Exciting news for Phantom phans! Legendary artist Sy Barry has confirmed that he will be attending the New York Comic Con early next month! In a statement released via his Facebook page, Sy has let phans know that he will be present on Saturday October 6, setting up at the National Cartoonist Society’s booth. Local phans and those lucky enough to be travelling to the event will have the chance to meet the veteran Daily and Sunday strip artist and collect a signature and an invaluable photo with the great man. Of course, Sy will be selling original pages, drawings, sketches, as well as copies of Frew's 70th anniversary issue, which features the first comic book cover produced by Sy in many years. In exciting news for collectors the world over, Sy will also be unveiling a brand new and original Phantom poster at the show, which ChronicleChamber has confirmed will be available for sale via SyBarry.com in the weeks after the Con. We will keep you in the loop as soon as we can share an image of the poster and details of price. In the meantime, good luck to any phans able to meet Sy at the New York Comic Con! #SyBarry

Australia and Sweden each have a chapter of the Lee Falks Bengalla Explorers Club (LFMBEC). In Australia the LFMBEC focuses on an annual dinner with live auctions and fundraising, while the Swedes do things slightly differently, including releasing yearly calendars and books. Today we are reviewing the two books they released 8-10 years ago titled Fantomen : från lila vålnad till blågul hjälte (The Phantom: from Purple to the Blue - Yellow Hero) and Lee Falk: The Storyteller. Storyteller has been printed in both the Swedish and English languages. The first thing I know everyone will ask, is "Are they still available?" - The answer is: YES THEY ARE! The below links are the easiest ways to order, as the website has an English section on how to order. Fantomen : från lila vålnad till blågul hjälte 527kr ($80AU & $60US not including shipping) Lee Falk: The Storyteller 429 kr ($65AU & $50US not including shipping) If you're undecided about purchasing these, please watch the video below: About Fantomen : från lila vålnad till blågul hjälte In 1940 Swedish readers first became acquainted with a masked adventurer from the exotic jungle - The Phantom. Ten years later, the Phantom was published in a series of comics, a series that continues to this day, and which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2010. Despite the American origins, the relationship with the Swedish readers became something special, and today, many Swedes experience the Phantom as genuinely Swedish. In this jubilee book, published in 2010, readers of the magazine from all walks of life tell about their relationship with the Phantom including politicians, writers, artists, journalists and cartoonists - the common denominator being that they have come into contact with and, in one way or another, been influenced by, the Phantom. In addition, we meet some of the people who, in one way or another, have given life to the Phantom, as well as read articles that shed light on the phenomenon of the Phantom from different sides. About Lee Falk: The Storyteller Over one hundred years ago Lee Falk was born, the man who created two legendary comic strip heroes: Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom. For more than six decades he wrote the comic strips about his heroes, which were read by millions of fans all over the world. All the while he also wrote plays, short stories, novels, poems; he produced and directed plays and travelled all over the world. The masterful storyteller never settled down and never stopped telling stories. This book tells the story about him, in his own words and through his work and the memories of those who knew him. #Fantomen #LFMBEC #LeeFalk

Mikeal Sol and his team of editorial staff at Fantomen recently took to Facebook and asked for input and questions, and then took the time to answer them individually. I must congratulate Mikeal and the team for doing so and in reading their responses I learnt a bit and wanted to share it. While many responses may not affect the average Frew (or Australian) reader - ChronicleChamber is an interntional phan website and some of their decisions do effect Frew with their created stories, especially with the two most hotly debated stories in the 22nd Phantom saga and the Sandal Singh saga. 22nd Phantom to return in 2019 While some hard core Falkists and traditionalists remain unsure about the new saga that Frew readers got to see in 2018, many more enjoyed it and it rated quite highly in our Best of Frew 2017 poll. Frew publisher Dudley Hogarth enjoyed it and was keen to see it return. Mikeal has confirmed the ongoing future saga will return in 2019 with both Heloise and Kit Jnr as the 22nd Phantom. Interest from the Fantomen fans to see Heloise / Female Phantom Not too surprising with the success of the Girl Phantom 2017 Frew Annual, #1774 and Heloise taking a central role in the current Daily story (by Tony DePaul & Mike Manley). I expect Heloise will continue to play a key role in the above mentioned 22nd Phantom saga. Extra NEW Phantom stories to appear in 2019 No concrete number was given on the number of new stories but with some cost cutting & smart budgeting, new stories (which have been as few as 13 in the past) will likely increase up to 18 or 19 a year. Together with Frew's increase of new stories, as well as delving into past Semic and Spada archives, we won't be short of new stories which is a great thing. I wonder if we would ever see a Phantom comic every week? Fantomen to publish more newspaper stories 2018 saw a Daily story voted as the phan's favourite story for Fantomen (Sweden). There are also many classic Sy Barry stories and a host of George Olesen and Paul Ryan stories yet to be published. These are likely to be published as back up stories in their 100 page double numbers. This is certainly an interesting development in the on-going discussion between Falkist and Modernist Phantom phans. One thing we can all agree on though: more Phantom is always a good thing. The Phantom will likely be visiting modern day Stockholm in 2019 I half expect some Australian fans to throw their arms up in the air over this but it's ok. It's not the end of the world and Fantomen stories are primarily targeted towards the Scandinavian audience and secondarily to sell to Frew for Australians to read. Settle down Aussie phans and just enjoy. The new Frew stories are gaining interest internationally One Fantomen reader asked about the possibility of Egmont publishing some of Frew's new stories. This wold be good for Australian readers. If other companies republish Frew's stories it means we are likely to see more for various reasons including it costs Egmont money to buy them of Frew (or a straight swap for one of theirs). Either way we readers benefit. There you go. What are your opinions? I like to see companies take interest in what their market thinks and ask for their questions and input. If you had a question for Frew what would it be? Let us know... #MikaelSol #TonyDePaul #Fantomen #Egmont #MikeManley #22ndPhantom #DudleyHogarth #Semic #Spada #SyBarry #GeorgeOlesen #PaulRyan

It's a project that's been 18 months in the making, but long-time Phantom phan Kelby Wooldridge is another step closer to realising his dream of producing his perfect Phantom comic storage box. As we reported early last year, Kelby is keen to produce his own comic storage box, and the designs are coming together. After a range of options have been considered and moulded, a final prototype is on the table and he is ready to look at pre-orders. Artwork has been approved by KFS and he is ready to produce a fully licensed Phantom product. Bearing in mind that Kelby is a phan like the rest of us and not a professional merch maker, he's going to need a little help in getting this project off the ground, and that's where the rest of the phans come in. We'll let Kelby explain how you can help in his own words: The ultimate Phantom Chronicle Hi fellow Phans, I have done a bit of an upgrade on the original idea and have a pricing figure of around $25 per unit. The box is covered in PU Leather and has the Phantom logo debossed into the front cover, as well as the Phantom Skull mark on the curved spine. We have just received the approval for the Phantom Comic Box artwork from King Features Syndicate. This is made out of 1500 gsm card and lined with matt white lamination. Also on the spine is a number label holder so you can know what is inside each folder. On this label holder is a hook for you to pull the folder off the book shelf. Each folder will still hold 18 issues or 12 issues and a Phantom Annual in plastic bags and back with cardboard. However, As this is being made for the Phans out there we would like you to have your input to the design and overall look of the Chronicle. Since we are trying to keep this affordable for you but also wanting to deliver a quality product please keep that in mind when you make suggestions. The colour is purely for presentation purposes at the moment and can be changed prior to final approval. I am after expressions of interest for this as the minimum order quantity is a 1,000 per order and to keep all costs to a minimum I would need payment upfront. If the number of likes for this gets over 1,000 then I will need crowd funding to get this started. That would require $1 from everyone who liked it. This contribution would then come off your purchase to a maximum of a $1 per unit. Once we have enough interest in this product we will set up a Kickstarter/Go fund me page to get a prototype made. Details of this and how it will work will be mentioned at that time. Hopefully this will be ongoing as part of the cost is going to a Phantom relatable type charity. Look forward to your response to this. I would like to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm that has helped me to this point and hopefully get me to the end. So there is the challenge phans! If you too would love to see this happen, make sure you like one of our social media posts advertising it, or email Kelby directly. #KingFeaturesSyndicate

August saw a new Egmont artist making his debut for the Scandinavian publication. Janusz Ordon is from Poland and mainly known for his work on Clive Barker's Hellraiser, but soon will be known as a Phantom artist for the amazing work in his debut issue. There is no word yet if or when Frew will publish the story in Australia. Janusz has another Phantom connection, as he worked on the comic series Iron Dragon, written by Fantomen writer Philip Madden. Today, ChronicleChamber is lucky enough to sit down with Janusz and find out a little more about the newest contributor to the Phantom universe. Chronicle Chamber: Thank you for joining us Janusz. Can you tell us a little about yourself? How old are you, and where are you located? Janusz Ordon: Hello! Thank you for the opportunity to share a few words with you guys! It is a pleasure. Starting form begining... I'm 36, and I'm located in Warsaw, Poland. For the last 10 years I have been mostly involved in animation, film, 3D, commercial illustration and visuals. CC: Did you study art at school, or would you say you are self taught? JO: Yes, I studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw at the Multimedia Faculty. But there is a saying "if you are not self taught you are not taught at all"! CC: How would you describe your style? Who are your biggest influences, past and present? JO: It is not up to me to describe my style yet. Besides I think that renaissance, baroque, classic, abstractionism, cubism or comic book is a style. The rest is just the way to show things. So my style is a comic book style, simple as this. If I do concept design for animation I work in concept design style including photo-bashing, using 3D models and so on. Speaking of influences, that's another story. I'm under the influence of all the Warren Publishing artists Jose Ortiz, Rudy Nebres, Alfredo Alcala, Alex Nino just to name a few. Besides I really like the art done by Argentinian comic book artists. CC: Did you read comics as a child? Did you read or know of The Phantom? JO: Absolutely! I was exposed to comics at the age of around 10. Mostly western European comics. I knew the Phantom character from early on too. CC: You had some past experiences in working with Phillip Madden... how was that? JO: That was great! I remember I redrew the comic a couple of times, just to find the right look for the story. He was patient enough and he liked the final result. Besides our comic was to be published in Aces Weekly, the magazine published by David Lloyd himself, so it was a pressure. CC: How did you get the gig for Egmont and Fantomen? JO: Actually after the story I drew for Philip, he told me that Egmont was looking for an artist for Fantomen. And asked me if I would be interested. After that I was emailed by Egmont with a sample script which I drew and two evenings later I got this gig. CC: What is your process of creating your art? Do you use the traditional paper and ink or is it always newer school with the computer? JO: Actually kind of both. Generally I work on computer but I print the pages to see what they look like, and then if necessary I draw and improve details on a paper. Or... I redraw entire picture traditionally. But at the moment I'm in a process of doing more and more work traditionally. You know, it is nice to have the originals to be able to sell them in a future (hopefully). CC: Many phans would love that of course! And the important follow up question: Do you accept commissions? JO: Absolutely! (Traditional) I do it since I remember =) CC: So where can phans check out your other art? JO: The websites are still in the works but you can find more of my comic book pages here: Tumblr.com Facebook Gallery Thanks to Andreas and the editors of Phantomwiki for the heads up on the new artist & Philip Madden for helping us get in touch with Janusz. #JanuszOrdon #MikaelSol #Egmont #Fantomet #Fantomen #PhillipMadden

Please note that we will be touching upon adult themes in this article. "Censoring" in comics is such a negative word that tends to leave a bad aftertaste in everyone's mouth. However, is it always a bad thing? Frew and the Phantom have had a history of censoring. Some of the earliest Ray Moore stories, notably The Phantom Goes to War, were altered prior to publication as a comic book for Australian audiences. For instance, Diana being tied up in front of a cannon on a ship's deck instead of being threatened with a fist instead of being kicked or punched by a Japanese soldier. Some of the recent ones from memory were a man's hand being erased so it didn't look like he was relieving himself against a wall to the latest comic that has received the censoring treatment in Frew 1817. In his Message from the Publisher in Frew #1817, Dudley Hogarth openly states that he has edited scenes and dark plot themes from the two stories in this issue. As it happens, both Shadows over Spyglass and Heart of Darkness Chapter 4 Episode 7 were written by Claes Remerthi and illustrated by Joan Boix. Dudley's admission of editing is a bold move, and I am sure many a phan then spent the whole issue trying to find the edited panels. The editing in the Heart of Darkness chapter is very easy to identify, with women in an erotic scene having clothes added to their originally naked depictions. However, the alterations in Shadows over Spyglass were a lot harder to identify. One interesting point to note is that on the first page of Spyglass a stray breast did actually escape the censorship brush. No, the censorship wasn't Minerva Brooks or her colleagues bathing topless or showing too much skin as one CC phriend thought, but rather a plot point instead: the reason why the children were held on the island. In the panels below, the Phantom says in the original Swedish, "To be child prostitutes... helpless victims used in filthy brothels! Doesn’t it bother you in the least?" which was edited by the Australian publisher to read to "to be exploited... and sold as though they were livestock! Doesn’t it bother you in the least?" The preceding panel was also changed to be kidnapped kids, and the island as a collection point for them to be smuggled into Europe. Dudley makes a good point that with their big push with Kid Phantom, Frew is trying to change the comic from a middle-aged man's comic to something that can be enjoyed by all ages. If they kept naked bodies on show and published stories featuring child sex exploitation, would it put parents off allowing the comic to be read by a child who are also reading Kid Phantom? As a parent myself I am more comfortable in allowing my child read this comic than the original uncensored version. This topic has been discussed on X-Band: The Phantom Podcast countless times and this a good example that the nudity and adult themes being censored does not take away from the story. It's a brave move firstly censoring and secondarily being up front about it, but I think Frew did the right thing. What are your thoughts and opinions? Thank you to Andreas for the photos of the original panels and help with the translations #ClaesReimerthi #JoanBoix #Frew #Egmont #Fantomen #Fantomet #DudleyHogarth #KidPhantom

Those who remembered our podcast interview with Göran Semb back in episode 57 would remember that he had his own podcast talking about comics and pop culture. In his latest podcast (& a future podcast) he is joined with Pidde Andersson. In episode 104 they talk all things Phantom from a writing perspective which makes sense seeing both are highly accredited writers and phans. For majority of Australian fans who do not speak Swedish will miss out on what I hear is a great conversation. if you understand Swedish, the video is below. They discussed a number of topics including: The Charlton stories with art by Jim Aparo are obviously written by people who get confused with the Phantom thinking he is a Tarzan clone and how everyone knows the Phantom. A topic also raised by the CC Team in various past podcasts. They dissect various Phantom stories from around the world including Italian Spada stories and the new Australian Frew stories and how true they are to the Legend of the Phantom or Phantom Lore. Göran also asked Pidde what he finds important about the Phantom stories he is writting for Frew which include the style (Adventure vs Action), humour and character development. All good qualities I am eagerly awaiting to see in more of his upcoming stories. And another interesting topic they discussed is how Lee Falk wrote the comic Daily and Sunday stories in which people all spoke in a clipped manner. and how it could be partly due to space concerns but also partly due to Falk's theatrical ambitions and experience. Lastely they do mention several known phans from around the world, even a member of the CC team. Give it a listen as they are all great topics and have either been discussed before on the XBand podcast or may be questions we have to ask Pidde in our future planned podcast together. Thanks goes to Göran Semb and Pidde Andersson for the heads up and information about your podcast which sounds like a great listen. #GöranSemb #JimAparo #PiddeAndersson #Frew #Semic #Egmont #Spada

It was about a month ago we reported that Australian company Mallon Publishing was seeking interest in a 2019 Phantom wall calendar. We are happy to announce that Phantom phans have come through, the interest is there, and Mallon WILL be producing a calendar for 2019! Indeed they have started sending out order forms to registered fans and have even released the beautiful cover image seen on this page. The Rolf Gohs cover image was first published in 1965 by Fantomen in Sweden, and last seen way back in May 1969, as the cover for the German language publication Phantom 26, with both issues produced by Semic. All details regarding the calendar are on the order form, but a quick summary is as follows: standard size 300mm square 24 full colour pages Phantom art and international covers RRP $25 Direct orders will receive a bonus complimentary gift (collectible Phantom cover print) Direct orders to be delivered in October 2018 Direct orders will incur a postage cost, but this may be considered a small sacrifice to receive the bonus gift, as well as being guaranteed a copy. With a limited print run this year, it seems almost certain that not every newsagent will receive in-store copies. The only way to be sure that you are able to proudly display a copy in your home, office or Skull Cave next year is to order direct. To order your copy, CLICK HERE and download your form. Complete it and email direct to the publisher to be among the very first to receive your copy/copies. Trade orders are welcome. Retailers or local comic stores can inquire about trade quantities and prices by emailing here. #Mallon #RolfGohs #Semic

We're a week or so behind schedule because of a certain CC member's trip overseas, but finally we have for you the latest update of the Phantom Preservation Project (P3)! We're excited at the way this collection of Phantom history is growing. Indeed, in the last month we've actually had to upgrade our Google Drive storage to accommodate it all! In total we have over 15GB of data live and ready to access. Newest inclusions in the P3 - We have a bunch of videos, including: - Phantom 2040 game advertising - interviews with artists - vision of artists inking There's also a swathe of print material, including: - newspaper articles - promotional material for the 1943 Phantom serial - advertising for The Phantom Art Show, and - ANOTHER FOUR ISSUES of the famous Friends of the Phantom newsletter!! All of this joins the existing files, which includes the complete second season of Phantom 2040, complete collections of newsletters from the Independent Phantom Club of Australia, the Official Phantom Club of Australia, and now 13 of the 24 newsletters from the American Friends of The Phantom. Existing Patreons have already received their message granting them access to the P3. We hope they enjoy sifting through all this Phantom goodness :) Any phans who sign up to the $5 / month level of support will also be granted immediate access to this vast array of Phantom video, audio, print material, games, artwork...... There are of course greater rewards for the awesome people who are happy to sign up for the $20 or $50 / month levels, which is all outlined on the Patreon page. So, head over to our Patreon page and as we always say - Happy Phantoming! #1943Serial #ArtShow #FriendsofThePhantom #Phantom2040 #P3

Egmont publishes many more magazines than Fantomet / Fantomen and one of their other magazines that most Phantom phans would not know off is called 91. In the most recent magazine starting on page 12 there is a short story featuring Sergeant Revär who is barking at a bunch of recruits. The recruits tell Privates 91 and 87 that they've heard a lot about Revär and that he's always been at the regiment. This story runs for three pages. Private 87 then makes up a story about Revärs origin. In the last panel the recruits say that it's an amazing story - but it feels weirdly familiar. This homage to the character we all love has obvious roots with the Phantom Lore and in looking at the creaor team behind it, its no wonder. The writer is Pidde Andersson and the story was drawn by Jonny Nordlund. Pidde has started writing Phantom stories for Frew - we've discussed him on the podcast but also here on CC before. Read about the background of his first Frew story here. Jonny Nordlund did the cover for Frew #911 and #1806. Andreas gave us an insightful article about Jonny (which you can read here). In the article Andreas mentioned that Pidde and Jonny have included the Phantom countless times in other stories they have teamed up on and this is clearly another example. We have not included all three pages seeing its out in print etc at the moment but we have included interesting panels with Sergeant Revärs origin heavily influenced by the Phantom. Thanks goes to Pidde who informed us off his short story featuring in the latest Egmont 91 Magazine. Thank you. #PiddeAndersson #Egmont #JonnyNordlund

Earlier this year everyone was excited to see Sy Barry at a New York comic convention and now we are proud to inform that there will be not one, nor two but THREE high profile Phantom artists who have a long and rich history in the field of comics and also the Phantom. The convention is the Salt Lake Comic Convention and while most will be excited about Ben Affleck somebody , who are they fooling. The real hero's of the show are Phantom artists Sal Velluto, Alex Saviuk and Bob Almond . This event is on September 6-8 at the Salt Palace Convention Centre in Salt Lake City. Alex Saviuk started his professional career at DC Comics in 1977 after studying sequential art with WILL EISNER at The School of Visual Arts in NYC. In 1986, Alex moved over to MARVEL COMICS before eventually becoming the penciler on DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH. Besides drawing THE PHANTOM for Egmont and Frew since 2004, Alex pencils the SPIDER-MAN Sunday newspaper and inks the Dailies both written by STAN LEE. Some Australian phans had the priveldge to meet him when he came to Supanova Sydney & Perth and the LFMBEC Dinner back in 2013. Sal Velluto has been a professional illustrator for thirty plus years. He worked for MARVEL, (Power Pack, Moon Knight, Captain America, Silver Surfer, Black Panther, etc.) DC, (Justice League Task Force, Firebrand, Flash, Batman Chronicles, JSA, Aquaman, etc,) VALIANT/ACCLAIM (X-O Manowar, Bloodshot) NOW, (The Green Hornet) PENNY FARTHING PRESS (Captain Gravity) STAR COMICS (Lazarus Ledd). Since 2007 Sal has been illustrating The Phantom, (for Egmont in Scandinavia, Frew in Australia and Hermes Press in the USA) the grandfather of all modern super-heroes. From 1999 to 2002 Sal drew 34 issues of Marvel’s Black Panther, becoming the most prolific artist, to date, on this title. Some of Sal’s original design concepts for Black Panther were refined and used in the 2018 blockbuster movie. Beside comics, Sal’s work extends to advertising, animation, design, magazines, video games, role play games, trading cards and toys. Sal, Velluto and his wife of 32 years, Sharon, live in West Jordan, Utah. They have four children. Majority of phans may have not heard of Bob Almond before but he has also very well known and admired in the industry with credits inking comics for Marvel Comics, DC, Image and other US comics publishers and characters like Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, Aquaman etc. Bob has won several awards for his inking and has assisted Sal Velluto on five Egmont stories and other various Velluto projects. If you are planning to attend this convention, please take some photos of the event so we can share them with the Phantom Community. Thanks goes to Sal Velluto for letting us know about this exciting selection of artists coming together. #AlexSaviuk #SalVelluto #BobAlmond

Please note that this book was sent to the team at ChronicleChamber for a review. All our opinions are individual and we are not paid for anything we write. Below is a video review I have done for the The Phantom - El Hombre Enmascarado: Volume 1, and overall I believe it to be a great book. We first posted about this book back in February. The most important factor with any of these retrospective presentations is the print quality of the strips, and this book is crystal clear and precise, and is a pleasure to read / look through. As I outline in the video I like the small details of care that editor Rafael Marin and his team took with this book. Volume 2 IS OUT NOW which covers years 1963 to 1965. Volume 2 contains 200 pages.of stories as well as a further 10 pages of articles & Interviews. The stories covered in Vol 2 is an amazing collection and covers arguably Sy Barry's best ever including: The Mystery of the Island of Dogs The Drummer of Timpenni The Reef The Adventures of Lucy Cary The Bad Ones Along with the above stories, Rafael returns with an interesting article reflecting how the roughnecks have changed from WWII battling the Japanese, with a Falk version of the Cuban Missile Crisis and revolutionaries in the Caribbean smuggling guns to overthrow a power. Along with the stories and Rafael's article, Egmont artist Joan Boix is interviewed and included in Volume two. This issue is a real labour of love and in my opinion, the team of restorers have done a great job. Thank you to Dolman Publishing and editor Rafael Marin for a copy of the book to review. #DolmenEditorial #SyBarry #LeeFalk #JoanBoix #Egmont

Since the 1990's Mallon Publishing have been our go-to option when it come to The Phantom diaries, journals and wall calendars. Seeing a 2018 calendar appear in newsagents last year for the first time in many years was certainly a delight! However, times they are a-changing. Costs involved in publishing and distribution mean that producing these functional collectibles and getting them to customers is increasingly tricky; the traditional business model employed by Mallon may just no longer be viable. Mallon Publishing has reached out to ChronicleChamber and Phantom phans in general - they need our help! "If we could interest the fans in buying direct then we may be able to continue to publish. In particular, the Wall Calendar would be viable if we could interest around 300 fans to buy direct. The diary would require more orders." Mallon have written an open letter to phans - see below. They need our interest and enthusiasm to continue the product, and they need it now. As you would know, diary and calendar products for the following year are typically available in stores from September/October so the time to start compiling and printing is right about now. So whether you're a keen collector who wants to have these items to add to your collection, or you hang and use the calendar up at work or home, or you just want to make sure you have your traditional gift Christmas gift for Dad ready to go again this year, make sure you click on the email link below and indicate your interest to Mallon today! Mallon Publishing PO Box 1210 Eltham Victoria 3095 telephone 61 3 9431 5007 email info@mallon.net.au Dear Phantom Fans, We have appreciated your support over many years for the Phantom Diary and other Phantom publications. In recent years it has become difficult to keep the publications viable due to tougher retail terms and lower print runs. However, we are confident that there still exists a very loyal fan base for the Phantom, and are hopeful that many of you will be prepared to continue to support our publications by buying direct from the Publisher. With enough support from fans via direct sales, we plan to publish another Phantom Wall Calendar and Phantom Diary this year. To express your interest and obtain more information on placing pre-orders and paying direct to the Publisher, please email us at info@mallon.net.au or write to the address above. With thanks Mallon Publishing Please Note: These images are of the 2018 Diary and Wall Calendar - the new designs for the 2019 diary and calendar are not yet available. #Mallon

At the 2018 Sydney Supanova Comic Con, Frew and the Kid Phantom team released a special Printer's Proof of an upcoming trade paperback: Kid Phantom Kollection #1. With cover art by Dr Paul Mason, this special edition collects Kid Phantom issues #1-4 (all illustrated by Paul), as well as two bonus short stories written by series author Andrew Constant. The first extra features Young Mandrake which first appeared in the 2018 Sydney and Perth Supanova program with art by West Australian Brenton McKenna. The second story is a prose story with some amazing spot illustrations by James Brouwer. Watch the below video as Dan, Jermayn and Gus (who is fast becoming the fourth Team CC regular) look over the book. It's safe to say the kids will be over the moon with this book. We have been informed by the Frew Crew that the official public release Kid Phantom Kollection #1 will be released in September / October and will be cheaper than the Printer's Proof. When we know more - you will be the first to know. #AndrewConstant #DrPaulMason #Frew #KidPhantom #BrentonMcKenna #JamesBrouwer

WOW what a weekend! To give you just some idea of the weekend, every team member who attended: Stephen East, Dan Fraser & Jermayn Parker; share their experiences of the Sydney Mecca Weekend! Dan I flew into Sydney 5 hours later than I'd booked for - bloody Qantas! Still, it didn't stop me getting to Supanova only 45 minutes after it opened on Friday and thankfully in time to buy one of the Messenger bags at the Frew booth! It as great to get straight into the first highlight of the weekend: meeting Steve for the first time and then having the CC team together for the first time ever - we wasted no time and recorded part of a podcast (our first ever live and in the same venue) on the train home that afternoon. It really was good to do my 'bulk buying' that day... yes it was painful to be lugging (two) Messenger bags and (two) Phantom's Universe card folders home on Friday, but I did appreciate it the next day when I had less to carry. All the effort was rewarded almost immediately with a few beers back at the Mercure during the evening. The best analogy I can come up with is that the mood in the room is like having a sip with the boys after footy training - it's just a great way to catch up after a year since we all saw each other. A bit of a different start to Saturday this year, as I went for a 5km Parkrun with Nick. It was brilliant and invigorating, and a must do next year for me! The two of us (and Sean, who made a slower start Saturday morning after a bigger Friday night) took the train out well after the rest of the crew and it must be said, walked straight in, with no real queue for us later arrivals. The whole of Saturday at Supanova was brilliant, with much of the day spent chatting to the creators we admire so much. Lunch with everyone was entirely satisfying, and there were just so many people there that were catching up for the first time in a year or indeed meeting for the first time after years conversing online. After lunch, I found the Limitless Visions stand with a bunch of Phantom t-shirts! Playing The Phantom: Treasures of Drakon board game prototype was also an awesome experience and is captured in a youtube video somewhere. Saturday night at the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorer's Club Dinner was just sensational and truly the highlight of the trip. It was inspiring and gratifying: to see such wonderful generosity; to have genuine and extended extended chats with good friends; to see Sammy J never being introduced but somehow being centre stage; to hear Andrew Constant's poignant speech; to enjoy the bidding wars; to experience the satisfaction of donation; to have the opportunity to chat with Wonder Woman's Nicola Scott; and just a lot of fun to go #podbombing! The best analogy I can come up with is that the mood in the room is like a Best and Fairest at the end of a footy season - it's just a great way to have a formal catch up after a year since we all saw each other. Despite plans to head out to Supanova again on the Sunday and do my final catchups and autograph hunting, bloody Qantas again foiled me and had me heading out to the airport 8 hours earlier than I'd booked thanks to 'mechanical problems'. I complained, but my credit card was probably sighing with relief. Jermayn Sydney Supanova & LFMBEC Dinners are always busy, tiring, expensive and emotional and after doing this almost every year for the past 10 years, this weekend was no different. I got to catch up with old friends and meet new phans who quickly become like long lost brothers as they join in on the banter, teasing and become part of the inner crowd as you spend time with them. Highlights up front are countless including and in no order: the bidding war between Duncan and Terry, Andrew Constant's amazing and touching speech on why the Phantom should be in every primary school teaching troubled kids how to read, the midnight late night chats with phans, the countless items we brought at the Frew booth and what we had to leave behind and the sketch covers I received from some very talented artists. Oh and the new terminology we coined 'The Pod-Bomb' As many will know who has listened to the podcast, this was the first time Stephen, Dan and myself have been in the same room and its fair to say they were awestruck! All jokes aside, it was great to finally catch up and talk shop in person. This year majority of us went Friday day and it makes sense. I did majority of my shopping Friday which meant not only did I get in early on limited stock like the Man Bag and Kid Phantom TPB but I was able to get in early with artists for commissions and spend time on Saturday not rushing. I will be doing the same again. The Frew Booth was full again but much more roomier and I say 3 booths is the right size. It was a pity Shane Foley was not in attendance as he is one of my favourite Frew artists and a top bloke. Frew had lots of stuff available, some pricier than others. One of the biggest discussions with phans prior and during the weekend was about whether we were informed enough. I think it's safe to say the current generation thought no but the past generation was not bothered - let's leave that argument there. The hardest thing was leaving stuff behind. I did not buy all of Jamie Johnson's prints and also left the two Pholios and set of A2 prints behind at the Frew booth. With a new baby and going down to one income, decisions had to be made. Around $9,000 was raised at the LFMBEC dinner which is amazing. It goes to the Westmead Children's hospital and is a great cause. These dinners are also the only time I see so many countless phans not caring about how much they paid for certain items. 364 days of the year they may be a Scrooge but on this one day, the wallets are open! What gets me is the amount of people who appreciate what I do with the Chronicle Chamber website and the Podcast. Glad people enjoy it and informing us so helps keep the fire lit. So I thank the people who told us. #Supanova #Frew #LFMBEC #SammyJ #AndrewConstant