War in the Jungle

War in the Jungle
Start date:	April 12th, 1937
End date:	September 18th, 1937
# of strips:	138 (23 weeks)
Writer:	Lee Falk
Artist:	Ray Moore
Original colorist:	N/A
Preceded by:	"The Sky Band"
Followed by:	"Little Toma"

"War in the Jungle" (also known as "The Diamond Hunters") is the third Phantom daily story. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Ray Moore.

Plot Synopsis

Rogue prospectors Smiley and Hill discover a rich deposit of diamond bearing clay in the Llongo territory but Llongo Chief Tari refuses to allow them to mine in the area. Smiley knows that Tari’s son Prince Kula and the Osi-Wey chief Kygani’s daughter Princess Ota are in love with each other. As Kygani is against the marriage Smiley tries to incite him to attack the Llongo but he refuses saying that he will not break the Phantom Peace of the jungle.

Smiley and Hill then kidnap Ota and the blame is put on Kula. When Smiley convinces Kygani that the Phantom is dead the war between the Llongo and the Osi-Wey starts and soon other tribes are also involved with Smiley providing rifles to the Osi-Wey. Meanwhile the Phantom, who was away fighting the Sky Band, returns to the jungle, gets to know the situation from the Bandar and Kula. He rescues Ota from the prospectors and at his intervention the war is stopped. Smiley however shoots Hill and escapes.

In the meantime, Diana who had left thinking Phantom is dead is told by Melville Horton that he is alive. She returns to Frasertown and takes a safari to the jungle to find Phantom. Smiley changes his appearance and becomes the guide for her safari and kidnaps her when he realises that she is Phantom’s love interest. He tries to sell her off for ransom rights but the Phantom comes to know about her kidnapping and rescues her killing Smiley in the process.

Back in the jungle the Phantom and Diana discuss marriage but Diana believes that Phantom should not leave the jungle while she cannot stay there forever. She, therefore, leaves at night leaving a note for the Phantom asking him not to follow her.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• The 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Guran
• Diana Palmer
• Melville Horton

One-time characters

• Smiley
• Hill
• Prince Kula of Llongo
• Princess Ota of Osi-Wey
• Chief Kygani of Osi-Wey
• Captain Dufrais
• Chief Tari of Llongo
• Jim
• Cotton
• Zoli of Djarling
• Pedro

Locations

• Egypt (implied)
  • Port Said
• Aden
• India
  • Bombay
• The Phantom's Country
  • The Bandar Village
  • The Skull Throne
  • Llongo Village
  • Osi-Wey Village
  • Frasertown
  • The Bad Camp

Tribes

• Llongo
• Osi-Wey
• Djarling
• Wathacti
• Bandar

Behind the scenes

Title panel.

• Diana sees the Phantom without his mask for the first time, and has her first visit to the Bandar Village and the Phantom's home.
• This story features one of the rare occasions where the Phantom kills - Smiley is shot down and dies.
• The settlement at the outskirt of the Phantom's jungle is named for the first time: Frasertown. In the following story, "Little Toma", Frasertown is pinpointed to be in Bengal, India.
• This story has often been reprinted with the title "The Diamond Hunters". However, the actual title "War in the Jungle" appears in the last daily strip of the preceding story.
• This story marks the first appearance of the Llongo tribe.

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Argentina

• Tit-Bits #1515 – #1551 (1939)

Australia

• The Phantom #1 (1938)
• "War in the Jungle", The Phantom #2 (1938)
• "War in the Jungle", The Phantom #196 (1961; part 2 only)
• "War in the Jungle", The Phantom #307 (1966; part 2 only)
• "War in the Jungle", The Phantom #456 (1971; part 2 only)
• "War in the Jungle", The Phantom #631 (1978; part 2 only)
• "The Diamond Hunters", The Phantom #1000 (1992)
• "The Diamond Hunters", The Phantom #1569 (2010)
• "War in the Jungle", The Phantom #1701 (2014; part 2 only)

Brazil

• A Gazeta ? – ?
• "Guerra na Floresta", O Globo Juvenil 29 – #60 (1937)
• "Guerra na Floresta", Álbum O Globo Juvenil #1 (1937)
• "Guerra na Floresta", Fantasma Especial 1976
• "Guerra na Floresta", Almanaque Fantasma #19 (1984)
• "Os Caçadores de Diamantes", Fantasma #3 (1989)
• "Guerra na Selva", O Fantasma Omnibus: Piratas Aéreos e Outras Histórias (2022)

Finland

• "Timanttien jäljillä", Ilta-Sanomat September 15, 2015 – October ?, 2015

France

• Aventures 33-52/1937
• "Les chercheurs de diamants", Aventures et Mystère #8, "Diana est prisonnière", #10, and "Le petit protégé du Fantôme", #11 (1938)
• "Les chercheurs de diamants", Aventures et Mystère #4 and "Diana est prisonnière", #7(1947)
• "Guerre dans la jungle", Le Fantôme Spécial #49 and "La reine des Bandar", #50 (1967)
• "Les chercheurs de diamants", Le Fantôme Vol. 2 1937 – 1938 (1984)

Italy

• "La guerra nella giungla", L'Avventuroso #155 – 160 and "La regina dei Bandar", #161 – #169 (1937-38)
• "La Regina dei Bandar", Collana Albi grandi avventure #4 (1938)
• "Guerra nella giungla", Collana Albi grandi avventure #5, "La regina dei Bandar", #3, and "La fine di Smith", #4 (1946; partially redrawn by unknown local artist)
• "Guerra nella giungla", L'Uomo Mascherato Super Albo #77 and "La regina dei Bandar", #79 (1964)
• "I cercatori di diamanti", L'Uomo Mascherato #2 (1974)
• "Guerra nella giungla", "La regina dei Bandar", and "La fine di Smith", Collana Albi grandi avventure Vol. #2 (1975)
• "Cacciatori di diamanti", Phantom #4 (1991)
• "Cacciatori di diamanti", Phantom Raccolta #2 (1993)
• "Cacciatori di diamanti", Phantom #120
• "Cacciatori di diamanti", The Phantom #1 (2014)

Norway

• "Diamantjegerne", Fantomet 7/1995
• "Diamantjegerne", Klassiske jungelhistorier #3 (2015)

Portugal

• Mundo de Aventuras Especial #13 (1976)

Spain

• "Los buscadores de diamantes", El Hombre Enmascarado #8, "El secuestro de Diana Palmer", #9, and "El protegido del Hombre Enmascarado", #10 (cca 1941)
• "El secuestro de Diana Palmer", El Hombre Enmascarado #36, "Fusiles en la jungla", #37, and #38 (1990; part 1 edited together with "The Sky Band")
• "Guerra en la jungla", The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado #7 (2020)

Sweden

• "Diamantjägarna", En odödlig legend (1996)

Turkey

• Çocuk Sesi #494 – #509 (1939; from #508 and onwards in Çocuk Sesi Afacan)
• "Elmas Arayıcıları", 1001 Roman - Özel Sayı #3 and "Ormanların Çocuğu", #8 (1940; edited together with "Little Toma" part 1))
• "Ormanların Çocuğu", 1001 Özel #185 (1956; part 2 only, edited together with "Little Toma" part 1)

USA

• The Rome Daily Sentinel April 12, 1937 – September 18, 1937
• The Nassau Daily Review-Star September 7, 1937 – September 18, 1937 (last eleven strips only)
• The Monessen Daily Independent September 13, 1937 – September 18, 1937 - the last week only
• Ace Comics #25 – #40 (1937)
• Feature Book #53 (1948)
• The Diamond Hunters (1999)
• The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume One 1936–1937 (2010)

Yugoslavia

• "Rat u džungli", Hrvatski dnevnik October 4, 1937 – January 7, 1938
• "Rat u džungli", Fantom - Rat u džungli #1 – #6 (1937-1938)
• "Gospodar džungle", Truba #26 – #30 (1938; redrawn by unknown local artist)
• "Рат у џунгли" (romanized as "Rat u džungli"), Mika Miš #218 – #242 (1938)
• "Рат у џунгли" (romanized as "Rat u džungli"), Zabavnik #45 – #46 (1938)
• "Ukleti dijamanti", Biblioteka Nostalgija #4 (1985)