Fishers of Pearls

Fishers of Pearls
Start date:	November 7th, 1938
End date:	January 28th, 1939
# of strips:	72 (12 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Ray Moore
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Shark's Nest"
Followed by:	"The Slave Traders"

"Fishers of Pearls" is the eighth Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore.

Plot synopsis

The Phantom returns to Bangalla, and the jungle tribes rejoice; At the same moment, Diana Palmer has arrived in Swali on a holiday to take her mind off the Phantom, where she meets an old friend named Roark. During that time that it is revealed Roark is running a pearl diving operation, which the Phantom has outlawed due to the health problems it causes local tribesman, Diana discovers why the tribes have been celebrating non-stop and asks Roark to take her into the jungle to the Phantom. Roark eventually agrees, knowing Diana can draw the Phantom out for him to kill, which she does by shouting his name and Roark is nearly successful, but the Phantom survives and mistakenly believes Diana has married Roark and is helping him to kill the Phantom. Unable to bring himself to challenge the woman he loves, the Phantom allows Roark to run rampant throughout Bangalla until he hears "Roark's wife" has been captured while on safari. After saving the woman he believed was Diana, Roark's real wife reveals the truth to the Phantom, who returns to Swali and brings Roark to justice, though not in time to reach Diana and clear up the misunderstanding.

Diana sails away from Swali and Bangalla believing the Phantom hates her for working with Roark.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Guran
• Diana Palmer
• Mrs. Palmer (mentioned)
• Colonel Doolittle

One-time characters

• Roark
• Betty Roark
• Nelson
• Captain Neil

Locations

• The Phantom's Country
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Throne
  • Swari Basin
  • The Swari Village

Tribes

• Swari
• Bandar
• Djarling

Behind the scenes

• This is the first time Phantom's home is called the Deep Woods.
• Guran son, Timo, is yet to appear in the strip, but what seems to be a reference to him is made in this story, as Nelson tells Roark that he heard news about the Phantom from "a son of a pigmy witch-doctor."
• For the second time, the color of the Phantom's suit is mentioned, and just like in "The Singh Brotherhood", it's said to be gray.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Tit-Bits #1644 – #1657 (1940-41)

Australia

• "Back to the Jungle", The Phantom #3 (1939)
• "Jungle Justice", The Phantom #4 (1940)
• The Phantom #9 (1949)
• The Phantom #118 (1957)
• The Phantom #208 (1962)
• The Phantom #322 (1966)
• The Phantom #488 (1972)
• The Phantom #959 (1990)
• The Phantom #9 replica, included with The Phantom #1249 (2000)
• The Phantom #1254 (2000)
• The Phantom #1897 (2021)

Brazil

• "Traficantes de Pérolas", O Globo Juvenil #220 – #254 (1938-1939)
• "Traficantes de Pérolas", Álbum O Globo Juvenil #9 (1940)
• Fantasma #53 (1961)
• "Traficante de Pérolas", O Fantasma #12 (1970)
• "Traficante de Pérolas", Fantasma #245 (1976)
• "Os Traficantes de Pérolas", Fantasma #354 – #355 (1985)
• "Traficante de Pérolas", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #26 (1996)
• "Os Pescadores de Pérolas", Crônicas do Fantasma #7 (2021)
• "Os Pescadores de Pérolas", O Fantasma Omnibus: O Circulo Dourado e Outras Histórias (2023)

Finland

• Karjalainen September 21, 1943 – January 19, 1944
• "Helmenkalastajat", Mustanaamio 5/1983
• "Helmenkalastajat", Ilta-Sanomat February 9, 2016 – February 29, 2016

France

• Aventures 10-21/1939
• "Les pêcherus des perles", Aventures et Mystère #23 (1940) - without the last two weeks
• "Les pêcherus des perles", Le Fantôme du Bengale #2 and "Les rebelles du désert", #3 (1949)
• "Les pêcherus des perles", Le Fantôme Spécial #53 (1968)

Italy

• "I pescatori di perle" L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #59 (1963)
• "I pescatori di perle", L'Uomo Mascherato #2 (1974)
• "I pescatori di perle", Phantom #16 (1977 or 1978)
• "I pescatori di perle", Phantom #145
• "I pescatori di perle", The Phantom #1 (2014)

New Zealand

• The Phantom #114 – #117

Norway

• "Perlefiskerne", Fantomet 5/1983
• "Perlefiskerne", Fantomet Spesial #5 (1999)

The Philippines

• The Tribune April ?, 1939 – June ?, 1939 - a few first weeks missing

Spain

• "La pescadores de perlas", El Hombre Enmascarado #18 and "La ley del desierto", #19 (ca 1941; edited together with "The Slave Traders" in part 2)
• "La pescadores de perlas", El Hombre Enmascarado #019 and "La ley del desierto", #019 (1960; edited together with "The Slave Traders" in part 2)
• "Perlas prohibidas", El Hombre Enmascarado #43 – #44 (1977)
• "La pescadores de perlas", El Hombre Enmascarado #41 – #42 (1990)
• "Los pescadores de perlas", The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado #8 (2020)

Sweden

• "Pärlfiskarna", Fantomen 22/1982

Turkey

• 1001 Roman #57 – #75 (1940; interrupted after the strip of January 12, 1939)
• "Inci Avcılarına Karşı", Red Kit #4 – ? (1965)
• "Inci Avcılarına Karşı", Kızıl Maske #8 – #9 (1968)

USA

• Chester Times November 7, 1938 – January 28, 1939
• The Monessen Daily Independent November 7, 1938 – January 28, 1939
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star November 7, 1938 – January 28, 1939‎
• The Rome Daily Sentinel November 7, 1938 – January 28, 1939
• Ace Comics #60 – #64 (1938-1939)
• "The Pearl Divers", Comics Revue #203 – #211 (2002)
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Two 1937–1939 (2010)

Yugoslavia

• "Fantom sumnja u Dianu", Hrvatski dnevnik April 24, 1939 – July 28, 1939
• Mika Miš #397 – #419 (1940)
• "Ajkulino gnezdo" Biblioteka Nostalgija #7 (1988; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers" & "The Shark's Nest")