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{{Short description|Comic strip created by Lee Falk}}
{{italic title}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{ref-improve|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox comic strip
| fgcolor     =
| bgcolor     =
| title       = Mandrake the Magician
| image       = Mandrakeoct301938.jpg
| caption     = 1938 Mandrake comic
| author      = [[Lee Falk]] (1934–1999)
| illustrator = [[Phil Davis (cartoonist)|Phil Davis]] (c. 1934–1964)<br />[[Fred Fredericks]] (1964–2013)
| current     = [[Fred Fredericks]] (1999–2013)
| url         = [https://comicskingdom.com/mandrake-the-magician/about]
| status      = Daily and Sunday; concluded; reruns
| first       = June 11, 1934
| last        = July 6, 2013
| altnames    =
| syndicate   = [[King Features Syndicate]]
| publisher   = [[King Comics]]
| genre       = Adventure
| rating      = 
| preceded by = 
| followed by = 
}}
{{Infobox comics character <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
|image=
|caption=
|character_name=Mandrake the Magician
|real_name= 
|publisher= [[King Comics]]
|debut= June 11, 1934
|creators=[[Lee Falk]]

|alliances= [[Defenders of the Earth]]

|aliases=

|powers=Master magician<br />Extended lifespan<br />Genius-level intellect
}}

'''''Mandrake the Magician''''' is a [[Comic strip syndication|syndicated]] newspaper [[comic strip]], created by [[Lee Falk]] before he created ''[[The Phantom]]''.<ref name="rg">[[Ron Goulart]], ''The Encyclopedia of American Comics''. New York: Facts on File, 1990. {{ISBN|0816018529}}. pp. 91, 249–250.</ref><ref>Judith O'Sullivan, ''The Great American Comic Strip''. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1990. {{ISBN|0821217569}}. p. 17.</ref> ''Mandrake'' began publication on June 11, 1934. [[Phil Davis (cartoonist)|Phil Davis]] soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by [[King Features Syndicate]].<ref name="rg2">[[Ron Goulart]], "The Glory Days, or Believe It or Not!" in [[Dean Mullaney]], Bruce Canwell and Brian Walker, ''King of the Comics: One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate''. San Diego: IDW Publishing, 2015. {{ISBN|9781631403736}}. pp. 119, 122.</ref>

'''Mandrake''', along with the Phantom Magician in Mel Graff's ''[[The Adventures of Patsy]]'', is regarded as the first [[superhero]] of comics by comics historians such as [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia|Don Markstein]], who writes, "Some people say Mandrake the Magician, who started in 1934, was comics' first superhero."<ref name="rg" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ask.yahoo.com/20070503.html |title=Dear Yahoo!: Who was the first superhero? |publisher=Yahoo! Answers |access-date=2017-02-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330034735/http://ask.yahoo.com/20070503.html |archive-date=2012-03-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/phanmagi.htm |title=Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Adventures of Patsy |publisher=Toonopedia |date=1935-03-11 |access-date=2017-02-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first145.html |title=First superhero ever in the world. Mandrake the Magician Lee Falk Popeye the Sailor Man Superman |publisher=Thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com |date=1936-02-17 |access-date=2017-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406091540/http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first145.html |archive-date=2016-04-06 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964, when Falk recruited artist [[Fred Fredericks]].<ref name="rg2" /> With Falk's death in 1999, Fredericks became both writer and artist. The Sunday-newspaper ''Mandrake'' strip ended December 29, 2002. The daily newspaper strip ended mid-story on July 6, 2013, when Fred Fredericks retired, and a reprint of ''Pursuit of the Cobra'' (D220) from 1995 began July 8, 2013.

==Characters and story==
Mandrake is a [[Magician (paranormal)|magician]] whose work is based on an unusually fast [[Hypnosis|hypnotic]] technique. As noted in captions, when Mandrake "gestures hypnotically", his subjects see illusions, and Mandrake has used this technique against a variety of villains including gangsters, mad scientists, extraterrestrials, and characters from other dimensions.<ref name="rg" /> At various times in the comic strip, Mandrake also demonstrates other powers, including becoming invisible, [[shapeshifting]], [[Levitation (paranormal)|levitation]], and [[teleporting]].<ref name="rg" /> His hat, cloak, and wand, passed down from his father Theron, possess great magical properties, which in time Mandrake learns how to manipulate.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} Although Mandrake publicly works as a [[Magic (illusion)|stage magician]], he spends much of his time fighting criminals and combatting supernatural entities. Mandrake lives in Xanadu, a high-tech mansion atop a mountain in New York State. Xanadu's features include closed-circuit TV, a sectional road which divides in half, and vertical iron gates.<ref name="rg" />

===Leon Mandrake===
[[Leon Mandrake]], a real-life magician, had been performing for well over ten years before Lee Falk introduced the comic strip character. Thus, he is sometimes thought to have been the source for the origin of the strip. Leon Mandrake, like the fictional Mandrake, was also known for his top hat, pencil-line mustache, and scarlet-lined cape. Ironically, Leon Mandrake had changed his stage name to Mandrake to match the popular strip and then legally changed his surname from Giglio to Mandrake later. The resemblance between the comic-strip hero and the real-life magician was close enough to allow Leon to at least passively allow the illusion that the strip was based on his stage persona.<ref>{{cite news |author=Tom Hawthorn |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/on-the-centenary-of-his-birth-bcs-greatest-magician-still-has-his-secrets/article576190/ |title=On the centenary of his birth, B.C.'s greatest magician still has his secrets |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=May 1, 2018 |orig-year=April 12, 2011 |access-date=19 October 2019}}</ref> Leon Mandrake was accompanied by Narda, his first wife and stage assistant, named after a similar character, who appears in the strip. Velvet, his replacement assistant and eventual lifetime partner, would also later make appearances in the strip along with his real-life side-kick, Lothar.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

==Other characters==
===Supporting===
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2010}}
'''Lothar''' is Mandrake's best friend and crimefighting companion,<ref>{{cite news|title= Obituary: Lee Falk |work= [[The Independent|Independent]]|date=March 19, 1999|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-lee-falk-1081509.html|access-date=2012-03-09|first=Denis|last=Gifford}}</ref>
who Mandrake first met during his travels in Africa. Lothar was the Prince of the Seven Nations, a mighty federation of jungle tribes but forbore becoming king to follow Mandrake on his world travels. Lothar is often referred to as "the strongest man in the world", with the exception of Hojo&nbsp;— Mandrake's chef and secret chief of Inter Intel. Lothar is invulnerable to any weapon forged by man, is impervious to heat and cold, and possesses the stamina of a thousand men. He also cannot be harmed by magic directly (such as by fire bolts, force bolts, or spell incantations). He can easily lift an elephant by one hand. One of the first African crimefighting heroes ever to appear in comics, Lothar's début alongside Mandrake was in the 1934 inaugural daily strip. In the beginning, Lothar spoke poor English and wore a [[fez (hat)|fez]], short pants, and a leopard skin. In a 1935 work by King Features Syndicate, Lothar is referred to as Mandrake's "giant black slave." When artist Fred Fredericks took over in 1965, Lothar spoke correct English and his clothing changed, although he often wore shirts with leopard-skin patterns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toonopedia.com/mandrake.htm |title=Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Mandrake the Magician |website=Toonopedia.com |access-date=2017-02-28}}</ref>

'''Narda''' is Princess of the European nation [[Cockaigne]], ruled by her brother Segrid. She made her first appearance in the second ''Mandrake'' story. Even though she and Mandrake were initially infatuated with each other, they did not marry until 1997, when an extravagant triple wedding ceremony at Mandrake's home of Xanadu, Narda's home country Cockaigne, and Mandrake's father Theron's College of Magic (''Collegium Magikos'') in the Himalayas. Narda learned martial arts from Hojo.

'''Theron''' is the headmaster of the College of Magic (Collegium Magikos) located in the Himalayas. He is hundreds of years old and may be kept alive by the Mind Crystal, of which he is the guardian.

'''Hojo''', who knows six languages, is Mandrake's chef at his home of Xanadu and the secret chief of the international crimefighting organization Inter-Intel. As such, he has enlisted Mandrake's help with many cases. He is also a superb martial-arts expert. Hojo's assistant at Inter-Intel is '''Jed'''.

'''The Police Chief''' is named Bradley but mostly called Chief. Mandrake aided him on several occasions. The Chief created the S.S.D. (Silly Stuff Dept.) for absurd and unbelievable cases that only Mandrake could solve. He has a son, Chris.

'''Magnon''', the emperor of the galaxy, is Mandrake's most powerful friend and, with his wife Carola, has a daughter, Nardraka. She was named after Mandrake and Narda and is their godchild.

'''Lenore''' is Mandrake's younger half-sister. She is a world-renowned explorer.

'''Karma''' is Lothar's girlfriend, an African princess who works as a model.

===Villains===
'''The Cobra''' is Mandrake's most evil and dangerous foe, apparent from the start of the story. In 1937, the Cobra seemed to be defeated, but returned in 1965, wearing a menacing silver mask. The Cobra's main goal is to acquire one of the two powerful Crystal Cubes, which increase mental energy. Mandrake and his father Theron guard them. Mandrake learned that The Cobra was secretly '''Luciphor''', Theron's oldest son and, thus, Mandrake's half-brother. In later years, the Cobra was able to abandon his silver mask because his face had been reconstructed through surgery. He is sometimes accompanied by his assistant '''Ud'''.Later revealed to be Octon the leader of the 8.

'''Derek''' is Mandrake's twin brother and, thus, similar to Mandrake in appearance. He used his magical powers, which were nearly the same as Mandrake's, to achieve short-term personal satisfaction. Mandrake tried to remove Derek's knowledge of magic but never entirely succeeded. Derek's son Eric, with an unknown mother, shows no signs of following in his father's footsteps.

'''The Clay Camel''', real name '''Saki''', is a master of disguise, able to mimic anyone and change his appearance in seconds. His name comes from the symbol he leaves at the scenes of his crimes, a small camel made of clay.

'''The Brass Monkey''', daughter of the Clay Camel, has a similar talent for disguises.

'''Aleena the Enchantress''' is a former friend of Mandrake's from the College of Magic and a much-married spoiled temptress who uses her magic powers to benefit herself. She sometimes attempts to seduce Mandrake, but fails and, afterward, attempts to cause him trouble.

'''8''' is an old and very powerful crime organization originating in medieval times. Members are known to often incorporate the number 8 in their crimes or leave the number 8 as a mark. They are organized like an [[octopus]] with eight arms, as in its headquarters, which are spread all over the world. One head — the mysterious leader '''Octon''' — is only shown as a menacing image on a computer screen. Over the years, Mandrake destroys the various headquarters one by one. In one episode, the Octon of 8 is revealed as Cobra, but the name later refers to an [[artificial intelligence]] wielded by [[Ming the Merciless]] in the television series ''[[Defenders of the Earth]]''.

'''Ekardnam''', 'Mandrake spelled backward, is Mandrake's "evil twin", who exists on the other side of a mirror. Like his world, in which the government is run by the Private of the Armies and generals do menial tasks, Ekardnam is an exact opposite and uses his "evil eye" to work his magic.

'''The Deleter''' is an extraterrestrial contract killer who will "delete" anyone for a price but will inflict justice on anyone who tries to cheat him out of his contract fee.

'''Nitro Cain''' is a mad bomber who throws sticks of explosives at people, including Mandrake. After the Mandrake comic strip appeared in the Australian newspaper ''Sunday Telegraph'', the series was later abruptly withdrawn with the last panel showing that Nitro Cain had blown Mandrake off a horse, with Mandrake exclaiming: "Blast you, Nitro Cain", a clever reference to the explosive's blast.

==The newspaper strip==
Oddly, newspapers did not carry any Mandrake daily strips with dates between June 26 and June 30, 1940. Instead, they carried strips dated one week later. The following week, to catch up, newspapers ran a week of undated strips. Some newspapers even scratched out the date printed on the strip and by hand wrote in the correct date.<ref>Comics Revue Presents, August 2023</ref>

==Comic books==
Mandrake had a prominent role in ''Magic Comics'', a compilation of newspaper comic strip reprints published by [[David McKay Publications|David McKay Company]] from 1939 to 1949. Mandrake was the cover star for issues nos. 8 through 24. Beginning with issue no. 25, an illustration of Mandrake became part of the magazine's logo.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cover Browser: Magic Comics |url=http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/magic-comics |website=Cover Browser |access-date=8 July 2019}}</ref>

[[Dell Comics]] published a ''Mandrake the Magician'' issue in its ''[[Four Color]]'' comic book series with various main characters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fischer |first1=Stuart |title=Those Unforgettable Super-Heroes of Dell & Gold Key |journal=Alter Ego |issue=151 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=85FNDwAAQBAJ&q=%22mighty%20samson%22%20 |access-date=3 April 2020 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |date=March 2018}}</ref> The ''Mandrake'' issue, no. 752, featured original stories by Stan Campell and written by Paul Newman.

In 1966–67, [[King Comics]] published ten issues of a ''Mandrake the Magician'' comic book. Most of the stories were remakes of past newspaper strip stories and featured art by [[André LeBlanc (artist)|André LeBlanc]], {{ill|Ray Bailey (comics)|fr|Ray Bailey|lt=Ray Bailey}} and others. ''Mandrake'' stories also ran as backup features in other King titles.

Italian publisher Fratelli Spada produced a considerable amount of original ''Mandrake'' comic-book stories in the 1960s and 1970s. A few were also published in the American ''Mandrake'' comic book mentioned above.

[[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] released a ''Mandrake'' mini-series in 1995, written by [[Mike W. Barr]] with painted art by Rob Ortaleza. However, only two of three planned issues were published.

''Mandrake'' has also enjoyed great success in comic books published in Britain, Australia, Brazil, India, France, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Turkey, and Sweden. Although, in the Nordic countries, it was most often a backup feature in ''[[The Phantom]]'' comic books. As well, ''Mandrake'' is popular in India through [[Indrajal Comics]].{{fact|date=July 2024}}

Mandrake is featured together with [[the Phantom]] in ''The Phantom Annual #2'', written by [[Mike Bullock]] and [[Kevin Grevioux]] and published by [[Moonstone Books]].

In 2013, [[Dynamite Entertainment]] launched a mini-series, ''[[Kings Watch]]'', in which, much like ''Defenders of the Earth'', Mandrake and Lothar teamed up with the Phantom, Flash Gordon, [[Dale Arden]], and [[Hans Zarkov]]. The series pitted the six characters against the Cobra and [[Ming the Merciless]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsarama.com/20341-kings-watch-4-preview-golden-age-heroes-team-up-in-penultimate-issue.html |title=KINGS WATCH #4 Preview - Golden Age Heroes Team-Up in Penultimate Issue |website=Newsarama.com |date=2014-02-18 |access-date=2017-02-28}}</ref> This was followed by a ''Mandrake'' solo comic, written by [[Roger Langridge]] and drawn by Jeremy Treece, as part of Dynamite's ''King: Dynamite'' series.<ref>"[http://www.newsarama.com/22344-king-five-new-dynamite-launches-of-classic-characters-prince-valiant-flash-gordon-more.html KING: Five New Dynamite Launches of Classic Characters]" [[Newsarama]], 8 October 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2015.</ref>

In July 2020, King Features Syndicate, [[Red 5 Comics]], and StoneBot Studios announced the series ''Legacy of Mandrake the Magician'', written by [[Erica Schultz]] and drawn by Diego Giribaldi, Juan Pablo Massa, and Moncho Bunge. The series tells the story of teenage magic apprentice Mandragora Constanza Terrado Paz, known more simply as "Mandy" Paz. Mandy's mother is a fortune teller and they live in a building owned by Mandrake the Magician, whom Mandy's mother knows personally. Mandy's best friend is LJ, the teenage son of Lothar. While investigating Mandrake's storage room, Mandy discovers a magic mirror containing the spirit of a magician called Alruin, who then begins the girl's training in magic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Get Your First Look at Mandrake The Magician: Mandrake's Legacy (Exclusive)|url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/mandrake-the-magician-mandrakes-legacy-interview-preview-art/|access-date=2020-07-27|website=Comics|date=July 24, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=LEGACY OF MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN #1 (AUG201552)|url=https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG201552|access-date=2020-07-27|website=www.previewsworld.com}}</ref>

In 2024, [[Mad Cave Studios]] published a  new Flash Gordon comic book, a [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]] of Marvel's [[Defenders of the Earth|''Defenders of the Earth'']] series and launched a new series of the team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corley |first=Shaun |date=2024-08-17 |title=Mad Cave's DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH Wonderfully Subverts the Saturday Morning Cartoon Formula (Review) |url=https://screenrant.com/mad-cave-defenders-of-the-earth-review/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

==Books==
There were also four ''Mandrake the Magician'' ([[Big Little Books]]) published by [[Whitman Publishing]]:<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lowery |first1=Larry |title=Big Little Books and Better Little Books: 1932-1949 |url=http://www.biglittlebooks.com/listings/Whitman-BLBs1932-1949.htm |website=Big Little Books.com |access-date=8 July 2019}}</ref>
* ''Mandrake the Magician'' (1935)
* ''Mandrake the Magician and the Midnight Monster'' (1939)
* ''Mandrake the Magician, Mighty Solver of Mysteries'' (1942)
* ''Mandrake the Magician and the Flame Pearls'' (1946)

==Reprints==
*Inside Magic publishes current ''Mandrake'' daily comic strip from King Features.
*[[Dragon Lady Press]] reprinted a 1937 ''Mandrake'' daily story in ''Classic Adventure Strips'' #1.
*Pacific Comics Club reprinted two ''Mandrake'' daily stories from 1938 Feature Books #18 and #23.
*[[Woody Gelman|Nostalgia Press]] published a hardback book reprinting two 1938 daily stories.
*Pioneer Comics reprinted a large number of ''Mandrake'' stories in [[comic book]] form.
*''[[Comics Revue]]'' has reprinted several ''Mandrake'' daily and Sunday stories, including first ''Mandrake'' daily story and the first ''Mandrake'' Sunday story.
*JAL Publications has reprinted several ''Mandrake'' stories
* [[Hermes Press]] has begun reprinting the King comic book series, which will be published in two volumes.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marshall|first1=Chris|title=Mandrake the Magician: The King Years (and maybe a little more) To Be Collected|url=http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/mandrake-the-magician-the-king-years-and-maybe-a-little-more-to-be-collected/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611001603/http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/mandrake-the-magician-the-king-years-and-maybe-a-little-more-to-be-collected/|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2015|publisher=Collected Comics Library|access-date=3 December 2015}}</ref> In 2024, Hermes Press also started reprinting the daily strips from the beginning in hardcover volumes.
* [[Titan Books]] reprinted the earliest ''Mandrake'' Sunday strips in 2016.<ref>[http://www.comicbookdaily.com/collecting-community/bound-together/review-mandrake-magician-hidden-kingdom-murderers-sundays-1935-1937/ Review: ''Mandrake The Magician: The Hidden Kingdom Of Murderers, Sundays 1935–1937''] Scott VanderPloeg, comicbookdaily.com ,11 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.</ref>
* [[Titan Books]] has also started to reprint the daily strips, by [[Phil Davis (cartoonist)|Phil Davis]], and by [[Fred Fredericks]].

==In other media==
===Radio===
''[[Mandrake the Magician (radio)|Mandrake the Magician]]'' was a 15-minute radio serial, which aired on the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]] from November 11, 1940, until February 6, 1942.

[[Image:Mandrakemovieposter.jpg|thumb|Movie serial poster (1939)]]

===Films===
In 1939, Columbia produced a 12-part ''[[Mandrake the Magician (serial)|Mandrake the Magician]]'' serial, based on the King Features strip, starring [[Warren Hull]] as Mandrake and [[Al Kikume]] as Lothar. The serial is available on DVD.

An unauthorized ''Mandrake'' movie produced in Turkey was made in 1967, ''Mandrake Killing'in Peşinde'', also known as ''Mandrake Killing'e Karşı'' / Mandrake Against Killing), directed by Oksal Pekmezoğlu and starring Güven Erte as Mandrake.

====Unproduced films====
In the 1960s, [[Federico Fellini]], a close friend of Falk, intended to make a ''Mandrake'' movie, but the project was never realized.

In the early 1980s, within two weeks of signing with his first agent, American filmmaker [[Michael Almereyda]] was hired by [[Embassy Pictures]] to rewrite a script for ''Mandrake the Magician''. He told ''Filmmaker'' magazine that, upon receiving the assignment, he flew to [[New York City]] and checked himself into the [[Hotel Chelsea|Chelsea Hotel]] to work on the rewrite. Three weeks later, he emerged with a new draft, but by then the studio had changed heads, and, in as little time as his revision took, the project was dropped.<ref>[http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/winter1999/king_space.php King of Infinite Space], ''Filmmaker Magazine'', Winter 1999, retrieved April 15, 2006</ref>

In 2007, Baldwin Entertainment Group and Hyde Park Entertainment purchased rights to make a ''Mandrake'' movie to be directed by [[Mimi Leder]]. The two companies own the rights to Lee Falk's ''[[The Phantom]]''. [[Jonathan Rhys Meyers]] was originally projected to play the title character with [[Chuck Russell]] as director.<ref>{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Kemp |title=Rhys Meyers dons cape for 'Mandrake' |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i2b399e0dbd654f9fca04192f214836d3 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=2007-10-31 |access-date=2007-11-07 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120904121249/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i2b399e0dbd654f9fca04192f214836d3 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2012-09-04}}</ref> In 2009, [[Hayden Christensen]] replaced Rhys Meyers in the title role of the film with [[Djimon Hounsou]] co-starring and Mimi Leder directing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oegroup.com/films.php?id%3D4%26s%3D1 |title=Omega Entertainment |access-date=2009-05-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421184124/http://www.oegroup.com/films.php?id=4&s=1 |archive-date=2009-04-21}}</ref> In June 2016, [[Sacha Baron Cohen]] was cast as Mandrake.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/sacha-baron-cohen-star-mandrake-magician-film |title=Sacha Baron Cohen To Star In "Mandrake The Magician" Film - CBR |website=Comicbookresources.com |date=2016-06-07 |access-date=2017-02-28 |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813160549/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/sacha-baron-cohen-star-mandrake-magician-film |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Television===
====Live-action====
NBC made a pilot for a ''Mandrake the Magician'' TV series in 1954, but no other episodes were made. Stage magician Coe Norton starred as Mandrake and [[Woody Strode]] as Lothar.

[[Anthony Herrera]] had the title role in the TV film [[Mandrake (1979 film)|''Mandrake'']] with [[Ji-Tu Cumbuka]] as Lothar. Magician [[Harry Blackstone Jr.]] was featured in the cast.

====Animation====
Mandrake and Lothar first appeared in animated form with the Phantom, Flash Gordon, and [[Steve Canyon]] in 1972 television special ''[[The Man Who Hated Laughter]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256274/|title=Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter|date=7 October 1972|website=IMDb.com|access-date=2017-02-28}}</ref>

In the animated series ''[[Defenders of the Earth]]'' (1986–87), Mandrake the Magician teams with fellow King Features adventurers [[Flash Gordon]] and [[Phantom (character)|The Phantom]]. Mandrake's best friend and crime-fighting partner [[#Supporting|Lothar]] also has a prominent role, as well as a teenage son nicknamed L.J. (Lothar Jr.) who is a martial artist. Mandrake has an adopted son of Asian blood named Kshin, whom he is training as his apprentice and heir. [[Peter Renaday]] provided the voice of Mandrake and [[Buster Jones]] provided Lothar's. The entire series has been released by BCI Eclipse as a two-DVD set in America, while Fremantle Media released the entire series on DVD in the UK. The series can be seen on the Pluto TV Classic Toons channel.

In animated series ''[[Phantom 2040]]'', featuring a future Phantom, Mandrake appears in the episode "The Magician". He is not named in the episode but rather presented as an old friend of that Phantom's father, a magician who helped build much of previous Phantom's previous equipment. His remarkably well-preserved shape is compatible with the longevity-conferring properties of the Crystals. [[Peter Renaday]] once again provides the voice of Mandrake.

===Theater===
The musical ''Mandrake the Magician and the Enchantress'' was produced during the late 1970s at the Lenox Arts Festival in Massachusetts. The script is by Falk and Thayer Burch with music by George Quincy and lyrics by Burch.

Mandrake is a character in the play ''King Kong Palace'', written by Chilean playwright [[Marco Antonio de la Parra]]. In the play, Mandrake is now a performer at birthday parties, in which he attempts to seduce Jane, the ambitious wife of [[Tarzan]], in order to satisfy his lust for power.

==Parodies and tributes==
{{ref-improve|date=June 2024}}
''Mandrake the Magician'' has inspired several other comic characters with magic powers, including [[Zatara]], Kardak the Mystic Magician ([[Top-Notch Comics]]), Monako, Dakor the Magician, [[Ibis the Invincible]], Mantor the Magician, [[Sargon the Sorcerer]], [[Zatanna]], [[Mr. Mystic]], [[Wizard (Archie Comics)|The Wizard]], Mysto, [[Doctor Strange|Dr. Strange]], and Magician Detective, as well as the short-lived Jim the Magician (Jadugar Jim in Hindi) by [[Sudhir Tailang]] in India.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

In ''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' no. 14 (August 1954), Mandrake was spoofed as "Manduck". He lives in a city dump, which he convinces visitors is a palatial home by "gesturing hypnotically". In this story, he matches wits with [[The Shadow]]; he, Lothar (called Loathar), and The Shadow all gesture hypnotically at each other, and, after a huge explosion, only Lothar (looking like Manduck) remains. In another issue, Manduck pulls off the trick of turning Loathar into a {{convert|6|ft|cm|spell=in|adj=mid|-tall}} blonde woman.

[[Gianni Garko]] has stated that the new interpretation of his [[Sartana]] character in the 1968 [[Spaghetti Western]] film ''[[If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death]]'' presented by the film's director [[Gianfranco Parolini]], of a gunfighter with seemingly supernatural luck, was influenced by Mandrake the Magician.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=The Complete Sartana |year=2018 |chapter=If You Meet Sartana... |last=Curti |first=Roberto |type=Booklet |publisher=Arrow Video |id=FCD1762 / AV151 |page=18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Grant |first=Kevin |title=Any Gun Can Play |year=2011 |publisher=Fab Press |isbn=9781903254615 |page=255}}</ref>

"In Pictopia" (first published in ''Anything Goes!'' no. 2 (August 1986) is a short story by [[Alan Moore]] and illustrator [[Don Simpson (cartoonist)|Don Simpson]], which takes place in a limbo world of comic-book characters. Main character Nocturno the Necromancer is based on Mandrake. The story was reprinted in [[George Khoury (author)|George Khoury]]'s ''The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore'' (TwoMorrows, July 2003).

[[Michael Kupperman]]'s ''[[Tales Designed to Thrizzle]]'' ([[Fantagraphics]]) pokes fun at many comics, including ''Mandrake the Magician,'' with three-panel strip "Mancake the Magician".

In France, Mandrake was spoofed as Rasmus, Zembla's comic sidekick in ''{{ill|Zembla (comics)|lt=Zembla|fr|Zembla}}'' (Augusto Pedrazza, 1963-1979).

In the episode 106 of the Argentine comic "Mi novia y yo", Mandrake makes a cameo at the end of the story.

==In popular culture==
New Zealand-born Australian [[Country music|country and western]] singer [[Tex Morton]] had a successful song "Mandrake" recorded in 1941. It was about a rodeo horse named Mandrake who never bucked the same, explaining, "Mandrake is a wizard so that's how he got his name".

Professional baseball player [[Don Mueller]], active in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1948 to 1959, was nicknamed "Mandrake the Magician" for being adept at consistently putting the ball in play and delivering [[hit (baseball)|hit]]s through the infield.<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/sports/baseball/don-mueller-giants-outfielder-is-dead-at-84.html?_r=1 |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |title=Don Mueller, Giants Outfielder, Is Dead at 84 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 31, 2011}}</ref>

In Italy, a popular saying ''non sono mica Mandrake'' ("I'm no Mandrake", meaning "I can't do what's impossible"), refers to the magician.<ref>{{treccani|mandrake_(Enciclopedia_dei_ragazzi)|Mandrake in Enciclopedia dei ragazzi (in Italian)}}</ref>

In Colombia, a popular saying ''sabrá Mandrake'' ("only Mandrake would know", meaning "only someone all-knowing / with mental powers would know"), also refers to the magician.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eluniversal.com.co/suplementos/facetas/la-magica-historia-detras-de-mandrake-271523-LCEU385842|title=La mágica historia detrás de Mandrake|date=4 February 2018|publisher=[[El Universal (Cartagena)]] (in Spanish)}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{External links|section|date=April 2018}}
*[https://comicskingdom.com/mandrake-the-magician/about ''Mandrake the Magician'' at King Features]
*[http://www.toonopedia.com/mandrake.htm Toonopedia: ''Mandrake the Magician'']
*[http://www.mandrakewiki.org/ MandrakeWiki]&nbsp;– Wiki dedicated to everything related to Mandrake the Magician
*[http://www.claycamel.org/Xanadu// Xanadu: ''Mandrake the Magician'']
*[http://phantomphorum.com/ The Phantom Phorum]&nbsp;– Discussion forum dedicated to ''The Phantom'' and ''Mandrake the Magician''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130515233253/http://indrajal.reprintcampaign.com/ Reprint ''Mandrake'' comics campaign]-Online campaign to garner interest about getting the comics reprinted.
*[http://mandrake-comics.blogspot.com/ ''Mandrake the Magician'' Sundays and dailies]
*[http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=5572 Chuck Russell to direct ''Mandrake'' movie]
*[http://www.insidemagic.com/ Inside Magic] Inside Magic carries daily ''Mandrake the Magician'' from King Features Syndicate
{{Mandrake the Magician}}
{{King Features Syndicate Comics}}
{{GoldenAge}}
{{Portal bar|Comics}}

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