"Fantomas" is a novel by French writers Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre. Since the novel's creation, Fantomas is one of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction. Fantomas is a ruthless and elusive criminal genius who can get away with his evil deeds by impersonating anyone. He is a master of disguise, always appearing under an assumed identity, often that of a person he murdered. His manners of killing are unusual: he may use plague-infested rats, giant snakes, and rooms that fill with sand.

A noblewoman is hacked to death in her chateau, a Russian princess is boldly robbed at a posh hotel, and a lord's lifeless body is found stuffed into a trunk. Everyone recognizes the deeds of Fantômas, a master of disguise whose daring and diabolical crimes paralyze Parisians with terror. One man has sworn to bring the phantom killer to justice: Inspector Juve, who ventures from dark alleys to brilliant salons in his relentless pursuit of the evil genius. The first volume in a series of wildly popular French thrillers, Fantômas created a sensation in pre-WWI Europe. The original pulp fiction, its appeal transcended every level of society. Cocteau, Colette, and Picasso were avid readers, and subsequent generations of artists, writers, and musicians have drawn inspiration from this enduringly stylish and suspenseful novel.

The Fantomas books, created and written by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain, form one of the longest-running and most famous crime series in France. Fantomas first appeared in 1911 and was featured in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11 volumes written by Allain alone after Souvestre's death. The character was also the basis of various film, television, and comic book adaptations. In the history of crime fiction, he represents a transition from Gothic novel villains of the 19th century to modern-day serial killers. This volume collects the first 5 books in the series: I. FANTOMAS The Adventures of Detective Juve in pursuit of a master in crime. II. THE EXPLOITS OF JUVE In this continuation Fantomas appears as the leader of a gang of Apaches, and as a physician of standing. Juve tracks the criminal to his secret hiding-place, but Fantomas escapes. III. MESSENGERS OF EVIL Filled with hair-raising incidents this tale is a fascinating recital of remarkable happenings in the life of the master-criminal of Paris. IV. A NEST OF SPIES In this volume Fantomas is an ambassador for a foreign power engaged in Paris in obtaining important military secrets for Germany. Detective Juve unmasks him, but the criminal again escapes. V. A ROYAL PRISONER This volume tells of the daring exploits of Fantomas in his attempts to get possession of the King of Hesse-Weimar’s famous diamond. If you enjoy this ebook, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see more of the 290+ volumes in this series, covering adventure, historical fiction, mysteries, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!

This Eisner-nominated graphic novel features the stunning reimagining of a classic French literary character, dubbed the first ever superhero. Freely adapted from the work of Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, with a plot worthy of the best black novels, Rocheleau plunges the reader into the Paris of the 1910s and provokes terror and fascination by resuscitating Fantomas, the evil character with a hundred faces... Fantomas is the first superhero in history. All masked men and women who grace the pages of American comics and movie screens are his illegitimate children. The blood of Fantomas flows in the veins of each of them. Written by Oliver Bocquet (Snowpiercer) and illustrated by the Eisner Award-Nominated artist, Julia Rochelau, this edition was noimated for the 2020 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material.

Prepare to stare Death in the face! Fantomas, the ruthless master of crime and terror from countless books, films, and serials, finally faces justice! Alas, the man of a hundred faces is determined not to go to the grave alone… and his epitaph will be written in nightmares. Adapted from the work of Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre, with a plot worthy of the best noir novels, Bocquet Rocheleau plunges the reader into the Paris of the 1910s and provokes terror and fascination by resurrecting Fantomas, the an of a hundred faces… All masked men and women who grace the pages of American comics and movie screens are Fantomas’ illegitimate children. His blood flows in the veins of each of them. “From the second I started reading you couldn’t have wrenched it out of my hands. It’s a perfect blend of horror, humor, and heart. This book will make you laugh one moment and terrify you the next.” – Chris King (Penny Dreadful)

FANTOMAS is the Emperor of Crime, the Lord of Terror, the Genius of Evil, the nihilistic anti-hero of a series of sublime pulps, books brimming with motifs of the "marvellous”: nuns, coffins, severed hands, daggers, masks, bells that bleed, corpses, poison flowers, gloves of human skin, lunatics and labyrinths. Fantômas loves criminal atrocities and random acts of "beautiful-compulsive” violence, carnage on a mass scale, outrageous theft, arson and destruction, virtuoso displays of terrorism and chaos compounded by the brutality of the Paris street-gangs under his command. FANTOMAS: THE CORPSE WHO KILLS (Le Mort Qui Tue, 1911), the third and perhaps most inventive book in this astonishing series, was acclaimed by the Surrealists for its dream-like imagery, wanton cruelty, and gallows-black humour. This new edition includes a detailed introduction on Fantômas and the Surrealists.

"The sixth novel in the Fantomas series finds the master criminal up to his old tricks, while Inspector Juve is stuck in prison and Fandor is on the run from police."--Goodreads.

The Death of Fantomas collects the final two volumes of the saga of the Lord of Terror, initially released in 1913 and never translated before. The book also includes an introduction, a timeline and a bibliography by Jean-Marc Lofficier.