The Mysterious Bob Phantom Returns!

New York City, 1939. Out of the darkness of a Broadway alleyway — it’s a rat, it’s a mugger, no, it’s Bob Phantom! Archie Comics’ earliest costumed hero (back when the company was MLJ), Bob Phantom was hard-hitting theater critic and radio commentator Walt Whitney by day, crimefighter by night. Or was he? That’s the question modern writer James III asks. The original character might have been a shadowy figure for justice, but in 2022, could he be causing as much trouble as he solves as long as it gets clicks on his website?

That’s the intriguing premise behind Archie Comics’ upcoming one-shot, updating Bob Phantom for the first time since joining the Mighty Crusaders in 1964. (The character did appear in Riverdale a couple of years ago for a special event comics.) James  III collaborates with artist Richard Ortiz, who previously made an impact at Archie on The Fox.

Originally drawn by legendary DC penciler Irv Novick, Bob Phantom seemed to have powers much like The Shadow, with a similar attitude toward law enforcement. The modern version may have reduced his power to teleport down to just turning invisible. Either way, it’s a handy power to have when you’re about to publish a bad review. Still cast as a theater critic, he’ll really make his name with crime story headlines, except crime rates are dropping. What’s a hero to do?

From Archie Comics:

Archie Comics is bringing the classic superhero BOB PHANTOM out of the Golden Age vault and into the modern era in an all-new one-shot comic book hitting stores in November! Writer James III (Netflix’s Astronomy Club) and artist Richard Ortiz (THE FOX) set their mind-bending noir-tinged adventure in the shadowy alleyways of New York City’s theater district, with a hero who may be the story’s villain, as well.

“[James] is the exact type of person you want on a project like this,” said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. “He’s dusting off Bob Phantom’s cobwebs and giving him a second chance to be a main event player.”

Bob Phantom was one of Archie’s earliest superhero characters, introduced in 1939’s BLUE RIBBON COMICS #2 in a story drawn by comics legend Irv Novick. Boasting a multitude of superpowers and talents, he fought crime by night and worked as theater critic and gossip columnist Walt Whitney by day, often antagonizing police. In the new version, James III explores the possibility that Walt’s anti-authoritarian streak may run deeper than the surface as he creates news in order to report it.

James said, “With BOB PHANTOM, I wanted to explore what it means to write news today when everyone gets their news from the headlines on their Twitter feed without reading the articles, and you can’t tell what’s legitimate and what’s fake. (To use loaded terminology.) This might make you question your validity as a journalist and your worth as a person in society. I was heavily inspired by crime stories with news elements like Road to Perdition and Nightcrawler. What brings a person to snap pictures first and provide assistance later or not at all?”

Bob Phantom’s fanciful powers may be too fanciful to be true, as well, as the new story takes a surreal turn into Walt’s dreams. Jamie added, “We’ll see glimpses of the cold realities of the real world alongside dreamscapes of the imagination. The juxtaposition of the two takes this from a standard superhero story to something that deftly blends surrealism with noir. There’s a lot going on in this story, and a lot that can be carried over into more in the future!”

BOB PHANTOM releases November 16 in comic shops nationwide and is available for pre-order now. It will feature a cover by Tim Seeley and Matt Herms as well as an open-to-order variant cover by Jamal Igle.

If you’ve read this far, you may realize that this one-shot also exists to maintain or reclaim Archie Comics’ trademark on Bob Phantom. It seems to be in the air this week. That doesn’t mean it won’t be good. This sounds like a pretty interesting take on sprucing up a way out of date concept. I’m keeping an eye out for it in November; maybe you should, too.