Lago the Lake God

Lago the Lake God
Start date:	May 28th, 1945
End date:	August 11th, 1945
# of strips:	66
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Blue Gang"
Followed by:	"The Wild Girl"

"Lago the Lake God" is the 24th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot summary

Diana decides to take Hero for a ride, despite warnings from the others. She finds herself witness to a sacrifice of one of the Swembi tribe to the Lake God, Lago. The sacrifice is sent out on a raft into the middle of the lake. Diana saves him, but she is then captured by the other members of the tribe and held prisoner. Trader Smith is introduced as Diana is being held. Word gets to the Phantom and he arrives to free Diana, but is shot by Lago and winds up as the next sacrifice to Lago. He pretends to be more wounded than he actually is and rolls off the raft, where Devil has dove into the water and helps to free him.

Diana goes with the trader, expecting to get away, only to find that she is again taken prisoner. The trader is posing as Lago the Lake God so he can get the treasure which the Swembi tribe sends out to him so he will not flood their village, through a series of dams in the Sulfur Swamp. Both think the Phantom has died, but he finds the cave where Trader Smith is hiding and knocks him out and they all return in full view of the tribe and show how they were fooled and take Trader Smith prisoner as punishment for his crimes.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The current Phantom
• Hero
• Devil
• Diana Palmer

One-time characters

• Trader Smith

Locations

• Bangalla
  • Deep Woods
  • Swembi village

Tribes

• Swembi

Organizations

Vehicles

Items

Old jungle sayings

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• The title "Lago, the Lake God" appears in the first strip of the story.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "El Diso del lago", Tit-Bits #1998 – #2011 (1947-1948)
• Selecciones Graficas #456 and ? (1950)
• "El falso Dios", Tit-Bits suplemento (1956)
• "El falso Dios", Libro de Oro #1 (1960)
• "El falso Dios", El Fantasma #84 (1966)

Australia

• The Phantom #41 (1952)
• The Phantom #136 (1958)
• The Phantom #231 (1963)
• The Phantom #360 (1968)
• The Phantom #518 (1974)
• The Phantom #696 (1980)
• The Phantom #1063 (1994)
• The Phantom #1591 (2011)

Brazil

• "O Mistério do Lago", O Globo Juvenil #1321 – #1352
• "O Lago do Terror", Fantasma #102 (1965)
• "O Lago do Terror", Fantasma #319 (1982)
• "Lago, o Rei do Lago!", O Fantasma #29 (1972)
• "O Rei do Lago", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #7 (1994)

Canada

• La Patrie May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• "Lago le dieu du lac", L'Action catholique June 30, 1945 – September 20, 1945

Denmark

• "Søguden Lago", Fantom-hefte #22 (1954)
• "Mysteriet om søguden" Fantomet pocket #4 (1985)

Finland

• "Naamio ja “Vedenjumala Lago”", Kippari Kalle 9/1954
• "Merenjumalan salaisuus" Mustanaamio 2/1968
• "Järvijumalan arvoitus" Sarjakirja #100 (1985)
• "Merenjumalan salaisuus", Mustanaamio 1968
• "Lago, järven jumala", Ilta-Sanomat September 25, 2017 – October 12, 2017

France

• "Tao, le dieu du lac" Le Fantôme Spécial #38 (1966)

India

• "The Curse of Lago", Indrajal Comics #74 (1968)

Italy

• "Tao il dio del lago", L'Uomo Mascherato #62 (1961)
• "Tao, il dio del lago", I Classici dell'Avventura #32 (1963; redrawn by unknown local artist)
• "Tao, Dio del lago", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #161 (1965)
• "Tao, il dio del lago", Phantom #403

Mexico

• "Lago, el lago dios", El Informador July 16, 1945 – September 29, 1945

New Zealand

• The Phantom #2 – #3
• The Phantom #497 – #498

Norway

• Aftenposten December 17, 1946 – March 5, 1947
• "Mysteriet med sjøguden", Fantomet 2/1968
• "Mysteriet med sjøguden", Serie-pocket #104 (1985)
• "Mysteriet med sjøguden", Fantomet 13-14/2012
• "Mysteriet med sjøguden", Fantomet Kronologisk #6 (2018)

Spain

• "'Lago' - El dios del pantano", Almanaque del Hombre Enmascarado 1947 - without the first three weeks
• "El dios del lago" El Hombre Enmascarado #52 (1978)
• "El dios del lago" El Hombre Enmascarado #63 (1991)

Sweden

• "Lago, sjöguden", Svenska Dagbladet June 14, 1946 – August 30, 1946
• Halland 1946 – 1946
• Nerikes Allehanda May 27, 1947 – August 13, 1947
• Fantomen 5/1951 – 8/1951
• "I sjögudens våld", Fantomen 22/1959
• "Mysteriet med sjöguden", Fantomen 2/1967
• "Mysteriet med sjöguden", Serie-pocket #148 (1985)
• Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1951, Del 1 (2003)
• "I sjögudens våld", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1959, Del 3 (2010)
• "Mysteriet med sjöguden", Fantomen 14-15/2012
• "Mysteriet med sjöguden", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1967, Del 1 (2017)

USA

• Charleston Daily Mail May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Chester Times May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Coos Bay Times May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Daily Item May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Daily Record May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Evening News May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Hanford Morning Journal May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Herald News May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Monessen Daily Independent May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Oxnard Press-Courier May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Rome Daily Sentinel May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• San Antonio Light May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Sandusky Register Star News May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• Syracuse Herald Journal May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• The Washington Reporter May 28, 1945 – August 11, 1945
• "Vengeance of the Lake God", Harvey Hits #15 (1958)
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Six 1944–1946‎ (2013)

West Germany

• "Der Seegott Lago", Phantom-Heft 5/1954
• "Der geheimnisvolle Seegott", Phantom #14 (1968)