X-Band: Phantom Podcast #271 - Our Review & Best Of 2023

We try and review 2023 in two hours. We go over the tale of the tape, highlighting every comic and merchandise released around the world in 2023 and then go over our favs. We have regular contributors joining us in Ankit Mitra, Christian Moeller, Seuj Abir, Mikael Lyck, Duncan Munro and Christopher Schaffer and giving their input as well.

We also go over the Frew best cover, best issue and best story as voted by you, the phans. Towards the end of the podcast we draw the winners for the 5 prizes.

First up, we go over the comics and stories published from around the world, the collectables and the newspaper stories that were published or released in 2023. Then we go over our "best of's". The topics we cover are:

Best non-Frew/Fantomen/Indian cover
Best Frew cover
Best Frew cover chosen by the phans
Best Fantomen cover
Best Indian cover
Best German cover
Best writer
Best story artist
Best story published by Frew
Best Frew story chosen by the phans
Best Fantomen best story
Best Fantomen issue
Best Regal/Shatki story
Best Regal/Shatki issue
Best German story
Best German issue
Best Frew issue
Best Frew issue chosen by the phans
Best merchandise new in 2023
Best Chronicle Chamber moment
Overall reflection on 2023
What will be the big news of 2024?

We choose from the following tale of the tape:

Newspaper Stories (worldwide)

3 Daily stories (1x started in 2022 and 1x ending in 2024)
2 Sunday stories (1x started in 2022 and the other ending in 2024)

Frew - Australia

Regular issues: 26 (1935-1960) (link)
15x different cover artists
Frew Created Stories: 21 (15 in 2022, 12 in 2021 and 7 in 2020)
1st time published by Frew but not Frew stories: 23 (2022 had 11)
Stories previously published by Frew: 22 stories (2022 had 28x reprinted stories. Only one was published in the regular series - "T" in issue #1947)
66 stories total (54 in 2022, 58 in 2021, 60 in 2020, 69 in 2019)
Giant Size Phantom: 4 Issues (link)
8x stories (2022 had 4)
Fewer total comics / books than the past
2017: 36
2018: 42
2019: 38
2020: 34
2021: 32
2022: 31
2023: 30

Fantomen - Sweden (link)

19 Regular Issues
2 TPBs
4 Replica HC books
1 HC collection

Stories:
9x cover artists. Much higher than previous years
8 new newspaper stories (11 in 2022, 10 in 2021, 8 in 2020, 11 in 2019)
8 repeat stories (12 repeat stories in 2022, 24 repeat stories in 2021, 21 repeat stories in 2020, 0 repeat stories in 2019)
In Total: 24 new stories. 8 repeat. 32 all together (2022 had 27 new stories, 12 repeat with 39 all together. 2021 had 22 new stories, 24 repeat with 46 all together).

Hermes Press - USA: (link)

4 Daily (link)
1 Gold Keys Vol 2 (reprint) (link)

Comics Revue - USA

6 issues (link)
1 with Phantom on the cover.(2 in 2022, 3 in 2021, 2 in 2020 & 3 in 2019).

Regal - India

6 regular issues of English series (link)

Shakti - India

5 issues (3x languages) (link)

Mythos - Brazil (link)

1x TPBs
1x Ray Moore Collection

Zauberstern - German (link)

6 Regular issues
Including a total of 6x newspaper stories, 10x Moonstone, 1x TF & 4x DC stories).

Wick - German (link)

4 Regular issues

Other German Series

Mitton HC & SC book (link)
ECR 2x Magazines

Norway

1 Year Album (link)
4 Chronicle Albums (link)

Finland

2 Softcover album (link and link)

Spain

1 Daily strip Albums (similar vein as Hermes) (link)

Greece

5 issues (link)
1x Phantom on cover

Total comics from around the world:

10 countries (maybe 11 with Hungary but not 100% sure. We lost France. NOTE: We have backdated the Greece comics which came out in 2021 which we initially didn’t know about).
2022: 12x
2021: 11x
2020: 9x
105 comics (most since the early 1990’s).
2022: 98
2021: 101
2020: 77
2019: 76
35 brand new stories (not reprints or seen before in any language).
2022: 30
2021: 21
2020: 22
2019: 23

From a Collectables point of view, we had the following released:

Boss Fight Studio: Wave 2, Blind Bag Mini Figurines (link) and Power Stars figurine
DotE Keyrings (link)
Henrik Salhstorm prints (link)
Iron Studio’s Phantom & Devil (link)
New Fantomen tote bag (link)
Mallon 2024 Diary (link)
Reapers Quest Jewellery Boxes (link)
Perth Mint: Coloured Coin (link), 2oz coin (link) & figurine coin (link)
Clothing (Brisco USA (link) & Souled Store (link))
Ikon Collectables 3D mug (link)
Maku Brewing Beer cans (link)
Frew Pholio 9 (link)
ElastoWit army men style figurines (link)
Gold Gilded Perth Mint Coin (link)
Frew Posters (link)

If you feel we have missed something in our reviews of 2023 and or do not agree with our votes, please let us know. We would love to know your opinions on the best of 2023. You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram.