Mandrake the Magician began as a daily strip on June 11, 1934, and whether Lee Falk knew it as a sophomore at the University of Illinois, he was making history. The strips presented in this series of reprints feature two staple characters in addition to the master magician: Lothar and Princess Narda (princess of the mythical European kingdom Cockaigne). Lothar appears within the first few days (June 14, 1934), and Narda is introduced in Mandrake's second adventure. Narda is similar to Flash Gordon's Dale Arden: beautiful, constantly in need of rescue, and the love interest of our hero. A Prince of the Seven Nations of Africa, Lothar is Mandrake's devoted servant, friend and companion. He is, 'the strongest man in the world,' and decked out in a fez, shorts, and a leopard shirt. This third volume of the series presents eight stories: 'Mandrake in Hollywood'; 'Sonny the Child Movie Star'; 'Mandrake and the Haunted House': 'Blozz the Chamption'; 'Mandrake in Love'; 'Visitors from Space'; 'The Deep South'; and 'Mandrake in Cockaigne.'
