The Great Ajax

The Great Ajax
Start date:	July 21st, 1952
End date:	October 11th, 1952
# of strips:	72 (12 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"Bobo the Toy Dog"
Followed by:	"The Toad Men"

"The Great Ajax" is the 47th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot synopsis

Ajax works as a strongman at a circus where also his brother Max has a job as a lilliputian. They both lose their job when Ajax looses his temper and starts a fight with spectators commenting on his brains. When Max leaves his brother unattended two burglars persuade Ajax to help them steal a safe. In the middle of the street while Ajax is carrying the safe a police discovers them and the other two burglars escape, however Max has returned and manages to help Ajax hide. Max decides to find a person much stronger than Ajax to teach his brother a lesson. He pays a roughneck in the harbour to beat up Ajax but it turns out to be an easy fight in favor of Ajax. After they get a new job at a circus Ajax soon gets into a fight with the audience again, however a man in a trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses interrupts the fight and knocks Ajax out. When Ajax rejoins the burglars, who have decided to steal the Llongo treasure during a royal wedding in the Llongo village, Max decides to seek help from the man who put a skull mark on the jaw of his brother. He walks out into the jungle and screams for the Phantom after a native bartender has told it is the only way to find the man he is looking for.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Hero
• Guran

One-time characters

• Ajax
• Max
• Bill
• Big Bailey
• Pete

Locations

• Bengali
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
  • Unnamed town

Tribes

• Wambesi
• Llongo

Organizations

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• "El hombre más fuerte del mundo", Tit-Bits #2327 – #2340 (1954)
• Gran Bonete #1 (1954)
• "Músculos de acero", El Fantasma #22 (1960)
• "El Forzudo", El Espectro #106 (1968)

Australia

• The Phantom #63 (1953)
• The Phantom #153 (1959)
• The Phantom #257 (1964)
• The Phantom #397 (1969)
• The Phantom #561 (1975)
• The Phantom #751 (1982)
• The Phantom #1167 (1997)
• The Phantom #1818 (2018)

Barbados

• Barbados Advocate September 2, 1952 – November 26, 1952

Brazil

• "O Rapto de Jerry", Fantasma #1 (1953)
• "O Grande Ajax", Fantasma Especial 1978
• "O Rapto de Jerry", Fantasma Especial (1980)
• "O Majestoso Ajax", Extorsão Travessia Oceânica e Outras Histórias (2026)

Canada

• The Moncton Transcript July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• La Patrie July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• L'Action catholique January 21, 1953 – April 30, 1953

Denmark

• Aalborg Stiftstidende July 13, 1953 – October 3, 1953
• Horsens Folkeblad April 27, 1954 – July 22, 1954
• Hejmdal May 17, 1954 – August 10, 1954

Finland

• "...ja maailman vahvin mies", Sarjakuvalehti 8/1962
• "Jalokivivarkaus", Sarjakirja 1/1992
• "Suuri Ajax", Ilta-Sanomat October 8, 2012 – October 23, 2012 - without the first week, the second week was printed twice and December 27, 2018 – January 17, 2019

France

• L'Aurore January 12, 1953 – April 4, 1953
• "Ajax le géant", Le Fantôme #311 – #312 (1970)

Italy

• "Ajax il gigante", Il Vascello #17 (1958)
• "Ajax il gigante", I Classici dell'Avventura #50 (1963)
• "Aiax il gigante", L'Uomo Mascherato #159 (1970)
• "Ajax il gigante", Phantom #31 (1994)
• "Ajax il gigante", Phantom #300

Jamaica

• The Daily Gleaner November 2, 1952 – January 29, 1953

Mexico

• El Informador September 15, 1952 – December 6, 1952
• "Vence a Ajax", Paquito #10012 (1953)

Norway

• Aftenposten September 12, 1953 – December 4, 1953
• Skippern 1/1959 – 19/1959
• "Juveltyveriet", Fantomet 23/1975
• "Juveltyveriet", Serie-pocket #168 (1992)
• "Juveltyveriet", Krønikebok #38 (2007)

New Zealand

• The Phantom #105 – #106
• The Phantom #358 – #360

Portugal

• "O Roubo das Jóias", Selecções #1 (1961)
• "O Grande Ajax", Jornal do Cuto #123 (1975)
• "O Grande Ajax", Jornal do Cuto Vol. 6 N. 110-125

Spain

• "El invencible Ajax", El Hombre Enmascarado #33, "Un hermano ejemplar", #34, "Las joyas de la corona", #35, and "Por el camino recto", #36 (1952)
• "El hombre mas fuerte de mundo", El Hombre Enmascarado #24 and "La redención", #25 (1958)
• "El hombre mas fuerte de mundo", El Hombre Enmascarado #73A – #74A (1965?)
• "El hombre mas fuerte de mundo", El Hombre Enmascarado Biblioteca Eterna #15 (1970)
• "Ayax el Gigante", Phantom, El Hombre Enmascarado #38

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet October 12, 1953 – January 7, 1954
• Katrineholmskuriren April 30, 1954 – July 27, 1954
• Nerikes Allehanda October 4, 1954 – December 28, 1954
• Fantomen 23 – 26/1955
• "Juvel-stölden", Fantomen 13/1961
• "Juvelstölden", Fantomen 3/1975
• Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1955, Del 3 (2007)
• "Juvel-stölden", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1961, Del 3 (2012)

United Arab Republic

• "الشبح و أقوي رجل في العالم" (romanized as "Alshabah wa aqua rajol fi alalem"), Samir #227 – #238 (1960)

United Kingdom

• Birmingham Evening Despatch September 23, 1952 – December 15, 1952

USA

• The Daily Record July 21, 1952 – October 4, 1952 - without the last four weeks (no Phantom strips from September 8 to 27, 1952; continued on September 29, 1952 with original strip from September 8, 1952)
• The Alabama Journal July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Alliance Times-Herald July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Atlanta Constitution July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Bangor Daily News July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Beaver County Times July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Birmingham News July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Bradford Era July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Carthage Evening Press July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Charleston Daily Mail July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Chester Times July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Courier-Post July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Daily Item July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Daily Standard July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Decatur Daily July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Dziennik dla Wszystkich July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Evening News July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952‎
• Gloucester County Times July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Green Bay Press-Gazette July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Greensboro Record July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Hanford Morning Journal July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Hanford Sentinel July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Herald News July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Jersey Journal July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Johnson City Press July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Ledger-Enquirer July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Monessen Daily Independent July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Morning Press July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Morning Sentinel July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Morristown Gazette Mail July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Oneonta Star July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Oxnard Press-Courier July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Progress July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Reading Eagle July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Richmond Times-Dispatch July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Rome Daily Sentinel July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Sandusky Register Star News July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Syracuse Herald Journal July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• Times Herald July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Times Recorder July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Washington Reporter July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Winchester Sun July 21, 1952 – October 11, 1952
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Eleven 1951–1953 (2017)

West Germany

• "Der Schatz der Wabutus", Phantom #66 (1976)
• "Der Schatz der Wabutus", Phantom Super-band #7