Phantom 2040

Like me you've probably never heard of Phantom 2040 and, up until this point, are only familiar with the Ghost Who Walks through the campy 1990s live action movie which, as your first exposure to the superhero movie genre, you now look back on with rose tinted specs.

Like me you've been raised on Batman, Spiderman and all that other syrupy Marvel / DC material that now suffocates pop culture consciousness and obscures knowledge of anything before or after.

Like me you didn't know that The Phantom was the first masked vigilante / superhero. Like me you thought Batman Beyond, as a dark futuristic superhero narrative - featuring a younger successor to a mysterious and near legendary vigilante - was a pretty rad original idea.

Enter "Phantom 2040".

I saw this series when it was telecast on the Indian National television channel "Doordarshan" in 1997. To me, it ranks as one of the best cartoon adaptations (that too, futuristic) to date. However, the channel discontinued the series sometime in 1999. After that, even I was unable to catch the series (if at all telecast). So I'm still left with that incomplete feeling.

Since IMDb forces one to write too many lines, I'm repeating the above text in its entirety. Sorry. I saw this series when it was telecast on the Indian Nationaltelevision channel "Doordarshan" in 1997. To me, it ranks as one of the best cartoon adaptations (that too, futuristic) to date. However, the channel discontinued the series sometime in 1999. After that, even I was unable to catch the series (if at all telecast). So I'm still left with that incomplete feeling.

Given that "Phantom" creator Lee Falk was never that wild about this show, "Phantom 2040" adhered as close to Falk's formula (hero mantle is passed down from father to son for over 500 years) as possible. Also, the futuristic updating helped garner viewers who were oblivious to the fact that The Phantom is widely viewed in the U.S. as an archaic hero, at least to those only peripherally familiar with the character.

Sci-Fi writers Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens managed to update the legend of The Phantom, throwing in a rather interesting twist; the mantle of "The Ghost Who Walks" was not able to be passed on from the 23rd Phantom to his heir, as he was presumably killed in an accident 16 years prior, making Kit Walker, Jnr. only 2 years old at the time, therefore completely unaware of his father's activities.

18 year-old Kit Walker, Jnr. has been sheltered by his Aunt Heloise (the 23rd Phantom's sister) from the Walker Family Legacy in hopes that the first Walker male in almost 500 years will have the chance at a normal life. When the 23rd Phantom's former comrade-in-arms, Guran, appears from Africa to ensure that Kit knows his family's history, the sparks begin to fly.

The young Kit at first dismisses his responsibility, then acquiesces when he realises the import of The Phantom's work at stamping out piracy, greed, & cruelty, this time in the form of the E-Ville corporation, Maximum, Inc.

The story lines were, for the most part, serialised, an oddity for an animated series, but "Phantom 2040" is much more than an average animated series. This could easily have been a live-action series & it's encouraging to see writers take creative risks like they did here. The series never talks down to its audience, & the writers hired for this project serve to prove that: Marc Scott Zicree & veteran Sci-Fi author Harlan Ellsion top the list of this well-written show.

While this series only lasted 2 seasons, it did have a beginning, middle, & ending, although I suspect the Reeves-Stevenses were hoping to go into a 3rd season, which would've been welcomed with open arms if the writing had stayed as consistent & interesting as it did throughout its 2-year run.

While other series received more acclaim than "Phantom 2040" (the most blatant ripoff being WB's "Batman Beyond"), few were as stylish, ("Aeon Flux" creator Peter Chung did the character design) & even fewer were as tightly plotted. Even though this series never got the accolades it deserves / deserved, at least it got made, it was well-made, & proves that the audience can watch a serious Sc-Fi animated series without being pandered to.

I remember this show appearing sporadically on Indian television (which had a ridiculously poor selection of good cartoons) when I was a kid. Whenever it appeared it was practically an event for me and my brother; we loved it. It was just so cool and different, and I do remember it being totally unlike the tacky cartoons that made up most of kids programming in those days.

Its also different from other quality cartoons like WB's Batman or TMNT. Its really atmospheric and the ideas and sci-fi tech are very unique and cool (for example. Phantom uses these two cylinders as guns/weapons).

The character designs are a little weird. Everyone is quite... elongated.

Totally recommend it, I hope it comes out on DVD so I can catch the episodes I missed.

This show is another one of my favorate TV shows of all time. I honesty never knew about The Phantom comic franchise at the time, I mainly came into this show because I'm a fan of the sci-fi genere so seeing this show was a dream come true for me; let alone having an animated show that took itself seriously which was a rarity at the time. It was also probably a dream come true for fans of the franchise, whom probably never thought it would ever come back, let alone in this form.

I really love the premise which was I felt was an awesome idea, setting an old beloved comic hero/super hero into the future which was rare at the time; this premise was no doubt after Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" and predates the show "Batman Beyond". It makes sense for the character "The Phantom" since it's based on a long linage of people that have taken up the title and worn the mask thoughout the generations.

The animation is great, it's a fluid sort of style and of course this animation was done by Peter Chung whom did "Aeon Flux" another great animated show and a story for another time. I really love the futuristic world which is just a feast for the eyes, obviously inspired by the film "Blade Runner" and just like the world in that film, it's technologically advanced but also dark and gritty really giving the show a neo noir feel. And of coruse the technology is fascinating they have the hover cars which are always cool, but also hover ships, and VR technology which has recently came back and the way it's handled in this show were actually getting very close as were having VR arcades ourselves.

Action is also great and well chorigraphed, there are a lot of well done fire fights. Always loved seeing the Phantom uses those guns of his which are unique, they sort of remind me a little of the Lawgiver from the Judge Dredd comics as they only work on his DNA but on vocal command; only disappointment we never really see the full extent of what those weapons can do, like commanding it to do rapid fire or full lazer blast. Oh well at least a few of the Phantom's other gadgets and physical actions makes up for that.

Characters are also soild for both ends of the spectrum and have a really good voice cast like Scott Valentine, Margot Kidder, Ron Perilman, Mark Hamill. I really like how in places they make the good guys sympathetic as we get a little into Kit and the others whom despite with the times are also in a way outsiders as their people that yern for reminants of the past now lost.

But they also make the bad guys sympathetic as well, show how the war between good and evil isn't black and white. I really like how the show handles the characters that work for Drax which is just an organization of evil that has also unfortunately survived thoughout time, here the characters aren't one dimentional villains but actually feel human, despite some greed and vanity it's not too far in their heads, they do want to make the world livable and honestly think what their doing is right. But they can't clearly see the corrupt nature of their actions which is why they can't stop. We also see their psychologically troubled which makes their characters a bit sad as each of the people from Drax are unhappy in one form or another, despite having almost everything their spiritually empty; despite how much they attain or try to it just doesn't add up to anything fulfilling.

However the highlight is no doubt in it's writing and story format. The writing is really smart and done by some well known writers, one of them one of my favorate authors Harlan Ellison which is cool. The show really delt with certain social issues like pollution, dehumanization and mechinazation, unregulated progress, and danger of letting technology overtake our lives. But also philosophical issues making this show kinda a Philp K Dick tale; our perceptions of reality and existence as a whole, creation and where we truly stand with it and what it means to be human.

As Babe Ruth put it, "Heroes are rembered but legends never die." and that's why the Phantom lives on.

Rating: 4 stars