It was today, the first of November, readers of the Phantom Sunday strip were greeted with a rare sight. A sight so rare where the boundaries of reality and fiction collided. In today’s strip, our titular hero comes face to face with himself or rather his image, painted on a war shield of an indigenous tribesman belonging to Papua New Guinea. The Sunday Strip is a part of the ongoing Sunday Story ‘The Man of the Match’ written by Tony DePaul with artwork provided by Jeff Weigel. Currently on its 5th week, the story sees Phantom and Diana on vacation in Papua New Guinea where in last week's strip they were attacked by a Spear shot at them by a hidden tribesman. This week sees the Phantom investigating the source of the spear and coming face to face with himself painted on a war shield. For those who came in late, The Phantom War Shields of Papua New Guinea is actually a real life phenomenon that is represented on the Sunday Strip. The writing on the shield ‘MAN WHO NEVER DIE’ is an actual reference to one of many shields discovered in Papua New Guinea. To understand these shields and where they came from, a little history lesson would definitely help us all. It was the time of the second World War, the world, at least many parts of it, was a warzone. Papua New Guinea, an Australian mandated territory at that time, was no different. After the Japanese attacked, Australian troops, followed by American Troops came into the defence of Port Moresby. It was there during the war, as many experts theorise, that the local tribesmen got their hands on the American’s supplies, which aside from rations and weapons, contained comics. During the period of the war, Soldiers were supplied with comics as their form of relaxation, something to keep them out from the horrors of war. Many comics publishers, including King Features Syndicate were part of that effort. Publications like ‘Overseas Comics’ and ‘Jeep Comics’ collected various funny strips including Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Flash Gordon and The Phantom among many others. These comics were distributed in various war zones and it might have included PNG. The indigenous tribes of PNG are thought to have found The Phantom for the first time with these comics. However, the Phantom wouldn’t appear on the shields or murals until twenty years later. The first publication of the Phantom in PNG would be in the newspaper Papua New Guinea Post-Courier which started publishing the Phantom in the early 70s, in English. This was soon followed by Wantok, which started publishing the character in the local creole dialect of Tok Pisin. Besides both these publications, returned copies of Frew Publication’s The Phantom were distributed by charities among the various tribes. In around 1978, a Phantom Comics was published for the first time in PNG, with Phantom on the cover announcing “MI SAVE TOK PISIN NAU” or “I SPEAK TOK PISIN NOW”. This comic from Wantok became a historic piece that brought the character and his popularity to new heights in PNG. While the series lasted for only two issues, The two times that the Phantom spoke Tok Pisin in comics remains one of the highest valued and sought after items ever among Phantom collectors. However, the real phenomenon, the one that we are actually talking about here, started when the Phantom was being painted on the shields of the various tribes or murals that came to be found. According to Chris Boylan, renowed expert on the Shields, it was in 1986 at the walls of the Banz Post Office, located in the Waghi valley was the first recorded sighting of a painting depicting the phantom. The photograph by Michael Henlen provided an estimated timeframe upon which the Phantom was becoming a theme for these paintings. The Papua New Guinea highlands, home to many flora, fauna and cultures took Phantom as its own. Whether it was the setting, the people or the adventures of justice, it all captivated the hearts and minds of the people of Papua New Guinea. In a land of varying cultures, the Phantom became an unifying symbol that united the highlands. This fascination with the Phantom is what started The Phantom shields in the 1980s and were still continuing till the last decade. Filmmaker Mark Eby’s 2008 documentary on the shields remains a wonderful work that explores one of the last living artisans, Kaipel Ka who had continued painting the phantom till 2008. In recent years, this phenomenon has seen a big surge in the aesthete world and efforts have been undertaken to preserve, conserve and highlight them among the masses. Various exhibitions and auctions have been held that have surged up its value. Studies like 2021’s Man Who Cannot Die: Phantom Shields of the New Guinea Highlands is phenomenal work that is worth checking out for further information and appreciation of these shields. In a matter of coincidence, just as the Phantom himself on the current sunday story, the Phantom comics has also made its return to Papua New Guinea earlier this year. Published by the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier , the Phantom saw his return both in form of the newspaper strip and a supplement comic book with stories from Frew Publications. The current Sunday story brings this phenomenon of great historical significance to the Phantom cannon. As art imitates life, the worlds collide between the fictional character and the reality. The Sunday story is expected to continue till April 2027 and with weeks left in the strip, one has to wonder where it is heading. Also important to remember that this would Tony DePaul’s swan song from the strip, being the last complete story he got to tell. What does ‘The Man of The Match’ hold for us in the coming weeks? Will there be a match? Perhaps cricket or Liklik Kricket? Perhaps we’ll just have to wait.

Danish publisher E-voke is celebrating a mini anniversary of issue 5 by publishing some of the stories in colour. As per their last 4 issues, issue 5 will be in hardcover format and 128 pages. Buy issue #5 from their website This album will be out in December 2026 and features a wide range of creators and stories from the USA Charlton comic book series, newspaper stories and Team Fantomen. "Fantomet af Shangri-la" ("The Phantom of Shang-Ri-La") by Dick Wood and Jim Aparo. "Brændoffer" ("Burnt Offering") by Claes Reimerthi and Heiner Bade. "Djævelens tegn" ("Massacre at Walker's Table") by Lee Falk and Sy Barry. "Blodregn" ("Blood Rain") by Andreas Eriksson, Sal Velluto, Heiner Bade, Alex Saviuk, Joan Boix, Kari Leppänen, Carlos Pedrazzini, César Spadari, and Rafael Ruiz. "Kallais forbandelse" ("The Curse of Kallai") by Dick Wood, Pat Boyette and Vince Alascia. "Mandrake: Manden på broen" ("Man on the Bridge") by Gary Poole and Bill Ziegler. From what we understand, the "Blodregn" ("Blood Rain") story will be in colour which is a must, as the story is designed to be printed in colour with several parts printed in a moody gloomy red. Frew missed a beat not printing this in colour. If you have not seen this before, we have included a video review of the story below. The other story being published in colour is "Kallais forbandelse" ("The Curse of Kallai"). We understand the colours have been touched up, giving them a more modern look from the original 1970s poor-quality colours. Another small change some may not notice is that E-voke has slightly changed the Phantom logo in issue 5. You can buy the back issues from their website also: Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 If anyone buys and reads these albums, please let us know, as we would love for someone to be able to review them on our YouTube and website platforms. You can contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the team.

The Norwegian Bergen Tekst & Tegning 2026 (Bergen Text & Drawing) comics festival is held annually at Bergen, Norway. The 2026 event is held at the Litteraturhuset i Bergen (The House of Literature) on November 6–8, 2026. One of the panels at the show will feature guests Robert Aman, Arild Wærness, Ragnhild Malfang and Kristian Hellesund about the Phantom. The panel will be held on Friday 6 November at 6pm local time. Find out more about the event here Robert Aman is no stranger to Chronicle Chamber, having been a guest several times on our X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. He has appeared on the following episodes: X-Band: Phantom Podcast #235 - When The Phantom Became Swedish X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #101 - Politics and The Phantom To follow Robert Aman, you can visit his social media page here, and you can buy his books here. Arild Wærness is a Norwegian phan who has lived many a phans dream by creating a Phantom story. "Masks of the Phantom" is a 2018 Lightning Strike Comics story that has been re-published in Norway, Sweden and Australia. It was written by Arild Wærness and Mike Collins with assistance from Knut Robert Knutsen, and the art was by Mike Collins. All the way back in 2019, in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #134, Norwegian comics journalist and lecturer Kristian Hellesund, interviewed Arild Wærness. Kristian Hellesund needs no introduction as a Norwegian comics journalist and lecturer who has also helped out Chronicle Chamber with several articles and letting us know about several Phantom news items from Norway and the surrounding countries publishing Phantom comics. Ragnhild Malfang will be a new name for some fans. She is a librarian who advocates for young people's literature. She is chair of IBBY Norway (International Board on Books for Young People) and has a long history as a Phantom reader.

Chronicle Chamber is the internet's best site for news, creator interviews and articles relating to Lee Falk's classic comic hero The Phantom "The Ghost Who Walks". The Phantom News & Reviews Around the World Review of Zauberstern Phantom Spezial #9 & #10 Review of Zauberstern Spezial #9 and #10 released late May & July 2026, each comic featuring 3 modern-day daily newspaper stories Super rare 1937-1941 former Yugoslavia Phantom comics for sale Did you know that the very first full-length standalone Phantom Comic was published in former Yugoslavia? You can read about this exploration here. What is exciting is that we have been in touch with a collector who has 21x super rare 1937-1941 comics featuring the Phantom on the cover for sale. Mika Miš (written Мика Миш in Serbian Cyrillic, in English Mickey Mouse). This magazine was published from 1936 to 1941. Mika Miš included a wide variety of comics in every issue, lik A Catch-up with Shakti Comics (An Overview of Previously Uncovered issues) Shakti Comics, the Indian comic book publisher, is also the only publisher currently publishing the adventures of The Phantom in three languages in India. So far, over the last two years Shakti has published an impressive catalogue in the languages English, Bengali and Hindi. We here at Chronicle Chamber had reviewed Shakti’s phantom publications since their inception back in 2021. We had covered every single issue in its own dedicated review till issue #13 published in Augus Details for the 2026 Fantomen Christmas album out November We have the details for 2026 Fantomen Christmas album, which will be available to buy at shops & website providers from November 2025. New 'The Phantom' Merchandise by SuperFan USA SuperFan US launched a new Amazon storefront for all things The Phantom. New merchandise includes T-shirts, tumblers, tote bags, iPhone cases, and more. Complete details on Heiner Bade volume 2 collection by Comics and Mehr The German publisher Comics and Mehri's Heiner Bade collection series is now available for pre-ordering with shipping in early November 2026. If you subscribed to volume 1, you will automatically be subscribed to volume 2. If you would like to start a subscription and buy volume 1, you can contact them via their website or email at info@comicsundmehr.de. Other websites like PPM Vertrieb have listed them for ordering as well. As per volume 1, there is a limited edition hardcov X-Band: Phantom Podcast #346 - Alex Segura, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" writer we interview the main artist of the new Comics Kingdom "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" web comic series Alex Segura The Phantom featured in Mad Magazine #600 special issue The Phantom features in Mad Magazines' 600 special issue. 1 2 3 4 5 Watch Now: Our Latest Phantom Videos Review of Zauberstern Phantom Spezial #9 & #10 (Comics from Germany) Play Video A Catch-up with Shakti Comics from India (An Overview of Previously Uncovered issues) Play Video Frew issue 2031 (From Australia) short video review - Let us know your thoughts Play Video X-Band: Phantom Podcast #346 - Alex Segura, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" writer Play Video Play Video Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Share Channel Info Close Enter your email address to be notified of all our news, reviews and more Subscribe Thanks for subscribing! Worldwide Phantom Phan Census Our Latest Interviews with Phantom Creators & Phans X-Band: Phantom Podcast #346 - Alex Segura, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" writer X-Band: Phantom Podcast #344 - Introducing the definitive Sy Barry book project X-Band: Phantom Podcast #343 - John Amor, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" artist Recording of Sy Barry talking the Phantom & retirement when visiting Australia in September 1998 1 2 3 4 5 Our Latest Reviews of Phantom Comics & Products Review of Zauberstern Phantom Spezial #9 & #10 A Catch-up with Shakti Comics (An Overview of Previously Uncovered issues) X-Band: Phantom Podcast #345 - August 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review Review: 'The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood #1' from Mad Cave Studios 1 2 3 4 5 Our Preservation Project Support Us! Must Read Stories for New Phans! Editorial Phantom Feature Articles Our Latest X-Band Phantom Podcasts Latest News on Phantom Collectables Details of the Norwegian Egmont "Jul med barndommens helter" (Christmas with Childhood heroes) 2026 Christmas album This Christmas book will feature 6 stories including two featuring the Phantom by fan favourites Sy Barry & Felmang. Jermayn Parker Sep 8 The Phantom (Fantomet) is back in Norway (again) In March 2026, we wrote how the latest attempt of a Fantomet series by Egmont Norway was again canceled, and now thanks to the attention of some eagle-eyed phans, we can share that a new publisher is taking the reins to revive the Phantom back in Norway. In the Pondus Magazine #6 from 2026, it has been announced that publisher John Berge, from his publishing house JB Forlag will be releasing a brand new Phantom book in November 2026. At this stage, there is no news on the fin ChronicleChamber Team Aug 29 'Defenders of the Earth' TV Show concept artwork by Nestor Redondo, Rick Hoberg, Kurt Conner & Alex Niño Explore Defenders of the Earth artwork & character designs from artists Nestor Redondo, Rick Hoberg, Kurt Conner & Alex Nino. Scott Waldyn Aug 14 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #344 - Introducing the definitive Sy Barry book project We are joined by David Barry, the son of legendary Phantom artist Sy Barry, as he introduces and talks about the definitive Sy Barry book project. ChronicleChamber Team Aug 10 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #342 - Sounds from the 2026 Supanova panels & LFMBEC charity dinner In this episode, we provide the recordings from the biggest Phantom phan meetup in the world, which was in Sydney in June 2026. It included the LFMBEC charity dinner and a Phantom-related panel held at Supanova Sydney and Supanova Perth. We love comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. If you agree and/or disagree with us, you can either email us; leave your comments at our YouTube channel, and/or leave them at our social media platforms on Facebook ChronicleChamber Team Jul 22 1 2 3 4 5 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #346 - Alex Segura, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" writer we interview the main artist of the new Comics Kingdom "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" web comic series Alex Segura ChronicleChamber Team Sep 14 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #345B - Our reactions to Dudley Hogarth leaving Frew An emergency podcast discussing the removal of Dudley Hogarth, the Frew publisher and editor for 12 years. ChronicleChamber Team Sep 7 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #345 - August 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review We review & discuss Phantom comics, the newspaper stories, & related news from around the world for August 2026 ChronicleChamber Team Aug 26 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #344 - Introducing the definitive Sy Barry book project We are joined by David Barry, the son of legendary Phantom artist Sy Barry, as he introduces and talks about the definitive Sy Barry book project. ChronicleChamber Team Aug 10 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #343 - John Amor, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" artist we interview the main artist of the new Comics Kingdom "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" web comic series John Amor ChronicleChamber Team Aug 3 1 2 3 4 5 Super rare 1937-1941 former Yugoslavia Phantom comics for sale Did you know that the very first full-length standalone Phantom Comic was published in former Yugoslavia? You can read about this exploration here. What is exciting is that we have been in touch with a collector who has 21x super rare 1937-1941 comics featuring the Phantom on the cover for sale. Mika Miš (written Мика Миш in Serbian Cyrillic, in English Mickey Mouse). This magazine was published from 1936 to 1941. Mika Miš included a wide variety of comics in every issue, lik ChronicleChamber Team 4 days ago Details for the 2026 Fantomen Christmas album out November We have the details for 2026 Fantomen Christmas album, which will be available to buy at shops & website providers from November 2025. Jermayn Parker Sep 20 New 'The Phantom' Merchandise by SuperFan USA SuperFan US launched a new Amazon storefront for all things The Phantom. New merchandise includes T-shirts, tumblers, tote bags, iPhone cases, and more. Scott Waldyn Sep 17 Complete details on Heiner Bade volume 2 collection by Comics and Mehr The German publisher Comics and Mehri's Heiner Bade collection series is now available for pre-ordering with shipping in early November 2026. If you subscribed to volume 1, you will automatically be subscribed to volume 2. If you would like to start a subscription and buy volume 1, you can contact them via their website or email at info@comicsundmehr.de. Other websites like PPM Vertrieb have listed them for ordering as well. As per volume 1, there is a limited edition hardcov Christian Möller Sep 16 Mythos Editora announces "A Era De Ouro Dos Quadrinhos vol 2" (The Golden Age of Comics) for September / October 2026 release Mythos Editora released their first volume of this series back in 2022, and now the second volume is open for pre-orders with delivery in September/October 2026. The Era De Ouro Dos Quadrinhos volume 2, like volume 1, will be 268 pages and feature classic newspaper stories in black and white. Click to preorder your copy here For those who do not have volume 1 of this series, this book is about King Features characters. Inside will feature articles and stories of the Phantom b Jermayn Parker Sep 10 1 2 3 4 5

Starting in his third Sunday Phantom story, Jeff Weigel started something a new tradition with a different Sunday title panel for every story. The concept has since stuck and has fast become a tradition on its own. Jeff Weigel Sunday Title Panels Jeff Weigel took over the Phantom Sunday strip after Terry Beatty . His first Phantom Sunday page was published on May 14, 2017. Starting in his third Sunday Phantom story "The Little Detective Who Disappeared " in 2018, Jeff Weigel started something new, never before seen in the then 80 years of Phantom history with a different Sunday title panel for every story. The concept has since stuck and has fast become a tradition on its own. This page will collect all the different Sunday newspaper title panels by Jeff Weigel . Sunday #185: "The Phantom is Everywhere " Start: 9 Apr 2017. End: 1 Oct 2017 Sunday #186: "The Rat Must Die " Start: 8 Oct 2017. End: 11 Nov 2018 Sunday #187: "The Little Detective Who Disappeared" Start: 18 Nov 2018. End: 12 May 2019 Sunday #188: "The Free Avar Front " Start: 19 May 2019. End: 10 Nov 2019 Sunday #189:"The Spy Ship " Start: 17 Nov 2019. End: 12 Jul 2020 Sunday #190: "Vigil at Phantom Head " Start: 19 Jul 2020. End: 14 Mar 2021 Sunday #191: "The Visitor " Start: 21 Mar 2021. End: 10 Oct 2021 Sunday #192: "The Ingenues " Start: 17 Oct 2021. End: 8 May 2022 Sunday #: 193: "Return to the Temple of the Gods " Start: 15 May 2022. End: 16 Jul 2023 Sunday #: 194: "The Commander Will See You Now " Start: 23 Jul 2023. End: 22 Sep 2024 Sunday #: 195: "The Princess of the Songhai " Start: 29 Sep 2024. End: 30 Mar 2025 Sunday #: 196: "The Ungraved " Start: 6 Apr 2025. End: 25 Jan 2026 Sunday #: 197 "1536" Start: 1 Feb 2026. End: 27 Sep 2026 Sunday #: 198 "The Man of the Match" Start: 4 Oct 2026. End: ?

Ulf Granberg is one of the giants of the Phantom world as he was a publisher and writer for the Fantomen magazine. Learn about him in our special podcast interviews with one of the most influential Phantom people. Ulf Granberg interview & latest Phantom-related news Ulf Granberg (born 1945 and passed 2026) was the editor responsible for the Swedish Phantom comic book, Fantomen from 1972 to 2012, a duty which also included heading the Team Fantomen production of Phantom stories. He has also wrote almost 40 Phantom stories and edited countless others. In 2018 we were given an opportunity to interview him and spent a good three hours going over his 40+ year career creating Phantom comics and being told some amazing stories of artists and creators he hired and worked with over the years. Originally the interview was cut into two podcasts (part one here and part two here ), to make it simply for you, we have combined the two parts below for you to enjoy the three hours in one place. Remembering Ulf Granberg Ulf Granberg was a giant in the Phantom community as both a writer and editor but perhaps even more as a historian and Phantom-lore builder who added structure to the loose lore established by Lee Falk . He passed in January 2026, and Dan Fraser and Jermayn Parker (with a special guest) talked about his legacy and reminisced about our chat with him almost a decade ago. Latest Phantom-related news about Ulf Granberg Cover for Fantomen limited hardcover "Year One" omnibus book out Fantomen announces limited hardcover "Year One" omnibus book to be released August 2026 Fantomen 10-11/2016 celebrates Ulf Granberg Recent Phantom Happenings Review of Zauberstern Phantom Spezial #9 & #10 Super rare 1937-1941 former Yugoslavia Phantom comics for sale A Catch-up with Shakti Comics (An Overview of Previously Uncovered issues) Details for the 2026 Fantomen Christmas album out November New 'The Phantom' Merchandise by SuperFan USA PRESERVATION PROJECT MUST STORIES FOR NEW PHANS TO READ