Why USA comic readers want to see the Phantom's face unmasked

ChronicleChamber Team
5 hours ago
3 min read

Mad Cave Studios has done a lot right with their foray into the Phantom universe. They have borrowed heavily from the early Lee Falk and Ray Moore stories, and more importantly, they have learned from their mistakes.

In issue one of their regular series written by Ray Fawkes, with art by Russell Olson, first published in 2025, they did the 'unforgivable' and showed the Phantom unmasked. The outcry among phans was unmistakable; some did not even bother reading the rest of the comic series because of this mistake. We covered this in our X-Band: The Phantom Podcast: Episode #318 review.

While the outcry from phans was loud, a lot of USA readers and fans did not understand the outcry, as in the USA market, showing the hero unmasked is an important moment, signifying trust or vulnerability with a loved one, friend, or ally.

This article is jointly written by long-term Australian phan Jermayn Parker and USA phan Scott Waldyn, who has the unique opportunity to look at this situation from a USA comic reader who would read the Mad Cave Studios comic series from a different perspective than someone like Jermayn and many other phans.

First of all, let's look into why the Phantom's face should never be shown and why it's a super important element from a phans perspective.

A favorite old jungle saying is "He who looks upon the Phantom's face will die a horrible death". This has come to coincidental fruition for antagonists in a number of stories, reinforcing the myth. It has to be stressed that the death that follows someone seeing the Phantom's death is always by pure accident or coincidence.

The Phantom's immediate family (wife and children) and a very select few others are permitted to view the Phantom's face—no one else can. Note that on the occasion that someone rescues or helps the Phantom when injured, for example, the curse is not fulfilled.

Even when the mask has been removed for the purpose of the story, the Phantom's eyes must not be shown to the reader. They either need to be in shadow, covered, or wearing glasses / sunglasses. When around family, they may be in a position to see his face, but the eyes must always be hidden from the reader.

Generally, USA comic fan readers have a different point of view, with many phans from around the world who are outside the 'USA market'. In typical USA-created comics, the unmasking of the hero is an important moment, signifying trust or vulnerability with a loved one, friend, or ally. It is something encouraged and something fans look forward to.

Thanks to USA comic reader Scott Waldyn, who was able to give us some examples of where this has happened.

In Amazing Spider-Man #35 (2001), Spider-Man returns home after a brutal battle with a villain, and it's at this time that Aunt May finally learns the truth about her nephew. When confronted, Peter Parker at first tries to make excuses, but the reveal and revelation lead Peter and May to a conversation they should have had decades ago. After all these years, they can finally confess their guilt over Uncle Ben's death to each other and move on to the next stage of healing.

While the Batman continuity is all over the place, with Catwoman learning Batman's identity and then being mind-wiped more than once over the years. However, in Batman #615 (2003), readers see the reveal used as a tender moment that solidifies a romantic relationship between Bat and Cat.

In TV and film, the revealing of a masked hero's secret identity is even more common, often used to create a dramatic, romantic moment (as seen in Superman II from 1980) or build toward a climactic final battle (as in Batman from 1989). Who remembers Iron Man revealing himself at a press office in the film Iron Man (2008).

Thankfully, Ray Fawkes, Russell Olson and the team at Mad Cave Studios have fixed their mistake. In issue four, Ray Fawkes, with art by Russell Olson, hid the Phantom's eyes, and as a phan it reads much better and makes you feel that they are treating the Phantom with more respect. Kudos to whoever made the decision to not show the eyes again in the story.

In Mad Cave Studios' one-shot comic "The Phantom vs The Sky Band", the creator team Ray Fawkes and Federico Sabbatini has also hidden the Phantom's eyes from the viewer in clever creative ways.

It is obvious that Ray Fawkes is trying to show the human side of the Phantom by some of these panels with him being seriously injured in both stories but also on the humane side, which is explored more with communication with his wife, Diana. It shows the vulnerability moment with his wife, but importantly, the reader does not see the Phantom's eyes.