The Game of Alvar

The Game of Alvar
Start date:	July 29th, 1940
End date:	December 14th, 1940
# of strips:	120 (20 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Ray Moore
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Sea Horse"
Followed by:	"Diana Aviatrix Lost"

"The Game of Alvar" is the 13th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore.

Plot synopsis

The Phantom and Diana Palmer are accosted by a pair of thugs while strolling the New York docks; After the Phantom dispatches the thugs, Diana notices they were guarding several suspicious crates marked Z.O.Z., though the Phantom is uninterested at first in pursuing the matter. Later, the two, along with Lily Palmer, take a cruise for relaxation, where Diana catches the eye of a Mr. Alvar, and, after learning his owning the Z.O.Z. company, decides to entertain him in order to investigate further. The Phantom, disguised as Mr. Walker, misunderstands the situation and trounces Alvar for his forwardness with Diana, which compels Alvar to send his thugs after the Phantom at the next port. The Phantom is taken away by the thugs before his quickly dispatches them and discovers more Z.O.Z. crates, which he finds contain weapons, revealing Alvar to be a gun smuggler; He attempts to notify the local police chief, but finds he as well as the Mayor are in Alvar's pocket. Narrowly escaping a squad of soldiers, the Phantom learns the Governor is an honest man and treks the countryside while evading more soldiers to reach him. The Governor, already suspicious of the mayor and police chief, has them both arrested while Alvar manages to escape.

Learning of Alvar's hideout from his secretary, the Phantom trails Alvar from his home to his yacht, where he is able to successfully capture him by threatening to use him as a human shield should Alvar's men try to shoot them, and the Phantom leaves Alvar at a local jail.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Diana Palmer
• Mrs. Palmer

One-time characters

• Mr. Alvar

Locations

• Bengali (mentioned)
  • Deep Woods (mentioned)
    • The Skull Cave (mentioned)
• USA
  • New York
    • The Palmer Home

Tribes

• Bandar (mentioned)

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• The title "The Game of Alvar" appears in the first strip of the story.
• Although the contemporary Sunday stories have begun to refer to the home-country of The Phantom as Bengali, this story has Diana talking about Bengal.
• The small island visited in the story remains unknown, just as its governor, chief of police and mayor. In many ways it resembles a Caribbean island, though.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Tit-Bits #1742 – #1763 (1943)

Australia

• The Phantom #7 (1949; part 2 only)
• The Phantom #120 (1957; part 2 only)
• The Phantom #211 (1962; part 2 only)
• The Phantom #460 (1971; part 2 only)
• The Phantom #939 (1989)
• The Phantom #7 replica, included with The Phantom #1187 (1998)
• The Phantom #1436 (2006)
• The Phantom #1830 (2019) in a special #330 replica edition
• The Phantom #1891 (2021; part 2 only)

Brazil

• "O Mistério do Z. O. Z.", O Globo Juvenil #493 – #560 (1940-1941)
• "O Mistério do Z. O. Z.", Fantasma Edição Extra #1 (1953)
• "Contrabando", Fantasma #65 (1962)
• "Caça ao contrabando!", O Fantasma #5 (1970)
• "Caça ao contrabando!", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #3 (1993)
• "O Jogo de Alvar", O Fantasma Omnibus: O Circulo Dourado e Outras Histórias (2023)

Canada

• La Patrie July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• L'Action catholique August 13, 1940 – January 2, 1941

Denmark

• "Vaabensmuglerne", Fantom-hefte #4 (1952)
• "Guldmysteriet", Fantomet #21 (1972)

Finland

• Karjalainen March 18 (?), 1942 – August 8, 1942
• "Naamio ja aseiden salakuljettajat", Kippari Kalle 1/1953
• "Alvar", Mustanaamio 10/1980 - the last eight weeks only
• "Kuoleman kauppiaat", Ilta-Sanomat July 13, 2016 – August 15, 2016

France

• Aventures 22/1941 – 40/1941 (published in the then called "Free Zone" only)
• "L'association Z.O.Z", Le Fantôme du Bengale #9, #10 and "La fin d'un traitre", #11 (1949-1950)
• "Les trafiquants d'armes", Le Fantôme Spécial #62 and "La déroute d'Alvar", #63 (1968)
• "Les trafiquants d'armes", Le Fantôme Spécial Album #5 and "La déroute d'Alvar", #6 (1970?)

Italy

• "I trafficanti d'armi", L'Avventuroso #329 – #350 (1940; with additional art by Italian artists)
• "I trafficanti d'armi", Collana Albi grandi avventure #12 (1941; with additional art by Italian artists)
• "I trafficanti d'armi", Collana Albi grandi avventure #25, "La fuga nella foresta", #26, and "Caccia all'uomo", #27 (1946-47; with additional art by Italian artists)
• "I trafficanti d'armi", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #3 (1962; redrawn)
• "I trafficanti d'armi", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #85 and "La Sconfitta di Alvar", #87 (1964)
• "Il trafficante d'armi", Phantom #14 and "La catturadi Alvar", #15 (1977 or 1978)
• "I trafficanti d'armi", Phantom #13 (1992)
• "I trafficanti d'armi", Phantom #183
• "I trafficanti d'armi", The Phantom #2 (2015)

New Zealand

• The Phantom #66 – #68

Norway

• Aftenposten March 30, 1942 – August 20, 1942
• "Våpensmuglerne", Fantom-hefte #1 (1952)
• "I skrekkens vold", Fantomet 9/1977 - the last eight weeks only
• "Alvor", Fantomet 13/1980
• "I skrekkens vold", Krønikebok #41 and "Våpensmuglerne", #45 (2008)

The Philippines

• The Tribune February ?, 1941 – August 15, 1941

Spain

• "Z.O.Z. articulos rurales", El Hombre Enmascarado #38, "Contrabando", #39, and "El fin de un traidor", #40 (194?)
• "El fin de un traidor", El Hombre Enmascarado #23 (1958) - the last eight weeks only
• "Z.O.Z. articulos rurales", El Hombre Enmascarado #037 and "Contrabando", #038 (1960)
• "El juego de Alvar", El Hombre Enmascarado #45 – #46 (1977)
• "El juego de Alvar", The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado #9 (2020)

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet December 15, 1942 – May 8, 1943
• "Partiet med Alvar", Halland February 27, 1943 – August 14, 1943
• Nerikes Allehanda January 14, 1944 – June 3, 1944
• Östersunds-Posten November 5, 1946 – ?, 1947
• "Guldmysteriet", Fantomen 9/1961 and "I skräckens våld", 13/1961
• "I skräckens våld", Fantomen 21/1976 - the last eight weeks only
• "Alvar", Fantomen 4/1980
• "Guldmysteriet", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1961, Del 2 (2012) and "I skräckens våld", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1961, Del 3 (2012)

Turkey

• Binbir Roman #1 – #30 (1948; part 1 missing; with additional art by Italian artists)
• "Alvar'a Karşı", Red Kit #14 – #19 (1965)
• "Alvar'a Karşı", Kızıl Maske #7 – #8 (1968)

USA

• Chester Times July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• The Daily Item July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• The Evening News July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• Herald News July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• The Monessen Daily Independent July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• Oxnard Press-Courier July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• The Rome Daily Sentinel July 29, 1940 – December 14, 1940
• Syracuse Herald Journal November 26, 1940 – December 14, 1940 - the last three weeks only
• The Nippu Jiji August 31, 1940 – January 22, 1941
• The Game of Alvar (1976)
• The Game of Alvar (1999)
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Vol. Three 1939–1940 (2011)

West Germany

• "Die Waffenschmuggler", Phantom-Heft 9/1952 and 21/1953 - without the first five weeks