"Invisible Children": Part Three
Writer: Mike Bullock
Artists: Silvestre Szilagyi, Bob Pedrosa(c)
Publisher: Moonstone
In the final chapter of the "Invisible Children" story, the Phantom totally decimates Him, the charlatan loon that believes he is the true Ghost Who Walks. While writer Mike Bullock relates a satisfying conclusion to the adventure part of the tale, he also reminds readers that the story is based on a real evil, namely The Army of the Children of God.
Last issue, Him's goons captured the Phantom, but the Phantom legacy is notoriously hard to kill. This issue the current Kit Walker, also incidentally a play on the sobriquet Ghost Who Walks, while he's bound and surrounded by armed men, uses his legend to whittle Him's adult contingent down to the size of one. If this scene doesn't convince you of the Phantom's absolute coolness, nothing will.
He leaves one of the men go to take his message back to Him. The Phantom cannot be stopped, and false gods will be pulled down. Bullock through Szilagyi’s evocative illustration conveys the Phantom's relentless and effective offense against the forces of evil.
In the atmospheric torrent of rain two lone guards begin to doubt the power of Him. In the maniac's mind, the Phantom can be seen in his waking nightmares. Bullock orchestrates the Phantom building on the madman's terror.
A crack of Pedrosa lightning reveals the Phantom's symbol on the window, but it's so much more. The way the symbol is created reflects the art first learned by all as children. The spirits of children are in a sense calling the Phantom. The Phantom in rendering the symbol reminds Him that the symbol belongs to the Phantom. The symbol induces fear not only because of it being a harbinger of Him's doom. It relates exactly why Him will be punished.
In a streak of Pedrosa purple, with one hit branding Him forever with the symbol that terrifyies Him the most, his criminal reign ends. After vanquishing the maniac, The Phantom and his family return the children to the villagers. There's much rejoicing, and it's unfortunate that a real life Phantom hasn't become the scourge of crime, but in comics at least hope wears a skull-ring.
"Invisible Children" is a truly momentous story for the Phantom that tried and I hope succeeded to bring to light a real-life evil. While addressing the issue, Bullock never forgets that he is writing the Phantom, and the Phantom never fails. Szilagyi backs up that simple fact with artwork that makes the Phantom a powerful figure of fear and justice.
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