The Flirtatious Princess

The Flirtatious Princess
Start date:	April 25th, 1949
End date:	August 21st, 1949
# of strips:	102 daily strips & 17 sundays
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	KFS staff (sundays)
Preceded by:	"Fathers and Sons"
Followed by:	"The Thuggees"

"The Flirtatious Princess" is the 35th Phantom daily story and the 23rd Phantom Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot synopsis

King Pater’s daughter, Gwena promises to marry each of the rivalling dukes, Baron Gant and Duke Jorge, because she can’t make up her mind. Both dukes demand answers from King Pater after they find out of this- threatening to begin a war to win the daughter’s hand in marriage. Behind both men’s backs, Gwena flirts with Major Carl. During the war preparations, a bomb is accidentally dropped in the jungle and a native is killed. This persuades the phantom to go to Pathia. Meanwhile, Gant has kidnapped Gwena and makes a getaway. Following the pursuit, The Phantom jumps into Gant’s car and escapes with Gwena, evading both armies. He sends a messenger to Pater, who responds with sending Major Carl to go find her. Carl is captured by the Phantom. Gwena tries to flirt with the Phantom, so he pretends to have 300 wives already, and acts like a brute so that Carl will save her and escape. He does, and The Phantom arranges for them to be wed, to the disbelief of both Gant and Jorge.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The current Phantom
• Devil
• Guran
• Hero
• Diana Palmer (photography)
• Uncle Dave

One-time characters

• King Pater of Pathia
• Duke Jorge
• Baron Gant
• Princess Gwena of Pathia
• Major Carl
• Piko
• Tanto of Bandar
• The Chief of Llongo
• The Chief of Onawey

Locations

• The Kingdom of Pathia
  • The Duchy of Jorge
  • The Barony of Gant
• The Palmer Home
• Bengali
  • The Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Skull Throne
  • Morristown

Tribes

• Bandar
• Llongo
• Onawey

Jungle Festivities

• The Spring Festival

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• The title "The Flirtatious Princess" appears in the first daily strip of the story.
• Starting in February 1949 the Phantom Sundays and the Phantom daily strips featured the same stories. Unlike in the 1970's – where the stories "The Wedding of the Phantom", "The Three Bandits" and "The Heirs" ran both as dailies and Sundays – these adventures did not feature parallel stories but rather one story spanning over both weekdays and Sundays. However – since several newspapers only included either the Phantom dailies or the Phantom Sundays, the stories also had to be written in such way that the readers who didn't get both still were able to understand and appreciate the plot. As a result, the stories became quite repetitive when reading both Sundays and dailies, while the readers who only had access to either one of the two were left with some notable jumps in the storytelling. This practice was abandoned in May 1950, after four stories – "The Flirtatious Princess" being the second.
• Princess Gwena tells The Phantom to marry her.
• The jungle chiefs know about The Phantom's mortality, and are worried about him not getting a son.
• The Kingdom of Pathia is said to border The Deep Woods, but Pathia's relationship to Bengali isn't mentioned.

Related stories

Remade as

• "The Generals' Hunt" by Özcan Eralp

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "La princesa frívola", Tit-Bits #2157 – #2173 (1950) - dailies only
• "La princesa inconstante", La Sombra #10 (1959) - dailies only
• "La princesa coqueta", El Fantasma #67 (1964) - Sundays only

Australia

• The Phantom #57 – #58 (1953) - dailies only
• The Phantom #158 (1959) - dailies only
• The Phantom #262 (1964) - dailies only
• The Phantom #403 (1969) - dailies only
• The Phantom #563 (1975) - dailies only
• The Phantom #753 (1982) - dailies only
• The Phantom #986 (1991) - Sundays only
• The Phantom #1167 (1997) - dailies only
• The Phantom #1485 (2007) - Sundays only
• The Phantom #1803 (2018) - dailies only

Brazil

• "A Princesa e os Presidentes", O Globo Juvenil #1934 – #1984 (1949-1950) - dailies only
• "O Casamento da Princesa", Fantasma #74 (1963) - Sundays only
• "A Princesa Namoradeira", O Fantasma #30 (1972) - dailies only
• "Uma Mulher Para Dois", Fantasma #222 (1974) - Sundays only
• "O Casamento da Princesa", Hiperalmanaque Fantasma #1 (1981) - dailies only
• "A Princesa Namoradeira", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #23 (1996) - dailies only

Canada

• La Patrie April 25, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - both Sundays and dailies
• Le Nouvelliste April 30, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - Sundays only
• Le Soleil May 1, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - Sundays only
• L'Action catholique June 15, 1949 – October 17, 1949 - dailies only

Denmark

• "Den flirtende prinsesse", Aalborg Stiftstidende March 24, 1950 – July 21, 1950 - dailies only
• "Den flirtende prinsesse", Horsens Folkeblad January 4, 1951 – May 2, 1951 - dailies only
• "Den flirtende prinsesse", Hejmdal January 25, 1951 – May 29, 1951 - dailies only
• "Duel i junglen", Fantomet pocket #3 (1984) - dailies only

Finland

• "Kilpakosijat", Sarjakuvalehti 16/1950 – 12/1951 - Sundays only
• "Naamio ja “Iloinen Prinsessa”", Kippari Kalle 8/1955 - dailies only
• "Kamppailu viidakossa", Sarjakirja #93 (1984) - dailies only
• "Kilpakosijat", Ilta-Sanomat September 14, 2018 – October 23, 2018 - both Sundays and dailies

France

• "La princesse aime flirter", L'Aurore October 10, 1949 – February 4, 1950 - dailies only
• "Menaces sur la jungle", Le Fantôme du Bengale #32 and "Le Major Carl", #33 (1951) - dailies only
• "La fuite danas la jungle", Le Fantôme Spécial #34 and "Prison de Brouillard", #35 (1966) - dailies only
• "La Princesse trop coquette", Le Fantôme #452 (1974) - Sundays only
• "La Princesse trop coquette", Le Fantôme Album #53 (probably 1975) - Sundays only

Ireland

• Sunday Independent October 16, 1949 – January 8, 1950 - without the last four weeks

Italy

• "Fuga nella giungla", L'Avventura Albo Tascabile 7/1950 - Sundays only
• "Fuga nella giungla", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #13 (1962; redrawn) - dailies only
• "Fuga nella giungla", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #157 and "Prigione di nebbia", #158 (1965) - dailies only
• "Fuga nella giungla", Phantom – L'Uomo Mascherato #66 (1974) - Sundays only
• "Fuga nella giungla", Phantom #23 (1993) - both Sundays and dailies
• "Fuga nella giungla", Phantom #249 – #250

Mexico

• "La princesa coqueta", El Informador June 20, 1949 – October 16, 1949 - both Sundays and dailies
• "La princesa coqueta", Paquito #10004 (1953) - dailies only
• "La princesa coqueta", El Fantasma #16 (1966) - Sundays only

New Zealand

• The Phantom #27 – #29 - dailies only
• The Phantom #240 – #244 - dailies only
• The Phantom #519 – #521 - dailies only

Norway

• Aftenposten July 22, 1950 – November 17, 1950
• Skippern 34/1956 – 16/1957
• "Duell i jungelen", Serie-pocket #91 (1984) - dailies only
• "Den ustadige prinsessen", Fantomet 13-14/2013 - dailies only

Spain

• "Dos pretendientes", El Hombre Enmascarado #10, "La princesa de la selva", '#11, "El emisario del rey", '#12, "Un conflicto en la selva", '#13, and "El triunfo de Carl", '#14 (19??)
• EDICIONES M.A.S. #1 – #9 (1957) - dailies only
• "La princesa Gwena", El Hombre Enmascarado #64 - dailies only
• "La princesa Gwena", Phantom, El Hombre Enmascarado #23 - both Sundays and dailies
• "La princesa coqueta", Phantom #12 (1998) - Sundays only

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet June 13, 1950 – October 10, 1950 - dailies only
• Nerikes Allehanda May 31, 1951 – September 26, 1951 - dailies only
• "Den nyckfulla prinsessan", Vecko-Revyn 4 – 20/1952 - Sundays only
• Fantomen 11 – 15/1953 - dailies only
• "Rivalerna", Fantomen Christmas Album 1959 - Sundays only
• "Duell i djungeln", Fantomen 9/1963 - dailies only
• "Duell i djungeln", Seriepocket #136 (1984) - dailies only
• Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1953, Del 2 - dailies only
• "Rivalerna", Fantomen Christmas Album 2009 - Sundays only - facsimile reprint of 1959 Christmas Album
• "Den nyckfulla prinsessan", Fantomen 10-11/2013 - dailies only

Turkey

• "Güzel Prenses", Haftalık Albüm #35 – #36 (1953) - dailies only

USA

• Bradford Era April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Chester Times April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Daily Item April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Daily Record April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Evening News April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Hanford Morning Journal April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Herald News April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Morristown Gazette Mail April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Oneonta Star April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Oxnard Press-Courier April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Progress April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• The Rome Daily Sentinel April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Sandusky Register Star News April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Syracuse Herald Journal April 25, 1949 – August 20, 1949 - dailies only
• Charleston Daily Mail April 25, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - both Sundays and dailies
• San Antonio Light April 25, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - both Sundays and dailies
• Cumberland Sunday Times‎ May 1, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - Sundays only
• The Milwaukee Sentinel May 1, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - Sundays only
• La Opinión May 1, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - Sundays only
• San Francisco Examiner May 1, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - Sundays only
• St. Petersburg Times May 1, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - Sundays only
• The Democrat July 17, 1949 – August 21, 1949 - the last six weeks of Sundays only
• The Phantom Sundays #2 (1989) - Sundays only
• "The Flirtatious Princess", Comics Revue #317-318 – #331-332 (2012-13; colored by Ivan Pedersen) - both Sundays and dailies
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies and Sundays: Volume Nine 1949–1950 (2016) - both Sundays and dailies

West Germany

• "Die lebhafte Prinzessin", Phantom-Heft 2/1955