Review of Zauberstern Phantom #23

Jermayn
Mar 24
2 min read

Christian Moller reviews Zauberstern #23, which was out in late February 2026. The issue features the following stories that are a mix of stories first published in the USA by Charlton Comics in the 1970s, DC Comics in the late 1980s, and a modern-day daily newspaper story. It has been the same mixture since issue #21 and is a perfect blend of old, not so old, and modern. This is also the first time a story by Mike Manley is included in a Zauberstern issue.

"Falsches Spiel" ("Framed, Part 1") by Mark Verheiden and Luke McDonnell
"Die Hochzeit -Am Ende ist alles Liebe" ("Framed, Part 2") by Mark Verheiden and Luke McDonnell
"Der Fluß der verlorenen Seelen" ("The River That Never Ends") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo
"Aufruhr in Baronkhan" ("The Baronkhan Sedition") by Tony DePaul, Paul Ryan, and Mike Manley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV4gJ5LGxZk

You can purchase this comic and other back issues of Zauberstern Phantom comics from their website.

This comic is of great value with 100 pages of comics in full colour on great-quality paper for 10€. This magazine sees Zauberstern reusing a past cover instead of creating their own new covers, which they have done previously and seems to be done more and more often. Do you prefer the publisher creating their own unique covers?

This cover was created by Luke McDonnell and was originally an interior panel for the end of "Framed part 2" which saw the Phantom and Diana get married. It is a great panel and is also used as a pull-out poster. It is worth noting that these DC stories have only been published in three other countries previously.

The "Der Fluß der verlorenen Seelen" ("The River That Never Ends") story by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo was previously published in a Bastei comic in red, black, and white in issue #97 from 1978. This time, it is published in full original colour.

Ensure you read our interview with the publishers and editors behind Zauberstern here - Interview with Simeon Hrissomallis and Charles Bone. We also review Zauberstern special magazines on our platforms. All Zauberstern and other German comic reviews will be included in our monthly X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. You can find out more at our website and or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos.