Initially,i.e. before our Mandrake-blog(MTM),I'd a terrible misconception that, ALL THOSE early Mandrake comics published in IJC(initial 6/7 in precise) were Falk/Davis creations...and as I never liked either art-work or script of those comics,I simply
decide to ignore anything before Fredrick's era!!It's only after MTM showcased several early Mandrake strips,I 
realised that Phil Davis was as good as Fredrick's....and ALL those early Mandrake comics published in IJC are King Mandrake! those were created by a group of script-writer/artists and WORTHLESS by all means....be it scripts OR those crappy art-works![Above you can see some covers of King-Mandrake in Indrajals and below the First Falk-Mandrake in the same!]
For Lee Falk-Mandrake,I like those strips from very beginning i.e. from 1934 onwards (even I very much follower of the current Mandrake-strips created by Fredricks himself..& believe me,those are still very much maintained the charm of original strips,if we can ignore some loop-holes!! ) and loved many strips very much n re-read those !!....for an example, The Octopus Gang(D022)/Mandrake in Love(D016) ,which are ,like any great Falk-Fred Mandrake (from 1965 onwards), gripping from very beginning!
For an interesting info,very few fans may realised that ,though Mandrake appeared in Indrajal from No.46--a King-M, the FIRST Falk/Davis Mandrake published very lately,as No.75 --- The Disturber! and it's the D123 actually!!Then, except Indrajal No.83 and No.128,ALL were Falk-Mandrake..thankfully!!Now between Phil Davis and Fred Fredricks,no doubt,I've a special soft-corner for the later illustrator and the reason is obvious.....in his (Fred's) era only,we have seen many excellent stories with terrific art-work!Very common examples are ,introduction of fabulous Xanadu and the amazing description of it's entrance never bored me,even though it'd mentioned hundred times in this magician's strips! :-)) AND another is,a famous one ,"8" or "League of 8" that world-wide dreaded crime-gang which appeared in strips (& in Mandrake's life as well) many times since it accidentally discovered by Narda in 1965!Remember Octon ?? Wonder ,who'll forget him!! Also, Inter-Intel,that secret-crime-bureau,and those mysterious entrances really amaze me all the time!! Do u remember that description," Somewhere in a hidden part of the city..." ,It's simply mind-blowing!! Ain't??
However,all these praise are NOT meant that Phil Davis was any less as in his time as well we got several thrillers including that amazing 8-part Flame Pearl series ..... And after all,he was the ORIGINAL artist of Mandrake-strips (if those few Falk's early-art-works are not taking in account ;-))
