Rex King (story)

Rex King
Start date:	May 15th, 1966
End date:	December 11th, 1966
# of strips:	31 pages
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Sy Barry
Original colorist:	KFS staff
Preceded by:	"The Veiled Lady"
Followed by:	"The Golden Sands of Keela-Wee"

"Rex King" is the 68th Phantom Sunday story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Sy Barry.

Plot synopsis

An eldery couple, Jeremiah and Maria, one night find a baby boy outside their door. The parents does not show up and they are about to go out into the jungle as missionaries. They therefore take the baby with them. Unfortunately, they contract a jungle disease and dies, while the baby avoids to get infected. Vultures and a leopard is attracted to the place but the Phantom turns up and scare away the vultures, while the leopard has to be killed.

The Phantom tries to find the parents through the Jungle Patrol but fails. Since the baby boy has something royal over his character, he is named Rex King.

Rex then grows up in the jungle and becomes best friend with Toomytomgano, the son of the Llongo chief who Rex call Tom-Tom.

One day, Rex, Tom-Tom, and the Phantom watches as a female lion attacks a too big an animal and is killed. It turns out that the lioness had a cub in the near vicinity and was trying to feed it. Rex adopts the lion cub and says that he would call him Katon llongo which means big cat, Tom-Tom corrects Rex and says that it is a female. Rex then declares that the lion should be called Kateena llongo which means female cat.

When Kateena has grown up, Rex and Tom-Tom discover that bank robbers are digging down their captured money. They dig up the money as soon as the robbers have left. However, it is all paper money and the boys have no idea what kind of thing that is. Unfortunately, one of the robbers forgot his jacket and when he comes back, he discover them. Tom-Tom manages to escape, but Rex is caught. Tom-Tom runs to fetch some help.

Meanwhile, Rex manages to overcome the bank robbers and when the Phantom comes, Rex has taken the rifle and put the robbers at Joomba, while he travels at the back of Kateena.

The Phantom sends Rex to the city to deliver the robbers. There, Rex encounters colonel Weeks, who is speechless.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Hero
• Devil
• Guran
• Rex
• Tom-Tom
• Miss Tagama
• Kateena
• Joomba
• Stripes
• Dart
• Colonel Weeks
• Dr Axel
• The Drummer (mentioned)
• Baldy (mentioned)

One-time characters

• Maria
• Jeremiah
• Ike
• Ed
• Joey
• Mac
• Karl

Locations

• Bengali
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Skull Throne
  • Eden
  • Phantom Head Peak
  • The Jungle Patrol Headquarters

Tribes

• Bandar
• Llongo (mentioned)
• Spidari (mentioned)
• Timpenni (mentioned)

Organizations

• The Jungle Patrol

Old jungle sayings

Related stories

Refers to

• "The Flying Horse" by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy
• "The Limper" by Lee Falk, Wilson McCoy, Carmine Infantino and Bill Lignante
• "Old Baldy" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry
• "The Giant Bird of Gandor" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry
• "The Drummer of Timpenni" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry
• "The Great Web of Spidera" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "Rex, el niño de la jungla", Libro de Oro #33 (1967)
• "El hijo de la jungla", Fantasía #144 and "Katina, la leona", #148 (1970)

Australia

• The Phantom #369 (1968)
• The Phantom #528 (1974)
• The Phantom #709 (1981)
• The Phantom #1094 (1995)
• The Phantom #1591 (2011)

Brazil

• "Rex, o Menino das Selvas", Fantasma #125 and "O Esconderijo na Selva", #126 (1967)
• "Rex, o Menino das Selvas", Fantasma #227 (1975; part 1 only)

Canada

• Le Soleil May 14, 1966 – December 10, 1966
• La Patrie May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966

Colombia

• El Tiempo August 21, 1966 – March 19, 1967

Denmark

• "Jungledrengen", Fantomet #165 (1981)

Fiji

• Bera-Na-Liva #3 (1978)

Finland

• Seura 45/1966 – 26/1967
• "Löytölapsi", Mustanaamio Year Album 1976
• "Löytölapsi", Sarjakirja 2/1991
• "Viidakkopoika", Mustanaamio 6 – 9/2001
• "Viidakkopoika", Viidakkopoika Rex (2024)

France

• Le Fantôme: L'Ombre Qui Marche (1974)
• "Jungle romantique" and "Le petit justicier", Le Fantôme Spécial #87 (1971)

Greece

• "Ρεξ.. ο ηρωασ τησ ζουγκλασ.." (romanized as "Rex.. o iroas tis zounklas.."), Fantom #3 (1977)

Iceland

• Vikan December 21, 1966 – July 20, 1967

India

• Indrajal Comics #49 (1967)
• "அதிரடி சிறுவன்" (romanized as "Athiradi siruvan"), Rani Comics #202
• "The Treasure of the Robbers", Diamond Comics Digest: Phantom #15
• "The Treasure of the Robbers", Diamond Comics Digest: Phantom #64

Ireland

• Sunday Independent September 4, 1966 – April 9, 1967

Italy

• "Giungla romantica", I Giganti #1 and "Il piccolo giustiziere", #7 (1967)

Mexico

• El Informador July 24, 1966 – February 19, 1967

Norway

• Vi menn 5 – 35/1967
• "Hittebarnet", Fantomet Year Album 1976
• "Hittebarnet", Serie-pocket #163 (1991)
• "Hittebarnet", Fantomet 6 – 9/2001

Portugal

• "A Criança Abandonada", Selecções #89 and "O Dinheiro Enterrado", Mundo de Aventuras #1001 (1968)

Spain

• "Rey Rex", El Hombre Enmascarado #40 (1967, part 1 only)
• "Rex King", The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado #5 (2019)

Sweden

• "Djungelpojken", Fantomen 9/1967
• "Hittebarnet", Fantomen Christmas Album 1976
• Lektyr 43/1986 – 50/1986
• "Djungelpojken", Fantomen 6 – 9/2001
• "Djungelpojken", Sy Barry Söndagsäventyr #3 (2003)
• "Djungelpojken", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1967, Del 2 (2017)
• "Djungelpojken", Djungelpojken Rex (2024)

Turkey

• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske #52 – #54 (1974)
• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske Albüm #13 – #14 (197?)
• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske Albüm #105
• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske #57 – #58
• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske Albüm #69
• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske Süper Albüm #17
• "Küçük Kahraman", Kızılmaske Süper Albüm #75
• "Kral Rex", Kızılmaske #9 (2014)

United Kingdom

• "Jungle Boy", TV Tornado #68 – #78 (1968)

USA

• Anderson Herald May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Atlanta Constitution May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• Charleston Gazette-Mail May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• Cumberland Sunday Times May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Danville Register May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Democrat May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• Farmington Daily Times May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Gadsden Times May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Honolulu Advertiser May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Huntsville Times May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Ironton Tribune May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Leaf-Chronicle May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Montgomery Advertiser May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The News Tribune May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• La Opinión May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• Orlando Sentinel May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• San Antonio Light May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• San Francisco Examiner May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• Spartanburg Herald-Journal May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• St. Petersburg Times May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Tampa Tribune May 15, 1966 – December 11, 1966
• The Tuscaloosa News November 6, 1966 – December 11, 1966 - the last six weeks only
• El Diario La Prensa June 12, 1966 – January 8, 1967
• The Complete Sundays: Volume Eight 1963–1966 (2020)
• "Rex King", Comics Revue #455-456 – #463-464 (2024)

West Germany

• "Alarm in der Totenkopfhöhle", Phantom #11 (1974)
• "Alarm in der Totenkopfhöhle", Phantom Das große Album #2
• Topix #7 (1976; part 1 only)

Yugoslavia

• "Rex - usvojeni kralj džungle", Plavi Vjesnik #679 – #693 (1967-1968; part 1 only)
• "Priča o Reksu Kingu", Super EKS Almanah #73 (1985)