Mandrake the Magician: The Sundays Volume One - The Hidden Kingdom of Murderers: 1 Hardcover – Illustrated, 29 Mar. 2013

Arguably the first superhero (but then who isn't), Mandrake is a magician whose stage presence masks the fact that he can also use his magic powers to fight crime. In this collection of the full page Sunday stories he takes on a number of mystical forces in a sometimes eerie and uncanny way, such as when he manifests flames. There are a large number of exciting and memorable images here and the stories are well written and coherent.But. Anyone who was a kid in the 80s is likely to remember Defenders of the Earth and Mandrake's friend Lothar, prince of an African nation and the world's strongest man. Lothar is present and correct, but some might find his portrayal difficult. His speech is slightly simplistic and he wanders around in a loincloth and fez. It isn't the worst representation of an African in this era but it wouldn't be acceptable today.With this aside, this is a handsome package. A big hardback with good reproductions of the original strips. I'd like to see more and how the strip develops.

A great read. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Whilst good I think I like the daily stories better. The need to tell a story in less frames seems to make it better and more impelling to see the next instalment.