Shakti Comics New Set Brings Back Popeye, The Phantom & a Stunning Indian-Themed Poster
A Classic sailor, the Ghost Who Walks and a spectacular Phantom poster celebrating India — Shakti Comics latest releases are packed with nostalgia.
Classic comics have a special ability to bring back memories, and Shakti Comics latest releases do exactly that.
The new set brings together Popeye the Sailorman, The Phantom #29: A Lesson for Prince Orq, and a striking Phantom poster featuring the legendary masked hero holding the Indian tricolor, flanked by two tigers.
It is an interesting combination of international comic-book nostalgia and Indian comics culture and there is plenty here for collectors to appreciate.
Popeye The Sailorman – Get Lorst & The Jeep
The first release is Popeye The Sailorman – Get Lorst & The Jeep, priced at ₹250, with a sale price of ₹225.
The edition brings together two Popeye stories, Get Lorst and The Jeep. The Get Lorst storyline belongs to the later Popeye newspaper-strip era and was published from July to September 1983.
Popeye himself needs little introduction. Created by cartoonist E. C. Segar, he first appeared in Thimble Theatre in 1929. The sailor became so popular that the strip eventually evolved into the Popeye comic strip we know today.
And the title The Jeep carries an especially fun piece of comicbook history.
Eugene the Jeep, the mysterious, magical creature associated with Popeye, was introduced in the strip in 1936. The character could perform seemingly impossible feats and became one of the memorable additions to the Popeye universe.
Interestingly, Eugene the Jeep is also connected to the history of the word “jeep” itself. While the exact origin of the vehicle’s name has been debated, the popularity of Popeye’s Eugene the Jeep is frequently mentioned as part of the story surrounding the name.
For collectors, that makes this more than simply another Popeye reprint, it is a chance to revisit a character whose comic-strip legacy stretches back nearly a century.
The Phantom #29: A Lesson for Prince Orq
Then comes the real nostalgia bomb.
The Phantom #29: A Lesson for Prince Orq carries a regular price of ₹299 and a sale price of ₹270.
The specifications are:
- Story: A Lesson for Prince Orq
- Writer: Lee Falk
- Art: Wilson McCoy
- Colours: Avishek Biswas & Santosh Adsul
- Cover Art: Avishek Biswas
- Language: English
- Pages: 32
- Format: Glossy
The original story was written by Lee Falk and illustrated by Wilson McCoy. It originally ran as a Phantom Sunday story from April 14 to August 18, 1957, comprising 19 pages.
What is A Lesson for Prince Orq about?
The story takes the Phantom into the jungles of Bengali, where Prince Orq becomes the centre of a conflict.
Orq trespasses into the Phantom’s territory and gets into trouble after attempting to punish a young boy who has stopped him from shooting a tame deer. The Phantom intervenes, humiliating the arrogant prince.
But Orq isn’t ready to accept the lesson.
He sends three killers after the Phantom, promising them pardons and gold if they succeed. What follows is classic Phantom territory: jungle danger, pursuit, treachery and the Ghost Who Walks standing between the powerful and those who cannot defend themselves.
The story features the 21st Phantom, along with Devil and several other characters, and remains an excellent example of the jungle-adventure storytelling that defined many of Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy’s Phantom stories.
And Here Comes the Indrajal Connection!
This is where the new release becomes particularly exciting for Indian Phantom and Indrajal collectors.
A Lesson for Prince Orq was not just another Phantom story published decades ago. It was the second Phantom story in the original Indrajal Comics sequence.
When Indrajal Comics launched in March 1964, its very first issue featured The Phantom’s Belt, based on Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy’s The Belt.
The second issue followed with Prince Orq, the Indrajal version of A Lesson for Prince Orq. Historical listings place it in April 1964, immediately after The Phantom’s Belt.
That makes Shakti Comics The Phantom #29 particularly interesting for readers who grew up with Indrajal Comics.
The sequence creates a wonderful bridge between generations:
Indrajal Comics #1 — The Phantom’s Belt
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Indrajal Comics #2 — Prince Orq
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Shakti Comics — The Phantom #29: A Lesson for Prince Orq
For longtime collectors, that connection alone makes this release worth noticing.
A Phantom Poster That Deserves Attention
And then there is the poster.
On the occasion of India’s Independence Day featuring The Phantom holding the Indian tricolor with two tigers beside him, the artwork gives the character a distinctly Indian visual identity.
The illustration is by Avishek Biswas, whose work also appears on the cover of The Phantom #29.
The composition is particularly striking because The Phantom has always had a strong connection with Indian comicbook readers. Indrajal Comics played a major role in introducing and popularising characters such as The Phantom among generations of Indian readers.
Putting the Ghost Who Walks alongside the Indian national flag and two powerful tigers therefore feels like a visual celebration of that long-standing relationship between the character and Indian comics fandom.
For collectors, this could easily become the standout visual piece of the set.
Different Eras, Same Vibe!
What makes this release interesting isn’t simply the presence of two famous characters.
It is the mix of eras.
Popeye represents nearly a century of newspaper-strip history. The Phantom represents one of the most enduring adventure characters in comics. And A Lesson for Prince Orq carries a direct connection to the earliest days of Indrajal Comics in India.
Shakti Comics is essentially bringing together classic international comics, Indian publishing nostalgia and modern Indian comicbook artwork in one package.
And for collectors who remember searching for old Indrajal issues, seeing A Lesson for Prince Orq return in a new edition is likely to trigger a serious dose of nostalgia.
The releases are currently listed by Shakti Comics, while the Popeye collection is also listed by Dev Comic Store.
Comics Byte Thoughts
For a comic collector, nostalgia isn’t always about finding an original vintage copy.
Sometimes, it is about seeing a familiar story return in a fresh edition and remembering where you first encountered it.
The Phantom #29: A Lesson for Prince Orq has that advantage in spades. It connects today’s Shakti Comics release directly to Indrajal Comics #2 from 1964, while the companion Popeye volume brings another legendary character from comic-strip history back into the spotlight.
Add the beautifully illustrated Phantom and India poster by Avishek Biswas, and Shakti Comics latest set becomes a rather attractive proposition for fans of classic comics.
For readers who grew up with Indrajal, and for younger collectors discovering these characters today, this is the kind of release that reminds us why classic comics never really disappear, they simply find new readers. Cheers – Comics Byte!!
