Wonder Woman (Vol.2) #120 - April 1997

"Time Out of Mind" by John Byrne.

The Phantom Stranger doesn't actually appear in this issue, rather John Byrne took the time to draw in him when Wonder Woman recalls her back against Morgan Le Fay, which happened in Wonder Woman #'s 105-108:

Kind of a waste of purchase from a Phantom Stranger POV, but the story's a lot of fun, plus there's a great back-up drawn by Jill Thompson, and a killer pin-up by Brian Bolland.

Adventures in The DC Universe #1 - April 1997

The Phantom Stranger doesn't actually make an appearance inside the book (the story being a JLA tale), but he does make a cameo way in the back of this cover, courtesy artists John Delaney and Ron Boyd!

Sadly, Adventures in the DC Universe didn't last long enough for the Stranger to get a shot at a solo tale.

JLA Gallery #1 - 1997

The Phantom Stranger, being a character not limited to one "world", got to make appearances in both the Vertigo Visions pin-up book, as well as here, in a nice shot by Ted McKeever:

...I'm at a loss to explain why Firestorm is there alongside Zatanna and the Stranger, but maybe McKeever just wanted to draw him.

Green Lantern (Vol.3) #81 - Dec. 1996

"Funeral For A Hero" by Ron Marz, Darryl Banks, and Romeo Tanghal.

There's a massive funeral for Hal Jordan, featuring heroes from every corner of the DCU. The Stranger, of course, is there, and as usual he appears in his own low-key (very low-key) way:

...I wonder why the Stranger is so anti-social, especially since John Constantine, Swamp Thing, and Deadman are there!

Final Night #3 - Nov. 1996

"Keeping Hope Alive" by Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen, and Jose Marzan Jr.

The Stranger visits a woman known as Dusk:

He then takes her on a trip through the world, showing her the work of the various superheroes, all in the cause of good.

Dusk is touched, but before she can argue, the Stranger is gone!

Final Night #1 - Nov. 1996

"Dusk" by Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen, and Jose Marzan Jr.

The Phantom Stranger is there for the big group meeting of heroes, but he also does some field work of his own, like asking help from a "friend":

To be continued!

Kingdom Come Audio Book - 1998

This is really fun.

This is the cover to audio version of Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come mini-series, done with a full cast of actors and sound effects--the whole Radio Drama treatment.

Of course, there are a lot changes in this version--mostly, there's a lot of expository dialog ("Superman is lifting up the entire building!", "Green Lantern is shooting a beam of green light from his Power Ring!", etc.), since this version doesn't have the luxury of Ross' breathtaking visuals.

But for people who enjoy audio books and radio productions, its nevertheless a lot of fun to listen to, and its a real treat getting to hear some of Waid and Ross' best lines delivered by actual actors.

Of course, Kingdom Come features barely more than a cameo by The Phantom Stranger, but he gets something here he didn't get in the mini-series--a line of dialog!:

...see? Fun!

The Phantom Stranger is played by Denny O'Neil, of all people, and I think he does a pretty good job. His voice sounds a lot like what I imagine The Phantom Stranger might sound like--deep and serious.

(Note: This audio book came out in 1998, not in 1996 when the series did, but I wanted to pair it up with the book when we got to it on the blog)

Kingdom Come #3 - Oct. 1996

"Kingdom Come Book 3" by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.

After featuring almost every single character in the DCU (and then some), we finally get to see where The Phantom Stranger has been during the worldwide battle between the old and new heroes:

...sadly, the Stranger doesn't get a line here, and he makes no further appearance in the series (as far as I know--you can never tell with Alex Ross!).

Interesting that the Stranger is considered in the same league as Zeus, Shazam, Ganthet, etc. Good for him!

Tomorrow: one of the Stranger's most unusual appearances!

Fate #22 - Sept. 1996

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Len Kaminski, Anthony Williams, and Andy Lanning.

After the battle is over, The Phantom Stranger shows up to pester (from Fate's point of view) one last time:

Fate #21 - Aug. 1996

"The Will to Power" by Len Kaminski, Anthony Williams, and Andy Lanning.

Yet another battle involving Dr. Fate, Fate, Sentinel, etc., where the Stranger shows up when he feels like it:

...to be continued!

Fate #20 - July 1996

"Convergence" by Len Kaminski, Anthony Williams, and Andy Lanning.

For the umpteenth time, the Phantom Stranger shows up to have a chat with Fate:

...to be continued(of course)!

Swamp Thing #168 - July 1996

"The Last Temptation of Anton" by Mark Millar, Phil Hester, and Kim DeMulder.

The Phantom Stranger has a conversation with the Swamp Thing involving his old foe, Anton Arcane:

...later, the Stranger continues to play a background role, as he always seems to do in these post-Alan Moore Swamp Thing stories.

Swamp Thing #166 - May 1996

"Golden Days Before the End" by Mark Millar, Phil Hester, and Kim DeMulder.

The Phantom Stranger calls a meeting, involving John Constantin and Timothy Raven:

...the Stranger warns of an incoming disaster (doesn't he always?) involving not only Swamp Thing, but his daughter Tefe.

To be continued!

Wonder Woman (Vol.2) #108 - April 1996

"Lifelines, Part Four" by John Byrne.

Finally, Wonder Woman, The Phantom Stranger, and the Demon are all on the same page, so they team-up to take on Morgan Le Fay once and for all:

...of course, they prevail, leaving the Stranger to help out to clean-up the loose ends:

This was a fun storyline, and I especially liked how John Byrne kept the Stranger mostly in shadow, sort of downplaying his new look, but not quite bringing back his old one.

I always though Byrne did a pretty good Phantom Stranger, whether it be in Legends or when he teamed-up with Superman around that same time.

Wonder Woman (Vol.2) #107 - March 1996

"Lifelines, Part Three" by John Byrne.

...oh great, now Etrigan the Demon is involved!

As usual, at first he's more trouble than help. Luckily the Stranger is here to deal with his usual nonsense:

...to be continued!

Wonder Woman (Vol.2) #106 - Feb. 1996

"Lifelines, Part Two" by John Byrne.

After Wonder Woman battles a horde of Greek statues suddenly come to life, The Phantom Stranger makes his presence known:

...to be continued!

Wonder Woman (Vol.2) #105 - Jan. 1996

"Lifelines, Part One" by John Byrne.

Wonder Woman gets caught up in a battle with Morgan Le Fay, and we see its not just the Amazing Amazon that's involved:

...to be continued!

Guy Gardner: Warrior #39 - Feb. 1996

"Merriment, Mistletoe, and...Mayhem!" by Beau Smith, Marc Campos, and Dan Davis.

There's a big superhero Christmas party, and even the Phantom Stranger attends:

...later, the Stranger even has some kind, in-the-spirit-of-the-season words with the Spectre!

Underworld Unleased: Abyss #1 - Dec. 1995

"Over Dark Evil" by Scott Peterson, Phil Jimenez, J.H. Williams III, John Stokes, and Mick Gray.

Sentinel--aka the Golden Age Green Lantern--goes through all sorts of torment in this issue, both physical and mental. At one point, he heads back to the old JSA headquarters, and someone is waiting for him there:

Like we saw yesterday in an issue of Fate, the Stranger teams up with Fate, Sentinel, Zatanna, and, eventually, Deadman, and off they go, ending up at a bar run by... the Stranger's old foe Tannarak!:

...of course, they run into The Spectre and the Demon, as well, which hardly ever makes things better.

Fate #14 - Dec. 1995

"No Direction Home" by Len Kaminski, Anthony Williams, and Andy Lanning.

The Underworld Unleashed storyline took place partly in the Fate title, and at the end of the issue the Stranger (and some friends) show up to help:

...to be continued!

Underworld Unleashed #3 - Dec. 1995

"Seduction of the Innocent" by Mark Waid, Howard Porter, and Dennis Janke.

Another multi-book crossover "event" and, as usual, The Phantom Stranger can be seen dispensing some supernatural justice with his fellow mages:

Hellblazer #96 - Dec. 1995

"Hook, Line, and Sinker" by Paul Jenkins and Sean Phillips.

John Constantine is flashing back to the events of the past few days, and The Phantom Stranger makes a tiny cameo in the process:

Hellblazer #94 - Oct. 1995

"The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" by Paul Jenkins, Pat McEwon, and Sean Phillips.

John Constantine is going through one of his typical bouts of self-loathing and inner turmoil, and of course The Phantom Stranger is there:

...I really like how the Phantom Stranger is drawn here, by Pat McEwon and Sean Phillips. Really moody and effective.

Sandman #71 - Sept. 1995

"In Which A Wake Is Held" by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli.

Neil Gaiman used other characters from the DCU sparingly in Sandman, but in this issue, a whole bunch of them show up:

...I posed the top most panel because I love it so much, its such a great joke. But great to see The Phantom Stranger show up, too!