Masks, Southern Crosses and Old Jungle Sayings by Paul Mason

Stephen East
Aug 30
2 min read

Updated: Sep 1

The Phantom is no stranger to scholarly articles. In recent memory there has been Kevin Patrick's, "The Phantom Unmasked", from 2018 and Robert Aman's books and numerous articles on the left leaning nature of The Phantom.

Renown Australian comic creator, visual media lecturer and a 5th Degree Black Belt holder in ITF Taekwondo, Paul Mason is no stranger to Australian Phantom Phans with his stories often polling well in Chronicle Chamber's yearly "Best Of" lists. However, rather than entertaining readers with his dynamic story telling, Paul is educating with his chapter, "Masks, Southern Crosses and Old Jungle Sayings: Australian Action, Adventure, the Superheroes, and Contributions to a Hidden Genre" that appears in "Folio: Essays on Australian Comics" published by Palgrave Macmillan Cham.

Buy your copy of the book now!

The book features a range of essays exploring how Australian comics are made and read and how storytelling over the past forty years has intersected with changing ideas about history, culture, community, creativity and technology.

Paul's article explores the impact that comics from the United States and the United Kingdom has had on Australia's comic book making and consumption. Starting from the 1930s when American and British comics made up the majority of comic books on the Australian newsstands, Australian tastes aligned with the familiar characters of Flash Gordon, The Lone Ranger and, of course, The Phantom. As the years progressed, Australian publishers continued to release these types of comics with little to no added Australian identity or flavour.

As time progressed Australian creators have begun to incorporate more of the Australian culture into the mix. They don't have the wide ranging cultural appeal of their overseas counterparts, but there is a niche audience who are enjoying this local take on American creations. Not only does Paul's research investigates the history of 'hero' comics in Australia, he also puts forward examples of the modern responses to the genre, utilising his own work such as his creator-owned series, The Soldier Legacy and Frew comics' The Phantom.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Paul also has a chapter in the upcoming "Battle Lines Drawn: War Comics since 1914" which is scheduled to be released later this year. His chapter, "ANZACs and AUKUS: The Impacts of War on Australian Comics" discusses the effects of war on Australian culture in general, focusing on comics, beginning in the early 1900s.

Both books will be a must have for those whose passion for comics spills over from a form of entertainment to scholarly intellectual discussion. "Folio: Essays on Australian Comics" is out now with "Battle Lines Drawn: War Comics since 1914" scheduled for a December 2025 release.