France

• "Le monstre du marais",Spécial Mandrake #51 (1967)

West Germany

• "Der Prinz aus Indien", Phantom-Heft #1 (1954)

Italy

• "Il principe misterioso", L'Avventura (1946-1947)
• "Il mostro della palude", Super Albo 16 - Mandrake (Fratelli Spada) (1962)
• "Il mostro della palude", Special Mandrake #179 (1966)
• "Il principe misterioso", Mandrake - New Comics Now #214 (1988)
• "Il principe misterioso", Mandrake 30 (Comic Art) (1994)

New Zealand

• "The Mysterious Prince", Mandrake the Magician #2 and Mandrake the Magician #3 (1949/1950)

Portugal

• "O Misterioso Principe", Mandrake #10 (197?)

Spain

• "El príncipe misteroso", Merlin el Mago Moderno #43,
  • "La trampa", Merlin el Mago Moderno #44 and
  • "Camino de muerte", Merlin el Mago Moderno #45 (194?)

Sweden

• "Den mystiske prins Zombaga", Tarzan # 22/1954.
• "Den mystiske prins Zombaga", Stjärnmagasinet # 22/1955 - # 26/1955.
• "Den mystiske prinsen", Mandrake #1 (1962)

United Kingdom

• "The Mysterious Prince", Mandrake the Magician #3

USA

• "The Mysterious Prince", The Classic Mandrake Series / Episode: "The Mysterious Prince" (Pacific Comics Club) (20??)