Mandrake, The Phantom, and the Indrajal Comics That Kept Me Reading

When I think about the comics that shaped me, The Famous Five is not the first memory that comes up. Before that, there was another stack of books that I absolutely devoured: Indrajal Comics.

Indrajal Comics were published in India by the Times Group from the mid-1960s until around 1990, and they were how an entire generation first discovered international comic characters like The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician.

To a kid growing up in the 90s in Mumbai, these comics felt like treasure. My dad had owned a collection from years back, stories he had read as a boy himself. When he saw how much I was enjoying reading, he handed them over to me. I cannot be sure how many there were, but there must have been dozens of Mandrake and Phantom issues mixed into that old stack. Maybe twenty or thirty of each, maybe more. It is hazy now, but I remember reading them one after another, completely lost in those pages.

The Phantom was a mysterious jungle hero, sometimes known as “the Ghost Who Walks.” He stood for justice deep in the wild, accompanied by his loyal wolf Devil and his faithful horse Hero. The stories were full of danger, mystery, and adventure, and they always felt larger than life.

Mandrake the Magician offered a very different kind of excitement. Created in the 1930s and considered one of the earliest comic heroes, Mandrake relied on illusion, intelligence, and charm rather than brute strength. His stories felt clever and slightly surreal, as if you were being let in on a secret world just beneath the surface of everyday life. I personally found myself drawn to Mandrake a little more, though I devoured both series with equal enthusiasm.

What made these comics so special was how enjoyable they were to read. They were fast-paced, easy to follow, and full of imagination. One moment you were deep in a jungle adventure with The Phantom, and the next you were watching Mandrake outsmart a villain with nothing more than his cane and a well-timed illusion. As a reader, it felt like you were right there with them.

These comics were perfect companions during a time when I spent a lot of time indoors. They were fun, exciting, and offered the perfect escape. They did not demand much from you. You simply opened them and disappeared into another world for a while.

I only had those comics with me for about a year. After that, they were gone, and I never saw them again. I spent years trying to find them in shops and libraries, without much success. Still, I will always cherish the memories of reading them and the joy they brought me. Even if I never find them again, I know how they made me feel, and that has stayed with me.

Have you read Indrajal Comics? Do you remember The Phantom or Mandrake the Magician? And if you know where one might find these comics today, please let me know. I would love the chance to read them all over again.

— Raulito