. . "The Phantom Detective is a pulp character that transferred to the medium of comics. His stories have some elements (professional working relationship with police chief, signal to summon him (although on top of a newspaper office, rather than on top of police HQ), expert in disguise) that will be hauntingly familiar to any fan of Batman... Phantom Detective debuted in 1933 in the pulps, as an imitation of The Shadow and Spider, and no doubt equally inspired by earlier French character, Fant\u00F4mas. The Phantom Detective however takes another step into what would become the classic archetypal dark street-level superhero through the consistent costuming and other more fantastic elements of his comic book, including for example the signal device. Richard Curtis Van Loan is a wealthy socialite who after serving in World War I becomes bored and craves the same level of \"excitement\" that he became used to in the trenches of the Great War. After being challenged to solve a crime that has baffled the police by his friend Frank Havens, publisher of the New York Clarion, Van Loan finds that he in fact has some ability as a detective. Solving mysteries provides Van Loan with the excitement he craves and so begins the career of the dilettante amateur sleuth The Phantom Detective."@en . . "Phantom Detective"@en . . . "Original Publisher"@en . "Real Name"@en . . . . . . . "D. L. Champion"@en . . . "Richard Curtis Van Loan"@en . "Nedor"@en . . . "Phantom Detective #1"@en . . . "Phantom Detective"@en . "The Phantom Detective is a pulp character that transferred to the medium of comics. His stories have some elements (professional working relationship with police chief, signal to summon him (although on top of a newspaper office, rather than on top of police HQ), expert in disguise) that will be hauntingly familiar to any fan of Batman... Richard Curtis Van Loan is a wealthy socialite who after serving in World War I becomes bored and craves the same level of \"excitement\" that he became used to in the trenches of the Great War."@en . . "Created by"@en . . . . . . . "First Pulp Appearance"@en .