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2020 | Book

Introduction Read chapter Read first chapter

The Phantom Comics and the New Left

A Socialist Superhero

Author: Dr. Robert Aman

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Book Series : Palgrave Studies in Comics and Graphic Novels

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

This book is about the Phantom in Sweden, or, more correctly, about Sweden in the Phantom. Robert Aman uncovers how a peripheral American superhero – created in 1936 by Lee Falk – that has been accused of both racism and sexism has become a national concern in a country that several researchers have labelled the most antiracist and gender equal in the world. When a group of Swedish creators began their official production of licensed scripts based on The Phantomcomic in 1972, the character was redefined through the prism of New Left ideology. The plots of these comics, besides aiming to entertain, also sought to affirm for readers the righteousness and validity of an ideological doctrine that, at the time, was dominant among the Swedish public and influential in the country’s foreign policy. Ultimately, Aman demonstrates how the Swedish Phantom embodies values and a political point of view that reflect how Sweden sees itself and its role in the world.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. Introduction
Abstract
This chapter introduces the Phantom, his backstory, and publication history in different parts of the world. The chapter continues by introducing the main argument of the book that the Phantom, a product of American mass culture, was refashioned to meet the interests and demands of a Swedish audience. Some of the most active contributors to the series in recent decades have been the Sweden-based creators known as Team Fantomen. Team Fantomen became an international publication node in The Phantom franchise in 1972 when they set up their official production of licensed scripts which enabled them to redefine the character, accused of both racism and sexism, in line with the progressive Left-wing politics which dominated Swedish politics and public discourse throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Robert Aman
Chapter 2. White Ghost’s Burden and Colonial Adventures
Abstract
This chapter analyses the content of Lee Falk’s American scripts, zooming in on the values in terms of race and reductionist stereotyping running through the comic book. This historical contextualization and problematization of the American scripts is key, as the public critique directed towards them partly influenced the decision to produce in-house licensed stories in Stockholm. What this chapter demonstrates is that in Falk’s interpretation, the Phantom dynasty has for centuries shouldered the white man’s burden in Africa. It closes off by revealing the ways in which the Swedish bullpen edited Falk’s original storylines and dialog to emphasize the disastrous legacy of European imperialism.
Robert Aman
Chapter 3. International Solidarity and Swedish Foreign Policy
Abstract
This chapter shows that Team Fantomen’s effects on the Phantom’s universe were immediate. It specifically targets the hero’s political responses and actions to those conflicts with which he is confronted. The chapter addresses the ways in which contemporary concerns regarding violations of human rights, neocolonial governing through the former colonies’ continuous economic dependency on the metropolitan centers, and the lack of literacy among black workers were all woven into the comic. What these themes all have in common is that they were an integral part of Swedish foreign policy and aid at the time.
Robert Aman
Chapter 4. Apartheid and Antiracism
Abstract
This chapter deals with the ways in which The Phantom comic book in Sweden was transformed into a leading example of antiracist politics and anti-apartheid protest literature. Southern Africa, with societies benighted by institutionalized racism, is inscribed into the plots, offering a radical attempt to break down the barrier between the comic pages and real-world events. This chapter contends that The Phantom played an important part in shaping Swedish public discourse on apartheid, while also helping to establish Sweden as a leading international antiracist voice.
Robert Aman
Chapter 5. The Women’s Movements and Gender Politics
Abstract
This chapter’s focus is on gender and the representation of women, arguing that the sexual politics of the series was, by comparison, marginally more progressive than the representations of race. Although Falk made conscious efforts with time to ascribe Diana, the Phantom’s wife, a more independent and modern demeanor, this chapter uncovers how he was unable to move away from the reductionist stereotype that a woman’s true place is in the kitchen. This chapter makes the case that Team Fantomen’s storyline drastically pushes the gender politics in The Phantom in a progressive direction, while also drawing attention to the fact that the artwork still attempts to appease the heterosexual male gaze.
Robert Aman
Chapter 6. Conclusion: When the Phantom Became Swedish
Abstract
This concluding part of the book aims to determine how, when and in what ways the Phantom has been furnished with values perceived to reverberate with the local readership in Sweden which likely explains the characters unrivalled popularity in Scandinavia. This final part of the analysis also connects back to the introductory chapter’s discussion on the New Left and its impact on politics and culture in order to grasp influences to the Phantom’s new political leanings. To close off, the chapter addresses how the 1980s, in a political climate dominated by neoliberal demands for deregulations and privatizations, was the start for a continuous decline in sales for the Phantom. When the winds from the left calmed down even the Phantom’s popularity lost its’s force.
Robert Aman
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
The Phantom Comics and the New Left
Author
Dr. Robert Aman
Copyright Year
2020
Electronic ISBN
978-3-030-39800-2
Print ISBN
978-3-030-39799-9
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39800-2