Following the stunning success of the Eisner Award winning I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets, a second volume collecting the stories of Fletcher Hanks, "You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation!", will debut at MoCCA in June.
Volume II contains more than TWICE as many Fletcher Hanks stories than Volume I as well as an introduction written by Paul Karasik and illustrated with drawings never before published by the elusive Super Wizard of the Inkwell, Fletcher Hanks.
Together the two volumes will comprise The Complete Fletcher Hanks, the artist who created 51 tales in a hailstorm of creative fury during the first three years of the comic book industry and then…mysteriously disappeared.
It now seems that he left behind another mystery, as well.
In compiling the book, editor Karasik noticed a few peculiarities. Hanks wrote and drew a story featuring a Jungle Magician named Tabu in Jungle Comics #2 (Jan. 1940). In this story Tabu speaks an odd Jungle patois in a single panel (otherwise he chats and thinks in, of course, perfect English), "ALLA KA TABU NEE PAPH EN YAL!".
Six months later in Jungle Comcs # 6 (June 1940), an evil character named The Demon speaks to the rainforest denizens in much the same kind of lingo when he says, "ALI KAH BABLOO NE PAPH EN YAH!" (see below)
Two very similar word balloons, six months apart. Is there a hidden meaning?
Calling all linguists and code-crackers! Any thoughts or suggestions, please contact Pau Karasik via his website:
