Wambo the Gambler

Wambo the Gambler
Start date:	January 14th, 1957
End date:	March 30th, 1957
# of strips:	66 strips (11 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Wilson McCoy
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Heavyweight Champion"
Followed by:	"The White Princess"

"Wambo the Gambler" is the 65th Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Wilson McCoy.

Plot synopsis

The sons of the jungle chiefs is sent to school in the city. One of them, Wambo, son of the Wambesi chief, gambles away some of the money sent to him by his father and gets more. When he returns to his tribe, he suggests that the tribe's gold be put in a bank. After consulting the Phantom, he gets half of it to put it in a bank. He puts everything he gets in a bank account but keeps one pot of gold which he takes to a gambling establishment and loses everything, partly due to the fact that they are cheating. The runners then persuades him to start writing checks from the bank account that he has just opened. Wambo, not having totally grasped the concept of checks, loses everything that has been entrusted to him. When he realizes what he has done, he feels very deeply ashamed of himself but, having nowhere else to go, he returns to the jungle, where his father is very proud of his son. After some agonizing time, he tells the Phantom what he has done and the Phantom accompanies him back and forces the crooks to hand back all money except for that first pot that Wambo lost.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The Phantom
• Devil
• Hero
• Guran
• Wambesi chief
• Wambo

One-time characters

• Unnamed Boss of Casino
• Ed
• Jess

Locations

• Bengali
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
  • Mawitaan (unnamed)
    • Bengali College
    • Unnamed Casino
  • Wambesi village

Tribes

• Bandar
• Wambesi

Old jungle sayings

• The cold voice of the angry Phantom can freeze the blood.
• The cold voice of the angry Phantom can freeze a tiger.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "Wambo the Gambler",The Phantom #115 (1957)
• "Wambo the Gambler",The Phantom #205 (1962)
• "Wambo the Gambler", The Phantom #318 (1966)
• "Wambo the Gambler", The Phantom #472 (1972)
• "Wambo the Gambler", The Phantom #648 (1978)
• "The Prodigal Son", The Phantom #857 (1986)
• "Wambo the Gambler", The Phantom #1297 (2001)
• "Wambo the Gambler", The Phantom #1904 (2021)

Brazil

• "O Príncipe", Fantasma #29 (1957)
• "O Príncipe Wambo", O Fantasma #24 (1972)
• "O Príncipe", Fantasma #261 (1977)
• "O Príncipe", Fantasma #344 (1984)
• "O Príncipe Wambo", Fantasma - Edição Histórica #17 (1995)

Canada

• Le Nouvelliste January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• La Patrie January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• L'Action catholique September 11, 1957 – November 26, 1957

Denmark

• Hejmdal January 23, 1958 – April 13, 1958
• "Den enarmede bandit", Serie-pocket #34 (1981)

Finland

• "Pelihimoa", Sarjakirja #58 (1980)
• "Viidakon jumalatar", Sarjakirja 1/1994
• "Yksikätinen rosvo", Ilta-Sanomat September 17, 2013 – October 1, 2013

France

• "Une bande de filous", Le Fantôme Spécial #78 (1970)

Germany

• Phantom #2 (1996)

India

• "The Casino Gangsters", Indrajal Comics #65 (1968)
• "The Web of Deceit", Indrajal Comics Vol. 22 No. 10 (1985)

Italy

• "La banda dei Bari", L'Uomo Mascherato #3 (1959)
• "La banda dei Bari", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #174 (1966)
• "La banda dei Bari", Phantom #43 (1995)

Jamaica

• The Daily Gleaner June 27, 1957 – September 12, 1957

Mexico

• El Informador March 19, 1957 – June 3, 1957

New Zealand

• The Phantom #292 – #294

Norway

• Aftenposten April 24, 1958 – July 14, 1958
• "Spillegalskap", Serie-pocket #52 (1981)

Spain

• "El Principe en la ciudad", El Hombre Enmascarado #7 (1958)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", El Hombre Enmascarado - Album de Lujo #2 (1961)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", Libro de Oro I (1962)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", El Hombre Enmascarado #46A (1964)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", Album de El Hombre Enmascarado (1965)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", El Hombre Enmascarado Biblioteca Eterna #10 (1970)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", El Hombre Enmascarado #4 (1973)
• "El Principe en la ciudad", El Hombre Enmascarado #9 (1979)
• "El casino de los tramposos", Phantom, El Hombre Enmascarado #12 (1997?)

Sweden

• Svenska Dagbladet May 24, 1958 – August 9, 1958
• Göteborgs-Tidningen December 1958 – 1959
• Nerikes Allehanda April 8, 1959 – June 27, 1959
• Västernorrlands Allehanda ?, 1959 – February 24, 1960
• Örnsköldsviks Allehanda December 30, 1959? – March 17, 1960
• "I spelets våld", Fantomen 27/1959
• "Den enarmade banditen", Fantomen 18/1966
• "Den enarmade banditen", Serie-pocket #99 (1981)
• "I spelets våld", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1959, Del #4 (2010)
• "Den enarmade banditen", Fantomen - Den inbundna årgången 1966, Del 4 (2017)

Turkey

• "Genç Wambesi", Kızılmaske #201 – #203 (1977)

United Kingdom

• "The Prodigal Son", The Phantom Illustrated Comic #5 (1959)

USA

• The Beaver County Times January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Birmingham News January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Bradford Era January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Bristol Daily Courier January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Charleston Daily Mail January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Charlotte News January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Chester Times January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Courier-Post January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Daily Item January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Denton Record-Chronicle January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Evening News January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Green Bay Press-Gazette January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Herald News January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Laurel Leader-Call January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Monessen Daily Independent January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Morristown Gazette Mail January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Oneonta Star January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Oxnard Press-Courier January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Plattsburgh Press-Republican January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Pocono Record January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Progress January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Reading Eagle January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Richmond Times-Dispatch January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Rome Daily Sentinel January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Rome News-Tribune January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Sandusky Register Star News January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Syracuse Herald Journal January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Times Recorder January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• Uniontown Morning Herald January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Washington Reporter January 14, 1957 – March 30, 1957
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume Fourteen 1956–1957 (2018)

Yugoslavia

• "Gorko iskustvo", Denis #198 (1980)