Eclipso #18 - April 1994

"Works of Darkness" by Robert Loren Fleming, Audwynn Jermaine Newman, ARay Kryssing, and Luke McDonnell.

The Phantom Stranger finally gets into the battle with Eclipso directly, by addressing the other heroes and launching a plan:

It involves all the crystals he's been collecting in previous issues, and The Spectre even shows up, as well!

This was the final issue of Eclipso, but the Stranger wasn't done yet! He makes one round in The Spectre, which we'll see tomorrow!

The Spectre (Vol.3) #17 - April 1994

"Into The Dark Side" by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake.

The preparation for battle against a mad Spectre continues, with the Phantom Stranger attempting to recruit Madame Xanadu:

...I don't think it's ever been officially mentioned, but sometimes I get the feeling that these two were romantically involved at some point. Some writers seem to write them as if they had a more intimate history than some of the other DC magi.

To be continued!

Eclipso #17 - March 1994

"Big Game" by Robert Loren Fleming, Audwynn Jermaine Newman, Agustin Comotto, Luke McDonnell, and Bob Fujitani.

The Phantom Stranger continued to toggle in between The Spectre and Eclipso for several months, and after a few issues of trailing him, the Stranger finally encounters Eclipso directly:

...To be continued!

The Spectre (Vol.3) #16 - March 1994

"Call for Blood" by John Ostrander, Jim Aparo, and Kelley Jones.

This issue features art by the unusual team of Jim Aparo and Kelley Jones(!), a combination that to my eye doesn't really mesh too well.

That said, it's always nice see Jim Aparo drawing The Phantom Stranger, so here the entirety of the Stranger's appearance in the issue, as he, Dr. Fate, and The Demon come to Zatanna for help:

...this was the last time Aparo would draw The Phantom Stranger. Nice to see the combo one last time!

To be continued!

Update: Oops! I spoke--er, typed--too soon. Commenter MWGallagher is correct in correcting me: this is not the last time Jim Aparo drew The Phantom Stranger. There's one more appearance to come, which we'll get to in a little while. My apologies, and thanks for the correction MWG!

Eclipso #16 - Feb. 1994

"Fallout" by Robert Loren Fleming, Audwynn Jermaine Newman, and Ray Kryssing.

The Phantom Stranger continues following Eclipso, rounding up more shards of the powerful black diamond:

...To be continued!

The Spectre (Vol.3) #15 - Feb. 1994

"Old Blood" by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake.

The Spectre continues his quest for vengeance, and along the way he is met by The Phantom Stranger:

The Stranger later teams up with the usual suspects--Dr. Fate, The Demon--to try and stop the Spectre (good luck with that).

To be continued!

Eclipso #15 - Jan. 1994

"Judgment Day" by Robert Loren Fleming, Audwynn Jermaine Newman, and Ray Kryssing.

While Eclipso goes on a murderous warpath, a mysterious Stranger follows behind him, collecting shards of the super-villain's power:

...it took me about three passes through this issue before I discovered the Stranger's appearance. To be continued!

The Spectre (Vol.3) #14 - Jan. 1994

"Wrath of God" by John Ostrander and Joe Phillips.

The Spectre had a third solo series that started in 1993, so of course it didn't take long for The Phantom Stranger to show up:

The Stranger arrives to warn the priest that the Spectre is on a path of...vengeance! To be continued!

Scarab #2 - Dec. 1993

"Lost and Found" by John Smith, Scot Eaton, and Mike Barreiro.

The Phantom Stranger's updated look--first appearing in the Vertigo one-shot--makes its debut here in the regular DC universe, as he shows up to help guide an old man beset by demons, both internal and external:

...never having read this series, I have absolutely no idea what's going on. But its nice to see the Stranger do his patented "friendly yet spooky guide" bit.

Swamp Thing #137 - Nov. 1993

"Dead Relatives!" by Nancy A. Collins, Russell Braun, and Kim DeMulder.

The Phantom Stranger makes yet another appearance in Swamp Thing, this time in the form of a flashback by John Constantine, when he tells the story of a would-be sorcerer named Polygon, who at one point gets an audience with the Magi Guild:

'm betting Constantine is going to regret that snarky thumbs-down...

Direct Currents #67 -Oct. 1993

During this time, DC was still printing their Direct Currents newsletter, promoting each new month's books.

This month, The Phantom Stranger got a little promo love--in addition to his Vertigo one-shot being on the cover, the inside features a one page feature on the book, as well.

As you might imagine, copies of Direct Currents are a little hard to find, because it probably never occurred to most people to save them. I believe the Stranger did make other appearances in the series, but I couldn't find any other issues but this one!

Vertigo Visions: The Phantom Stranger #1 - Oct. 1993

"Gerontion" by Alisa Kwitney and Guy Davis.

The Phantom Stranger, having made appearances in Swamp Thing and Hellblazer, started getting thought of a Vertigo character, one that could be used in that quasi-alternate universe.

But this is not the Phantom Stranger we all know. The story doesn't really revolve around him, rather its more about a woman named Naomi Walker, who comes to work at a sanitarium named Paradise Gardens:

...of course, this place is beset by all kinds of horrors, like people wallowing away in their own degradation (to the indifference to the rest of the staff), as well as more otherworldly beings, like demons that lurk around the corners, and where Naomi isn't looking.

Later that night, Naomi is relaxing, when she sees something startling:

Naomi is told by one of Paradise Gardens' residents, an old man who tells her that this ghostly figure is his son, and that he has "come to save us."

Naomi then meets with the rest of the staff, and shortly their true forms reveal themselves. She meets up with the old man again after running away from them, and the old man informs her they are in Hell.

Reality keeps shifting for Naomi--sometimes she seems like she's back in Paradise Gardens, other times she quite literally wandering through the flames of Hell. Some of the demons attack her, and The Phantom Stranger finally steps in:

...after a long battle, the old man and the ghostly image of the Stranger merge, into a complete being--body and soul--and he becomes The Phantom Stranger we're familiar with.

Naomi now remembers who she really is, and is forced to deal with that reality. After kissing the Stranger, we flash forward (if that time-specific term can even be used in this context) to much time later, when the Stranger comes back to Paradise Gardens, with Naomi--know saying she is someone named Naamah--now running the place:

...definitely an interesting story, and a unique take on the character. I left a lot of the plot out here, because I don't want to spoil the story for any of you that might find this book out (it can be found very cheaply on eBay).

The Stranger has a slightly altered appearance here--more monkish than the late-60s cool cat look he'd been rocking for so long. After this, the Stranger would retain this look for many of his future guest appearances.

I don't know whether DC/Vertigo considered this a try-out for another PS series, I guess as a Vertigo title. It must not have the set the comics world on fire enough to warrant a series or even another special, since this is (to date) the last solo book the Stranger has headlined.

Stanely and His Monster #4 - May 1993

"Going Down" by Phil Foglio and Chuck Fiala.

The Phantom Stranger is here to help out Stanley and His Monster:

...after tossing Stanley into another dimension, he shows up at the end, after they have emerged victorious from their battle with some demons:

What can I say? The 1990s was a weird time for The Phantom Stranger!

Stanely and His Monster #3 - April 1993

"Parental Discretion" by Phil Foglio and Chuck Fiala.

The early 90s were a time when many B, C, and D-list characters from the DC Comics roster got their own shot at a series again.

Many people reading comics in 1992 didn't even remember Stanley and His Monster, but DC gave it the old college try. And, just before the final issue, they even brought in The Phantom Stranger:

...to be continued!

Hellblazer #63 - March 1993

"Forty" by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.

John Constantine turns forty, and his friends--including the Swamp Thing--throw him a party. The Phantom Stranger shows up, in his own inimitable way:

...another groundbreaking moment for The Phantom Stranger: talking to someone while they're peeing. You never saw this in Brave and the Bold!

Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1 - July 1992

"All Men Make Faults" by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, Bart Sears, Randy Elliott, and Mark Pennington.

Eclipso gets his own special (complete with a little piece of purple, jewel-shaped plastic glued to the cover!).

In this special, Eclipso takes on The Creeper, Superman, Mon-El, and of course The Phantom Stranger--having taken on Eclipso in his 1987 mini-series--makes an appearance, albeit a brief one:

Eventually Eclipso would get his own series(!) and the Stranger made some appearances there, too.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves...

Deadman: Exorcism #2 - 1992

"Book Two" by Mike Baron and Kelley Jones.

The Phantom Stranger steps in, in an attempt to stop a trio of sorcerers spilling all kinds of evil upon the world:

...a boot in the butt to The Phantom Stranger! Not something we've ever really seen before, at least with the Stranger.

But of course that doesn't stop him. He resurfaces and tries to help an ordinary woman beset by these evil men, grabs some guns(!) and makes like The Shadow:

The Stranger ends up helping Deadman defeat the three, and while the Stranger does a lot of atypical things in this series, he makes a quick disappearance once things are settled, so some things never change.

Deadman: Exorcism #1 - 1992

"Book One" by Mike Baron and Kelley Jones.

Deadman earned another mini-series (this time a 2-parter), and of course The Phantom Stranger can't be far behind. After a whole issue with Deadman, assorted demons, and other horribles, the Stranger steps in on the very last page:

...to be continued!

Doom Patrol #53 - March 1992

"And Men Shall Call Him--Hero!" by Grant Morrison, and Ken Steacy.

I'm not sure what world we're in here, and I'm not sure who this guy is:

...not having read Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol run, I have absolutely no idea what's going on here. But I always enjoy the work of Ken Steacy, and this alternate Phantom Stranger looks pretty boss!

War of the Gods #4 - Dec. 1991

"In The Beginning...There Was The End" by George Perez, Pablo Marcos, Alan Kupperberg, Phil Jimenez, Gordon Purcell, Dick Giordano, and Frank McLaughlin.

The wrap-up to The War of the Gods, and The Phantoom Stranger doesn't do much. Except he is there right at the very end of the story, on the very last page:

...and the world is safe again!

War of the Gods #3 - Nov. 1991

"Casualties of War" by George Perez, Russell Braun, Pablo Marcos, Vince Giarrano, Scott Hanna, and Romeo Tanghal.

The Phantom Stranger interacts with rest of the DCU a little more here:

...but he's as terse as ever!

War of the Gods #2 - Oct. 1991

"The Holy Wars" by George Perez, Russell Braun, Cynthia Martin, and Romeo Tanghal.

Yet another universe-shattering. multi-book crossover event, and once again The Phantom Stranger is there:

...like in the Crisis, the Stranger's role seems to consist mostly of hanging around with his fellow supernatural heroes.