The Museum Mystery

The Museum Mystery
Start date:	January 22, 1940
End date:	May 04, 1940
# of strips:	90 (15 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Phil Davis
Preceded by:	"The Mountain Bandits"
Followed by:	"The Octopus Ring"

"The Museum Mystery" is the 21st Mandrake daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Phil Davis. This story exists in two variants, one made to span six newspaper columns, the other to span five.

Plot Summary

A dozen guards swear they saw a mummy walking in the east wing of the Orient Museum. It was impossible to keep guards at the east wing, with all the priceless treasures, at night and Dr. White did not like the situation.

Mandrake, Lothar and Sonny with her camera decided to spend the night at the east wing. Soon they discover something strange with the mummy case of Seti Anhk Amen. In the dark something moves, Sonny takes a flashlight photo, the mummy case was empty.

Developing the film in the dark-room in the cellar of the museum they could see a picture of the walking mummy.

Looking a bit closer Mandrake discovers the inside the mummy case there was a false back, with a corridor behind leading to the museum vault filled with priceless treasures of antiquity, gold and gems.

It turns out that Mr. Bendar, his wife and his gang had planned the robbery of the museum vault for months, and almost succeeded.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Mandrake
• Lothar
• Dr. White, director of the Orient Museum.
• Sonny, daughter of Dr. White.

One-time characters

• Rufus, guard at the Orient Museum.
• Bendar, assistant curator at the Orient Museum.
• Mrs. Bendar, The Walking Mummy wife of Bendar.
• Seti Anhk Amen, ancient king of upper Egypt. mention only
• Pete, a gang member.

Locations

• The Orient.

Behind the scenes

Title

• The title for the story is taken from the strip of January 20, 1940 (Beginning Next Week = The Museum Mystery).

Signifiant covers

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  Argentina
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  Australia
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  Brazil
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  Italy
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  New Zealand
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  Sweden
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  USA
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  Yugoslavia

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "La momia viviente", El Libro de la Historieta #10 (1954)

Australia

• "The Museum Mystery", Mandrake Annual (1951)
• "The Museum Mystery" Mandrake the Magician #8 (1991)

Brazil

• "O mistério do museu", O Globo Juvenil #445 - 489 (1940)
• "O Mistério do Museu", Mandrake #72 (1963)
• "A Múmia Que Anda", Mandrake, o Mágico #5 (1971)

France

• "(no title)", Robinson et Hop-là! réunis #235 to Robinson et Hop-là! réunis #256 (1941)
• "La momie vivante", Spécial Mandrake #9 (1964)

Italy

• "I misteri del museo", L'Avventuroso #340 - #354 (1941)
• "I misteri del museo", Collana Albi grandi avventure - Mandrake #14 (1941)
• "I misteri del museo" & "La mummia che cammina", Mandrake #10 and #11 (1947)
• "La mummia vivente", Il Vascello #27 (1960)
• "La mummia vivente", I Classici dell'Avventura #15 (1961)
• "La mummia vivente", Super Albo - Mandrake #60 (1963)
• no title, L'olimpo dei fumetti #14 (1973)
• "I misteri del museo", Mandrake - New Comics Now #149 (1985)
• "I misteri del museo", Mandrake 17 (Comic Art) (1992)
• "I misteri del museo", Club dei Trenta #44 (200?)

New Zealand

• "The Museum Mystery", Mandrake the Magician #75 and Mandrake the Magician #76 (1954)

Norway

• "Den vandrende mumie", Spøk og Spenning (1941)

Spain

• "El misterio del museo", Grandes Clásicos de los Comics del Pasado #37 - Mandrake #12 (1986 ?)

Sweden

• "Den vandrande mumien", Allers Familj-Journal #22/1940 - #50/1940
• "Den vandrande mumien", Mandrake (1946)
• "Den vandrande mumien", Mandrake (1949)

Turkey

• no title, 1001 Roman #55 - 75 (1940)

USA

• "The Museum Mystery", The Official Mandrake the Magician #6 and #7 (1988)
• "The Museum Mystery", Comics Revue #435-436, Comics Revue #437-438 and Comics Revue #439-440 (2022)
• "The Mountain Bandits" Volume Four: the complete newspaper dailies 1939-1941 (2025)

Yugoslavia

• Jutarnji list July 12, 1940 – October 9, 1940
• "Тајна мумије" (romanized as "Tajna mumije"), Mika Miš #491 – #505 (1941; incomplete story)