Phantom 2040

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.

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 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.

Phantom 2040 is probably the best animated action-adventure series I've seen. It doesn't cater to a low-intelligence audience: you've really got to watch this, and watch it carefully, to follow everything that's going on. Lots of intricate inter-plotting of episodes and characters, somewhat sympathetic bad guys (Ron Perlman's Graf in particular, one of the "grayest" villains ever), funky artwork, and a well-developed future society (compare it to, say, "The Magician" (1998)). Hopefully someone will carry this in repeats at some point (Sci-Fi Channel, maybe), because it's a show that should have stayed on forever.

Well, it's either this or Gundam Wing, and what they both share is a darker tone than most cartoons. I kinda fell on this when I was channel flicking but I got hooked. The art is very stylised but I like it and well the Phantom rocks. But what really got me was the bad guys, who well Rebecca Madison may have been evil, but her son and Graft weren't, and when your about 7-8 that really messes with your mind.

So, even if you're an adult who thinks cartoons are for kids I can heartily recommend this.