Coming soon to a book seller near you: a literary and academic tome that explores the history of The Phantom in a depth that has never been seen before. Kevin Patrick's The Phantom Unmasked: America's First Superhero is a 262 page non-fiction book that began life as a thesis he researched and wrote when completing his PhD at Monash University. The blurb of the book on goodreads.com states: "By tracing the publication history of The Phantom in magazines and comic books across international markets since the mid-1930s, author Kevin Patrick delves into the largely unexplored prehistory of modern media licensing industries. He also explores the interconnections between the cultural, political, economic, and historical factors that fueled the character’s international popularity. "The Phantom Unmasked offers readers a nuanced study of the complex cultural flow of American comic books around the world. Equally important, to provide a rare glimpse of international comics fandom, Patrick surveyed the Phantom’s “phans”—as they call themselves—and lets them explain how and why they came to love the world’s first masked superhero." The book is slated for release by University Of Iowa Press on 15 November this year - just in time to be the perfect Christmas wishlist item. However, The Phantom Unmasked is also available for pre-order now from your preferred on-line book seller - simply search for the title and author. Of particular interest will be the preview available on the QBD website. By going to this site and clicking on the book's cover image, you can actually read the first 50 pages of the book, including the Introduction, all of Chapter 1 and about half of Chapter 2. Having spent half an hour absorbed in the reading of this preview, ChronicleChamber can confirm that this is going to be a fascinating read for Phantom phans keen to know more about the publishing history and global spread of the character, whether through newspaper strips or comic books. The contents page (right), together with descriptions on various book-selling sites, serve to whet the appetite for phans keen to understand how The Phantom reached their corner of the globe. The way Kevin has regularly drawn on his "phan survey" results through the text will make many of us feel very much a part of the journey. Just as importantly he also quotes many creators, artists and authors, and has picked the brains of some of the greatest Phantom minds of our time in compiling this volume. Throughout the book, Kevin speaks with a justifiably authoritative tone that can only come from extensive legitimate research. Obviously as comic book readers, most of us also like to look at the pictures, and this is perhaps the only area missing from The Phantom Unmasked. It is very much an academic and literary text, and some readers may be disappointed that there are not more images of the character, or reproductions of the strip. The reason for this will be one familiar to Phantom phans. As Kevin explained to ChronicleChamber, "Sadly, there are no images reproduced in the book. I had prepared a selection of about a dozen or so images for inclusion in the book, which would have been reproduced as grey scale images. King Features Syndicate requested a licensing fee for having these images included in the book, which was simply beyond my financial means at the time. "While I'm disappointed I couldn't include any images in the book, I should stress that all of the images I'd originally selected were ones that most Phantom "phans" would have seen elsewhere in comic books, or through other online outlets, such as Phantom-"phan" websites, blogs, and Facebook pages. So, in that sense, "phans" won't be missing out any images intended for exclusive use or reproduction in the book". We certainly hope that this minor detail does not dissuade potential buyers and readers of the book. The depth of information contained, facilitated by Kevin's obvious phandom tempered by an even-handed detachment, is well and truly worthwhile in and of itself. We're very much looking forward to picking up our own copies, and are excited about the plans in place to speak to Kevin for an episode of X-Band: The Phantom Podcast closer to the time of release. #KevinPatrick #KingFeaturesSyndicate

It may only be September 2017, with over three months left in the year, but we are already starting to see the release of some 2018 focused Phantom products. This is not as crazy as it sounds, as it's calendars and diaries that are starting to emerge onto the market. Mallon Melbourne has been a reliable producer of Phantom diaries over the last 20 years or more, and their latest version, The Phantom Diary 2018, has appeared in Australian newsagents in the last few days. The front cover image is a Glenn Ford interpretation of a scene from the 1943 story Bent Beak Broder. As you can see from the images below, the 2018 Phantom Diary is a spiral bound edition; each opened page typically contains an iconic Phantom cover on the left hand side, with the days of the week on the right. These covers are from around the world, with Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, South America, Spain and the United States all represented. The Diary pages are slightly larger than A5 size (ie, slightly larger than A4 when opened). Sitting side by side on most newsagent shelves right now is Mallon's The Phantom Calendar 2018. This really is an exciting moment for Australian phans, as a calendar has not been anywhere near as regular as the diary. The top half of each page in the 12-month calendar features large images of non-Australian and historical covers. The first three months feature Hermes Press Daily collection covers; the remainder of the year predominantly showcases Italian comic covers. All of the stories represented by these covers are Lee Falk originals, with Ray Moore and Wilson McCoy art. The lower half is typical month layout, with plenty of room for users to jot down important dates. These pages also feature a single panel from various Phantom stories, each one a Sy Barry image. While it is certainly fun to see these in stores already, it must be said that these two products both miss the mark in a way that would seem to be incredibly easy to address: they could or should feature significant dates in the Phantom world. The calendar, for instance, proudly boats that public holidays have been identified. However, surely of far more interest to phans would be the reminder that 17 February is the anniversary of the first appearance of the strip in a newspaper, that Sy Barry took over the strip from 21 August 1966, or that we should all pause for a moment on 13 March to remember the death of the creator, Lee Falk, in 1999. This would seem to be an opportunity missed. Either way, completist phans will still add these to their collections, and hopefully many of the diaries and calendars will be purchased as Christmas presents or other, and be used faithfully for their intended purpose. The Mallon Diaries and Calendars can be purchased in Australian newsagents now - the Diary retails at $29.99, and the Calendar is $25. They are also available on the Frew website as well, by following the links below: Mallon The Phantom Diary 2018 Mallon The Phantom Calendar 2018 #Mallon #HermesPress #LeeFalk #WilsonMcCoy #RayMoore #SyBarry #GlennFord

In Episode 75 - The Collection That Does Not Die we’re focusing on all things to do with being a Phantom Collector! Modest accumulators Steve and Dan are joined by two of Australia's foremost Phantom collectors, ChronicleChamber's own Jermayn Parker and returning guest Jon Cookson. In a wide-ranging and comprehensive discussion, the gents discuss their own approaches to collecting, as well as others they have heard of. We explain why and how we collect, how we buy the items in our collection, how we store them, and what we plan on doing with them long term - including after we die! So whether you're a completist, an investor, an art lover, a slabber or a simple gatherer, there's something here for you! #XBand #Podcast

Even regular visitors to ChronicleChamber may have missed the updates to our Hero Complex page over the last few weeks, as new dates for Sammy J's Phantom-themed show have been announced. Queensland and Victorian phans have the chance to see the show in about a month's time, as Sammy takes it to the Sunshine Coast in late October and then suburban Melbourne in early November this year. Sammy actually gave us all the heads-up about these shows in the ill-fated Episode 74 of X:Band - The Phantom Podcast - it's on us that no one heard about it through that avenue!! Once again, we cannot commend this show enough to Phantom phans. Anyone who is a collector, or who has been ever bitten by the purple bug in any way, will absolutely love this show. Check out our Hero Complex page for accurate dates and links to purchase your tickets. #HeroComplex #SammyJ #XBand #Podcast

Peter Kingston, co-curator of the Phantom Art Show, is going to be available for a very unique event early next month - a private tour of the Show as it is displayed at the Manly Art Gallery in Sydney. An Internet look around the exhibition (such as the one we posted last week) pales considerably in comparison to viewing the artworks in real life. The prospect of actually being escorted around the pieces by one of the men responsible for gathering and commissioning them, and indeed contributing a large number himself, is an opportunity that must be strongly considered. It's a year now since we published the podcast in which we interviewed Peter and his co-curator Dietmar Lederwasch about the exhibition, but anyone who's listened to that would know that Peter is an entertaining and passionate speaker about all things Phantom, and is not backwards in coming forwards in expressing them. In that podcast he also shared that while he had helped gather the items for the Art Show, there are pieces he loves more than others... there is a certain type of Phantom that appeals to Peter. One can be reasonably well assured that attending his walk and talk on Saturday 7th October will shed some more light on this! Meanwhile, many attendees of the Art Show in Manly have been inspired to share their photos of their visit via the Show's official Facebook page here, and even to create and share their own Phantom artwork. One such piece that really tickled Peter's fancy was a contribution by Marshall Smither: #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch #ArtShow

Phantom art exhibitions seem to be all the rage these days. We all know of the Tour that Never seems to End downunder, The Phantom Art Show co-curated by Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch, which recently opened and is currently showing at the Manly Art Gallery in Sydney after a near-three year run around Australia. Then of course, there has been Swede Martin Dahlström’s homage to Wilson McCoy, the Godfather of Pop display, which we have also reported on extensively here on ChronicleChamber. And now there is a new exhibition, opening soon in Sweden, focusing on original art and including the amazing private collection of Sinisha Bozunovic. The Originalteckningar (Original drawings) collection will go on display at Sinisha's gallery, Gallery Stromstad & Tanum. ChronicleChamber has been in regular contact with Sinisha as he outlays his vision for not just his art gallery but to completely take over his town with phandom and ensure he evangelises our hero to the next and new generation. Give this man a Good Mark! And while you are at it Phantom, give Peter, Dietmar and Martin one as well… The festival starts on the 23rd September and is open through to the 7th of December 2017. Plenty of time for people to organise a trip there and sell it to families as an opportunity for a White Christmas! Tell your travel agent that the exhibition will be in Strömstad, Sweden (on the West coast, between Oslo and Gothenburg). The exhibition will feature original art from iconic Phantom artists, including the great newspaper artists Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy and Sy Barry, as well as legendary Egmont cover artists Rolf Gohs, Sal Velluto and Kari Lappanen, just to name a few. Indeed, Sal has even sent in his own video welcoming visitors to the event! There are not many well known popular Phantom artists left - this is all from Sinisha’s private collection along with his own art featuring our hero. The amount of original Phantom art on display, all of which has been published in newspapers and comics, is growing every day as phans around the world add their own contributions. As it stands, there are over 130 pieces ready for display. One interesting part of his collection is the large number of original art covers from the Swedish Christmas Albums which has been loaned from Hans-Erik Hansson, covering 1944 to 2016. The guest list lined up for the opening is also seriously impressive with Ulf Granberg, Sture Hegerfors, Pidde Andersson, Erik Wonde, Hans-Erik Hansson, Thomas Hultbrand and of course, The Phantom himself! Ulf Granberg will be a popular guest, as he has been a director of The Phantom in Sweden (Semic & Egmont) and has also written stories for 40 years, including many Phantom stories. He will have a pre-release (preview) of his new book focusing on Rolf Gohs’ work on The Phantom in Sweden. More information on this will be available here on ChronicleChamber when it is released. Sture Hegerfors is one of biggest experts in Sweden in the field of comics, and will be there for the opening of the festival. Pidde Andersson is a name Australians may be vaguely aware of at the moment but they will soon come to know very well, as he is in the middle of writing Phantom stories soon to be released by Frew Publications. Again, more information on these, as well as an interview with Pidde, will be on ChronicleChamber soon. Hans-Erik Hansson and Erik Wonde have arguably the biggest collections of Phantom original art in the world. They have loaned countless amounts of art to Sinisha’s exhibition and will be there for the opening to share their stories about dealing with the countless Phantom artists they have met and are now lucky enough to call friends. As mentioned above the Phantom will also be making an appearance with two body builders donning the outfit and so the Phantom won't be lonely, he will be joined by Diana and two horses who will be able to keep the children entertained. Unfortunately for completist collectors, there is no merchandise to be bought or sold during the event. However there will be a special 1m x 1m canvas painting of a Gohs cover lottery price done by Sinisha himself. One item that will be available to purchase is the ‘Phantom underwear’ line released by Alexander Cobb especially for this exhibition. It will be available to purchase online - the link for this will be published on ChronicleChamber as soon as it is live. The event has received loads of support and excitement through Strömstad, and Sinisha has worked hard to get the media on board with a front page dedicated to the art gallery and also a radio interview. The way the town has embraced the concept is what has us excited, with public art slated for display throughout the town’s public spaces and restaurants. In fact, some restaurants are actually cooking and creating Phantom themed meals. One such Phantom flavoured item is the special Phantom Jungle Tea blend that has been made just for this exhibition. We have been told by the local tasters it has a heavenly fragrance. Adding to the festival feel and in another demonstration of the way the township of Strömstadhas embraced the festival, Sinisha confirms that "the local Cinema is collecting Phantom movies to show every Sunday at 15:00, during whole 10 weeks!" Other phun activities are planned as well, including a Phantom Treasure Map where visitors track down the art through the town, collecting stamps as they go. Complete it and you will be awarded a special prize donated by the curator of this fabulous exhibition. There is no doubt from all the news released that this will be a very special occasion that all Phantom phans would love to be a part of. To stay in touch with news about the exhibition, register your interest by accessing the Facebook event here. The team here at ChronicleChamber would encourage anyone: if you can to get to Strömstad to see the show, do it - if only so you can take a heap of photos for us to share! #SinishaBozunovic #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch #MartinGoldbeckLöwe #WilsonMcCoy #RayMoore #SyBarry #RolfGohs #SalVelluto #KariLeppänen #Frew #Egmont #UlfGranberg #StureHegerfors #PiddeAndersson #Semic #Originalteckningar

The evening of Friday 8th September 2017 was a very special night for Phantom phans in Sydney, Australia, as The Phantom Art Show exhibition opened for what will almost certainly be the final time. It was an event three years in the planning and follows a two year tour of regional New South Wales and Queensland. It is eminently appropriate that the final two exhibitions of The Phantom Art Show should be in the spiritual homes of each of the co-curators, Dietmar Lederwasch (Newcastle) and Peter Kingston (Manly). These two gentlemen and devotees of the first costumed comic book hero have poured their hearts and souls into this long-running project, and so it is fitting that it should wrap up by visiting their home turfs. And certainly, the Manly Art Gallery has proven to be an incredibly scenic location for the last hurrah of the Show. There were hundreds of visitors in attendance for the Friday night opening, which also served as the launch for the 2017 Manly Arts Festival. The opening address was graciously provided by The Hon. Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO, who was effusive in her praise of the "wonderous show ... one of the highlights of the Manly Arts Festival" as she welcomed the curators and all artists who had contributed. She thanked them for "sharing something very special, [their] representations of the peerless character, the Phantom", which "evokes that part of us all which is the child that rejoices in good things". When pondering the appeal of The Phantom, Dame Bashir surmised that it "comes down to courage, bravery, integrity, and certainly a determination to fight evil". In true Phantom optimism, Dame Bashir concluded with the "hope [that] hundreds and thousands of Sydney people, and visitors to Sydney, will see it; and especially young people". You can watch her full speech in the link below, thoughtfully provided for us by Senior Curator Katherine Roberts. As has become tradition, a Phantom cosplayer (or three!) was in attendance, joined for the first time on the tour by Diana Palmer. As far as Peter was concerned, “Diana Palmer stole the show in Manly", and for Dietmar, her presence helped confirm that "the Phantom story is a love story“. Following a lead set in Newcastle, a local drumming group also joined the evening and provided an authentic jungle beat and ambiance to the event. Manly Art Gallery was a hive of activity and bubbling excitement as the famous characters, guests and artists wandered through the exhibition, enjoying each other's company and the magnificent artwork surrounding them. While many of the pieces on display will be familiar to those who have been fortunate enough to visit the Show in other venues, there are certainly a number of new artworks that have joined recently. It is also fascinating to see the way that a change in the layout of a Gallery affects the way in which a piece is viewed. The Phantom Art Show remains on display at the Manly Art Gallery until 29 October 2017. For more information, contact the Manly Art Gallery: Manly Art Gallery & Museum West Esplanade Reserve, Manly NSW 2095 Open Tue – Sun 10am – 5pm (closed Mondays & Public Holidays) Free entry T: 02 9976 1421 E: artgallery@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au W: www.magam.com.au Special thanks to Katherine Roberts, Peter Kingston and Trevor Clark for providing the images that accompany this post. #ArtShow #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch

In the second half of Episode 73, Steve, Jerm and Dan continue talking about the latest Comics and News ... and in this case it's all about Frew! Get yourself ready for the reviews by reading: #1788 The Baronkhan Sedition / SOS Phantom The Pirate Raiders #1789 Tiger Girl / The Lady Luck pts 1 & 2 #1790 The Cold Fire Worshippers / Phantom by Gaslight Pt 2 #1791 The Belt / The Master Spy / The Lady From Nowhere / The Crooner Happy Phantoming! #XBand #Podcast #Frew #LeeFalk #PaulRyan #MikeManley

After a three year journey around Australia, the acclaimed Phantom Art Show is about to exhibit for the final time in its current incarnation, returning to Sydney for display at the Manly Art Gallery as part of the 2017 Manly Arts Festival. The Show will be available to the public from 8th September till the 29th October 2017. Promotions in and around Manly are well underway, with some of the more iconic images from the Show appearing as posters around the community. Co-curators Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch are working tirelessly this week, having moved the artworks from the Newcastle exhibition in the last fortnight. Plans are well advanced for the opening weekend, beginning this Friday 8th September, with the official opening to be conducted this time by Professor The Hon. Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO, 37th Governor of New South Wales. Peter is delighted that Professor Bashir will be the second Dame to have opened the show, of course following in the footsteps of former Governor-General of Australia Dame Quentin Bryce at Toowoomba and Murwillumbah. Given that there has been at least one Phantom cosplayer at each opening so far, it will come as no surprise that our purple hero is scheduled to make an appearance. What might surprise is that he is finally bringing his better half to the Art Show, with Diana Palmer-Walker also strongly rumoured to be attending. The Friday night festivities will be followed up by the now traditional Artist's Walk and Talk the following day, on Saturday 9th September at 11am. Several of the artists, including Dick Frizzell, Euan Macleod, Dietmar Lederwasch, Reg Mombassa, Matthew Martin, Michael Bell, Clary Akon and Peter and Fairlie Kingston will walk through the exhibition then play a game on Peter's giant game of Phantom Life and Death. We are told that Dare Jennings will also be in attendance, and will assist with a Q and A session as part of Saturday's events. As always, the Phantom Art Show catalogue will be available, although there are no reports as yet of any other merchandise being for sale. No doubt the first few phans through the doors will eagerly share what they find on social media! As always, the team at ChronicleChamber cannot encourage you enough to get along and see the exhibition. If you are in Sydney at any time between now and the end of October, do yourself a favour. Even if you have seen the Art Show at another venue, and especially if you haven't, this will be a must see. It is a final opportunity to see some of Australia's finest artists interpret a character who has become an Australian icon. Don't miss it! Contact the Manly Art Gallery for more details: Manly Art Gallery & Museum West Esplanade Reserve, Manly NSW 2095 Open Tue – Sun 10am – 5pm (closed Mondays & Public Holidays) Free entry T: 02 9976 1421 E: artgallery@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au www.magam.com.au #ArtShow #DietmarLederwasch #PeterKingston #DickFrizzell

It slipped through relatively quietly, but Kid Phantom has made an unexpected cross-over appearance in another kid's magazine that went on sale in Australian stores last month - Mania Magazine #203. The issue features a special double page spread with series artist Paul Mason providing a step-by-step guide on how to draw the newest hero to appear in children's magazines. The issue was a little challenging to find for some phans, with Woolworths supermarkets ultimately seeming to be the location of choice. For those who couldn't find one or who were simply unaware that it was available, Frew has made the issue available for purchase via their website. It comes in original packaging with the free transforming robot toy, and is priced at the RRP of $6. Click here to pick up your copy. No completist should be without one! #KidPhantom #Frew #DrPaulMason

Comics and News, News and Comics! Steve, Jermayn and Dan look back at a quieter month of Phantom news, yet still manage to talk for an hour and not get finished! We review the Ikon Collectables competition, look at the recently released products that are likely to empty our wallets, argue about how much creators should share, and review the long-awaited Hermes Press publication President Kennedy's Mission. As always, there's a lot to talk about! Happy Phantoming! #XBand #Podcast #Supanova #HeroComplex #IkonCollectables #SeanJoyce #JamieJohnson #HermesPress #MikeManley #JeffWeigel #LightningStrikeComics

It's been over 11 months since we first reported that Glenn Ford's Phanfare company was planning on releasing a high-end Phantom collectible in the form of a life-size bust, and finally ... it has arrived! This magnificent piece is about to go on sale to the public, subject only to final approval from King Features Syndicate - and let's face it, there's no way they're going to reject approval for this!! Sculpted by a European craftsman and film special effects modeller based on Glenn's original design, the bespoke hand-painted bust will go on sale in the second week of September 2017. While a little smaller than the originally planned 90cm tall, the bust is still well and truly life size at 75cm - proportionally this puts The Phantom at an imposing 6'3". The bust has been cast in polystone, and weighs only 7.5kg thanks to its hollow construction. Priced at $AUD1495 (incl. shipping) or $AUD1395 if you can collect it yourself from the Frew office in Sydney, this is a piece for the serious collector only. However, a mere 50 of these will be made, making this an item that will immediately become the pride of the Major Treasure Room. Enthusiastic collectors can check it out on Phanfare's website here - as soon as approval is granted and it is officially on sale, this will be the place to lodge your order. As you can see, the final product is very faithful to the original plans as they were revealed on Phanfare almost a year ago. All of us here at ChronicleChamber commend Glenn for his dedication and persistence in producing such a wonderful piece of Phantom memorabilia that will no doubt be coveted for Phantom phans for many generations to come. #Phanfare #GlennFord #KingFeaturesSyndicate

Here at ChronicleChamber, we're a group a phans who do what we do because it entertains us and we like to provide cool things for you to read and listen to. We're also always looking to improve what we do. If you have a spare 5 minutes, we'd love you to hit this link and fill in a short survey to let us know how to provide you with better Phantom content, both here and especially via X-Band: The Phantom Podcast! Thanks for helping to make ChronicleChamber.com the Internet's #1 source of Phantom content!! #XBand #Podcast

Producing cover art for Egmont since 2015, Henrik is one of the newer artists in the Phantom world - he's created over 2 dozen covers and you can check out his work on PhantomWiki here. We touch upon his day job, his love for comics and Fantomen as a child and the amazing story about how he got offered an opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream... drawing the Phantom and getting paid for it! We also share an insightful look at the process and dissect some of his covers. This will fast become an interview of the ages so don't miss out #XBand #Podcast #HenrikSahlström #Egmont

Hot on the heels of the release of The Phantom: President Kennedy's Mission, Hermes Press has released the cover art for their newest Phantom publications. Volume 13 of the reprinted and reinvigorated Daily stories features a classic "Ruler of the Jungle" image, with Phantom standing atop a large skull and will appeal greatly to traditional phans. Meanwhile, the reprints of the 1970's Avon books continues apace, with issues #5 The Golden Circle and #6 The Mysterious Ambassador also becoming available to pre-order. Click on the images on this page to go to the Hermes shop to place your pre-orders now! #HermesPress #AvonBooks