Forged in war, The Phantom Detective wages a one-man battle on crime! Solving impossible mysteries and delivering his own justice, he is the underworld’s masked nightmare!
Baffling clues balk all attempts at solution as the Phantom pits himself against a sinister, fiendish master of crime whose heinous deeds defy justice! Diabolical plans are put into place that even the World’s Greatest Detective may be unable to decipher. And even if he can, it could mean his own death!
Oftentimes, readers of Pulp magazines in their Golden Age of publication read the wild, over the top stories for one reason - escape. Looking to get out of the humdrum of Depression or War era America, fans of all ages marveled to the adventures of larger than life heroes and insane villains. The Phantom Detective met this qualification to be a Pulp Hero, but also stood out in his own unique way as a relatable character. Though born into wealth, Richard Curtis Van Loan became a self-made man when he decided to become The Phantom Detective. Undertaking to train himself in every aspect of crimefighting, including disguises, forensics, psychology, and escape techniques, Van Loan crafted his own destiny. He also did this without a super scientist father, a likely mystical training in a far-off land, or any other such devices. Granted, he had wealth that many of his readers did not have at his disposal, but still, Van Loan was in many ways a regular joe who saw a need and came up with a very unique way of helping fill it. Yes, he is introduced in the earliest stories as a world renowned detective, but later tales fill out how he came to be such, why law enforcement around the world respects a masked man so much, something that many of his counterparts before, during, and after his series did not enjoy.
‘Six Prints of Murder’ was originally published in the June 1936 issue of The Phantom Detective Magazine and is read with pulse pounding intensity by award winning voice actor Milton Bagby.
