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Where is Bangalla (Bengali) The majority of phans accept that the Phantom's world and home in the Skull Cave in the jungles of Bangalla is off the east coast of Africa. Many phans will also know that before the Phantom 'moved' to Africa, his world was located in India. Even now we see the remnants of the Indian influence with tigers, the Singh Pirates being named after a common Indian name, and the name of Bangalla / Bengali being very similar to the location off the coast of India's east coast. However, do phans know that even before the Indian influence, the first Phantom story had the Phantom being homed further south in the islands of Indonesia? Below are pages from the first and second Phantom stories, "The Singh Brotherhood" and "The Sky Band" by Lee Falk and Ray Moore, which give us clues to the original location of the Phantom's world and when it changed from Indonesia to India. The Phantom's home originally located in Indonesia In this first example, the Phantom talks to Prince Achmed about the Sunda Trough. This is an actual location and has been covered before and is a place this author has actually sailed over. A trough (or trench) is a geology term for a long, narrow depression on the seafloor. The Sunda Trench is off the coast of Java which is the main island of the country Indonesia. In the "Singh Brotherhood" story, Diana is kidnapped and taken to the underwater kingdom of the Singh Pirates, a place called Krakatan. In real life, there is a small group of volcanic islands called Krakotoa located in the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The original island was mostly destroyed during a volcano eruption in 1883, but a new active volcanic island called Anak Krakatoa ("Child of Krakatoa") later emerged in the same caldera. Maybe the underwater kingdom came from the mostly destroyed island that submerged. If this sounds familiar, it is very similar to the legend of Atlantis. Next up is the island of Luntok that includes the home of the Phantom. I could not find an island or place in or around Indonesia that currently or in the past has the name of Luntok. The closest is an island called Lombok, but that is a 1,000 km trip with the whole island of Java between the two islands. Other possible locations on the west side of Java that sound somewhat familiar or begin with the letter L are Legundi Island, which is only 40 km away from the Krakatoa archipelago. Another option could be Lampung, which is a province of modern-day Indonesia on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and is only 30-50 km from the Krakatoa archipelago. These two locations would make sense with the Phantom swimming to shore injured after blowing up the underwater kingdom. This all makes sense with the Phantom patrolling the area of Sumatra, which is another island of Indonesia and where Professor James Dodd first encountered the Phantom back in 1866. In "The Sky Band" (the second Phantom story), the India Clipper seaplane leaves from the Batavia airport on its way north - likely to India. Interestingly, Batavia was the historical name for the city of Jakarta, the current capital of Indonesia. Batavia was officially renamed Jakarta on August 8, 1942, after the Japanese occupation forces seized control of the Dutch East Indies during World War II. When does the location of the Phantom's world change to India? About halfway through the Sky Band story is where the focus of the Phantom's world migrates from Indonesia to India. Diana lands at the outskirts of Calcutta (now Kolkata) on the east coast of India and is met by Captain Melville Horton who was before located on the island of Luntok. The other two locations mentioned are Bassein and Rangoon which are cities in modern-day Myanmar (formerly called Burma and gained independence from the Crown Colony in 1948). Bassein (now called Pathein) is located 190 km west of Rangoon, which is now called Yangon. The open water between Bassein and Calcutta is the Bay of Bengal. Hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Phantom lore and learned something new about the location of the Phantom's world in the first year of his creation. When did the Phantom's world move to Africa? The move from India to Africa happened when Sy Barry took over the role, which not only saw the location migrate to Africa but also a modernisation of the character, which included Bangalla becoming an independent democratic country with native Black leaders, Colonel Worubu taking over the Jungle Patrol, and Lamanda Luaga becoming the first president of Bangalla. More about this in a possible future article. The first example is from "The Mystery of the Island of Dogs" which is the 86th Phantom daily story published in 1963. The story was written by Lee Falk and drawn by Sy Barry. In this story, the Phantom only hints this missile base could dominate and control Africa as the main location and parts of Asia as a secondary location. With "The Reef" is the 88th Phantom daily story published in 1964 written by Lee Falk and drawn by Sy Barry has the letter going from Diana to the Phantom addressed to Africa. This is the first time in a definite way we see the Phantom's location in Africa.

Missed out on the recent Defenders of the Earth revival from the Mad Cave Studios team? Both the 8-issue original Defenders of the Earth and 4-issue sequel series Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny are collected together in one complete omnibus. This posting was discovered over at Simon & Schuster, with a release date of November 17th, 2026. It can also be preorder on Target, with both sites listing it at $29.99 for a trade paperback edition. There's no word if a hardcover Defenders of the Earth omnibus will be available. Defenders of the Earth Complete Omnibus available November 17th, 2026. Cover art by Jim Calafiore. For Those Who Came in Late... Mad Cave Studios revived the Defenders of the Earth series way back in 2024. Former DC Publisher and legendary comics writer Dan Didio helmed this continuation of the classic '80s team-up, with artist Jim Calafiore for the first series and artist Alex Sanchez for the follow-up series. Juancho Vélez provided colors, and Carlos M. Mangual provided letters for the series. While this revival took inspiration from the animated series, it was also a semi-sequel to the 4-issue Defenders of the Earth series that Marvel created way back in the 80's to go along with the cartoon. Ahead of the new series, Mad Cave Studios collected a trade paperback of the original Marvel series, which we reviewed here. In this new series, the Defenders find themselves fragmented after the defeat of Ming the Merciless. Flash Gordon is busy working with Krotan (Ming's son), K'shen, and a new corporation to rebuild Earth, leaving no space to spend time with his son, Rick. Mandrake the Magician is on tour, with The Phantom at his side. Jedda is out on her own, and Lothar and LJ are back at the Seven Nations. A new, mysterious threat brings them together, with a few familiar villains and faces to come along for the ride. Watch Our Review of Defenders of the Earth (issues 1-8) This series was followed up by a 4-issue miniseries, Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny, that saw the heroes travel to Mongo in order to save it from destruction. Watch our reviews of Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny here. Details on the Defenders of the Earth Complete Omnibus Synopsis: "The full collection of the modern reimagining of the classic animated series! Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Lothar attempt to unite a fractured world against threats new and old. "Picking up with characters and storylines from the original series, the Defenders stage a multi-world hunt for the missing Dale Arden, The Phantom fights for his spot in the family legacy, and the younger generation--Rick, LJ, Jedda, and Kshin--take up their mentors' roles as both Earth and Mongo fracture in political chaos! All twelve issues written by Dan DiDio and drawn by celebrated artists J. Calafiore, Alex Sanchez, and more are collected here in a gorgeous, oversized collection." What About the Stories in Flash Gordon: Quarterly? One detail that isn't known at this time is if the omnibus will include the handful of stories that appeared in the pages of Flash Gordon: Quarterly. These stories, also written by Dan Didio, filled in the gaps between the first 8 issues of Defenders of the Earth, providing more context to the greater mystery and offering allusions and teases for what was to come next. As we get closer to the release date, we will update as more details become available.

The first five issues of Shakti Comics had a different size format compared to their other issues from issue 5 to current, and to please all the completists, they have decided to rerelease these issues again. Originally issues 1 to 5 are sized 17.5 × 23.5 cm. The new size format are 18 × 26.5 cm. Are you a completist who will buy these? If you've always wanted your Phantom collection to have a uniform look on your bookshelf, this is your chance.

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 New German comic series celebrating Heiner Bade being distributed with BONUS preview If your still undecided about purchasing this series, we have a video preview of the first volume which is now shipping & available for sale. Why USA comic readers want to see the Phantom's face unmasked We explore why USA comic readers did not understand the phans outcry over Mad Cave Studios showing the Phantom's eyes. Denmark E-voke "Fantomet: Legenden vender tilbage" (The Legend Returns) issue 4 now out for sale E-voke is a Denmark-based publisher who has been publishing Phantom TPB collections since 2024. Issue four comes out May 23, 2026, and can be purchased from their website. The TPB is hardcover, 128 pages, and printed in black and white. The cover was originally created by Jim Aparo for Charlton #35. Buy your book now on their website This book includes a great mix of stories with classic newspaper stories, some Charlton comics from the 1970s, and even a newly created Frew sto The Phantom Battles The Singh Brotherhood This August! The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood #1, the final of three announced one-shots from Mad Cave Studios, reportedly releases on August 19, 2026. This one-shot follows up on story threads from the first 5-issue run that launched last year. Shakti Comics release a BIG poster by artist Avishek Biswas A beautiful appealing poster of the Phantom riding Hero with Devil by his side. It is visually appealing, the size is appealing, & the price is even more appealing. Comics Kingdom joins Discord Comics Kingdom, the online comic arm of King Features, has announced they have joined Discord. You can join Discord here Discord is a free voice, video, and text communication platform. It allows users to interact in real-time within private or public virtual communities called "servers". The platform was originally created for gamers to chat while playing; it is now used by millions worldwide for study groups, hobby clubs, and casual hangouts. In this case, there is a server The Sunflowers Licensing company, representing The Phantom in Eastern Europe According to Licensing Source, the European company The Sunflowers Licensing LTD has taken on the role of representing King Features to potential companies in Eastern Europe. X-Band: Phantom Podcast #336 - Juancho Vélez, Colourist Extraordinaire Scott Waldyn, jumps on the podcast this week to interview Juancho Vélez, the incredible colorist behind Defenders of the Earth, Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny, The Phantom vs. The Sky Band #1, and the upcoming The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons #1 from Mad Cave Studios. 1 2 3 4 5 Watch Now: Our Latest Phantom Videos New German Heiner Bade Phantom series BONUS preview of volume 1 with cover by Henrik Salhstrom Play Video New German Heiner Bade Phantom series BONUS preview of volume 1 with cover by Heiner Bade Play Video Time-lapse video of Frew cover issue 2022 being inked & painted by Grange Wallis - GrangeWallis.com Play Video X-Band: Phantom Podcast #336 - Juancho Vélez, Colourist Extraordinaire 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 #336 - Juancho Vélez, Colourist Extraordinaire X-Band: Phantom Podcast #329 - Happy 90th Birthday to the Phantom X-Band: Phantom Podcast #327 - Remembering Ulf Granberg X-Band: Phantom Podcast #326 - Sammy J & Hero Complex Returns 1 2 3 4 5 Our Latest Reviews of Phantom Comics & Products X-Band: Phantom Podcast #335 - April 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review Review of Zauberstern Phantom Spezial #8 Review: 'The Phantom vs. The Sky Band #1' from Mad Cave Studios Review: 'Phantom 2040: A New Shadow' Episode 18 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 Why USA comic readers want to see the Phantom's face unmasked We explore why USA comic readers did not understand the phans outcry over Mad Cave Studios showing the Phantom's eyes. ChronicleChamber Team 2 days ago The Sunflowers Licensing company, representing The Phantom in Eastern Europe According to Licensing Source, the European company The Sunflowers Licensing LTD has taken on the role of representing King Features to potential companies in Eastern Europe. Jermayn Parker May 19 The Jungle Patrol Monument - the origins & its inclusion in the newspaper stories Recently in Frew #2017, the 1987 Team Fantomen story "The Secret of Polymos" was published, and in our X-Band: Phantom Podcast #333 - March 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review, we made mention that the Jungle Patrol Monument shown in the story was when it made its debut in the Phantom's world. The monument has remained consistent in that it memorialises an unknown patrolman; however, the design has changed slightly over the years by different creators and publishers. Jermayn Parker May 16 Saturday Morning Cards announces SDCC 2026 range On our 90th anniversary celebration podcast, the creative director of Saturday Morning Cards (SMC) announced in his birthday message that they will be releasing a new volume of cards in 2026. That volume two is still to be released with news to come, but in other exciting news, SMC will be attending San Diego Comic Con in 2026 again with a new celebrational range. San Diego Comic Con is held between July 23-26 2026. As you will notice, the design of the card is using the same Jermayn Parker May 9 The present state of publishing The Phantom in India An insight into the current Phantom publishing state in India. Including whats been published in 2026 & what is to come. seuj abir May 5 1 2 3 4 5 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #336 - Juancho Vélez, Colourist Extraordinaire Scott Waldyn, jumps on the podcast this week to interview Juancho Vélez, the incredible colorist behind Defenders of the Earth, Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny, The Phantom vs. The Sky Band #1, and the upcoming The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons #1 from Mad Cave Studios. Scott Waldyn May 18 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #335 - April 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review We review & discuss Phantom comics, stories, and related news from around the world for April 2026 ChronicleChamber Team May 6 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #334 - Mikael Bergkvist Fantomen creator We learn all about a new Fantomen creator who has credits as a writer & as an illustrator and about a nod to a famous Australian character in one of his stories. ChronicleChamber Team Apr 22 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #333 - March 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review We review & discuss Phantom comics, stories, and related news from around the world, including new products to buy & updates on the video game. ChronicleChamber Team Apr 9 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #331B - January & February 2026 comics review (Published in Australia, the USA, Germany & Austria) We discuss all the Phantom comics from around Australia, USA, Germany, and Austria that was released in January & February 2026 ChronicleChamber Team Mar 17 1 2 3 4 5 New German comic series celebrating Heiner Bade being distributed with BONUS preview If your still undecided about purchasing this series, we have a video preview of the first volume which is now shipping & available for sale. Jermayn Parker 10 hours ago Shakti Comics release a BIG poster by artist Avishek Biswas A beautiful appealing poster of the Phantom riding Hero with Devil by his side. It is visually appealing, the size is appealing, & the price is even more appealing. Jermayn Parker 6 days ago Saturday Morning Cards announces SDCC 2026 range On our 90th anniversary celebration podcast, the creative director of Saturday Morning Cards (SMC) announced in his birthday message that they will be releasing a new volume of cards in 2026. That volume two is still to be released with news to come, but in other exciting news, SMC will be attending San Diego Comic Con in 2026 again with a new celebrational range. San Diego Comic Con is held between July 23-26 2026. As you will notice, the design of the card is using the same Jermayn Parker May 9 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #335 - April 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review We review & discuss Phantom comics, stories, and related news from around the world for April 2026 ChronicleChamber Team May 6 The Phantom is back in Papua New Guinea The Phantom has had an interesting relationship with the fine folks of Papua New Guinea . The country is located north of Australia , sharing a land border with Indonesia on the New Guinea Island, with hundreds of other offshore islands. According to tradition, during World War II, The Phantom was first introduced to the locals, and he was an instant hit, as a purple jungle-dwelling hero likely appealed to them more than other heroes living in areas that did not relate to the Jermayn Parker Apr 15 1 2 3 4 5

Phantom Questions asked by the phans Every so often we get a fan question about some random fact or first time something happened in a Phantom story. If you have any other Phantom-related fan questions you would like to see explored and answered, please let us know. You can email us your question at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com or via our social media platforms (Facebook , YouTube , Reddit , Instagram , WhatsApp , or X ). What other Phantom questions have been asked... New German comic series celebrating Heiner Bade being distributed with BONUS preview If your still undecided about purchasing this series, we have a video preview of the first volume which is now shipping & available for sale. Jermayn Parker 10 hours ago Why USA comic readers want to see the Phantom's face unmasked We explore why USA comic readers did not understand the phans outcry over Mad Cave Studios showing the Phantom's eyes. ChronicleChamber Team 2 days ago Denmark E-voke "Fantomet: Legenden vender tilbage" (The Legend Returns) issue 4 now out for sale E-voke is a Denmark-based publisher who has been publishing Phantom TPB collections since 2024. Issue four comes out May 23, 2026, and can be purchased from their website. The TPB is hardcover, 128 pages, and printed in black and white. The cover was originally created by Jim Aparo for Charlton #35. Buy your book now on their website This book includes a great mix of stories with classic newspaper stories, some Charlton comics from the 1970s, and even a newly created Frew sto Jermayn Parker 4 days ago The Phantom Battles The Singh Brotherhood This August! The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood #1, the final of three announced one-shots from Mad Cave Studios, reportedly releases on August 19, 2026. This one-shot follows up on story threads from the first 5-issue run that launched last year. Scott Waldyn 5 days ago

Australian comedian Sammy J toured his sell-out, 5-star award-winning show Hero Complex across the country throughout 2016/2017 and again in 2026 Hero complex (& the encore) Things Are Hotting Up! Australian comedian Sammy J toured his sell-out, 5-star award-winning show Hero Complex across the country throughout 2016/2017. The hilarious coming-of-age story is about a schoolboy and his gardener and their friendship based on a shared love of the comic book hero, The Phantom. Jam-packed with real-life photos, videos, and new songs, Sammy took his audiences on an unbelievably true journey across the last twenty years of his life to an incredible, must-be-seen-to-be-believed finale. In 1996, Sammy J borrowed some Phantom comics from his school gardener. That moment set off a chain of events that led to the birth of his daughter, saw him committing a crime in Canberra, and ended with a federal policeman searching his attic. After the success in 2016/17, Sammy J brought the show back for an encore tour around the country in 2026 to celebrate the character's 90th birthday. The encore show is very similar but with some important updates on what has happened since the original show. Click to view the photos from the 2016/17 tour Click to view the photos from the 2026 tour Hero Complex has won multiple awards across the comedy scene in Australia. While the tour has now completed, Sammy has hinted at others to come. Stay abreast by checking out Sammy's official website at Sammy-J.com . We've covered the show fairly extensively here on ChronicleChamber and even had the pleasure of Sammy as a guest multiple times on our X-Band: The Phantom Podcast . Episode #45 Episode #74 Episode #326 Now that Sammy is now a good friend of ChronicleChamber.com we thought it'd be cool to have something of a repository for all the cool stuff that has been released around the show from images to videos and more. Check it all out below! Awards Best Comedy Winner, 2016 Melbourne Fringe Best Comedy Nominee, 2017 Adelaide Fringe Best Comedy Nominee, 2017 Melbourne Comedy Festival Best Comedy Performer Nominee, 2017 Helpmann Awards Promos To help promote Hero Complex, Sammy and The Phantom teamed up to release several short sketches which Sammy then shared accross various social media platforms. You can watch them all in the playlist below. As well as creating these clips, Sammy also did his time on media street: ABC radio - The Conversation Hour 31 March 2017 Sammy J - ABC - The Conversation Hour with Jon Faine 00:00 / 00:00 MICF 2017 - Melbourne International Comedy Festival Interviews And of course, there were the Facebook Live videos! Gallery from the 2016/2017 show Not only was a good deal of promotional images released for Hero Complex , but Sammy was constantly accosted by phans at his shows. The below gallery includes all the promo images and photos of those lucky enough to have met the man himself (Sammy that is, not The Phantom.) Remember, if YOU have any pics from the Hero Complex tour, including you posing with Sammy J or anything else, please send them through to us via ChronicleChamber@gmail.com and we will add them to the Gallery! Gallery from the 2026 encore show Like 2016/2017 Sammy was constantly accosted by phans at his shows. The below gallery includes all the photos of those lucky enough to have met the man himself (Sammy that is, not The Phantom.) during the 2026 tour. Remember, if YOU have any pics from the Hero Complex tour, including you posing with Sammy J or anything else, please send them through to us via ChronicleChamber@gmail.com and we will add them to the Gallery! Reviews Many publications reviewed Hero Complex as Sammy toured the show around Australia: Cross Media Sammy J has been generous enough to allow the Irish publisher Lightning Strike Comic Books to use the song he wrote for Hero Complex to put behind their re-interpretation of Ray Moore's original Origin strip. And here is Tim Wilson MP's maiden speech to the Australian parliament, with his very sneaky Phantom reference (skip to 5 min 15 seconds - this will make the most sense if you've seen Hero Complex ): And finally... Possibly the most exciting moment of the Hero Complex tour for the ChronicleChamber team, as Sammy J and Duncan visited the Skull Cave of one of our own - Jermayn Parker - in a house in suburban Perth... 2016 Photos 2026 Photos