Occupation
: Exterminator.....
The
General: "What is your occupation sir?"
The
Panther: "I'm a sort of pest exterminator."
The
General: "And what type of pests do you exterminate?"
The
Panther: "The Human variety, gunmen, smugglers, killers, war-mongers
- and kidnappers...."
In
Panel by Panel : an illustrated history of Australian comics (Cassell
Australia, 1979), John Ryan wrote that
"The Panther was another
comic that capitalised on the immense popularity of The Phantom with Australian
readers. As a small boy, The Panther was left abandoned in the Congo
after his parents had been killed by Mayzak warriors. He was adopted
by a band of panthers and as he grew to manhood he was initiated into a
native tribe. Because his pale skin hindered him in hunting and stalking,
he took to wearing a fitted suit of panther skins to make him as dark as
his fellow tribesmen. Whilst the early stories were set in the Congo, the
character soon became involved in adventures all over the world. "
And he wasn't wrong there
- Panther was set in Africa, Australia, the Pacific Islands, The United
State of America, Italy, Poland, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, the Amazon,
the Andes, and more!
Our dark suited hero would
often travel incognito as "Mr Smith" - "a very old and noble name"
as The General remarked in Issue no.8 - dressed in a trenchcoat,
fedora and polka dot ascot!
