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.