Interviews » ChronicleChamber

Collector Interview – Jermayn Parker

Sep 042011

In the first of a new series of interviews looking at phans who have, arguably, more money than sense we talk to Jermayn Parker about his impressive Phantom collection.

A member of the Phantom phan community for many years both here on ChronicleChamber and other on-line communities Jermayn is known as Germ. Constantly attaining new items for his collection CC asked Jermayn to share with us what a closer look at his ever growing horde of Phantom goodies.

CC: Hello Jermayn, thanks for sharing your collection with us on CC. To start with can you tell us what it is about The Phantom that drew you to the character and made you decide to collect the various merchandise associated with the character.

JP: I always grew up with comics thanks to my step father who always borrowed (for good) Asterixs, Footrot Flats, Phantoms, Tintins, Cammandos, Archies and some of the British comics (Beatle I think they were called) but it was not until I was 12 and going to Indonesia for a Church Mission Trip and I was brought into a newsagent and told to buy something to read on the 4 hour flight to Jarakata.
I picked up Frew #1120, The Set Up, and was enthralled, it was an amazing story of action, a good storyline with a bit of mystery and I was hooked. I read it about five times during the trip and before even landing in the airport I had decided to myself to buy the next issue in two weeks time when back in Australia – the rest as they say is history.

That was back in 1995 but it was not until I started earning more than just pocket money did I focus on merchandise in 2000 which was annoying as I missed out on all the 1996 movie merchandise and it has cost me a mini fortune since.

CC: How long have you been collecting for?

I have been collecting comics from 1995 and collecting merchandise from early 2000 when I discovered eBay while I should have been studying at Tafe. I started focusing on comics around the world back in 2009.

CC. Where do you source your collectables from?

I daily visit eBay and have a bunch of RSS feeds but I also source collectables from around the world from other phans around the world including Norwary, Sweden, Hungary, USA, India, Canada etc.
I do enjoy going to the local comic store/ book stores and sifting through back issues in Perth but also whenever I go to other cities and towns around Australia. I usually plan a whole day to visit as many as possible and I am lucky enough to have a wife who will come with me.

CC: Is there an particular kind of collectable you concentrate on?

All of them….

I go through phases where I focus on certain stuff, I am like a little kid in a lolly store where you go from one place to another excited and counting your pennies to buy as much as possible. That is me…
I focused a lot on the trading cards and now have almost them all including the famous G0 card and the 3 Chromium Animal card subset which all cost me a fortune.

I now am focusing on countries published around the world – I use the PhantomWiki.org website for my research and have been able to identify about 40 odd different countries around the world. At last count I have 25 different countries including some super rare ones from Israel, Egypt and Angola (in Africa).

I also love original artwork and whenever possible buy sketches, sketch cards and commissions.
Overall it costs me a lot which means I do a lot of extra work around the house to stay out of trouble with what I spend.

CC: If you could choose one item from your collection you are most proud of to have found, what would it be?

I am fairly proud of some of the rare comics I have from Israel and Angola. It took me 6 months to track down an Israel seller who had a Phantom comic. It may seem weird but I do not really have a one favourite item, I am proud of them all and with most of them there is always a story behind them which I love telling phellow phans.

CC: Are there any items you are yet to track down that you’d love to have in your collection?

I would love to get a Fijian and Papua New Guinea comic but they can sell from $400 to a few thousand so I may have to wait for those. If anyone has any they would like to sell, please do contact me

And apart from that and getting the other 15 country comics I yet to have I would love to get artwork from as many current and past Phantom artists.

CC: Some Phantom collectables are very expensive. Do you have a limit to what you spend on any item?

With comics from countries I want, there is no limit except what I have in the bank account. For various merchandise I know will be on sale somewhere again someday I usually am more stingy and never pay what the price guide says.

CC. Lastly, what advice would you give to other Phantom collectors, be they seasoned collectors or just starting out?

First of all never outbid me on eBay!

Second, it can be hard to buy and collect everything Phantom related so focus on what you enjoy and what you like the look off. I know people who spend majority of their money and time collecting rings, clothes, artwork, comics around the world, English comics, figurines etc.

Also most items will appear again on eBay so unless its super rare and or you have no patience, be patient and wait for it to appear again. I waited an extra year to get one of the Phantom Candles with the ring in the bottom but it meant I saved myself $30 and a bidding war.

CC would like to thank Jermayn for giving us a look into his impressive collection. If you’d like to see more of Jermayn’s collection check out his Picasa collection gallery.

Interview: Scott Beatty

Dynamite Entertainment, Interviews No Responses »

Jun 022010

With Dynamite Entertainment’s The Last Phantom series just around the corner, Paul Jonassen and Joe Douglas decided to put some questions towards the series writer Scott Beatty.

CC: For those who may not be aware of your work could you talk a little about titles you’ve worked on in the past?

Scott Beatty: If you Google me or search my name on Amazon.com, you’ll find that I’ve spent a good portion of my career writing for DC Comics in the company of Bat-Characters mainly. I also wrote RUSE for CrossGen Comics and I just concluded a 12-issue run on BUCK ROGERS for THE LAST PHANTOM publisher Dynamite Entertainment, a company that has graciously allowed me to play with some very cool “action figures.”

Having written several books about the DC Comics universe, it’s obvious you are a knowledgeable and passionate fan of comic books. But how big has your previous exposure to the Phantom been? Have you read Lee Falk’s stories, US or overseas Phantom comic books, etc.?

I’m a HUGE Phantom fan and I hope that comes through in the writing. And as any reader of my Ultimate Guides for DC knows, I’m pretty “immersive” when it comes to research on any given character. I’m familiar with Lee’s stories and I count the Jim Aparo and Don Newton tenures on Charlton’s PHANTOM run as some of my favourite stories.

The Phantom is arguably the most influential costumed hero of all, given that Lee Falk basically created what would later be known as the ”superhero”, complete with a costume, origin and style that has been copied by a thousand other characters. The character is an icon in Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia, but at the time of writing this he seems to be largely forgotten in his ”home country”, the US. Why do you think that is?

Inarguably, The Phantom is an archetypal superhero and the model for just about every costumed hero who followed him beginning with comics’ Golden Age. Perhaps it’s the setting. Superman and Batman are inherently American. The Phantom is the guardian of Bengali, yet doesn’t shy away from globetrotting to battle evil. I think that latter trait makes him so easily embraced by other parts of the world. His primary loyalty, after Bengali of course, is to JUSTICE. So therefore he’s not just the defender of a major Metropolitan city, but a hero to THE WORLD. He belongs to EVERYONE.

Given the lack of exposure and general knowledge about the character in the US as well as the very non-traditional take on the character would it be safe to assume that DE’s series isn’t really aimed at long-time Phantom phans and more at a newer audience who is yet to become familiar with the hero?

I don’t think you can have one without the other. Obviously, we want to appeal to both Column A and Column B. Alex, Ed, and I want to please the hardcore fans while introducing Kit Walker to readers who’ve never read a Phantom story before. But we’re not slowing down for either camp. A good “jumping-on point” for any comics story is simply a GOOD STORY, and that’s what we’re striving for in THE LAST PHANTOM

The Phantom is many things to many people from many different cultures. What is the very core of the character for you?

The core of the character is the enduring nature of Kit Walker. Generation after generation there’s always a Kit Walker, and by extension—always a Ghost Who Walks—because evil is often hard to kill. The Phantom isn’t simply a hero who dons a costume in order to exact retribution on the villains who wronged him. He’s part of a DYNASTY. If you’re the son of Kit Walker, this is the family business, no questions asked. Except Alex and I envisioned a Kit who didn’t exactly figure on carrying on the Walker legacy. That’s a CONFLICT that’s every bit as important as the schemes and stratagems of the bad guys.

One of the many unique aspects of the Phantom character is the whole ”lineage” aspect, where a writer automatically has the ability to write stories that can span around 500 years. Are you interested in exploring the Phantoms of the past in your stories?

Yup, and we will.

What kind of a Phantom story can we expect from this series, and is it an on-going or a mini with the possibility of an on-going if it does well?

As far as were concerned, and this may seem contradictory given the title, THE LAST PHANTOM is an ongoing series until the wheels fall off.

According to the announcement, the title of the book will be The Last Phantom. Could this change later on to the standard ”The Phantom” if a second series or on-going happens?

We’ll see. As far as Kit Walker is concerned, the 21 Phantom is THE LAST PHANTOM.

We know that the Singh Brotherhood features in this story, but if the series goes past this initial arc will we see the return of any other classic Phantom villains or will you be concentrating on new enemies?

Oh yeah? Where did you hear that? I think the best Rogues Galleries are like that old wedding tradition where brides-to-be carry with them four specific items: Something OLD, Something NEW, Something BORROWED, and Something… RED. I’ve said too much!

Let’s talk about the depiction of the Phantom in this series. We heard early on that the character was going to have a costume re-design, that it would be bringing the costume into the “modern era.” However, what we’ve seen in the preview images is very basic (for lack of a better term) costume; it’s basically body paint and a loin cloth. To say this rendition of the costume has shocked some phans would be putting it mildly. Not only is the mask gone – it’s something of an unwritten law that the Phantom’s eyes should never be shown – but the character is also covered in what looks like blood. It seems quite a departure from the traditional costume and the biggest departure from any of the other adaptations of the character we’ve seen. Can you comment on why this design was chosen?

Alex has sworn me to secrecy! It’s a blood oath and I bear the mark of the Good Ring to prove my fealty here. Change is inevitable. Superman didn’t even wear boots in his first appearance. His costume resembled a toddler’s footy pajamas! And Batman carried a gun! Phantom fans need to read the story. Every detail means something. Trust us: WE HAVE A PLAN.

So, where you and/or DE aware that showing the Phantom’s eyes is something of a no-no? If so, why did you decide to do so?

I’m going to go on record and say that Kit WANTS his enemies to see his eyes. As for the reason, you have to read the opening story arc, “Ghost Walk.”

Obviously it’s unfair to judge a book before it’s released but from what we’ve seen thus far the series looks to be very different from anything we’ve seen before. Are you at all worried about alienating current phans of the character?

We’re quite respectful of The Phantom’s huge phan following. And I’m not about to spoil the story by explaining what we have planned. Give us six issues and you’ll be HOOKED.

It’s interesting that the story involves the 21st Phantom giving up the role of the Ghost Who Walks. Why did you decide on this rather than, say, have a descendant who was ignorant to his heritage only to discover it?

THE LAST PHANTOM is set in the here and now. The current Kit Walker believes that after 20 generations, there might be a better way. He actually thinks that he has a CHOICE.

Can you give us any insight into the thoughts behind the Phantom giving up his mantel? Some phans have said that such an action does not ring true for the character. Would you care to comment on those thoughts?

It “rings” true for the latest Kit Walker.

We know Alex Ross was instrumental in bringing the Phantom to DE and that he redesigned the costume and will be doing covers for the series. Will he have any other input into the Phantom books?

Definitely. Alex is part of the creative team from the get-go.

In Dynamite’s initial announcement of their Phantom project a couple of years ago, they proclaimed their plans to relocate the Phantom to New York. Is this still part of your approach?

There are many jungles in this world, including the so-called concrete jungles.

Moonstone put out a few stories where the Phantom teamed up with Mandrake the Magician, Captain Action and the Domino Lady. Is there a possibility to see stories where the purple guy teams up with characters licence by Dynamite, like the Green Hornet, Zorro, etc.?

That’s up to Dynamite Head Honcho Nick Barrucci, as well as the characters’ individual owners and licensors. You’ve undoubtedly read by now that Dynamite acquired the rights to publish stories with Mandrake and Flash Gordon. Want DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH? Write to Nick and make your voices heard!

Since I remember reading one of Dynamite’s ”secondary goals” is to make the film industry interested in classic characters again, I just have to ask: Have you seen any of the previous Phantom film or TV-adaptations? If so, what did you think about them? What do you think a new film has to do to correct mistakes done in the past?

I’ve only seen the Billy Zane film, which I think is simply a hoot. Much fun. In my mind, any comic book film worth its salt simply MUST take the subject matter seriously. I’m talking about staying true to the character(s) core motivations and not dumbing it down for an audience. And for God’s sake, make it about THE HERO. Not his love life. Not umpteen villains vying for screen time with hammy actors chewing scenery. Show us why he wears a purple leotard and zebra shorts. Trust us. If it’s good, we’ll stay until the final credits roll.

And finally, the dumbest question you will ever have to answer in your entire career: Is it true that Alex Ross has a dog called Phantom?!

Didn’t I already tell you Alex and I have a pact! What happens in the Skull Cave STAYS in the Skull Cave!

A HUGE thanks goes to Scott for taking the time to answer our question and to Paul for helping me with this interview!

Interview: Mike Bullock

Dynamite Entertainment, Interviews 3 Responses »

Mar 052010

Moonstone writer Mike Bullock joins us again here at CC to discuss what’s in store for the Phantom in up-coming issues, the origins of the various series and answers some questions that phans have long be awaiting the answers to. Fans of Moonstone’s books WILL NOT want to miss this one!

Chronicle Chamber: G’day Mike, welcome back to Chronicle Chamber. It’s been a little while, how have you been doing?

Mike Bullock: Hi Joe, thanks for the welcome. How are you? 2009 was a very tumultuous year for me and my family, but the skies seem to be clearing, the seas calming and it looks like some good sailing ahead.

CC: I’m very well, thanks! So Moonstone just announced five new Phantom trades. What’s it like to be working at the only American publisher to create enough original Phantom stories to fill that many TPBs?

MB: It’s great. There are a lot of publishers out there, not just in comics, but books, magazines, and I can even lump in some record companies, run by people who are far more concerned with making money than making good creative material. What I really find captivating about Moonstone is how much this is one giant labor of love for them. From Phantom, Zorro, Kolchak and Green Hornet to Black Bat, Spider, Captain Future, Gladiator and more, Moonstone just loves this stuff, which makes working on it a lot of fun. This isn’t just a job.

CC: Your “modernizing” of the Phantom that was one of the key themes of the Ghost Who Walks (GWW hereafter) series and has really brought the Phantom into the modern world wonderfully without losing any of the character’s classic sensibilities. Do you feel there is still more to do in regards to bringing the Phantom into 2010 or are you happy with where the character is?

MB: Well, I don’t think there was ever a time when the Phantom wasn’t modern. Sure, some people get it in their heads that he’s a 1930s character, but anyone who followed Lee Falk’s work knows that Mr. Falk kept The Ghost Who Walks up to date. 1930s characters don’t get into battles with terrorists, but the Phantom did in the 1990s newspaper strips. The things I’ve done are merely an organic extension of what Mr. Falk was doing, although no one will ever do it as well as he did. I had nice conversations with Fred Fredericks and Sy Barry and both agreed, The Phantom (and Mandrake) wouldn’t still be using out dated technology. He’d have a cell phone, computers, etc. The Phantom has access to vast wealth; he’s highly intelligent and driven. So, why wouldn’t he put that wealth and intelligence to use by affording himself the advantages of modern technology?

CC: We know from hints from various GWW issues, as well as solicitations of future issues, that one of the big villains of the last series, HIM, will be making a return. Is this return part of an arc you’ve been planning for a while or did you just felt it was right for HIM to resurface.

MB: When I penned the first Invisible Children arc in Phantom #17-19 I always planned to have HIM return. When I ended the last series in the Checkmate arc, many may have noticed I tied up just about all the loose ends, except HIM. Now, those who are keeping score at home most likely have seen a whole new set of loose threads unraveling in the pages of Phantom: Ghost Who Walks so far. From disappearances in the End War arc, to a certain set of eyes watching the events in the Return of the Eastern Dark, and several other “Easter eggs” planted in the series so far, all signs are pointing towards Godfall: Invisible Children II.

CC: Okay, let’s get to the big question: what’s happening with Dynamite Entertainment (D.E. hereafter)? Back in 2008 comics site Newsarama posted an article saying that D.E. had acquired the rights to do their own Phantom series. This had many wondering where this left Moonstone. After much back and forth between the two companies D.E. said they had put their plans for the Phantom on hold and that Moonstone was free to continue publishing Phantom stories. While things quieted down after that the possibility of D.E. coming in and taking the license was something that was at the back of a lot of phans’, and I’m sure Moonstone’s creators’, heads.

Cut to now and phans are beginning to wonder if the end of Moonstone’s run is drawing near. What first started them wondering is the sheer amount of Phantom publications Moonstone was putting out. GWW, Generations, Double Shot etc. Some saw this as Moonstone trying to get as much product out there as they could before they lost the license. As if to reinforce this thought Moonstone then changed the format of Generations to a larger sized book, effectively giving us two issues in one and drawing the series to a close quicker. The biggest worry for phans however is that the recent solicitation for the Phantom: Guardian of the Eastern Dark TPB reads that it collects the “entire twelve issue series,” which suggests that GWW will only last twelve issues before it ends.

Many phans have seen these as ominous signs of the coming of D.E. and the ending of Moonstone’s Phantom run. So, the big question is are you able to comment on any of that either confirming or denying any of those suspicions and/or give us an idea of what is happening with Moonstone’s Phantom publications?

MB: Wow, that’s a whole lot of queries in one question, Joe. Let me see if I can address each one. I have no idea what’s going on with Dynamite. I do know based on conversations I’ve had with King Features that they will indeed have the US comic book Phantom license as of July 1st, 2010. What they plan to do, who will do it, how it will be done and when it will come out are questions I can’t answer as I simply don’t know. As for the goings on you mention from Newsarama, Moonstone has had the license continuously since long before I came aboard. That didn’t change in 2008.

We had a lot of internal discussions in late 2008 about how we could get more exposure for the character, and one tried and true way seemed to simply be putting out more books. We had some great ideas for about five special projects, and managed to sell King Features on a few of them, including the Doubleshot and Generations series. Phantom: Doubleshot was originally something I dreamed up after seeing some of Ruben Procopio’s Phantom art and was simply dubbed Phantom: The Hammer. I thought “What if there was a new, animated Phantom movie and we adapted it into comics?” This led to the rough plot, which led to me contacting Ruben and discussing the idea with him. He was all for it, we dug up the locale of Madeira, Portugal as a neat “James Bond-esque” setting for an action packed story. Unfortunately, several months after I wrote the first script for what was to be a four-issue miniseries, Ruben had to bow out due to other projects he was involved in outside of comics. I took it back to Joe Gentile at Moonstone, he and I then came up with the idea of the Doubleshot series and used the Hammer story as the “headliner” so to speak. I had to tweak the tale somewhat to get it to fit into the new format and the rest is history. It, unfortunately, lost that “animated blockbuster movie” vibe somewhat, but gained a new identity all its own from the wonderful art created by Fernando Peniche.

Next up we had the Generations series, which I think Joe dreamed up, if memory serves, which was something never done before in the history of Phantom comics. It seemed like a no-brainer, King Features loved the idea and we got the ball rolling. However, the format didn’t seem to be working for readers, so we changed it up to include more “bang for the buck” in the form of the Generations Special.

To your last question, sadly, yes, Phantom: Ghost Who Walks is coming to an end with #12. I have rough plots for the series to run through #25, and plot seeds and ideas to keep it going well past #50, but the unfortunate truth is that Moonstone will not be renewing the U.S. Phantom comic book license after June 31st of this year. Regardless of any rumors, speculation or “writing on the wall” this decision was only made a few weeks ago. It’s a shame, as Silvestre, Fernando, Bob, Josh and I had really begun to get into a solid groove, but keeping a creative team on one book for any length of time these days is very rare.

I feel very honored to have been able to contribute what I did to Mr. Falk’s wonderful creation over the last six years and hopefully, at some point in the future, I’ll be able to continue in some form or another. The Phantom has become more than just a character, but more akin to a dear friend. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very sad when I heard the news, which came only a few days after the 76th anniversary of the character. Regardless, it’s been an unforgettable experience, working with some really talented people, creating fun stories for a wonderful audience. I feel blessed having worked on Phantom at all, much less to have reached the point where I’ve now created more original Phantom stories for US comics than any other writer in history. Even better was to have those stories brought to life by such an incredibly talented group of artists. Working on Phantom was indeed a dream come true, but sooner or later, it seems we all have to wake up from our dreams, no matter how much fun they may be. But, God willing, I’ll return to creating Phantom stories at some point in the future.

CC: Wow. That is a huge shame, Mike. I know Moonstone is going to be missed by many, many phans. So what does this mean for you? What will you be working on post-Phantom and where will fans be able to read your stories?

MB: It is a shame, but the outpouring of support we’ve received from Phans has been great. It’s proof that no matter where the Phantom lands, there will be many good people eagerly waiting to greet him.

I just finished up my second Black Bat and third Death Angel stories, which will be out later this year. I’m also doing new tales featuring Captain Future: Wizard of Science and co-writing tales of Philip Wylie’s Gladiator with fellow Phantom creator Josh Aitken.

Moonstone has also landed another pretty huge license that I can’t talk about just yet; however, I should be able to move straight from Phantom over to that one. It’s another property I’ve loved for a long time, so working on it will be yet another ‘dream come true’.

Thanks for all the support you and the Chronicle Chamber community have shown to Moonstone over the years, Joe. We all really appreciate it.

Tim Boyle: Bringing The Phantom To Screen

Interviews No Responses »

Dec 172008

By Joe Douglas

For months now we’ve been hearing rumors of another Phantom movie. No one really knew how serious to take them. There was a lot of back and forth about who had the rights to the character, who was writing the film, who was directing. Rumors came and went and it looked as if our hopes of another big screen Phantom adventure where fading fast. Then Tim Boyle announced he had written two scripts for a Phantom movie, one of which had been picked up. The rumors started again but this time it looked like they might actually be true!

After some very exciting weeks filled with equally exciting news we decided it was time to get the facts right from the source. Tim Boyle, the writer and director of the proposed new film, The Phantom Legacy, agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the film and his vision for it in this world-first interview!

NOTE: This interview was conducted before the film’s title was announced and reported on the site.

CC: G’day Tim and welcome to ChronicleChamber.com. It’s been over ten years since the first Phantom motion picture hit cinemas. Why do you think now is a good time to reintroduce the hero to the cinema going public?

TB: Probably the main reason why I think now’s a good time to reintroduce The Phantom is that there seems to be a positive trend in comic book to screen translations. Gone are the days where Comic Book films are seen as ‘hokey’. With the success of Spider-man, Iron Man, Dark Knight, Watchmen etc. people are interested in good character based ‘super hero’ films that not only entertain, but tell a solid story as well. The essence, as you know to most Comic Books or Graphic Novels, is based around moral decisions and consequences of our heroes. The Phantom was the first masked Super Hero – he is the original ‘origin story’. I think that character, the one that started it all, should have a place in today’s market.

So the question I’m sure everyone is waiting to hear the answer to is what will your Phantom film be like? Will it be faithful to the source material? In the announcement of the film you said it will be a father and son story “about a boy and his destiny.” Could you give any more details on this and what the plot may be?

It’s a modern day Phantom. A Phantom dealing with real world issues based in the real world. The story will be faithful to the legend of the Phantom, but we’re setting it in today’s day. Unfortunately… I can’t say too much more on this.

Specifically in regards to the Phantom costume, many who did not know the character but saw the 1996 film said that the purple costume was “silly.” Do you think the costume needs a change at all so that it is more palatable to the average movie goer? And what changes do you think would need to be made?

This is probably the 2nd most asked question… will we be changing the costume???? Yes, there will be changes – but you must remember, what works on the page doesn’t necessarily translate to the screen – Think of the uproar when Byran Singer changed Wolverine’s costume from yellow and blue spandex to the movie’s silver and black leather. It looked AWESOME! I can’t say exactly what we would like to do – but we’re working on a compromise that should hopefully keep the Phans happy, yet make the character more accessible to today’s audience.

With the 1996 film failing at the box office was it hard to pitch another Phantom film to the studios?

Getting any film made is always tricky and there are many hurdles to jump, but so far we’ve had great support from the Executive Producers and the Comic Studio. I’m extremely confident that the film we’re making will have full studio support.

The Phantom is nowhere near as popular in the US as he is in Australia and Scandinavia with the 1996 films terrible performance at the US box office attributed to that fact. Is this something that concerns you and how do you hope to overcome it?

I know this might all sound elusive, but I don’t really want to get bogged down on the last film and what it did or didn’t do at the box office. The direction we’re taking for this film is VERY different. What we have is a relaunch of the Phantom franchise. Comic book films of the mid nineties weren’t as ‘savvy’ in respect to the way they treated their audience. Since then, the bar has been raised substantially. The benchmark has been set well and truly high. So it’s up to us to deliver a film that will work on many levels – I feel that we’re moving in that direction, so I have no concerns about it.

Are there any other challenges you could tell us about in regards to bringing the Phantom to the big screen?

It’s still early days, but the biggest challenge so far is getting it right at script stage. If we can’t get it right here, then all the visual effects in the world can’t save you.

Are you planning on having the film focus on the 21st Phantom or a future or past Phantom?

The film is predominantly set in today’s day – so I guess you can figure out the math on that one. Again, I’m not really allowed to say too much on this.

Will aspects of the comics’ mythology appear in the film such as the Skull Oath, the real origin of the Phantom (as opposed to the botched rendition in the ’96 film), the Phantom legacy and so on?

Yes! This film is heavily focused on the comics’ mythology. You will see the Skull Oath and much, much more. It’s really kick ass! And it’s funny you mentioned the ‘Phantom Legacy’.

Will we be seeing characters such as Guran, President Luaga, Colonel Worubu or others appear in the film?

Yes! I have accessed many characters from the comic and updated them to play similar roles in todays world. I did this especially for the Phans. I hope you enjoy that!

When writing the script was any particular Phantom story or stories an inspiration to you?

This screenplay is an original take on the comic and it’s mythology. Elements from the story arcs will be found… but this is something very new. I’ve been working, and will continue to work hard with the guys at King Features Syndicate to make sure we give you something really special.

What do you consider to be the “core” of the Phantom character, that element that must be preserved in the film?

The Legacy – the passing down of the Skull Oath. Also the pure white eyes.

We’ve heard that the original script for the film was turned down by the studios. Can you tell us how the original script differed from the current one and why the studio rejected it?

Ah! Thank you for this question. The reporter got it WRONG! There was no other draft I wrote. There was a treatment that was not accepted written by a different writer – but both the producers and Comic studio flipped out when they heard my idea for The Phantom, and I was signed on to the project. There has never been a rejected script from my camp. This reporting was incorrect.

What are your opinions of the 1996 Phantom film and how will your film differ?

Look, again not trying to get caught up in the past. I think Simon Wincer did a awesome job for what he had to work with. The movie looked great, Billy Zane really did well and I’ve always loved Kristy Swanson – even before Buffy, when she did that cameo in Ferris Buller’s Day Off... but the film just felt like a 90′s comic book film aimed for children – The 1st Phantom swears an oath on a dead pirates skull he finds on the beach! It’s actually a pretty gruesome visual. The guy carries two guns and has a pet wolf that can rip your head off and as far as the world knows… can’t die! The Phantom has darkness to it – albeit not Batman dark, but still… he kicks ass and that’s what I want to do with this film. Make it kick ass!

Will you be calling the film simply The Phantom or will you try and differentiate it from the ’96 film by calling it, say, The Ghost Who Walks?

No… the film’s working title is called The Phantom: Legacy. I hope that just got you all a little more excited.

It’s been announced that you are considering Sam Worthington for the role of the Phantom. Was he who you had in mind from the start or are there other actors you think would be good in the role? Furthermore, has there been any talks at all with Worthington yet in regards to the film?

Ah the # 1 asked question. Who will be The Phantom? I didn’t write the film with anyone per say in mind. Sam’s been very supportive with my career. He’s like the hardest working actor on the planet right now. We’d be lucky to get a guy like Sam – That said, there are a few different people I have in mind – and we’ll start approaching them soon. But right now my focus is the screenplay.

As you yourself are Australian, as is Worthington, what do you think the chances of the film being shot here in Australia are; especially now so many Hollywood films are being made here?

The chances of an Australian shoot is HIGH. Although I’m currently based in the US, it would be awesome to come home and make this film ‘Down Under’.

Finally, and most importantly, what is the current status of the movie? How long until we possible start seeing teasers and trailers appear on the web and in cinemas?

We’re at scripting stage. The financing is taking place. We’ll be hoping for a 2011 release date.

Thanks very much for your time, Tim, it’s much appreciated. We here at CC wish you all the best with the Phantom and all your other film projects!!

Thank you. And I just wanted to say I appreciate the support and let you know this film would not be being made with out the love of the Phans!
I’ll try to keep you all as updated as I can and really look forward to making something you can all be really proud of.

Tim sent me an e-mail just as I was readying this interview for publication on the site. He asked me to let you all know that the film he is writing/ directing is NOT a sequle to the 1996 Billy Zane film but rather a complete re-boot of the Phantom film franchise. Tim says;

We’ve NEVER mentioned this as a ‘Sequel’. Tell the Phans… This is a total relaunch. Starting from scratch – taking us into today. Don’t fear… be excited!

You can visit Tim on-line at his MySpace page.

Discuss this interview on the forums.

An Interview with Claes Reimerthi

Egmont, Interviews No Responses »

Apr 292008

By Paul Jonassen

Few people actively reading The Phantom today can be unaware of Claes Reimerthi. The man is, after Lee Falk, by far the most productive writer to ever work on the character. Most of his work has been for Semic and Egmont, but Claes was also asked by King Features to write the Phantom newspaper strip after Falk’s passing, which he did for several years before finally returning to focus solely on Egmont’s Phantom stories. He is also responsible for what is by far the longest Phantom story of all time, the epic Heart of Darkness saga (to date not published in English), and is today in charge of writing most of the new stories that are focused on evolving the Phantom and his world. Claes kindly took time out of a very busy schedule to answer CC’s questions about the future of the Phantom and his career so far.

In the two recent stories about Dogai Singh’s life it is revealed that Dogai survived Khermet Singh’s assassination. What plans do you have for Dogai in the future?

Honestly, I have no idea. It could sound strange, but that is how it is. Ever since Phantom Year One and the five-part Final Countdown where the Phantom believes that his family and circle of acquaintances are wiped out, I have worked on a set of stories that follow up the questions that originated there, which the intention of is to gradually modernize the Phantom-concept. Among other things, that goes for President Luaga’s, the Jungle Patrol’s, Lubanga’s and the Singh-pirates’ future roles in the series. One should be able to compare these stories to what we called “key-adventures” during the Lubanga-period in the beginning of the nineties, which means stories that influence the concept of the series. It has due to different reasons been me who has written all of these stories.

But still I will not lock myself at only writing stories of this kind, I will do others as well, for example historical adventures. That means that there is a fairly long time span between each episode in this batch. Once a year I participate in a Phantom-seminar together with Ulf Granberg and Hans Lindahl, where we draw the guidelines for next year’s production. Then I try to get in two-three of these “key-adventures” on the schedule. The 2007-2008 schedule is now nearly done with and there are no more “key-adventures” on schedule. But in a short while it is time for a new seminar, and then I will get the opportunity to start pondering the continuation. Until then I am simply not quite sure.

Sandal Singh was recently elected President of Bengalla, and this is only one of the many events that have contributed to make the Phantom’s world a lot more dangerous and insecure. What plans does Team Fantomen have for this new situation? Can we expect something like the Lubanga-era, or are you planning something entirely new?

The Lubanga-period is characterized by very many episodes – not just “key-adventures” – circling around Lubanga and Bengalla’s domestic-politics. I thought it was an incredibly dynamic and exciting time for the series, but it showed after a while that a) people thought it became too much internal-politics in the series and b) that it was annoying that Lubanga was certainly struck by back strike, but was never defeated for good. So a conclusion one can draw from this is that a rate of two-four new “key-adventures” a year is more passable. Of course, for example, the fact that Sandal Singh is president also be used in other stories during the year, but the concept ought to not be hard released in the way that happened during the Lubanga-period.

At the same time I am confident that there should be an overbearing “soap opera” theme in the series; that there will at all times be things happening that brings change to the characters’ lives. Both to create uncertainty about what will happen, and to make the comic more interesting to follow. There shall at all times be stuff happening that will have consequences. The Phantom’s universe was static for way too many years. It is in addition more fun to write a comic that is constantly under devolvement than one that just repeats the same formula over and over again and where everything that happens in the series is forgotten by the next issue. But outermost it is a question about making the series more believable and more realistic.

It has always been popular among fans to discuss who will become the 22^nd Phantom and if the 21st will ever die at all. A while ago a rumor was spread that the editors had serious plans about telling stories about the 22^nd Phantom, without necessarily killing off the 21^st Phantom. What is your opinion on this, should we, and will we, ever see stories featuring the 22^nd Phantom of Kit and Heloise, or the death of the 21 Phantom?

This is an incredibly difficult question. Those who favor change claim that it lays in the series’ concept that the Phantom dies and is replaced by the next generation. That is correct, but simultaneously it is a fact that Lee Falk never took this step with the 21^st Phantom. Something that was reasonably justified long before Falk passed if one looks at the different Phantoms’ average life-length. It is simply two widely different cases to have the 17^th Phantom die and have “our” Phantom die. My personal perception is that the 21^st Phantom’s death would bring changes so big that it would no longer be the same comic. The risk is so big that one would decant the child out with the bath water.

It is true that it’s been discussed about doing adventures with the 22^nd Phantom without killing off the 21^st. But so far the discussions have mostly held themselves at a common level as an imaginable possibility. Personally I deem this a good way of testing the 22^nd’s carrying power, as there then is a possibility of retreating if the result in one way or another or does not live up to expectations. All things considered I would gladly see more experimenting with the actual concept. I have myself contributed with several of these experiments in the last few years.

Do you have any all-time favorite Phantom stories by other writers than yourself?

It would probably be several if I really considered. But the first that pops up in my mind are Norman Worker’s Castle of Evil and The Shipwrecker. I also liked (it is a number of years since I read them the last time) many of Janne Lundstöm’s stories from the seventies. It was Janne’s stories, in a much larger degree than Lee Falk’s, that inspired me to become a Phantom-wri

ter.

The 1996 Phantom movie adaptation starring Billy Zane remains a constant discussion-matter among fans. What do you think of the film?

It did not make a strong impression on me. First and foremost it was much too uneven. Good scenes were mixed with embarrassingly bad scenes.

You seem to write most of the stories about the evolvement of the Phantom and Bengalla. If you were given free reins, how and to what degree would you have developed the series? Are there certain elements of the comic you feel need modernization/change?

As I mentioned earlier it is maybe first and foremost me and Hasse Lindahl who determinedly fought to change and develop the concept (and who has opportunity to exert influence on that point). One could say that we got a bit carried away in regards to the Lubanga-period, which offered several opportunities to rummage around in the series. It felt very sad to return to the old, static Phantom in 1997 and see all the changes etched away. Luaga became President again, even the tunnel into the safe in the Jungle Patrol’s headquarters was recreated. I mean that if the series is to survive, then it needs to follow its times. And first and foremost the characters have to follow their times.

I have very free reins when it comes to developing the series, which is of course a strong reason why I enjoy it so much. I can make the series “mine” and write the sort of story that interests me. As I mentioned earlier, most of the ideas for new stories are presented at the Phantom-seminars. Editor Ulf Granberg is off course the one who decides if an idea is to be scrapped or realized. But we (Ulf, Hasse and I) are so coordinated after all these year that we think on approximately the same tracks. Ulf is open for changes and willing to listen to all suggestions on that way. Is it just a good idea, he tends to receive it without protests and also complete it with his own suggestions and ideas.

You can say that I now to some extent accomplished the changes I considered to be most needed. Luaga is gone from the presidential post (for good if I get to decide!) and the Singh have got a new interesting leader, who is just as charismatic as old Dogai, while the piracy is in the process of undergoing an adjustment to the 2000s with the launch of Singh Inc. Luaga must get a new role onwards, but the biggest problem is Diana, who does not at all have any working role in the series anymore. And I am not very sure on the Jungle Patrol’s role either. (When it comes to Diana Hasse Lindahl is of another opinion and has, I think, certain ideas within the future) On the other hand I cannot see any sudden need to do anything with the “order of succession” in the Skull Cave.

The Phantom is a character who looks to be very usable for a writer, but in contrast to other comic book figures he has not evolved that much throughout the years. What are your thoughts on the Phantom as a character? Are there any sides of his personality you wish had been different?

The Phantom is a classic hero to the degree that he frankly misses personality traits. He is just silent, heroic and self-sacrificing. I made certain attempts to penetrate in “behind the mask” during the Lubanga-time by reflecting his thoughts by the help of so-called inner-monologues, but it did not work very well. One will just have to accept that the Phantom is the unalterable cliff that everything in the series revolves around, but that the changes, psychologically and so on, first and foremost influences the characters around him. The myth simply overshadows the human.

Will Kigalia Lubanga appear in the series again, or is he gone for good?

An interesting question. Considering the Phantom’s fairly static role (see above) the villains who challenge him are incredibly important to give the series color. Good villains, such as Lubanga or Dogai, are literally invaluable for the series. At the same time it is difficult to create villains of this caliber. It is therefore one as a writer always hesitates to “turn off” these characters for good: it becomes an emptier, poorer comic without them. At the same time there are from the readers (even if they too love a good villain) a certain impatience, which I described above. Some time the bad guy must have to pay for his sins! His violation cannot remain unpunished forever, as this disrupts our sense of justice. And as a writer one is at time also tempted to take that last crucial step, if not for anything else then to raise the intensity and show that the fights the Phantom are battling are deadly serious and at life’s risk. And then one easily ends up in an evil circle where the bad guy’s “presumed death” is altered with constant resurrections. Both Lubanga and Dogai are examples on this. I can tell that when Dogai met his fate in “The Crystal Skulls” my thought was that he should really die for good. But once again he is such a good character that I fell to temptation and resuscitated him again. When it comes to Lubanga’s passing, my thought was the opposite: this was a typical case of “presumed death”. But as I see it now, I wonder if we, despite everything, should not let him remain dead, for the believability of the series. But I cannot swear that I will not sometime in the future fall for the temptation to resurrect him again. As Oscar Wilde said: “The best way to get rid of a temptation is to fall for it” (quoted freely from the memory). He was a usable figure.

Have you ever had any ideas for new stories that have been rejected simply because they were too controversial, or are you usually allowed to tell the stories you want to?

No, I cannot recall ever getting a story rejected for that reason. The most common occasion is usually that they are simply not good enough. I experience having a very large artistic freedom to evolve the series after my own mind.

In the stories about Dogai Singh we get a new appearance by Kabai Singh from Lee Falk’s first story, plus a glimpse of Sala, the aviatrix. Is it of interest to use more characters or crime-organizations (such as Hydra) from Falk’s stories in new adventures?

What concerns Kabai Singh and Sala, they show up in the series simply because they are an established part of the Phantom-myth. I cannot claim that I have any personal connection to these characters that makes me think of ideas to stories where they are featured. Generally it can very well be thought that figures from Falk’s universe resurface again, under the assumption that I feel I can do something exciting with them. One can look at them as pawns standing ready without leaving the gaming-board. But the crime-organization Hydra will probably not resurface in any of my stories. It is a pretty sad and anonymous organization whoes only distinctive stamp is the fact that it consists of a large number of branches. It does not at all have the lightning-power and originality of, for example, Singh and the Vultures. The Vultures’ specialty to primarily attack the weak and helpless makes them perfect enemies for the Phantom. They should actually get more attention in the series. We manage just as well without Hydra.

The last part of the serial ends with a real cliffhanger, so I just have to ask: Are you planning a sequel to the trilogy about the Phantom Crusader?

Of course I intend to keep exploring the past history of the Phantom-family. They are actually the stories I am the most enthusiastic about at the present time. But it will drag on a while before all the mists are spread and things will get their final explanation. Right now follows a trilogy that takes place in the antiquity of Rome and Palestina. That one I will start writing in a few weeks. Then I have two additional trilogies planned. Where and when they take place I think I will not reveal yet, but I really look forward to start writing them. I hope to realize such a trilogy once a year. The readers seems to have liked the Phantom Crusader-trilogy, so I hope to get to play further with this concept another time.

Which of your own stories are you the most pleased with?

I don’t think I can give a good answer to that. With almost 200 Phantom-scripts under my belt I have simply forgotten quite a few stories that I have written. There are some stories that I wish I had never written; a fair amount that are competent craft but not much more; and then there are a number of stories that for some reason “stand out” a bit extra, but that may be due to very many different reasons. I leave it to the readers to decide what stories they like or not. The Donald Duck-artist Don Rosa has said, that for every story he does there are those who think it’s the very best he ever did, while others think that it is the absolutely worst one. And most of the assessments end up somewhere on the scale between these extremes. That is also my experience. That makes one purified in the adversity and sober-minded in prosperity.

The “brain trust” consists of you, Ulf Granberg and Hans Lindahl. How far into the future are you planning stories?

Earlier on we had one seminar bi-annually, but now we are content with meeting once a year. On this meeting we draw the guidelines for about a year’s production.

You have written the longest Phantom story of all time, Heart of Darkness. Have there ever been plans to publish this serial in a collected edition? And has it been discussed making another of these serials that are published over several issues in the future?

I have long hoped to see Heart of Darkness collected, as I think the series would work better as a continuous narrative. Clearly there are at least a fair amount of readers who wish the same thing, as I have gotten to learn that it is the series people request most frequently for reprinting in the Swedish Phantom Chronicles (interviewers note: a black and white comic book that reprints older Phantom stories). Pleasantly enough we will get to have our wish fulfilled this year already if everything goes according to the plan. A reprint of the entire Heart of Darkness is as a matter of fact planned in the autumn and will run over four issues of The Phantom Chronicles. The thought is moreover that the fourth and final issue is to be completed with an entirely newly drawn episode that ties up to Heart of Darkness. This is to fill out the final issue. I am currently reading through the entire Heart of Darkness to find an angle to such a story. So let us hope that I will so that these plans can be locked.

Are you currently working on other writing-projects that are not related to the Phantom?

I write about 8-9 Phantom-scripts per year. Beyond that I write scripts to the Swedish humor-series 91:an and make translations for the Donald Duck-editorial staff (I have for instance translated about two thirds of the article-texts to the Swedish prestige-edition of Carl Bark’s Collected Works on 30 volumes). Beyond that I write a number of facts-articles for The Phantom and forewords to the Donald Duck-volume books. During my free time I work on a youth-book, a fantasy-novel that is called Myrddin (I have just finished editing the first half of the book and will in some days send it away to the publishing house), and with text- and facts scrutinizing of a book about Swedish comic book history (comic book history is one of my great fields of interest) that is set to be published by Seriefrämjandet (interviewer’s note: The Swedish Comic Book Association). Myrrdin I have done on pure speculation – I have no contract on the book yet – and the comic book history is ideal work from my side.

And finally, the obligatory question: What inspires you as a writer?

Everything I see, hear and read. I watch a lot of movies, read a lot of comics and heaps of both fiction and books of facts. One can say, that when if I do not write, I read. I do not have time for much else. There are therefore ideas popping up all the time and occasionally where you least expect it – both background-material and impulses for themes, plots and characters.

Discuss this interview on the forums

Mandrake: A Small Glimpse of Magic

Interviews, Mandrake No Responses »

Feb 152008

As I’m sure you all know Moonstone Books will soon be brining Mandrake the Magician back to comics. As anticipation for the new stories builds I asked Mandrake writer Mike Bullock if he could tell us a little about what to look forward to…

CC: Hello again Mike, thanks for once again joining us here at

ChronicleChamber.com. As we’ve all heard Moonstone will soon be releasing original Mandrake stories, written by yourself. Why did Moonstone decide to tackle Mandrake?

Hi Joe, thanks for having me back. I feel like a recurring guest on The Late Show. To answer your question, it just made sense. Joe Gentile, EiC of Moonstone Books loves pulp/radio/newspaper strip characters, as evidenced by their strong line up of licensed properties (The Phantom, Kolchack, The Avenger, Domino Lady, The Spider, Mr. Keen, etc) and especially loves the works of Lee Falk.

While I can’t say I’ve been a longtime fan of Mandrake, I am a HUGE fan of Lee Falk’s work, especially The Phantom. The more I read, the more hooked I become. When Joe asked if I wanted the opportunity to take on Lee Falk’s other creation, I didn’t hesitate in telling him yes.

What’s it like for you writing Mandrake? It must be a buzz to now be writing new adventures for both of Lee Falk’s classic heroes.

Oh, it certainly is. I’ve always marveled at the creativity of such writers from Lee Falk’s era. Guys like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard and Lee Falk just had a certain ability to cast vision that you rarely see anymore. Chances are, that’s why their creations have endured for all these decades.

What direction are you taking Mandrake in? You’ve said on the Moonstone Forums that the stories will follow on from Lee Falk & Fred Fredericks’ tales. Can you give us a little more insight into this?

Well, we’re obviously going to bring Mandrake, Lothar and the crew into the twenty-first century (not to say Fred Fredericks isn’t doing the same in the newspaper). However, we’ll also be bringing back a few of his old enemies. One of which has not been seen in quite some time. Just as I’ve done with The Phantom, you can expect Mandrake to exist in a world not dissimilar to the one we all live in today, where current events will have a bearing on the stories as well as the outcomes.

How will Mandrake’s powers be in the book? Is he still simply the

master of illusion or is there perhaps some real magic about him?

A little from column “A”, a little from column “B”.

So far we know of the six-page teaser story that is to appear in Captain Action #1 as well as Mandrake’s appearance in the second Phantom annual. Are these two stories connected at all or are they each their own entity?

They’re each their own. The six-page story is a prelude of sorts to the upcoming Mandrake #1. And while the six pager is really nothing more than a teaser, between it and the annual, readers should have a nice glimpse of what’s to come.

What of Lothar? I assume you had to up-date him somewhat, make him slightly more politically correct?

Lothar has been updated for quite some time; however, I have tweaked him a bit. He’s more suave, sophisticated and downright scary than he’s ever seemed in the panels of the newspaper strips.

You mentioned on the forums that you spoke with Mandrake artist Fred Fredericks on the phone when you began the Mandrake story. Did he have any advice for you or input into the stories?

Fred had lots of insights I’d have never found in any amount of research. And, to get to speak with a man like him was just plain awesome. He’s been around this sort of thing for a long, long time and shared several anecdotes of life working on the strip that I don’t think I’d have heard anywhere else. His interest in the current comic industry was very keen and he was sincere in his offers to lend an ear or read over a plot anytime I needed it.

What kind of stories can we hope to see in the Mandrake books? Action/ adventure? Mystery? Fantasy? All of the above?

Definitely all of the above. While both characters were unique, Lee Falk’s tales of The Phantom and Mandrake always carried those same common elements, ones I love to read and will enjoy building into the upcoming tales.

Ok, so we have the teaser and the Annual. Can you tell us when the first Mandrake “proper” book will be out?

We just finished the final script for the Annual, so now I have to get back to work on some Phantom scripts, but after I have #26 in the can, Mandrake #1 is up next. All I can tell you right now is to expect a big story, spanning forty plus pages that will set the tone for everything that is to come.

Thanks once again for talking with us, Mike.

You’re welcome, thanks for having me!

Discuss this interview on the forums.

Mike Bullock: Phantom Truths

Comics, Interviews No Responses »

Jan 082008

With issue #21 the biggest story arc to hit Moonstone’s on-going Phantom series begins. It’s been said this will be a defining moment for the series and once the arc is over things might just be a little…different.

So, I asked writer Mike Bullock if he’d be willing to shed some light on what we can expect during the arc. Mike, however, had other ideas.

Instead he said that once a week we could ask him three questions. One he’ll answer truthfully, the other two…he’ll make up fictional answers for. Your job is to figure out which is which.

A thread has been created over at the forums for discussion and also for any Phans who wish to submit questions to Mike.

This article will be up-dated each week with new questions and answers so keep an eye out on the forums and the CC Home Page for the heads up when this happens.

But now, without further ado, onto the truth…maybe.

WEEK ONE;

Questions:

Was the skull faced man we saw at the end of issue #19 Manuel Ortega?
Will HIM make a return?
Will this story be a turning point for the Phantom?

Answers:

1.Yes
2.Maybe
3.Yes

WEEK TWO:

Here are some more hints from Mike as posted on our forums;

Q. Will it feature several villains previously seen in the comic, as I believe it was hinted at months ago?

A. Not sure I’d use the word “feature”, but there’s more than one baddie grinding an axe in this arc.

Q. Will any of Bangalla’s neighbouring countries be a part of this arc?

A. Yes.

Q. is it going to answer the political ‘problem’ that was questioned in issue 13?

A. That was a seed planted specifically for this upcoming arc. Beyond that, I can’t say more without spoiling anything.

Discuss this interview on the forums.

Mike Bullock, Part 2

Interviews No Responses »

Dec 262007

By Joe Douglas
Now that his debut arc has been released Mike Bullock sits down once again with ChronicleChamber.com to talk about fan reaction to issues #12 and #13, what the future holds and life outside The Phantom.

WARNING!: This interview contains spoilers, so if you haven’t read issues #12 and/ or #13 yet, you may want to read those first before this interview! Haven’t read Part One? Click HERE.

ChronicleChamber: G’day Mike, thanks for joining us again here at ChronicleChamber.com. Now that the phans have had their say about Tiger’s Blood parts one and two, what do you think of the reaction?

Mike Bullock: I was pleased to get as much feedback as I did. It’s always nice to read positive feedback, and it’s even better to read solid, constructive criticism, as that’s one way to really grow as a writer.

CC: A number of phans seemed to quite enjoy the first part of the story, but not so much the second. The main reason for this appears to be that they loved the way you presented both the Phantom and new villain Manuel Ortega as very mysterious men in the first part of the story but then seemed to completely discard this mystery in part two. What was the reason for doing this?

MB: Based on the feedback I’ve received, your analysis is a bit off kilter. I know you personally didn’t enjoy #13, but a lot of people enjoyed it more than #12. It seems like there are three camps so far: one group that liked 12, but not 13. Another that dug 13, but not 12 and a third group that enjoyed them both equally.

As for the difference in the two issues, #12 was originally written as a one-shot, fill-in issue. The initial idea was just for me to write an issue to give Ben Raab some breathing room. I wanted it to stand out from Ben’s stories, so I wrote it from a more mysterious POV. About a month or two after #12 was in the can, Ben stepped down and based on the reaction from King Features and they’re own opinion of #12, Moonstone asked me to take over as the ongoing writer.

When I first came up with the story for #12, I figured I’d bring Manuel Ortega back into the picture six to eight issues later when I got another shot at doing a fill-in for Ben. Now that I was writing #13 as well, I decided to change up the storytelling POV and give readers a more direct look at the Phantom and his adversary. Taking a step back and looking at 12 & 13 back to back, I’m not sure they’re so much part one and two, as they are just two installments of episodic fiction with common plot threads.

CC: Well, obviously i have no idea what I’m talking about . We all know uppity phans on message boards only count for a small fraction of the total of people reading the book. How have sales of the book been going?

MB: Joe (Gentile) over at Moonstone called me last week and told me to smile, as the sales numbers were climbing back upward. I quickly complied.

CC: A number of phans who said they did not enjoy issue #13 have also said that they still have faith in you to produce good stories and are looking forward to issue #14. Issue #12 has also received a number of votes in our Best of 2006 poll on the forums. This must be reassuring for you.

MB: I certainly appreciate the support of the readers. Although there is a fair bit of feedback via the various message boards, I also get quite a few private emails and even a hand written letter or two of support (someone even sent me a wonderful Phantom Christmas Card!). I realize I’m still improving my skill sets and don’t have nearly the writing experience of guys like Ben and Chuck Dixon, but with time, I hope to grow into the best Phantom writer still drawing breath. Thankfully, there are lots of people who have faith that I can do that.

CC: A number of errors plagued issue #12, such as the mess up with the colouring. What happened there?

MB: The line artist, Gabriel Rearte, ran into several concerns in his private life while working on #12, which put us severely behind schedule. That loss of time led us to rush a bit at the end to get the book out and when I looked over the final coloring files, I didn’t catch the coloring errors. As I’ve said previously, I take complete responsibility for those errors making it to print.

CC: At the end of issue #13, we see Manuel horribly disfigured due to being badly burnt when his lab exploded. This might be a stretch, but seeing as Manuel is now so hideous due to his injuries do you plan on introducing any horror elements into your Phantom stories? Call me crazy, but that would be cool.

MB: I’ve yet to even scratch the surface of what sorts of elements I plan on introducing. The Phantom is a great character with an almost unlimited amount of untapped potential. Wait until the end of issue 19, then look back over 12-19 and you’ll have a better idea of how I plan to take different points of view and set various tones for different stories, based on the subject matter at hand. Issues 14 & 15 go back in time. 16-19 are set squarely in the present, yet have a different tone to the storytelling. 20 is a story featuring one of the Phantom’s ancestors. 21-25 are back in modern day, but once again have a different storytelling angle than anything prior to them.

CC: We know Manuel will be returning and that he has something to do with the events that are to take place in issue #25. Apart from that can you give us any hints as to when and what his return will involve?

MB: The upcoming annual and the end of issue 19 will give you more clues. For now, all I can say is you’ve only seen one dimension of this character, but he’s far from one-dimensional. At his heart, Manuel was a very good guy, but life has conspired to mold him into a vengeful, angry man. One with that sort of intelligence, physical abilities and anger will certainly be a thorn in the Phantom’s side for a while to come.

CC: Issue #14 is out in a few short weeks. We know this arc (#14 and #15) deals with the Phantoms early years in the purple tights. Is there anything else you can tell us about this arc?

MB: Unlike issues 12 & 13, these two issues were written as one story broken out into two issues. This tale deals with the Phantom roughly one year after he first took the mantle over from his father and he’s not quite as mature as he is in stories revolving around him in his prime. With this in mind, he reacts to events around him more with his heart than his head, in a similar fashion to when he and Guran first sailed to America and the sailors on the ship threatened Guran.

CC: All on Moonstone’s arcs seem to run for two issues. Is there a two-issue limit in the House of Moon or will we see, say a six-part arc further into the run?

MB: Actually, no. It’s just easier, due to the multi-layered approval process, to get one or two issue stories produced. However, issue 16 is technically a one-shot, but also a prelude to the three part Invisible Children story appearing in 17-19.

CC: Moving away from The Phantom for a moment, how is your other book Lions, Tigers and Bears going?

MB: The new artist on LTB, Paul “Gutz” Gutierrez has been enduring some rather serious health troubles over the last six months, and as such, Volume II is way behind schedule. I’ve written Volume III already, but based on Paul’s troubles, I don’t think he’ll be able to begin working on it for quite some time.

CC: Do you have any other non-Phantom related projects on your slate?

MB: I have two new creator owned properties I’m developing. One is another all-ages tale similar to LTB, entitled We’re Wolves. The other is something of a military horror story entitled Arabian Knightmare. I’m hoping both will launch some time in late ’07. I’m also developing a new character for Moonstone that will spin from the Mr. Keen mythos and make his debut in an upcoming Moonstone Anthology. Beyond that, I have some exciting things coming from some other publishers that I can’t talk about yet and I’m also developing a chapter book series that should hit stores in 2008.

CC: To finish up, I have to ask one fan boy question – where are the Singh Brotherhood and when will they return?

MB: The Singh will return in late January when the Phantom Annual hits stores. The entire annual revolves around the Phantom’s centuries old battle with the Singh. You’ll see more members of the Brotherhood than you can shake a Skull Ring at by the time it’s all said and done. Then they’ll be entering the ongoing series beginning in issue 19.

CC: Thanks again for your time Mike. All the best in the new year and all your future projects! Can’t wait for issue #14!

Discuss this interview on the forums

Silvestre Szilagyi

Interviews No Responses »

Dec 262007

By Joe Douglas

With Moonstone’s 16th Phantom issue Silvestre Szilagyi becomes the series new on-going penciler. In the lead up to #16′s release we sat down with Silvester to talk about his career, how he came to draw The Phantom and all manner of important topics…

ChronicleChamber: G’day Silvestre, thanks for joining us here at ChronicleChamber.com. Starting with issue #16 (out this month), you’ll be taking over as on-going artists for Moonstone’s Phantom series. Although we’ve seen a few samples of your work, you are a fairly new name to Phantom fans. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your previous work?

Silvestre Szilagyi: I’ve been drawing comics since I was thirteen, as an amateur, for fun. Of course, I wrote my own stories that had to do with spy world and DC Silver Age superheroes. When out of high school, at 18, I took samples to the local publishing companies, and they sent me to study comic book art: I landed with Alberto Breccia for two and a half years.
Once Lito Fernandez was around looking for somebody to help
him and he liked what I was doing on the practices, so he hired me to ink backgrounds, later for some ghost penciling, which brought about my main stream for years; every now and them I go back that way.

While ghosting, I began working on my own for Columba publishing (the main company those days here in Argentina). Later I worked for every local publishing company, till they went out of business, around the mid-nineties.

Also, simultaneously, I began working for Italian publishing Eura, later also for Universo, plus some works for Great Britain (IPC) and Basteii of Germany.
I did all kinds of stories: romance, detective, adventure, war, science fiction, and historical themes.

I’ve drawn some thirty pages per month (penciling) and inking some twenty of them, as an average for quite a number of years. I’m working much slower now, trying to focus on better story-telling and better general drawing.

I’m married, and have a daughter…and a bunch of feline monsters.

CC: As I mentioned fans have seen some samples of your work already. From those few images alone fans are already comparing your art to the great Phantom artist Sy Barry. Everyone seems very excited for issue #16 and your art looks to be a big factor in that. Are you pleased with the fan reaction to your work thus far?

SS: Let’s hope they like it when they read the whole story.

CC: Fair enough. As I’m sure you are aware The Phantom comic has a huge history and many, many artists have drawn the character. Did you do any research on him or look at any other artist’s work while drawing the Ghost Who Walks?

SS: The Phantom was one of the daily strip characters that had been generously edited by local companies. I know the character and love him from the days when we were receiving Lee Falk/ Wilson McCoy’s Phantom. (In black and white!). He was the best at telling the story visually.

Some time later, we got the colored edition (from a Chilean publishing) of Gold Key’s Phantom, with the original painted covers and interior art by Bill Lignante. I still love his work quite a lot.

Then came the astounding Lee Falk / Sy Barry, and for years they stole the thunder. I sold the Lignante and McCoy comics…Little by little I got them back. I look upon the three of them. Try to get some shadings and story telling of McCoy, the mood of Lignante, especially his facial expressions, and some general touches, mainly in the black and white, of Sy Barry. (I also admire his inking over Infantino’s Phantom Stranger and early Alex Toth works.)

John Carter, local fellow artists, Travis Charest,…I could go on. Let’s add Vermeer, Leonardo’s drawings, most Italian painters from Renaissance, Van Gogh, and Seurat.

Movies: Fohn Ford, Sergio Leone, Phillipe de Brocca, Robert Bresson, Kubrick, John Frankenheimer, early Kurosawa (in Black and white!), Riddley Scott, Eisenstein, D.W.Griffith, William Wyler, some of Clint Eastwood, Carol Reed, Henry Hathaway, John Badham, Fritz Lang, Buster Keaton, TV Invaders (the Quinn Martin show), TV T.H.E. Cat (By Boris Sagal, with Robert Loggia)…Plus Hamilton-Matt Helm novels, Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles and some other early works, Graham Greene, Alistair Mac Lean, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Salgari, Jack London and his dogs and wolves, some old legends (Mahabarata, Illiad, Odyssey, American legends, Scandinavians, mainly mythology, Sumerian pages, well you get the idea.), plus Gardner Fox, John Broome, Otto Binder, Bill Finger…And lots of drawing from real life.

Of course: these are some influences, and then there are those whom I like and enjoy. Sometimes they are the same ones.

CC: Wowzers, that is a lot! It’s a well known fact that every artist puts their own personal touch on a character when they draw them. Are there any aspects of The Phantom’s character, costume or personality you really want to explore with your version of the character?

SS: On drawing a story, I try to get as near to the writer’s conceptions as I can. So, it’ll be up to Mike to see how the Phantom gets on. I like the “classic look” on him.

CC: Moonstone has gone through quite a number of artists on their Phantom series. How long do you plan on staying with the book?

SS: If the readers/ editors/ writers like it, for a long time.

CC: You mentioned you’d read the Phantom comics and strips, but have you seen the 1996 film or any of the cartoons?

SS: I’ve also got some of the Charlton run by Aparo, and seen the 1996 movie on TV. (I didn’t like it very much). All this was long before it crossed my mind to have something to do on The Phantom.

CC: Tell us how you landed the roll as on going Phantom artists.

SS: Joseph Gentile asked if I’d want to do the Phantom #16 as a fill in, then something happened to Carlos Magno’s schedule and …here I am. Still jumping to the ceiling with joy.

CC: Are there any Phantom projects outside of the on-going series lined up for you such as Legacy or Man-Eaters?

SS: I don’t know. Maybe Mike Bullock can tell you.

CC: Can you give us any hints, art or story wise, as to what might be coming up after issue #16?

SS: Again, Mike might have the answer.

CC: Other than The Phantom, do you have anything in the works?

SS: There is one of Twilight Crusade books already finished (story by Joe Gentile), and when I have some extra time (which I don’t have now) I work with fellow writer Ricardo Ferrari on some stories for Italian Eura. (Most recent one was about Samurais)

CC: Well, that about wraps us up. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us, Silvestre. Are there any final messages you’d like to send to the fans before we close?

SS: Yes. Remember that comics also involve writers, editors, colorists, inkers, letterers, proofreaders, the guys at the print, distribution…and fan pages.

Finally, I hope readers enjoy the book as much as I do while drawing.

Peter Chapman: The "Phantom Artist" of Frew

Interviews No Responses »

Dec 262007

By Kevin Patrick

When the first edition of Frew Publications’ new comic book, titled Enter The Phantom, went on sale in September 1948, it was the latest entrant into Australia’s then-booming postwar comic book market.

The ‘boom’ was fuelled by a wartime embargo on the importation of American comic books (in place since 1940), and spurred by the increased availability of newsprint supplies and the easing of government restrictions which curtailed the launch of new, ongoing magazine titles, which were imposed to preserve paper stocks needed for the nation’s war effort.

Australian publishers were handed a captive audience and they launched a flurry of new, locally-produced comic books to meet the rising demand for escapist reading matter. For Peter Chapman, a 23 year-old aspiring artist from Cammeray, North Sydney, there wasn’t a better time to gain a foothold in the comic book business.

The prolific young artist had already become a fixture at Frank Johnson Publications, where he’d written and drawn a slew of comic strips for Johnson’s ‘Magpie Comics’ imprint since 1946, including the sci-fi serial ‘Captain Jerry Winters’ and a jungle drama, ‘Diana Hastings’, for Johnson’s Gem Comics title, as well as contributing stories to the company’s popular True Pirate Comics.

“When I was working at Johnson’s, a famous French writer, Eddie Brooker, who’d apparently had stuff published all over Europe, came along and said he was writing comics, but he couldn’t get anyone to draw them.”

“Virgil Reilly, one of the artists from the Daily Telegraph, wound up illustrating one of Brookers titles, called The Invisible Avenger,” according to Peter.

“Brooker would use a translator to turn his stories into English, but he [Brooker] used too many words, which would ‘kill’ the story.”

“I ended up doing The Invisible Avenger for him [Brooker] and took over from Virgil Reilly as the artist.”

Brooker, who by now was employed as a writer on the Daily Mirror newspaper, would try and sell his stories, using Peter’s original artwork, but often without giving Peter a percentage of any fees he received from publishers. “I’d be a rich man now if I kept all that original artwork,” Peter says ruefully.

Brooker wrote some of the early issues of The Phantom Ranger, a cowboy comic which was originally created by British-born artist Jeff Wilkinson, and became Frew Publications’ first locally-produced comic book when it was launched in October 1949.

According to Peter, Frew’s publisher and co-founder, Ron Forsyth, wasn’t entirely happy with Brooker’s efforts. “That’s when he asked me if I could do it [The Phantom Ranger] on my own instead.”

Chapman took over as both writer and artist on The Phantom Ranger, which was not only published under licence in the United Kingdom and South America, but also generated a line of Phantom Ranger merchandise and was adapted into a popular radio serial in the early 1950s, starring Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell.

Peter would also assume the writing and illustration for another Frew comic book, The Shadow, starring an urban masked crime-fighter, which was again created by Jeff Wilkinson. While never achieving the same popularity as The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow would enjoy an equally long publishing life.

(For readers interested in learning more about Frew Publications’ Australian comic book characters, selected issues of The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow and Sir Falcon have been republished in electronic format. For details, visit Vintage Australian Comic Books on CD-ROM)

“I worked with Ron Forsyth from about 1949, and well into the early 1960s,” he states.
“Ron was very good – he used to work over at the Daily Telegraph – but he didn’t have a clue when it came to comics,” according to Peter.

“He was offered two titles from America – one was The Phantom, and the other could have been Abbott and Costello – and, as luck would have it, he took The Phantom!” Chapman recalls that Ron Forsyth hired Thomas Russell (‘Tommy’) Hughes, who was then working as the Art Director on The Australian Women’s Weekly, to assemble the Phantom comic book and draw the covers as well. (It’s worth noting that both the Daily Telegraph and The Australian Women’s Weekly were then owned by Frank Packer’s Australian Consolidated Press.)

“Ron and Tommy were pretty good friends, so [The Phantom] was a bit of extra [income] for Tommy.”

“Some of Tommy’s covers were pretty rough, but it almost didn’t matter, because The Phantom sold so well,” explains Peter. “The kids knew who The Phantom was, because he’d been around for a while in the [Australian] Woman’s Mirror magazine.”

In addition to producing The Phantom Ranger and The Shadow, Peter would also assist with the production of The Phantom comic book throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.
“The artwork for The Phantom was supplied to Frew on bromides (black & white photoprints), but sometimes they’d be the wrong size,” he says.

“I’d have to cut them [the stories] from 32 pages down to 21 pages, or sometimes go the other way, in order to fill out the pages.”

“I used to do the paste-ups for Frew’s romance comics, by cutting down the original artwork so that it would fill out the 100-page digest-sized format they were using.”

Peter would also occasionally redraw some of the panels, or even entire pages, of a Phantom comic, in order to maintain story continuity, if some of the original artwork was missing, or had been left out due to space limitations.

“I did a few covers for The Phantom throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, whenever Tommy Hughes was away,” he adds.
“Tommy never seemed to actually drop in [to Frew’s offices], he’d always send someone around to pick up, or drop off his work.”
“I always worked from home myself,” Peter explains. “I was living at Dee Why, and then moved to Springwood. I’d always drop my stuff off at Frew, because I had a deadline to meet every second week.”
“Ron [Forsyth] always had a production bloke in there and a young girl assistant as well,” he recalls. “You’d change things [on the artwork] on the spot, in the office – if you got some grammar wrong, or something like that.”
The initial success of The Phantom allowed Frew Publications to expand its business by adding new, locally-drawn titles, such as Super Yank Comics, and other, short-lived titles like Suicide Squad and The Green Skeleton.
“I once went with Ron to see a psychoanalyst who explained why The Phantom was so popular. He didn’t tell us much more about The Phantom than we didn’t already know ourselves, but we partly based our next comic, Sir Falcon, on the explanation that he gave us.”

“A lot of people said Sir Falcon was a rip-off of The Phantom, and I’d say ‘Oh yeah? What about [Australian sci-fi comic strip] Silver Starr? He was a rip-off of Flash Gordon’.”

Working for Frew Publications was a lucrative, but demanding job for Peter Chapman. “When I started out in the industry at Frank Johnson Publications, I was getting 30 shillings per page of artwork – by the time I was working at Frew, I was getting £110 per comic book, which was good money at the time, as the average wage back then would’ve been £20 per week.”

“But that meant I did everything, including drawing the covers, doing the cover colours using an overlay sheet, writing the stories and all the artwork and lettering myself.”

“Ron used to have the panel borders, six squares per page, printed on to the art paper, which saved me a lot of time, and I could alter the borders to suit the artwork. I worked so fast that it got to the point where I could do the lettering without using guide lines.”

“Comics were possibly the hardest work I’ve ever done,” admits Peter. “Sometimes I’d have to work 48 hours straight, just to meet my deadlines – I’d do six pages per day, and could easily [complete] a full-length comic book per week.”

Peter left Frew Publications in the early 1960s, just as the Australian comics industry was slipping into decline, largely due to the popularity of television and the reintroduction of imported, full-colour American comic books onto the local market.

He has since enjoyed a lengthy and diverse career as a commercial artist and illustrator, as well as teaching art at New South Wales TAFE Colleges. For the last 14 years, Peter Chapman has conducted his own travelling ‘Art School’, which sees him visiting different towns throughout the state, where he conducts art classes.

“I can teach on virtually any art topic, because I’ve used every technique imaginable, from black and white illustration, to airbrushing.”

“I’ve taught students ranging in age from 7 years to 98 years – and that’s how I met my second wife, Meg Madden, who’s a very good landscape artist, too.” Discuss this interview on the forums.

Older Entries

Collector Interview – Jermayn Parker

Interview: Scott Beatty

Interview: Mike Bullock

Tim Boyle: Bringing The Phantom To Screen

An Interview with Claes Reimerthi

Mandrake: A Small Glimpse of Magic

Mike Bullock: Phantom Truths

Mike Bullock, Part 2

Silvestre Szilagyi

Peter Chapman: The "Phantom Artist" of Frew

Issues Out Now

Newest Issue Additions

Follow Us

Recent Comments

Meta