Dungeons Undone
Dungeons Undone | |
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Start date: | February 13th, 2023 |
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End date: | September 16th, 2023 |
# of strips: | 186 (31 weeks) |
Writer: | Tony DePaul |
Artist: | Mike Manley |
Original colorist: | KFS staff |
Preceded by: | "The Breakout" |
Followed by: | "The Journey Home" |
"Dungeons Undone" is the 263rd Phantom daily story. The story was written by Tony DePaul and drawn by Mike Manley.
Plot synopsis
Now we find that it was Diana Palmer-Walker, not Guran, who got the Bandar Nation to go help The 21st Phantom with the Gravelines Maximum Security Prison breakout. The prison warden, his office on emergency power, keeps getting bad reports. Babudan reminds the Phantom that those who surrender may live. As they speak in the Bandar tongue, Savarna wants to blow up the main gate--the exit they used in Mozz's predictions. The Phantom tells Babudan that to keep Savarna away from him if he gets wounded, and hints at why. Meanwhile, Diana, having read the "Chronicle of Mozz," rides horseback to the Bandar camp by the border, and Guran comes in on an elephant.
The Bandar capture many guards who surrender and kill those who don't. While the prison warden is near the battle, trying to figure out what to do, the Phantom radios him from the warden's own office and tries unsuccessfully to get him to surrender. Then, as the Unknown Commander, he calls Colonel Worubu to get a list of which inmates are political prisoners and which are true criminals. He frees Viola Odhiambo, a teacher, and puts her in charge of freeing and arming the other political prisoners. The first lot drive off to become Rhodian rebels. One of the unreleased prisoners grabs Viola through the bars, but a poison-tipped arrow puts him down. Savarna takes off in a jeep and, which bullets whizzing all around her, feels that no harm can come to her this night. Just for fun, she blows up another guard tower. More vehicles, led by Kipawa, son of Babudan, take freed prisoners to the border. Bandar arrows dispatch objecting Rhodian border guards.
With the battle over, the warden and a guard try to ambush the Phantom, Savarna, and Babudan with guns on "full auto." Devil detects them and warns the three, bullets fly, and arrows take down the warden and guard. Babudan tells the Phantom to take Savarna and go, but the Phantom tells Babudan to take her and go. Babudan tells him he pledged to Diana to not leave the Phantom's side. The Phantom then reveals that he is wounded in the lower abdomen -- just as in Mozz's tale. He appears to give up on defeating Mozz's predictions, choosing to stay there and die rather than risk blabbing Jampa's whereabouts to Savarna. But then he realizes that he has not bled out, possibly because the bullet was a carom, half-spent by the time it hit him.
The Phantom and Savarna find Hero and ride to the Bandar camp, where Guran has drugged Diana to sleep.
Appearances
Recurring characters
- The 21st Phantom
- Diana Palmer-Walker
- Hero
- Devil
- Old man Mozz
- Captain Savarna
- Babudan
- Guran
- Colonel Worubu
- John X
- Captain Weeks
- Unknown Commander
- Kay Molloy
- Hawa Aguda
- Kipawa
- Viola Odhiambo
- Lamanda Luaga (mentioned)
- Kit Walker (flashback)
One-time characters
- Unnamed Lieutenant, Prison Guard
- Unnamed Major, Prison Warden
- Unnamed Sergeant, Prison Guard
Locations
- Bangalla
- The Skull Cave
- The Skull Throne
- The Chronicle Chamber (mentioned)
- Ossewan Prison (mentioned)
- The Jungle Patrol Headquarters
- Communications Desk
- The Skull Cave
- India
- The Mountain City (mentioned)
- Rhodia
- Gravelines Maximum Security Prison
- Command Center
- Guard Tower 9
- Cellblock 13
- The Main Gate
- Reserve Barracks One
- Post 12
- Armory
- Cellblock 1
- The Outer Wire
- Bandar Frontier Camp
- Capital (mentioned)
- Gravelines Maximum Security Prison
Tribes
Organizations
- Bandar Scouts
- The Jungle Patrol
Items
- Prison roster with list of prisoners justly confined at Gravelines
- Armory key and master key
- The Rhodian Bullet
- "Those who fight the Bandar fight briefly."
- "When the Phantom asks, you answer."
- "Never pull a gun on the Phantom." – followed by the comment "or Babudan, for that matter.."
Related stories
Refers to
- "To Wrack and Ruin at Gravelines" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley
- "Chatu's Fate" by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan
- "Then Came Towns Ellerbee" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley
- "The Chronicle of Old Man Mozz" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley
- "The Curse of Old Man Mozz" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley
Referenced in
Behind the scenes
- Liang Zhao was an uncredited background inking assistant on this story.
- Viola Odhiambo has prison number 117233.
Reprints
This story has been published in the following publications:
Australia
- Shepparton News November 21, 2023 – August 7, 2024
- "Dungeons Undone", The Phantom #1986 (2024)
Colombia
- "¡Calabozos deschecos!", El País June 9, 2023 – January ?, 2024
Fiji
- The Fiji Times February 25, 2023 – September 29, 2023
India
- "অন্ধকুপের অবসান" (romanized as "Andhokuper Abosan"), Anandabazar Patrika March 22, 2023 – October 30, 2023
- The Assam Tribune November 4, 2023 – ?, 2024
Jamaica
- The Daily Gleaner February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
Mexico
- "¡Calabozos deschecos!", El Informador October 23, 2023 – June 6, 2024
The Philippines
- The Philippine Star May 15, 2024 – December 17, 2024
El Salvador
- "¡Calabozos deschecos!", La Prensa Gráfica July 29, 2024 – January 24, 2025 (last strip missing)
Spain
- "¡Calabozos deschecos!", El Correo May 14, 2023 – November 15, 2023
- "¡Calabozos deschecos!", Las Provincias May 14, 2023 – November 15, 2023
Sweden
- "Åter till friheten", Svenska Dagbladet July 12, 2023 – January 17, 2024
- "Åter till friheten", Fantomen 18-19/2024
USA
- Anderson Independent-Mail February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- Boston Herald February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- The Citizens' Voice February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- Delaware County Daily Times February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- The Macomb Daily February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- Houston Chronicle February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- The News Item February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- Press Enterprise February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- Reading Eagle February 13, 2023 – September 16, 2023
- Royal Oak Tribune March 3, 2023 – September 15, 2023 (started from the strip of March 3, 2023)