124 - Moore

Moore RAY MOORE THE PHANTOM KFS King Features Productions Original strip published on July 20, 1941. The title banner is affixed to the original. India ink on paper 73.7 × 47.8 cm (29.02 × 18.82 in.) Ray Moore (1905–1984) is best known as the first artist to draw *The Phantom*, the famous masked vigilante created by Lee Falk, who lives on through the ages and becomes a legendary figure of the jungle. A graduate of the Washington University Art School in St. Louis, he worked as an assistant to Lee Falk on *Mandrake the Magician*, Falk’s first series, before Falk entrusted him with drawing *The Phantom* in 1936, as he was unable to do so himself. Lee Falk considered him one of the best artists to depict the character, particularly appreciating his talent for rendering female figures. This is evident in this page, where the inking and the precision of the lines—particularly in the faces, clothing, and poses—are remarkable. A beautiful drawing influenced by classical painting, created before the “Golden Age” of comic books—notably featuring Jack Kirby—came along to revolutionize the visual language of comics. This quality is said to have inspired the writer to create all-female criminal organizations, such as the famous Sky Band. A pilot during World War II, Moore was the victim of an accident that prevented him from continuing his work as usual after 1943. He briefly resumed the series between 1946 and 1949 but soon had to give it up, entrusting it to his assistant, Wilson McCoy.