Phantom 2040

Phantom 2040 is an animated science fiction television series loosely based on the comic strip hero The Phantom, created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the great-grandson of the comic strip character. The unusual character design was made by Peter Chung of Æon Flux fame.

The series starred Scott Valentine, Margot Kidder, Ron Perlman, and Jeff Bennett. Mark Hamill, Debbie Harry, Rob Paulsen, and Paul Williams had recurring roles.

In a cartoon world filled with slick, assembly line superheroes and one-dimensional villains, Phantom 2040 provided its audience with expansive, complex characters and intelligent storylines. Based on Lee Falk's long-running (since 1936) The Phantom comic strip, the series sent the "Ghost Who Walks" into the not-too-distant future.

In the year 2040, environmental disasters and the economic Resource Wars of the early 21st century had decimated the fragile ecological balance of an Earth once teeming with life. Everywhere, the privileged and wealthy continued to thrive in expensive real estate that towered above the suffering masses. The victims of Earth’s misfortune had been forced to survive on scavenged refuse from the past on the mangled streets of forlorn city-states.

In Metropia, the largest and most powerful of the city-states, the powerful corporation Maximum Inc. had commandeered armies of robotic Biots to create a cold, steely urban center, consisting of huge, residential towers intertwined with TubeTrain tunnels. Maximum had plans to build Cyberville—an immense survival shelter where only the wealthiest and most elite humans would retreat to when Earth finally succumbed to its slowly deteriorating state.

The only hope for the survival of humanity was the Ghost Jungle—thousands of square miles of mutated vegetation that could be the planet's salvation. This secret source of life was submerged beneath Metropia where no one could find it, but fortunately, college student Kit Walker Jr. had been chosen by fate to save the world, donning the black mask and purple suit of his people’s savior, the 24th Phantom.

The Phantom’s origins began in the late 1500's when a merchant vessel was attacked by Singh pirates in the Bay of Bengalla. All crew and passengers were killed except for a boy who was rescued by the Bandar tribe, taught their secret ways, and who swore an oath on the skull of his father's killer to fight injustice wherever it might be found. Since this time, the role of the Phantom had been passed on from father to son, leading the world to believe that the Phantom was a single being. Kit, the 24th in the line, was young, unsure, and inexperienced, but he found within him the courage and might to battle the evil that threatened to destroy the Earth.

Phantom 2040 debuted in 1994 to rave reviews, though it survived only 33 episodes before it was relegated to weekend repeats in 1996. The show was intelligent and surprisingly educational, winning praise for its subtle, effective teaching of such values as individuality, freedom, and the volatility of humanity.

It was this combination of entertainment, sophisticated writing, and educational values that made Phantom 2040 a rarity among television cartoons. The Phantom continues to be published daily in various newspapers, and also in comic books throughout the globe. The character is still read by millions of fans.

Episode List

Season One

Generation Unto Generation (part 1)
Generation Unto Generation (part 2)
The Sum of the Parts
Fire and I.C.E.
Reflections of Glory
Shadows from the Past
The Good Mark
Ghost in the Machine
Dark Orbit (part 1)
Dark Orbit (part 2)
The Biot In Red
The Gauntlet
Three Into One
Life Lessons
The Magician
Swifter, Higher, Faster
Lasers In The Jungle
Down The Line

Season Two

Control Group
A Boy And His Cat
Rite Of Passage
The World Is My Jungle
Sanctuary
The Ties That Bind
The Woman In The Moon
Matter Over Mind
The Sins Of The Father (part 1)
The Sins Of The Father (part 2)
The Sacrifice (part 1)
The Sacrifice (part 2)
Rogue
The Second Time Around
The Furies
Moments Of Truth
The Whole Truth

Video games

Phantom 2040 also came out on Sega Genesis, Game Gear and Super NES, and like the animated series, it got very positive reviews. It was possible to play as both the Phantom and his alter ego, Kit Walker. The game had over 20 different endings, all depending on the choices the player made when progressing through the story.

Comic books

"Phantom 2040" was also adapted into a comic book series, by Marvel Comics in 1995. Only four issues were published. The stories were only loosely based on the TV-series, and had a different tone than the dark, complicated animated show. The series were written by Peter Quinones, pencilled by Steve Ditko, and inked by Bill Reinhold. Each issue featured a free poster, drawn by people like John Romita Sr.

Availability on VHS and DVD

Many episodes of the series have been released on VHS and DVD, but a definitive collection is yet to come. A DVD called "Phantom 2040: The Ghost Who Walks" became available in late 2004, and includes the first five episodes of the series edited into a "movie". Many other episodes have been released on VHS.

External links

Animated television series | Syndicated television series | Television programs based on comic strips