Classic pulp hero Mandrake the Magician is back - as Mandy

(Image credit: Amelia Vidal (King Features/Red 5 Comics/StoneBot Studios))

Lee Falk's comic strip hero Mandrake the Magician is returning to comics this October, making the story a generational one with the next Mandrake: Mandy.

King Features has partnered with Red 5 Comics and StoneBot Studios for a modern continuation of the franchise with writer Erica Schulz and artists Diego Giribaldi, Juan Pablo Massa, and Moncho Bunge.

(Image credit: Evelin Unfer (King Features/Red 5 Comics/StoneBot Studios))

"Mandrake the Magician: Mandrake's Legacy follows 17-year-old Mandy Paz, a magician-in-training who aspires to someday be just like the legendary Mandrake," reads the press announcement. "She suspects her inborn magical powers must have something to do with her mysterious parentage, but so far, her mom's lips are zipped, and she has to work out the whole magician thing with the help of her BFF, LJ."

Wait... "mysterious parentage" and aspirations to "be just like the legendary Mandrake"? Maybe we've read too many comics, but this sounds like Mandrake could be that father... But we won't know for sure until the comic gets going in October.

"While she is learning to command her superpowers, she's also navigating college applications, mean girls, the high school talent show, a magic mirror, a kidnapping, and … monsters?" the press announcement continues. "Mandy's world is about to get a whole lot weirder and way more enchanted."

Mandrake is one of the earliest comic book superheroes, and the second-most-famous creation of Lee Falk after the Phantom. Created for a newspaper comic strip series, the original Mandrake dressed like a stage magician but used real-life magic powers such as hypnosis, levitation, and teleporting to fight crime. Fans will remember that Mandrake himself was a second-generation hero, taking after his father Theron.

"Mandrake the Magician was one of the most influential comic strips of its time, so what better way to pay that legacy homage than to breathe new life into the property with a fresh twist that targets a new generation of young readers," King Features licensing director Christina Nix Lynch says. "Both Red 5 and StoneBot have track records of incredible success and their imaginative approach to the next chapter in Mandrake's magical saga is sure to win the hearts of new fans."

Mandrake the Magician: Mandrake's Legacy #1 is scheduled to go on sale October 28.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)