Writer – Mark Verheiden
Artist – Luke McDonnell
Colours – Anthony Tollin
Letters – Bob Pinaha

The Phantom has had to deal with all manner of people over the years and while many of them have been good, there have been many that are less. It is his job to keep his nation safe and yet, he always manages to find that there are those looking to exploit those weaker than they are. In this story as written by Mark Verheiden and drawn by Luke McDonnell, there are still bad men out there, still those who look for an easy way out, looking to make an easy dollar wherever there is one to be made. Here, it finds a village of the blind and those who are on their way to losing their vision thanks to the insects in the area and the plague they carry. They are essentially sold to a group of men seeking cheap labour and with the villagers being blind, it makes them far easier to control and far easier to abuse. When The Phantom goes looking for an old friend, namely the doctor who helped birth him, he learns of the villagers and their plight and it incences him so much that even though he originally came on a personal matter, he cannot ignore that information he has just learned. The authors of this tale then kick things up a notch as The Phantom has located the the missing villagers and slowly but surely, he starts to pick off those who hold them captive to the point where he makes the jailers feel the captive’s plight and pain. What is most interesting about this story and every issue before it is just how captivating Verheiden makes it and without any super-powered villains like many of the other books DC was putting out at the time of its release. The subjects he covers are those that readers can empathize with, topics that hit home to the core of a person’s being and they resonate. Perhaps with another writer they would not do so much but Verheiden brings his A game to every story he delivers and the man’s talent knows no bounds. The same can be said of McDonnell whose pencils continue to impress, the work he shares with readers perfectly capturing the spirit of the words that Verheiden gives him. The two make for a great team and it is conveyed on every page of this issue. While the subjects are a little heavy at times, it is good to see that the storyline with Diana continues on in the background, even if only briefly mentioned while also keeping the Phantoms of years past in mind as well. This was a fantastic book from start to finish, an issue and a title that makes its readers think and sticks with one long after they are finished.

4 out of 5