Happy Halloween from The Phantom Stranger!

This awesome Phantom Stranger Halloween costume was made and is worn by Fantom Stranger Kevin, who says, "I've gotta say it plays well with the ladies...even if they don't know the character. They seem to have a problem with eye contact though. :)"

Here's another pic of Kevin in costume, along with his wife dressed as Catwoman:

...the Phantom Stranger always did do pretty well with the ladies. Has to the whole "mysteriously silent" thing he has going.

Awesome costume, Kevin, and great pics! Thanks for sending it along!

The Phantom Stranger at the 2010 DragonCon

As the date on the last post will attest, I haven't really been updating I Am The Phantom Stranger very much. But when my pal Shag Matthews sent me this photo--taken at the 2010 DragonCon--I couldn't just let it pass.

Among the hundreds (thousands?) of cosplayers you see at cons, the Phantom Stranger is not a character you see represented much, so this fan deserves an extra bit of praise for the effort! I wonder if he tried to walk away from various dealers tables when their backs were turned, in true PS style?

Crisis on Earth Blog: The DC Challenge!

Courtesy blogger Frank Lee Delano comes a comic book blog crossover event so huge that Zack Snyder is currently developing a movie version--The DC Challenge!

Follow the story below, and choose your answer. You will either get one step closer to the ultimate answer or end up further away.

Frank has lined up an astonishing list of collaborators, which you can see below. Are you up to the challenge?

1982

Zatanna was on her way up to serve a shift aboard the Justice League of America Satellite with Elongated Man, but instead of a high tech headquarters in orbit 22,300 miles about the Earth, she found herself in a dark, dank castle. A grim figure in black approached her from the shadows, and where some might see a Phantom Stranger, the sorceress was relieved to see a somewhat friendly face.

Wordlessly, the Stranger gestured for Zatanna to follow him, as they entered an antechamber populated by some of the most powerful mystical forces in all of creation.

To the left was Doctor Fate, who was the first to speak. He warned of figures from a possible future come to plague modern heroes, such as Firestorm, and Supergirl. He believed these beings must be removed from our time without delicacy or delay.

Dr. Mist, the ancient mage we leads the Global Guardians, warned of a massive surge in organized super-villain activity. Captain Comet, The Metal Men, and others had faced this terrible threat.

Grimmest of all was the Spectre, the embodiment of the Judeo-Christian God's own wrath. He warned of beings from other dimension raining down on creation like a plague, currently afflicting soldiers from throughout time and space, including The Atom, Sgt. Rock, and the Unknown Soldier. Worse, what evil now rose up in the hearts of the fallen mighty, like the Manhunter from Mars?

All of the magic wielders agreed that something had to be done, but by whom? When? The Phantom Stranger turned to Zatanna. "Me?" she asked.

The Phantom Stranger replied, "If not you, then who? If not now, then when?"

Perhaps these others have their own answers to such a question?

The Aquaman Shrine
The Atom: Tiny Titan
Being Carter Hall
Comics Make Me Happy
Crimson Lightning
Dispatches from the Arrow Cave
El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker
Firestorm Fan
Girls Gone Geek
I Am The Phantom Stranger
The Idol-Head of Diabolu
Justice League Detroit
...nurgh...
Once Upon a Geek
Pretty, Fizzy Paradise
random picture day
Reilly2040's Blog
Supergirl Comic Box Commentary
Toyriffic
when is evil cool?

Phantom Stranger (Vol.2) #42 - March 2010

"Deadman Walking" by Peter J. Tomasi, Ardian Syaf, and Vicenete Cifuentes.

As promised, I Am The Phantom Stranger rises from the grave (good one, eh?) for this special one-off post, talking about a book I never thought I'd see: Phantom Stranger #42!

Spinning off from the events in Blackest Night, The Phantom Stranger and Blue Devil find themselves trying to stop one intimidating opponent--am ersatz Zombie Spectre!:

During the fight, the "good" Spectre actually pops out of his own zombie-fied body, which the evil version tries to smash back inside, using the Stranger and Blue Devil as cudgels.

Eventually Zombie Spectre departs, and we learn the Stranger's true mission (always mysterious, that guy): Deadman, who is busy fighting a Zombie version of his own dead body outside the gates of the holy city, Nanda Parbat.

The Stranger gets close, and he and Zombie Deadman (possessed by the "real" Deadman) tussle:

...I like the nod to the various Phantom Stranger origins, as told in Secret Origins #10.

Eventually, due to their combined efforts, Zombie Deadman is rendered inert, and his body--a sacred item to the citizens of Nanda Parbat--is laid out, and guarded "for as long as it is required."

This part of their mission accomplished, Deadman and The Phantom Stranger depart:

...this clearly isn't the end of The Phantom Stranger's involvement in Blackest Night.

Although he's only played a minor role so far, it was nice seeing him take center stage, and in his own book again! Who knows, maybe haven't seen the last of this--maybe there'll be a Phantom Stranger #43?