InsaneJournal

Early on, Mandrake was a real no-fooling sorceror. He gestured and a car leaped in the air to miss the person it was going to run over, for example. Here he is actually levitating, hovering in the air long enough for Lothar to pile up a cushion of snow. Soon after, though, Falk changed his mind. Mandrake's genuine powers made him too invincible against human opponents. Instead, we learned that the dapper magician was practicing a brand of highly effective instant hypnotism. This was way better than the stuff that guy charged you for to get you to quit smoking. No, Mandrake gestured and anyone he made eye contact with was under his spell. The victims saw their guns change to roses, the room turn upside down, Mandrake loom a hundred tall or themselves turned into snowmen. It was completely convincing. Yet someone watching from a distance could tell nothing happened, Mandrake and his subjects were just standing there. This gave the magician astounding abilities, yet left him vulnerable in many ways (a good balance).It's too bad about Lothar's pronoun trouble, but there it is. That's the convention of the time to show someone whose English is poor. Short of rewriting the past (always a bad idea), it's best to just let it go and enjoy the rest of the strip.