Universal Monsters In Comics: The Phantom Of The Opera

Last time we tackled The Wolf Man in our ongoing series featuring The Universal Monsters In Comics. Today we talk about a character whose status as a 'Universal Monster' is a bit in dispute. However in the studio's (now defunct) sizzle reel for The Dark Universe they included him so the character makes the cut here. Who is that you may ask? A Phantom....Of The Opera. This character did not originate with Universal however most of the depictions we will be talking about today draw clear inspiration from both the Lon Chaney Sr., and Claude Rains portrayals of The Phantom. As with last time we are opting out of straight adaptations, focusing instead on their other appearances or twists upon the story.

Cavewoman: Pangean Sea

This is a strange one, and while I would really not classify it normally as a Phantom Of The Opera story, it definitely includes the only screen accurate drawing of the character. In this comic that appears to just be an excuse to draw scantily clad women, the titular Cavewoman is transformed into a vampire by someone called 'The Vampire King'. The vampire wreaks havoc throughout the small village, eventually he is confronted by 'Drakula' I presume they changed it to a K solely to avoid a lawsuit. Drakula is very clearly the Bela Lugosi version, with the Vampire King even pointing out this fact declaring him a silver screen hack. However Drakula proves superior by forcing The Vampire King into reliving all of his monster movies, and even some he did not appear in. Such is the case for The Phantom Of The Opera who appears in all of his Lon Chaney Sr. glory drawn in immaculate detail. The issue even ends with a dedication to Bela Lugosi himself.

Monster in My Pocket

This comic series is based on the 1989 toyline of the same name. "The Phantom Of The Opera" features in the comic mainly as a background character. The character looks nothing like his film counterpart appearing more akin to Frankenstein with a mask on, however Marvel comics still credited the monsters to Universal during their publication. I was not able to track down the issue itself, but the use of Marvel crediting the creature to Universal seemed noteworthy enough for the inclusion upon this list. The writer on the series is Dwayne McDuffie a notable name in the world of comics, and animation, most notably Static Shock.

Tarzan: Le Monstre

A common theme throughout this list has been literary monsters meeting, or fighting other famous characters from classic pulp fiction. This is yet another example of two famous figures clashing. Tarzan vs. The Phantom Of The Opera. Another issue which I could not track down, but I am certain it is worth reading solely to see how the hell they manage to get Tarzan to the opera. Part of an ongoing series written by Dark Horse in the 90s' it will surprise no one that Tarzan does in fact win the battle.

ExMortis

The idea of uniting the Universal Monsters for a type of army unit is not exactly unique. However in asides from ExMortis not a single one brings The Phantom into the fold. This may be understandable given the that the character is just a man with a deformity, no supernatural powers. This version of The Phantom is unlike any in popculture. They use the name 'Erik' which has always been the Phantom's moniker, but the writers give him the last name 'Leroux' referencing the author of the original novel Gaston Leroux. He is a demolitions expert, and his face is shrouded by a WW1 era gas mask. This comic is definitely worth tracking down.

Batman: Masque

Yes even the famed caped crusader has had some Phantom in his Opera In this elseworlds story written and drawn by artist Mike Grell, Batman must face off against The Phantom Of The Opera. Set in a victorian era Gotham this story has Harvey Dent become The Phantom, as opposed to his more common supervillain persona Two-Face. During a performance of Masque Of The Red Death, Harvey Dent is badly burnt, and his obsession with a ballerina intensifies. It is an intriguing story that while not wholly related to the film is clearly inspired by it.

Ghostbusters (2011-2012) #13

Written by Erik Burnham with art by Dan Schoening this is the only comic that features Peter Venkman making a Silence Of The Lambs reference. This issue also finds our four heroes taking on a literal Phantom of the Opera. Well at least that is their intention. After answering a call to a ghost haunting an opera (he lacks the mask, but the costume and face are clearly aping Lon Chaney Sr.), they are surprised when they arrive to find the apparition already subdued. A rival spectral team has arrived and they have a new weapon that can take out ghosts permanently. A fun issue with a very highly stylized art style, it feels like the dialog effectively captures the character's personality which is a lot more than can be said about most movie tie-in comics.

Phantom Stranger Issue#23

Written by the late Len Wein this issue utilizes not the Phantom himself, but the visage of The Phantom in order to convince the masses of his possible return. An evil sorcerer named Tannarak has disguised himself as The Phantom Of The Opera, whilst teaming up with Quasimodo. Phantom Stranger dukes it out with the imposter Phantom, and eventually the two team up to defeat the true evil Quasimodo. An entertaining issue that uses the most recognizable Parisian folklore to create a fun story.

Li'l Creeps

This is a series done in a chibi art style, but it is unclear who exactly this is made for. It may be for children, but there are a lot of jokes about Dracula eating the IRS, and I can't imagine kids understanding what the IRS is. The story finds the monsters living in a mansion, not paying taxes. So they are going to be evicted by the government unless they get jobs. It is...strange to say the least. Then there are some transphobic jokes specifically in regards to The Phantom Of The Opera. It is rather detestable, and not what I was expecting from the cover/art style. I can't believe I paid a dollar for this comic.

Sherlock Holmes: Adventure Of The Opera Ghost

Sherlock Holmes is one of the all time great literary characters, and is one who will appear a few more times in this series. Publishers love to team him up with Universal Monsters and these diversions are always a joy to read. This comic written in 1994 by Steven Phillip Jones, and drawn by Aldin Baroza throws history's greatest detective up against The Phantom. In the story they literally call the Phantom the 'O.G.' for Opera Ghost. If you are a huge fan of Holmes lore than you should definitely check it out. Jones chose a very interesting period of Holmes mythology to place the story in.