The Monkey Mail (story)

The Monkey Mail
Start date:	April 4th, 1960
End date:	August 6th, 1960
# of strips:	108 strips (18 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Reporter"
Followed by:	"The Jungle Olympics"

"The Monkey Mail" is the 77th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot synopsis

Contains origin story.

The 21st Phantom and Diana are exchanging letters through the Deep Woods, which uses the Monkey Mail. At that time, diamond thieves are hiding in a village and store their loot in the mail monkey's pouch, which ends up delivering the diamonds to the Phantom. The thieves try to intercept the mail monkey but find a different one and the letter about Diana being on her way to Bengali. The thieves offer to trade Diana with the diamonds but end up handing themselves in to the Jungle Patrol.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Diana Palmer
• Guran
• Devil
• Hero
• Lily Palmer
• Dave Palmer
• Colonel Weeks
• Egbert (mail monkey)

One-time characters

• Digger, hijacker
• Slim, hijacker
• Steve, guard
• Nadi (Caretaker of the monkeys)
• Fofo (mail monkey)
• Bibi (mail monkey)
• Patrolman Grant
• Patrolman Clark

Locations

• Bengali
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Skull Throne
  • The Great Swamp
  • The Jungle Patrol Headquarters
  • The Abandoned Well
  • Morristown
    • Morristown Airport
  • Post Office
    • Box 7
• USA
  • New York
    • Palmer residence

Tribes

• Pygmy Poison People

Organizations

• Jungle Olympics
• The Jungle Patrol
• The Monkey Mail

Phantom Lore

• Talking drums

Old jungle sayings

• Compared to the Phantom, lightning is slow.
• The Phantom is many men.

Behind the scenes

• In a panel about the relay runners it says "tried homing pigeons, but there were too many hawks".
• The Phantom's skull ring is on his ring finger, not his index finger.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Libro de Oro #5 (1962)
• "El último mensajero", El Fantasma #80 (1965)
• Anuario de El Fantasma (1967)

Australia

• "The Diamond Hijackers", The Phantom #181 (1960)
• "The Diamond Hijackers", The Phantom #289 (1965)
• "The Diamond Hijackers", The Phantom #433 (1970)
• "The Diamond Hijackers", The Phantom #604 (1977)
• The Phantom #811 (1984)
• "The Monkey Mail", The Phantom #1230 (1999)
• "The Monkey Mail", The Phantom #1372 (2003)
• "The Diamond Hijackers", The Phantom #1751 (2016)

Brazil

• "Os Ladrões de Diamantes", Fantasma #50 (1961)
• "Os Ladrões de Diamantes", O Fantasma Edição Extra #9 (1975)
• "A Troca", Fantasma #272 (1978)

Canada

• Le Nouvelliste August 6, 1960 – April 2, 1960
• L'Action catholique September 23, 1960 – December 10, 1960

Denmark

• Aalborg Stiftstidende June 13, 1961 – October 16, 1961
• Horsens Folkeblad March 29, 1962 – August 8, 1962
• Hejmdal May 1, 1962 – September 6, 1962

Egypt

• "لوحش المعدني" (romanized as "Alwahesh Almaadani"), Alshabah #2 (the first two panels edited together with the last two weeks of "The 50th Wife" and "The Iron Dragon")

Finland

• "Timanttivarkaat", Mustanaamio 25/1975
• "Timanttivarkaat", Sarjakirja #113 (1986)
• "Apinaposti", Ilta-Sanomat May 26, 2014 – June 23, 2014

France

• "Contrebande de diamants", Le Fantôme #273 – #276 (1969)

Germany

• Phantom #4 (1997)

Greece

• "Το μεγαλο κολπο των διαμαντιων" (romanized as "To megalo kolpo ton diamantion"), Fantom #71 (1976)

Iceland

• Tíminn August 20, 1960 – January 14, 1961

India

• "The Diamond Robbers", Indrajal Comics #367 (1981)

Italy

• "I contrabbandieri di diamanti", L'Uomo Mascherato #123 – #125 (1969)
• "I contrabbandieri di diamanti", Phantom #53 (1997)
• "I contrabbandieri di diamanti", Phantom #189

Jamaica

• The Daily Gleaner April 8, 1960 – August 10, 1960

Mexico

• El Informador July 14, 1960 – November 17, 1960

New Zealand

• The Phantom #446 – #450

Norway

• Aftenposten August 14, 1961 – December 13, 1961 (first three strips missing)
• "Diamanttyvene", Fantomet 22/1975
• "Diamanttyvene", Serie-pocket #117 (1986)
• "Diamanttyvene", Krønikebok #38 (2007)

Spain

• "El mono cartero", Novelas Gráficas, Serie Amarilla: El Fantasma #31 (1960)
• "Ladrones de diamantes", El Hombre Enmascarado #18 (1975)
• "Ladrones de diamantes", El Hombre Enmascarado #39 – #40 (1981)
• "El mono cartero", Phantom, El Hombre Enmascarado #21 (1998?)

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet September 16, 1961 – January 25, 1962
• Göteborgs-Tidningen 1962 – July, 1962
• Nerikes Allehanda August 7, 1962 – December 11, 1962
• "Diamant-tjuvarna", Fantomen 6/1963
• "Diamanttjuvarna", Fantomen 15/1975

Turkey

• "Kaybolan Elmaslar", Kızılmaske #127 – #128 (1976)
• "Kaybolan Elmaslar", Kızılmaske Albüm #38 – #39 (197?)

United Arab Republic

• "الشبح والجوهرة السوداء" (romanized as "Alshabah wa aljawhara alsawda'a"), Samir #267 – #285 (1961)

United Kingdom

• "The Monkey Mailman", The Phantom Illustrated Comic #13 (1960)

USA

• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph April 4, 1960 – April 23, 1960 - the first three weeks only
• The Beaver County Times April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Birmingham News April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Bradford Era April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Bucks County Courier Times April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Charleston Daily Mail April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Charlotte News April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Courier-Post April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Daily Item April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Delaware County Daily Times April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Denton Record-Chronicle April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Evening News April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Green Bay Press-Gazette April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Herald News April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Laurel Leader-Call April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Miami News April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Morristown Gazette Mail April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Oneonta Star April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Plattsburgh Press-Republican April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Pocono Record April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Reading Eagle April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Richmond Times-Dispatch April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Rome Daily Sentinel April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Rome News-Tribune April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Sandusky Register Star News April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Syracuse Herald Journal April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Times Recorder April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• Uniontown Morning Herald April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• The Washington Reporter April 4, 1960 – August 6, 1960
• La Opinión August 1, 1960 – August 24, 1960 - the last three weeks only
• "The Monkey Mail", Comics Revue #343-344 (2014)
• "The Monkey Mail (The Diamond Hijackers)", The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Sixteen 1959–1961 (2019)

Yugoslavia

• "Дијана стиже у џунглу" ("romanized as "Dijana stiže u džunglu"), Politikin Zabavnik #999 (1971)