Madame Xanadu #3 - Oct. 2008

"Among The Stars" by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley.

Riding on a camel into land controlled by none other than Kublai Khan is...The Phantom Stranger!:

The Stranger continues to bedevil Madame Xanadu, claiming not to know her, even though they have met before, as we saw in previous issues of the series.

The Phantom Stranger, inscrutable in any time period!

Madame Xanadu #2 - Sept. 2008

Untitled by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley.

Madame Xanadu, wandering the forest, runs back into The Phantom Stranger, and it becomes a moment of tenderness:

...in this issue, MX even encountered Etrigan, so it was really old home week!

Madame Xanadu #1 - Aug. 2008

"By The Runes" by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley.

After decades as a supporting player, Madame Xanadu finally gets her own title!

But this isn't the same Madame Xanadu we're all familiar with--no, this series is set in an undetermined time and place. But of course, what's time and space to a guy like The Phantom Stranger?

Early on in the issue, a slightly altered version of the Stranger reveals his presence to Madame Xanadu, although here she goes by the name Nimue Inwudu:

...even in this alternate world, the Stranger performs the same tasks he always does: guiding someone else, warning them, and watching events unfold.

Shadowpact #25 - July 2008

"The Burning Age, Part Three" by Matthew Sturges and Phil Winslade.

This final issue of Shadowpact book has the Phantom Stranger doing one last intro:

...at the end of the tale, Shadowpact is dissolved, and they invite the Stranger to have one last drink with them.

He initially refuses, but then lightens up and raises a glass:

Not to be continued!

Shadowpact #24 - June 2008

"The Burning Age, Part Two" by Matthew Sturges and Phil Winslade.

The Phantom Stranger pulls double-duty here, intro-ing the story and also being a part of it:

To be continued!

Shadowpact #23 - May 2008

"The Burning Age, Part One" by Matthew Sturges and Phil Winslade.

For this, the final story arc for the Shadowpact book, the Phantom Stranger steps out of his normal narrating duties and actually shows up to help out:

He introduces our heroes to two other "Shadowpacts"--one from the past, one from the future.

To be continued!

Shadowpact #18 - Dec. 2007

"Protoges" by Matthew Sturges, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger, still talking to us and setting up the issue's story:

Shadowpact #17 - Nov. 2007

"Protoges" by Matthew Sturges and Doug Braithwaite.

The Phantom Stranger, this time rendered (nicely!) by Doug Braithwaite:

Shadowpact #16 - Oct. 2007

"Down in the Zero" by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger doing his intro:

Shadowpact #15 - Sept. 2007

"The Night Chicago Died" by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

After taking another issue off, The Phantom Stranger returns:

Shadowpact #13 - July 2007

"Bad Tidings and Evil Deeds" by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

After taking an issue of, The Phantom Stranger returns to his narrating duties:

The art in this issue is by Scott Hampton, who draws one hell of a Phantom Stranger, even though (or maybe because) you can barely see him!

Shadowpact #11 - May 2007

"The Lucifer Trident" by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger, still talking:

Shadowpact #10 - April 2007

"Cursed" by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger doing his intro-ing bit:

Shadowpact #9 - March 2007

"Three Laws Safe" by Bill Willingham. Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

With this issue, The Phantom Stranger appears nowhere else in the DCU for over the next year, except for introducing these Shadowpact stories:

...I'm quickly going to run out of ways to describe what the Stranger does each issue here!

Justice League Unlimited #28 - Feb. 2007

"Season's Beatings, Justice League!" by Mike McAvennie, Sanford Greene, and Nathan Massengill.

The Phantom Stranger makes another appearance in the JLU-verse, this time taking The Flash around and giving him some insights as to what makes the Batman tick:

...this seems to be the Phantom Stranger's role in the JLU-verse, since he basically performed this same service in his previous appearances in Batman: Gotham Adventures, and Justice League Unlimited.

Shadowpact #8 - Feb. 2007

"Ragtime" by Bill Willingham and Shawn McManus.

The Phantom Stranger gets just one panel this issue to do his intro:

...too bad, since this issue features a guest art-job by Shawn McManus, one of my favorites, and did a nice job on the Stranger when he guest-starred in Dr.Fate.

Shadowpact #7 - Jan. 2007

"The Laws of the Battle" by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger in a classic, old-school intro page, introducing all of us to the characters who make up Shadowpact:

Heroclix Figure - 2007

The Phantom Stranger got his own Heroclix figure in 2007, and let's see what he can do:

...I definitely agree, the Stranger has the power of being "inscrutable"!

Shadowpact #6 - Dec. 2006

"The Wild Hunt" by Bill Willingham and Cory Walker.

The Phantom Stranger, once again:

Tomorrow: something different!

Shadowpact #5 - Nov. 2006

"One Year Later" by Bill Willingham, Steve Scott, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger tells us what happened Shadowpact, now that its one year later in all the DC books:

Shadowpact #4 - Oct. 2006

"Blue Devil: A Night in the Life" by Bill Willingham, Steve Scott, and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger introduces to a tale centering around Blue Devil:

Shadowpact #3 - Sept. 2006

"The (Short) Year of Living Dangerously" by Bill Willingham and Cory Walker.

The Phantom Stranger clues us in to what's going on with Shadowpact:

Blue Beetle (Vol.2) #5 - Sept. 2006

"Secrets" by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Duncan Rouleau.

The Phantom Stranger comes to visit the new Blue Beetle, first in more anonymous gear, dressed in shades, jeans, and a shirt. But after he's done talking to the young man, he resumes his more formal look:

Shadowpact #2 - Aug. 2006

"Pentacle" by Bill Willingham and Wayne Faucher.

The Phantom Stranger keeps up his Rod Serling act:

Shadowpact #1 - July 2006

"Death in a Small Town" by Bill Willingham.

The Phantom Stranger comes the closest he ever has to officially joining a team with his appearances with Shadowpact, and with the team getting its own title he began appearing more regularly than he had in years.

Each issue of Shadowpact would open with the Stranger narrating the story we're about to read:

The Stranger ends up corralling all the various members of the team when there's trouble...and of course there always is!