Issue 1530 - Fortnightly, 2009

Take your time reading The Valley of Horses!

Writer/artist Hans Lindahl weaves surprise after surprise throughout his masterly art and keeps everybody so engrossed, it is near-impossible to even guess what is likely to happen next!

Hero, The Phantom’s great white stallion, is one of the many stars of this adventure and without giving too much away, you are about to discover that Hero is to become a father!

Knowing Hans Lindahl, it is obvious he has great plans for the as yet unnamed foal and you can expect to learn a lot more in some of his future Phantom adventures.

Lindahl ranks as one of the most inventive Phantom creators.

He illustrated his first Phantom story way back in 1983 and in 1998 commenced scripting (and illustrating) the comic book adventures of The Ghost Who Walks.

He is equally adept at portraying The Phantom in such a way to have him dominate every scene as depicting realistic jungle foliage and capturing the movement of animals—with special emphasis on the magnificent power of Devil and Hero.

Hero is also to take part in a rigged horse race, staged not on a racetrack, but through the jungle.

It’s not the first time Hero has been ridden in a race but Lindahl has built on that old theme in a new and very clever way.

You will find more than a few other Lindahl creative touches which will remind you of the Lee Falk-Sy Barry era….remember Lee’s 1965 story, Mystery of Wamba Falls Inn?

That jungle hotel and gambling establishment has now been replaced by a gangster-controlled building called The Golden Waterfall Casino!

And—as you are about to discover, the jungle horse race in which Hero competes, commemorates some early Phantom history.

The race is called ‘Walker’s Ride’, to honour an heroic action in the 18th century by Christopher Walker, who was, of course, of The Phantom line.

‘Walker’s Ride’ is a Hans Lindahl invention and not borrowed from Lee Falk’s official Phantom history.

I think, however, you will agree it is an interesting idea and doubtless, Lindahl will return to this theme sometime in the future.

Just as he surely will return to Hero’s offspring!

At this stage, we don’t even know whether the foal is a colt or a filly, or, for that matter, which of the wild horses was the dam!

Stay tuned!