The Shark's Nest

The Shark's Nest
Start date:	July 25th, 1938
End date:	November 5th, 1938
# of strips:	90 (15 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Ray Moore
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"Adventure in Algiers"
Followed by:	"Fishers of Pearls"

"The Shark's Nest" is the seventh Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore.

Plot Summary

The Phantom travels home aboard the Queen of Suez when it is tricked into investigating a ship in distress that turns out to be a pirate ship, the "Shark's Nest", in disguise. The pirate captain, Baron Grover, has taken a girl named Trudi, her mother, and the passengers valuables before sailing off, at which point the Phantom stows away aboard his ship. After putting up a stealthy attempt, the Phantom is captured and taken to their hideout, Grover Island, where he thwarts various execution attempts, including a one on one fight with a man named Big Steve, who the Phantom chooses not to kill. Later, while the pirate crew attempts a 5 on 1 hunt for the Phantom all over the island, Big Steve returns to help the Phantom even the odds, and the Phantom captures Baron Grover, forcing him to surrender himself and his crew to naval forces.

Big Steve is given some leniency by the naval forces for helping the Phantom, and Trudi and her mother safely return to the voyage.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The Phantom
• Devil
• Baron Grover
• Big Steve

One-time characters

• Nana
• Trudi
• Dan
• Bud

Tribes

• Bandar (mentioned)

Locations

• Grover Island
• Hong Kong (mentioned)

Vehicles

• The Queen of Suez
  • Cabin 14
• The Shark's Nest

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• The title "The Shark's Nest" appears in the last daily strip of the preceding story.
• The Phantom is still traveling in Cabin 14 aboard The Queen of Suez, the same ship that he boards in "Adventure in Algiers".
• When Baron Grover is about to unmask the Phantom, he is told that "any man who sees the Phantom's face will drop dead instantly". This is the first time in the history of the strip that this part of the Phantom legend is mentioned to the readers, and it has Grover changing his mind on the subject.
• Two antecedents about the Phantom are mentioned: "He is made of steel!" and "He has the strength of ten tigers!". However, they are not referred to as "old jungle sayings" (the term isn't coined yet) but is followed by another remark: "- the natives whisper".

Related stories

Referenced in

• "Zigomar vs. The Phantom" by Branko Vidić and Nikola Navojev
• "The Return of Grover" by Giorgio Cambiotti & Annibale Casabianca.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Tit-Bits #1621 – #1644 (1940)

Australia

• "The Pirate Baron", The Phantom #3 (1939)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #12 (1949)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #119 (1957)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #209 (1962)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #331 (1967)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #487 (1972)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #669 (1979)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #884 (1987)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #932 (1989)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #1249 (2000)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #1692 (2014)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #12 replica, included with The Phantom #1343 (2003)
• "The Shark's Nest", The Phantom #1891 (2021)

Brazil

• "O Ninho de Tubarãoes", O Globo Juvenil #177 – #218 (1938)
• "O Ninho dos Tubarãoes", Álbum O Globo Juvenil #6 (1939)
• "A Ilha dos Piratas", Almanaque do Fantasma para 1962 (edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "O Ninho do Tubarão", Almanaque do Gibi Nostalgia #3 (1976)
• "A Lenda do Fantasma", O Fantasma #11 (1970; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "A Lenda do Fantasma", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #12 (1995; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "O Ninho do Tubarão", O Fantasma Omnibus: Piratas Aéreos e Outras Histórias (2022)

Estonia

• Uus Eesti December 19, 1938 – January 10, 1939 - the last three weeks only

Finland

• "Salaisuuksien saari", Mustanaamio 2/1983
• "Merirosvojen saari", Ilta-Sanomat January 14, 2016 – February 8, 2016
• "Merirosvojen saari", Mies, joka ei kuole koskaan (2016)

France

• Aventures 42/1938-9/1939 (edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "L'intrigue de Madame Palmer", Aventures et Mystère #20 and "Le baron pirate", #21 (1940; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "L'intrigue de Madame Palmer", Aventures et Mystère #19 (1947; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "Le Baron pirate", Le Fantôme du Bengale #1 (1949)
• Le Fantôme contre le baron pirate (1965; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "Les hors la loi de l'océan", Le Fantôme Spécial #51 – #52 (1967; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")

Italy

• "Il fuorilegge dell'occeano", L'Avventuroso #206 – #221
• "Il fuori legge dell'occeano", Collana Albi grandi avventure #7 (1940)
• "Il fuori legge dell'occeano", Collana Albi grandi avventure #36 and "Un terribile duello", #37 (1947; with additional art by unknown local artist)
• "Il fuorilegge dell'occeano", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #57 (1963; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "Il covo dello squalo", L'Uomo Mascherato #2 (1974)
• "Il fuori legge dell'occeano" and "Un terribile duello", Collana Albi grandi avventure Vol. #3 (1975; with additional art by unknown local artist)
• "Il fuorilegge dell'occeano", Phantom #7 (1992)
• "Il fuorilegge dell'occeano", I classici del Fumetto di Republica #15 (2003)
• "Il fuorilegge dell'oceano", The Phantom #1 (2014)

Mexico

• Paquito #10030 – #10032 (1953)

The Netherlands

• Stripkoerier 5 – 17/1977

New Zealand

• The Phantom #76 – #77

Norway

• "Baron Grovers piratøy", Fantomet 2/1983
• "Baron Grovers piratøy", Mannen som ikke kan dø (2016)

Portugal

• "A Ilha dos Piratas", Mandrake & Fantasma - Os Clássicos da Banda Desenhada #23 (2004)

Spain

• "La intriga de la señora Palmer", El Hombre Enmascarado #15, "El baron pirata", #16 and "Cogido en la trampa", #17 (cca 1941; in part 1 edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "La intriga de la señora Palmer", El Hombre Enmascarado #015, "El baron pirata", #016 and "Cogido en la trampa", #017 (1960; in part 1 edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "Nido de tiburones", El Hombre Enmascarado #43 (1977)
• "La intriga de la señora Palmer", El Hombre Enmascarado #40 – #41 (1990; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "El nido del tiburón", The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado #8 (2020)

Sweden

• "Baron Grovers piratö", Fantomen 19/1982
• "Hajnästet", Mannen som inte kan dö (2016)

Turkey

• 1001 Roman #126 – ?
• 1001 Özel #143 – #144 (1955; traced by Yılmaz Bora)
• "Kızıl Maskenin Hayatı", Red Kit #8 – #13 (1965; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "Kızıl Maskenin Hayatı", Kızıl Maske (#10-11?) (1968; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")

USA

• The Monessen Daily Independent July 25, 1938 – November 5, 1938
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star July 25, 1938 – November 5, 1938
• The Rome Daily Sentinel July 25, 1938 – November 5, 1938
• The Winchester Sun July 25, 1938 – November 5, 1938
• Chester Times October 24, 1938 – November 5, 1938 - the last two weeks only
• Ace Comics #56 – #60 (1941-42)
• The Shark's Nest (1999)
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Two 1937–1939 (2010)

Yugoslavia

• "Fantom i Diana", Hrvatski dnevnik December 24, 1938 – April 24, 1939
• Mika Miš #348 – #377 (1939)
• "Барон Гровер" (romanized as "Baron Grover"), Zabavnik #93 – #94 (1940; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers")
• "Ajkulino gnezdo", Biblioteka Nostalgija #7 (1988; edited together with "Adventure in Algiers" & "Fishers of Pearls")