The Singh Brotherhood
- For the very first Phantom story, see The Singh Brotherhood (story)
| The Singh Brotherhood | |
| |
| First appearance: | "The Singh Brotherhood" |
|---|---|
| Created by: | Lee Falk and Ray Moore |
The Singh Brotherhood is a centuries-old criminal organization, and the arch-enemies of the Phantom. They made their first appearance in the very first Phantom story, "The Singh Brotherhood".
Fictional history
According to Newspaper stories
The Singh Brotherhood first crossed path with The Phantom line when they attacked a European ship in the mid 16th Century (1525, 1535/1536, or 1550). One sole survivor washed ashore and became the first Phantom, swearing an oath to fight piracy and cruelty everywhere, and the Singh Brotherhood in particular.
In the centuries to come Singh kept sailing the seas, harassing travelers. In about 1745 a Singh ship attacked a Spanish trading-ship outside the Bangalla coastline. Both sides suffers great loss, only a few men survive and both ships are destroyed. The survivors bury the saved goods on a golden beach, but gunfight follows, and all surviors died. Fifty years later, the 13th Phantom found a note written by one of the survirors and searched for the treasure, but the chests remained lost until the 21st Phantom finally found them. Buried Treasure
Over the centuries several Phantom's appears to have been killed while fighting the Singh pirates. Most notably, the father of the current Phantom, who is stabbed in the back by his informant, a Singh cabin boy named Rama who has betrayed the pirates by giving him the location of their ships. Prior to the stabbing, the pirates have suffered a great defeat as The Phantom put their entire fleet into flames. When returning, Rama tells the pirates, not aware of his betrayal, that he followed the Phantom and managed to kill him with his own hands. As a proof he brings the The Phantom's belt.
Following the apparent ultimate defeat of The Phantom, Singh makes Rama their king. With no ships left, Rama has the remnant of the pirates withdrawing to the isle of Gullique. With time, Gullique is completely overtaken by the Singh, now ex-pirates, made a haven for smugglers and it gains the reputation of being the most evil place on earth. However, a saying is born - "If The Phantom comes to Gullique, there'll be a double rainbow in the sky." The Belt
One of the most cruel and powerful Singh leaders was Kabai Singh, who ruled the Brotherhood from the underwater city of Krakatan. Not believing in the The Phantom, he was assisted by his nephew Achmed and protegé Sala. However, when the Phantom arrives in Krakatan, it eventually ends with its destruction, killing every Singh member in it with the exception of Kabai and Sala, who withdraw to a second base at Mount Trepnich. However - The Phantom is once again able to track them down, but Kabai captures him and is about to execute him. He is however interrupted as the Royal Air Force starts bombing Mount Trepnich, and the moment later Sala, in love with The Phantom, attacks Kabai and kills him. Most of the Singh pirates escapes the bombing though, but with their headquarter destroyed and their leaders dead, their power is broken. The Singh Brotherhood
Ten years after the death of his father, the current Phantom learns about Gullique, his fathers belt and Rama, and he travels to the island. Eventually he is able to expose Rama as a Singh betrayer, but ends up in front of a execution squad. As he is about to be put to death, Rama, knowing that he will be killed by his former subjects, starts to blow up the island. A nearby naval vessel notes the explosion and arrives on the island, now in chaos following the explosion. The years of Singh rulership is ended, Rama is reportedly killed in the explosions, and the Singh pirates are once again destroyed. The Belt
A small band of Singh Pirates raided ships and the Bangalla mint, pretending to be a crew of ghost pirates. They were operating from at Soviet submarine, which the Phantom infiltrated and ended their scheme. The Ghost Pirates
When the Jungle Patrol made a routine arrest after a bar fight, they discovered that the man they arrested was a Singh pirate. This led to a planned terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, which the Patrol's Unknown Commander - the Phantom - could stop. Plutonium Pirates
According to Team Fantomen
The Singh Brotherhood was founded by Bor Singh. Throughout the history of the Phantom the Brotherhood has grown and evolved despite generations of the Phantom trying to destroy it. During this time the Brotherhood has evolved from a pirate gang into a world wide criminal organization which has recently set up a legitimate corporation as a front for their activities called "The Singh Corporation".
Known Leaders
Since Team Fantomen has produced far more historical stories than Falk and also awakened the Singh pirates in the present day stories, there are a much higher number of leaders mentioned in their stories. The leaders in the list below can be leaders of either the entire Singh organization, or just a smaller part of it.
| Name | Years | Met | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bor Singh | Founder of the Singh Brotherhood | ||
| Djingis Singh | |||
| Chandra Singh | |||
| Aya Singh | |||
| El Aswad (Kizim) | 1536–1537 | The 1st Phantom | Sentenced to death in 1537 |
| Shogai Singh | 1564 and later | The 1st and the 2nd Phantom | Escaped but later met the 2nd Phantom |
| Lala Singh's grandfather | The 3rd Phantom | 104 years old when Lala Singh died | |
| Lala Singh | The 3rd Phantom | Drowned when her pet tiger fell on her | |
| Captain Comore | 1638 | The 4th Phantom | Sentenced to death 1638 |
| Atan Singh | unknown | The 5th Phantom | Sank to the bottom of the sea with his ship |
| Abu Singh | 1660s | The 6th Phantom | Escaped after an unsuccessful attack at Mozambar. |
| Abakir Singh | 1682 | The 6th and the 7th Phantom | Eaten by a crocodile |
| Abba Singh | 1710 | The 8th Phantom | Crushed to death by a giant bell |
| Ashar Singh | said to be 1757–1758 | The 10th Phantom | Taken by a giant squid. |
| Korshir Singh | 1775 | The 11th Phantom | The 11th Phantom's settlement with him ended with the death of the Phantom. |
| Kourish Singh | 1797 | The 13th Phantom | Tried to get hold of Durandal, the sword of sir Roland |
| Kulai Singh | 1831 | The 14th and the 15th Phantom | Was imprisoned by the 15th Phantom but later escaped. |
| Pasha Singh | 18?? | The 15th Phantom | Captured the 15th Phantom, who nearly lost his life. |
| Scimitar | 1856–1866 | The 16th Phantom | Hunted by the 16th Phantom for many years before Kate Sommerset killed him |
| Cyclops | 1889 | The 17th and the 18th Phantom | Killed the 17th Phantom but was killed when his two sons and Lady Kate Sommerset attacked |
| Rashid Singh | earlier | The 18th Phantom | Briefly mentioned as an opponent to The 18th Phantom. |
| Blackheart | 1889–1907 | The 18th Phantom | Knife-wounded Kate Sommerset in 1889, killed in 1907 |
| Sandal Singh | 1908 | The 19th Phantom | Tried to get hold of the chain of Samson |
| Albig Singh | 1908-19 | The 18th and The 19th Phantom | Killed the 18th Phantom |
| Akbar Singh | 1932 | The 19th Phantom | Escaped |
| Rama Singh | earlier | The 20th and the 21st Phantom | Blew himself into the air at Gullique when the Phantom came after him |
| Kabai Singh | earlier | The 21st Phantom | Killed by Sala |
| Dogai Singh | present day | The 21st Phantom | Has had 4 attempts on his life, latest time by Khermet, but is still alive |
| Khermet | present day | The 21st Phantom | Sandal Singh had him killed |
| Sandal Singh | present day | The 21st Phantom | Elected president of Bangalla after pretending to be the target of an attempted assassination |
According to Frew
The Singh Brotherhood, once a gang of ruthless pirates harassing Asian waters for centuries was believed to have been destroyed following the death of Kabai Singh, and the destruction of Mount Trepnich. However - years later they return, and begin to attack ships, eventually murdering the entire crew and every passenger on a cruiser outside the Bangalla coust. Among the dead are the niece and nephew of Bangalla's President Luaga.
The Phantom is able to track down the pirates, now led by Kabai Singh's son Kabai Singh, Jr., in their new secret hideout on Cloud Island. After a fierce battle, the Phantom corners Kabai Singh who blows up the remaining of the headquarter, killing every single Singh member. The Phantom merely makes it, presumably as the only survivor, but unknown to everyone Kabai Singh is washed ashore on a remote beach, beginning to tell the natives frightfully stories of a man called The Phantom, planning his revenge.
According to Fratelli Spada
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According to Moonstone
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Known Leaders
Like Team Fantomen, Moonstone has set about recreating the Singh Brotherhood for their stories and has introduced their own set of leaders.
| Name | Years | Met | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kabai Singh | The 1st Phantom | ||
| Katar Singh | 1667 | the 3rd Phantom | |
| Arune Singh | 1782 | The 11th Phantom | |
| Ghutar Singh | The 16th Phantom | ||
| Hassan Singh | The 20th Phantom | ||
| Temur Singh | present day | The 21st Phantom |
According to Dynamite
According to Dynamite Entertainment Phantom story of 2011 Jungle Rules Chapter 4: A Cave is Not a Home it was the Singh Brotherhood leader Pava Singh who killed Christopher Kitridge Walker, father of the 1st Phantom on 17 February, 1536.
Behind the Scenes
Starting in the 1970's, Falk began avoiding the spelling "Singh" of his Daily and Sunday stories, reportedly in order not to implicate that the Brotherhood originated in India, where "Singh" is a common last name. Instead they were referred to as the "Dingh", "Sanngh", "Sengh" or "Singgh" pirates. However no other producer has changed the name and the Daily and Sunday stories have since reverted back to Singh.
Notable Appearances
This list does not include appearances of the Singh Brotherhood in the short retelling of the origin of the Phantom - a passage which has introduced several stories through the years.
Daily and Sunday stories
| Title | Writer | Artist | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Singh Brotherhood" | Falk | Moore | |
| "The Belt" | Falk | McCoy | |
| "Buried Treasure" | Falk | Olesen, Williams | as Sangh Pirates, in 1745 |
| "The Ghost Pirates" | DePaul | Olesen, Williams | |
| "Plutonium Pirates" | DePaul | Ryan | |
| "The Death of Diana Palmer Walker" | DePaul | Ryan | only in Team Fantomen version with additional story and art by Granberg and Lindahl |
Team Fantomen stories
Historical stories
Present day stories
Frew stories
| Title | Writer | Artist | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Return of the Singh Brotherhood" | Shepherd | Chatto | |
| "Shangri-La" | Andersson | Todaro | |
| "A Day at the Races" | Kyme | Kyme |
Gold Key/King/Charlton stories
| Title | Writer | Artist | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Belt" | Falk, Harris | Lignante | |
| "Revenge of the Singh Pirates" | Gill | Boyette |
Fratelli Spada stories
| Title | Writer | Artist | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Written in the Flesh" | unknown | Pedrazzi | |
| "A Strange Assassination" | unknown | Pedrazzi | |
| "A Mystery to Reveal" | unknown | Pedrazzi, Felmang | |
| "The Showdown" | unknown | Pedrazzi | |
| "The Last of the Singh Pirates" | Lundström | Cambiotti, Lombardi | |
| "The Fountain of Mystery" | Lundström | Cambiotti, Lombardi |
Moonstone stories
Dynamite stories
| Title | Writer | Artist | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Jungle Rules Chapter 4: A Cave is Not a Home" | Scott Beatty | Eduardo Ferigato |