Maaarrrggooooo Laaaaaannne...
Martin | 05.15.08 - 1:25 am | #

Wait, doesn't "The Phantom" revolve around a plot to retrieve crystal skulls?

Have Spielberg and Lucas really fallen that far? And I say that as one of the few "Phantom" apologists of the past 12 years.
Mike Z | Email | 05.15.08 - 2:00 am | #

You forgot Patrick McGoohan as the ghost of the Phantom's father....in a bath robe.

(At least, that's how foggy my memory is...I'll have to rewatch it at some point. I like it...but I also liked most of 1975's DOC SAVAGE movie as well)
Gordon | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 3:55 am | #

I just watched The Phantom for the first time a few months ago, and I enjoyed it. It's evocative of the strip, I think, without being too over the top on the goofiness.
Luke | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 4:44 am | #

Slam Evil!

Wait, what the heck does that even mean?
Rich Handley | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 4:49 am | #

The Phantom's costume was originally grey until they started printing it in colour. Lee Falk was supposedly not impressed. In my mind, the Phantom will always be grey - except for his shorts of course, which are red and white.

Also: for some reason the Phantom is disproportionately popular in Scandanavia and Australia.
Juisarian | Email | 05.15.08 - 4:52 am | #

No "No way" as far as I can tell. No word balloons on that page at all, in fact. I bet there was one, but it got lost somewhere...
Phill | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 5:22 am | #

"Slam Evil" would be a great name for a film noir private detective.
CW | 05.15.08 - 5:51 am | #

How about, "Fist Evil!"
Cully | Email | 05.15.08 - 7:41 am | #

But I love to say, 'Slam Evil!'
lankyguy | Email | 05.15.08 - 7:42 am | #

Cully, 'fist evil' sounds like a really horrid porn title.
CW | 05.15.08 - 8:14 am | #

Oh heck, The Phantom was just good cheesy, campy fun. And yes, so was the Doc Savage movie. In face, I STILL quote dialogue from the latter.

I LIKE cheese.
sallyp | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 8:33 am | #

I don't think The Phantom does Saturday matinee serial quite as well as The Rocketeer, but I thought it was a lot of fun just the same. And Treat Williams was clearly enjoying himself, so that made his performance that much better to watch, hammy as it was.
Bill D. | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 8:53 am | #

hmm ... a gray costume would have made a little more sense. I always wondered why he chose purple as his jungle camoulage. Maybe he's such a bad-ass that he invites his enemies to see him, because he knows they can't beat him?
philip | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 9:23 am | #

"Slam Evil" is the name of my Phantom slash fiction site.
Dorian | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 12:24 pm | #

Must say it..... SLAM EVIL!!!!

Yes, way, that felt good! Right up there with "EAT MY JUSTICE!"

However, if you were to move "Employees to beat" a little higher on your work list, you might get more done around the shop. Just saying, that's all.

And still waiting for you to get back to that promised Legion content... after the employees, of course.
super-rob | Email | 05.15.08 - 6:44 pm | #

I still have the skull ring they gave out for the Montreal premiere of the film.

My four-year-old son runs around with it now. He thinks it makes him a pirate.
steve | Email | Homepage | 05.15.08 - 6:46 pm | #

"Slam Evil?" What are you, Space Crazy?
Harvey Jerkwater | Email | 05.15.08 - 7:07 pm | #

I worked at a 7-11 when this movie came out, and as a promotion, we were giving those skull rings away. Even though they only fit my little finger, I thought they were sort of cool, in some way.

I dug the movie, too. By no means great, but pretty decent.
LaRue | Email | 05.15.08 - 9:46 pm | #

I liked it as a good cheesy romp, same as Rocketeer.

I liked the SHADOW more, however.

And, yes, I still have several of those Skull rings.

I wish there were promotional SHADOW-agent rings made available when that film was released.
That would've been cool.

~P~
P-TOR
SanctumSanctorumComix | Email | 05.16.08 - 8:31 am | #

I haven't seen this movie since it was still in theaters back in 96... 96.. Wow.. I was 7..? Anyway I loved it back then. I think it was in part because of the skull rings we got. Gotta love the freebees.

The scene with the stabbing in the eyes really freaked me out at the time. In fact.. Thats the only scene I really remember.

I picked this flick up in the 5 dollar DVD bin at wal mart a few months back. Kind of been collecting dust. Might have to re-watch it in the near future.
Rocco | Email | Homepage | 05.16.08 - 2:01 pm | #

This was on tv a few months ago and I only made it as far as the eyestabbing scene. It struck me as being far too... harsh? horrible? for such a campy movie. It upset me a bit. The way he callously breaks the guy's glasses because he "won't need them anymore."

Ugh.

Put me right off.
GQ | Email | 05.20.08 - 1:07 pm | #