Phantom Stranger

So I was climbing up the DC power hierarchy, which is incredibly inconsistent by the way, and one of the top like 30 guys was the Phantom Stranger. I know he's a reality manipulator, like Nabu or the Spectre (kinda in between) but I wasn't sure of his exact origins, so i did some digging. Turns out he's got about five different origins in the comics. One says he was a guy living during the age of Christ and I think his family was killed or something in the massacre of the innocents, so he spends years trying to take revenge on Christ and is cursed to wander the earth till the second coming bla bla bla. Another says he was Judas Iscariot, ha, and was cursed to wander the earth, another said he was a fallen angel that didn't take sides during the War of Heaven and was also cursed to wander the earth, another says he was an angel banished to earth because he had some affair with another angel or something. Heck I think I even found one that said he's an adult Jon Kent??? Anyway, I wanted to ask which origin you think is your favorite, or if you know any other origin(s), or if you've got some cool theory or suggestions for an origin that just might work. Sorry this post is too long.

The Phantom Stranger Omnibus.

I had waited a long time for this one and overall I was happy with the collection. The first appearances of PS definitely concerned me. The basic premise of these early stories was that the Stranger was a mysterious man who simply debunked fraudulent supernatural phenomena. He had no powers other than deduction and the only thing”Phantom” about him was that he’d just show up and leave like Batman.

Fortunately, the writers adjusted this after a few tales by introducing a supporting character, Dr. Thirteen, to be the skeptical “Ghost Breaker” solving mysteries alongside the very real supernatural abilities of the Stranger. This was a clever change and the dynamic was much more enjoyable, especially when his iconic adversaries started showing up; Tala and Tannarak. Some other reoccurring occultists have since been forgotten, but they were nonetheless interesting foils. The introduction of Cassandra Craft also gave the Stranger a small spectrum of emotional range.

What I was most surprised of when reading such an assorted anthology compiled of various authors was how very consistent the writing was over time. The format, structure and characterisation was very uniform throughout for the most part. The biggest exception to this rule being the four different origin stories collected at the end of the omnibus. Of course I prefer the Stranger to be completely mysterious, much like Baron Winters or The Joker, but the attempts at an origin for the mystic wanderer are fun curiosities at the worst. I think my favourite of the four was titled, “And Men Shall Call Him Stranger,” in which he is the only good man in a Sodom like city destined for God’s retribution. An angel visits him to be the sole survivor, but the man questions the Creator’s judgment and is willing to sacrifice himself to spare all so they have a chance at redemption. His defiance is punished, forced to walk alone, neither truly apart of life or the afterlife, but with the ability to guide humans to redeem themselves. The other tales have pros and cons. The one by Alan Moore is well written, but seems more fitting as an outside continuity for the likes of Vertigo. The futuristic paradox origin is similar to The Spectre’s role in the never ending Ragnarök the JSA found themselves in. The Wandering Jew origin is my least favourite, but a perfectly good first attempt at giving the PS a backstory.

I was hoping for the anthology stories where the Stranger becomes more grounded to the living and grows his friendship with Dr. Thirteen, but hopefully there is enough material for a second omnibus in the future. It will be interesting if the more modern stories uphold the consistency of this collection. Overall I give it a 7/10.

The Creature Commandos.

Anticipating the release of the upcoming film, DC have released a nice little trade paperback collecting the original stories featured in Weird War Tales. These are from the early ‘80s but have that classic comic structure. What does make them more modern is some of the surprisingly dark subject matter. The Nazis brainwashing children into super soldiers whose first test is to kill their own parents waa pretty hardcore. There’s no happy ending, either.

The concept itself is both fun, has a clear theme, and certainly has potential for development, however it never really expands upon the basic setup. The characters are all one note while theme is very heavy handed and beaten to death. (They may look like monsters, but all humans are capable of monstrosity.) Team titles of outcasts have done this much better. Arnold Drake’s Doom Patrol empowered outsiders much better and much earlier.

The Creature Commandos never really grew, nor did it ever feel like they were ever in danger, which they should have been. Every time I saw Dr. Medusa in a fray, my brain could not accept that not one bullet would cross paths with her. I still think it’s a concept with good potential, especially for a film, but the comics are somewhat lacklustre. Overall, 5/10 for this book.

Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber.

Continuing the series that Jack Kirby began, Scott Free faces significant changes in his life. Mister Miracle was one of my least favourite characters in Kirby’s Fourth World, simply because the escape artist shtick gets old fast. No matter how convoluted the death trap we know he’s somehow going to escape. It leaves very little tension with only the reveal at the end to salvage the story, which is often anticlimactic with absurd rationales or the more boring help of mother box.

Englehart must have felt the same way as he put Scott in the position where he must strip himself of his mother box to save Barda. Without his safety net, Scott finally relies on his own skills as an escape artist to overcome adversity. As Gerber takes over, Scott is given his own physical apotheosis and philosophical revelation. He becomes a living mother box of sorts, inheriting his father’s ability to commune with the Source in his own unique way. He then disowns himself from the eternal conflict of his native worlds to become a messiah to humanity in the hopes to strengthen them against the inevitable threat of anti-life.

I found the arc to be far more enjoyable than the standard MM affair. It took Scott in bold new directions while keeping his far more entertaining cast of enemies true to form. It was nice that Doctor Bedlam had not been forgotten yet, even if his appearances were minor. I can’t quite recall Scott’s status quo in John Byrne’s Fourth World and if it matches up, only that Scott turns down leading New Genesis after Highfather’s death which seems in character with the Scott Free in this series. Overall a nice addition to my Fourth World titles. 7/10.

I know he's like one of the most powerful magic users but I always thought he was The Watcher from Marvel if he mess with people all the time. Ok not like someone like Mister Mxyzptlk but more like the narrator by Twilight Zone. Like he physical their telling the story but just like disguised as a fucking background character. One of the only things I know about the character is that he was Judas and a though he was like a vandal savage type, like he was just like the most unimportant people in history. Im probably wrong about this but if i am, i would still like to see a character like that

Are there any good solo/ team-up comics with either of these characters? I read a comic where they both made a cameo appearance and I’m interested in reading more

So i heard about phantom stranger a lot i wanna read some comics can you guys suggest me with some phantom stranger comics to start off with

In your opinion who is the strongest and unknown dc character. imo it’s the phantom stranger or radiant. The opposite of the spectre.

I know really like this character , so I am interested, How powerful is he? Is he on par with Trigon? Or maybe even Spectre if he were to fight not bound by his nature.