In the second X Band Podcast this week (!), Jermayn and Dan are joined by Jon Cookson to discuss their plans for the biggest day on an Australian phans calendar: Saturday at Sydney Supanova and the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorers Club (LFMBEC) Dinner! As the new-comer, Dan quizzes the experienced Germ and the veteran Jon about the origins and traditions of the day, getting a few tips for new players and advice about gear needed and dress codes applicable. Of course, a hot topic is Frew's plans for Supanova, including all the merch that we know will be available. When their attention turns to the Dinner, we're privileged to hear a few behind-the-scenes stories and an insight into the goings on at this auspicious annual gathering. We finish the podcast with another special guest, Philip Vincent, who will be cosplaying as The Phantom at Supanova! #XBand #Podcast #Frew #GlennFord #DudleyHogarth #ChristopherSequeira #JamieJohnson #JasonPaulos #DrPaulMason #JeremyMacpherson #AndrewConstant #BradleyPeach #ChewieChan #AntonioLemos #LFMBEC #ReneWhite

In a podcast of epic proportions, Jermayn, Dan and Steve discuss the recent news in the Phantom universe, and boy is there a lot to talk about! Of course, the resignations of Tony DePaul (author) and Terry Beatty (artist) from the newspaper strips lead the conversation. Then the boys also dig their teeth into all the new Phantom merch that is available now or released at Supanova, news from publishers around the world, and the latest from both the Phantom Art Show and Hero Complex. In the second half of the podcast, the trio review Frew issues #1780 to #1784, as well as their Giantsize release. Saving the best till last ;) Scarlet Sapphire from Lightning Strike Comic Books also gets a run. So heat up some milk and settle in for some warming winter listening. #XBand #Podcast #Frew #ArtShow #LightningStrikeComics #JeffWeigel #TerryBeatty #Giantsize #TonyDePaul #Supanova #HeroComplex #SammyJ

Less than 48 hours away from the grand opening of The Phantom Art Show in Newcastle, and the Newcastle Art Gallery is starting to look like a very cultural and high-end Deep Woods! Co-curator and Newcastle native Dietmar Lederwasch has taken a lead role in laying out the exhibition, which includes over 50 new pieces inspired by our favourite purple-clad comic strip hero (see the gallery of images at the bottom of this page). The Show will take pride of place in the Gallery. Dietmar tells us that "This is the top Gallery outside of Sydney, and we've got the whole upstairs display space, which is the largest part of the Gallery. It's one large room with partitions breaking all the different works up; there's four separated sections. It's a fantastic space." "The 'Skull Cave' is incredible. The room has been specially created for us, then the Skull Cave image has been done with transfer sheets, which took four to five hours to put up." Inside the 'cave' is the memorabilia display, all items from Dietmar's personal collection. They will be joined inside by some other pieces of art that don't completely blend in with the tone of the rest of the display. According to Dietmar, "It's coming along beautifully. It looks sensational and [with another two days of setting up to go] it's still only halfway there." Most of the travelling artwork has now arrived from Coffs Harbour and is in place, either on the walls or ready to hang. "The wall of linocuts looks fantastic! I'm really pleased. It's a collection of eight prints, plus the one for the Solander box, so it's a wall of nine." It seems that the influx of new work has really changed the overall feel of the exhibition, and will make it yet another unique experience for attendees. "There's one new piece you will really love. It's the Phantom kissing Diana and it's really vivid colours, it's absolutely beautiful!" One delivery Dietmar is still waiting on is some original Wilson McCoy art, imported all the way from Japan. The 1949 Sunday and Daily art is from the late 1950s and early 1960s, and are on loan from the private collection of James Lee (aka on Facebook as Jimmy James), who is delighted to have them on public display "I purchased them from the Falk estate after visiting Elizabeth Falk in the USA, so they're the real McCoy!" The pieces are now through Australian Customs and just waiting on delivery to the Gallery itself. While the exhibition is officially on display from 10th June to 20th August, the Grand Opening evening is slated for this Friday 9th June, starting at 5:30pm. While he's mostly focussed on getting the wide variety and huge number of art works up on display, Dietmar is excited about the opening event. "Because it's the 40th Anniversary birthday party, they've decided to scrap the normal entry fee and all come, the more the merrier. It's all free, you don't need invitations." One particular feature of the opening night will be a special presentation by Earthen Rhythms African Drum and Dance, who will provide the rhythms of West Africa. Opening the show will be Frew co-Director and established Phantom artist, Glenn Ford. So get to the Newcastle Art Gallery (1 Laman Street Cooks Hill 2300) this Friday night if you possibly can, or at the very least certainly sometime before 20 August! Gallery of artworks new to The Phantom Art Show in Newcastle: #ArtShow #DietmarLederwasch #GlennFord

Introducing the creative team behind Frew's newest creation - Phantom by Gaslight !! On the X-Band this week, Jermayn and Dan welcome author Christopher Sequeira and artist Jason Paulos into the wonderful world of Phantom phandom. The boys quiz the creative team about their professional histories, the Gaslight genre, and how the Phantom fits into that world. We also find out a little about their creative processes, their philosophical approach, and the reasoning behind some of their creative decisions. Most excitingly, Christopher and Jason share some important details about the series: How many chapters are there? What is the deal with episode #0? Which characters might we expect to appear? With no spoilers but heaps of teasers, we know you will enjoy this prequel to Frew's Supanova special, issue #1785, the launch of Phantom by Gaslight ! #XBand #Podcast #ChristopherSequeira #JasonPaulos #Gaslight #Frew #GlennFord #DudleyHogarth

The pile of boxes in Gary Horne's Skull Cave is evidence enough - Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom is printed, in stock and ready to ship to you! Gary's lifetime of knowledge is now yours to own. Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom is the guide book that lets you know which is a legitimate, KFS licensed ring, and which are unofficial or unconfirmed Phantom rings. This 75-page tome is the must have reference for Phantom phans wanting to know about the history and authenticity of their Phantom rings, or those they are looking to pick up for their collections. Every genuine, KFS licensed Phantom ring known to have been produced in the first 80 years of the comic strip's history, both Skull Mark and Good Mark, is presented in detail and in full and bright colour. You can find out all there is to know about any particular ring: the date it was produced, a physical description, manufacture material, band type, any variants, and Gary's Rarity rating. Where available, original accompanying advertising and packaging is also reproduced. Fully licensed through King Features Syndicate, Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom is available now. It retails at $25 + postage ($10 in Australia, $20 internationally). To order your copy, simply head to https://phantomringsbook.com/ and select Buy It Now! Gary is more than happy to combine postage, with no additional cost if you purchase up to five copies. Just get in touch with him via this email address to query before you pay. Your book/s will be packaged securely and sent with a tracking number. Gary will also be selling the books in person at Sydney Supanova (June 17 2017), so you can save on postage and get your copy signed by the author! If you haven't tucked into Episode 64 of X-Band: The Phantom Podcast yet, click the image link below to whet your appetite as we talk to Gary and scratch the surface of his extensive knowledge of Phantom rings. Or perhaps wait until you get your copy of Phantom Rings, then flick through it with Gary and the team as we chat! #KingFeaturesSyndicate #GaryHorne #XBand #Podcast #Supanova

Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 years of the Phantom In this episode Steve, Dan and Jermayn interview one of the world's foremost authorities on Phantom rings, in fact he's written the book about them, Gary Horne. Gary recalls some background stories regarding the rings and proceeds to make the phellas incredibly jealous of his collection. This episode also references a number of pages from the book so is the perfect companion as you flick through the book. Enjoy! Check out our previous post here for more details on the book including all details on how to order. #XBand #Podcast #GaryHorne #KingFeaturesSyndicate

Hermes Press have sent out some images of more of their upcoming releases. Hot on the heels of last week's announcement of the June 30 release date of The Phantom: President Kennedy's Mission #1, we can look ahead at the pencils and inks for the cover of issue #2. Fair to say that once again Sean Joyce is creating a stunning cover. It is an incredibly dynamic image, and should look absolutely amazing once coloured. Meanwhile, Hermes are also continuing to do what they do so well: printing high quality reproductions of the original Daily and Sunday The Phantom strips. Their latest offering, The Phantom Dailies Volume 12, will be announced in detail later this week. Containing all Daily stories published from 1953-1955, this volume features the art of Wilson McCoy and will contain many favourite stories. Classics from this era include The Lady From Nowhere, The Mob, The Wrestling Tourney, Aboard the S.S. Gay ... the list goes on. #HermesPress #SeanJoyce #WilsonMcCoy

Gary Horne's Phantom Rings book is almost back from the printers - and you can purchase your copy now! As we reported last week, Phantom ring specialist Gary Horne has written a comprehensive reference book devoted to the many Skull and Good Mark rings that have been produced over the years. Having seen an advance copy of the book, we at ChronicleChamber are sure that this will prove to be a substantially definitive guide for all phans seeking to add Phantom rings to their collection. Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom is a book that can help you sort the wheat from the chaff. It answers the question: what is a legitimate, KFS licensed ring, and what is just a nice looking but ultimately unofficial or unconfirmed Phantom ring? This 75-page reference guide is quite simply a must have for Phantom phans keen to know about the history and authenticity of their Phantom rings, or those they are looking acquire. Every genuine Phantom ring known to have been produced in the first 80 years of the character's history, both Skull Mark and Good Mark, is photographed in full and bright colour. Accompanying the images is detail about each particular ring: dates produced, a physical description, manufacture material, band type, variants, and a Rarity rating. Where applicable, original accompanying advertising is also reproduced. Fully licensed through King Features Syndicate, Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom is now due for release ahead of schedule, from 22nd May 2017. It will retail at $25 + postage ($10 in Australia, $20 internationally). To order your copy, simply: 1. transfer the money via Paypal using this link, then 2. send Gary a copy of your Paypal receipt and shipping address via email using this link. Gary will also be selling the books in person at Sydney Supanova (June 17 2017), so you can save on postage and get your copy signed by the author! Over the weekend, we recorded an extensive chat with Gary for an upcoming episode of X-Band: The Phantom Podcast, where you can hear a some wonderful insights into the background behind the book, Gary's favourite Phantom ring stories, and a discussion around some of the more controversial rings available. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss it! #KingFeaturesSyndicate #GaryHorne #XBand #Podcast #Supanova

Frew's latest innovation, Kid Phantom, has been out in stores for about a fortnight now. For those who may not know about it, the series follows the adventures of our hero as a boy as he journeys to America for his education; issue #1 is set in the Deep Woods and establishes the young Kit, future 21st Phantom, as an uncertain but determined child who is about to set out on that journey. The team at ChronicleChamber have been able to collect a number of 'reactions' from phans around the world and have put them all together in this podcast. So sit back and enjoy as X-Band opens the airwaves for the phans to review, Kid Phantom! #KidPhantom #XBand #Podcast #Frew

The team at ChronicleChamber has been given an official statement and an exclusive preview of the highly anticipated next comic book series from Hermes Press, Ron Goulart's The Phantom: President Kennedy's Mission. The official word from Hermes Press about the release date is ... 30th June 2017! Not long at all.... If you have a keen eye, you would've seen this series mentioned in the Previews magazines in the last month. So if you have not already, get your order in with your local comic store. Or, you can wait for them to become available at the Phantoms Vault web store. Of course you can also pre-order the series via the Hermes Press website. From Sabrina Herman the Managing Editor: "Our official release date is June 30th (as in, it'll be in stores, but that of course depends on the shipper, so I'd err on the side of saying early July)." Sabrina has also supplied a few pencil sneak peaks which you can see below. The first one is a full interior page, and the second is the pencils of a cover. You can also see the finished cover product in the gallery below. This is the first insight we have had of an interior page. I myself like seeing pencils as it shows the detail and care of the artist, Sean Joyce, that can sometimes gets lost with inks and colours. If every page and cover has this much care taken, I look forward to what Hermes will be giving us to devour in the next 1.5-2 months time. Thank you Hermes for the official release date, and we look forward to this series. #HermesPress #RonGoulart #SeanJoyce

Almost every Phantom phan has spent time looking for a Skull Ring to add to their collection, use for cosplay, or even wear day-to-day. And they're not hard to find - Skull Rings are everywhere. But very few are genuine, KFS licensed Phantom rings... how is a phan to know the difference? The answer is coming! Long-time Phantom phan and unashamed Phantom Ring aficionado Gary Horne has taken a life-time of accumulated knowledge and squeezed it into a 75-page reference guide called Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom. This is a must have for Phantom phans keen to know about the history and authenticity of their Phantom rings, or those they are looking acquire. Every genuine Phantom ring known to have been produced in the first 80 years of the character's history, both Skull Mark and Good Mark, is photographed in full and bright colour. Accompanying the images is detail about each particular ring: dates produced, a physical description, manufacture material, band type, variants, and a Rarity rating. Where applicable, original accompanying advertising is also reproduced, making this a truly comprehensive guide. Approximately A5 size, the book will be small and portable enough to carry with you as you explore antique shops, second-hand stores and trawl through the Internet, but comprehensive enough that you will be able to sort the trash from the treasure. It is important to note that this is not a Price Guide. As Gary states in the Foreword of the book, "I have not included pricing values due to market and demand fluctuations. Various rings have not been recorded for sale for decades, hence a value cannot be determined." Instead, the Rarity scale has been included to indicate current market availability. Fully licensed through King Features Syndicate, Phantom Rings: Celebrating 80 Years of The Phantom is due for release on 29th May 2017. It will retail at $25 (+ postage). Phans wanting to express interest or pre-order their copy should contact Gary via email using this link. #KingFeaturesSyndicate #GaryHorne

With the Melbourne International Comedy Festival wrapping up last week, Australian comedian Sammy J is now halfway through the cities listed on the national tour of Hero Complex. Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne down -- Sydney, Perth and Canberra to go! The multi-award winning show (Best Comedy - Melbourne Fringe Festival, Wk 1 Best Comedy - Adelaide Fringe Festival, MICF Barry Award nominee) is a thoroughly entertaining tale of an extraordinary series of coincidences that all seem to hinge around a love of The Phantom. With rave reviews from anyone who's seen it, this really is one of the best stage acts being performed in Australia this year - whether you're a Phantom phan or not. Halfway through the tour, it seems an appropriate time to catch up with Sammy and see how it's all going... "The highlight of my Melbourne Comedy Festival was undoubtedly having a Phantom look-a-like outside the Town Hall every night handing out flyers, and then selling show bags after the show. I think he really did have the strength of ten tigers to cope with some of those shifts, particularly on the cold nights. The showbags were the surprise hit of the festival, selling much more than we expected, and it’s nice to know hundreds of people now have a Phantom comic in their house as a result (courtesy of the very generous Trevor Clark!) We even added an extra show on the final weekend which was great, as it allowed a lot of other comics to come and see the show (since our normal shows usually clash in the evenings). I think most of them were shocked that I’d managed to keep my love of The Phantom to myself for so long. Doing Phantom Trivia every night was a real buzz, but I’d always have to keep an eye on the crowd as usually there’d be a few phans in the first few rows who knew all the answers! But since the segment is designed to educate all the non-believers, I had to find ways of shutting them up quickly. Anyone who has seen the show will appreciate why Canberra is a very phitting place to end the tour, so we’re planning a big one on May 27th! After that, excited to say there are already a few extra dates popping up for the show around Australia in places it hasn’t yet been to. I’m hopeful the show will have a long life span after the festival circuit so if it hasn’t made it to your city yet, don’t despair! 'The Phantom follows the crowds' - Old Jungle Saying" May is shaping up as a huge month, so phans in Sydney, Perth and Canberra: if you haven't purchased your tickets yet make sure you hit the link in the Tour Poster at the bottom of the page! This is a show that Phantom phans must not miss! HERO COMPLEX - 2017 AUSTRALIAN TOUR SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL Giant Dwarf 7pm Fri May 12 - Sat May 13 TWO SHOWS ONLY PERTH COMEDY FESTIVAL State Theatre WA 9:30pm Thu May 18 - Sun May 21 (8:30pm Sun) FOUR SHOWS ONLY CANBERRA Canberra Theatre Centre 7 30pm Sat May 27 ONE SHOW ONLY #SammyJ #HeroComplex

The excitement is building as we edge closer to the May 27 release date of Lightning Strike Comic Books' 2017 publication The Phantom: Scarlet Sapphire. In the latest news leaked by the Irish publishing company, phans are treated to the first three pages of the story - pictured below: These opening pages should please traditional Phantom phans, with a classic opening sequence of smugglers being stalked around the docks by a sinister Ghost Who Walks, who removes the roughnecks one at a time. It a promising start by author Stephen Mooney. Meanwhile the cinematic approach taken by artist Robert Carey is compelling and promises great things for the rest of the story. Pre-orders are being taken now, with publisher Eoin McAuley promising to "ensure that everyone who wants a copy will get one". Phans can now pre-order copies of The Phantom: Scarlet Sapphire at the stores listed below. All places listed ship internationally, or you can order direct from Lightning Strike. ---------------------------------------------------- Big Bang Comics Unit 2.3, Sandyford Road, Dundrum Town Centre Dundrum, Dublin E-mail: info@thebigbang.ie Call: (01) 216 5093 -------------------------------------------------- Dublin City Comics & Collectibles 46 Bolton Street Dublin, Ireland E-mail: dublincitycomics@yahoo.com Call: 085 771 7633 ------------------------------------------------ The Phantom's Vault The Phantom’s Vault Pty Ltd PO Box 2206 Clovelly West NSW 2031 Australia Website: http://www.phantomsvault.com.au/ E-mail: shop@phantomsvault.com.au (Note for Australian Phans: Scarlet Sapphire will be available on sale in Australia from June 6th due to shipping.) Any further queries from readers and retailers can be directed to Lightning Strike directly via irishcomicimprint@gmail.com. #LightningStrikeComics #PhantomsVault

In October last year, we reported on some of the items Phanfare had listed on their Drawing Board, and among them was a BBQ apron. At the time we wrote, "While the Phantom apron (and, we are told, matching mitt) has been on Phanfare's Drawing Board since May, there has been very little commentary around it. Hopefully this is something we could see available for sale before the next time Father's Day rolls around!" Well it turns out our hopes have come to fruition as the apron and matching oven mitt have been released to the public and are now available for purchase! Featuring a classic sculpted torso, flattering waistline and muscular legs, the apron will turn every phan into a comic strip hero! The oven mitt, with a striking Skull Ring and purple cuff, seems a very suitable companion piece. Whether worn on their own or as a set, these are sure to be great conversation starters at many social gatherings. Indeed, Frew Crew member Rene White almost broke the Internet a few nights ago when he posted an image of himself modelling the set! With over 100 likes and dozens of comments, reception from phans suggests this apron set should well be a best seller! To purchase the Apron and Oven Mitt set, head on over to the Phanfare website ($44 with free shipping). At the very list, make sure you post the link to your kids to set yourself up for a phantastic Father's Day. Or maybe, just maybe, you might be lucky enough to find one in your Local Comic Store, like this one (below), spotted in Heroes HQ, Ballarat. Meanwhile, we have also heard an update about the long-awaited Phantom Gallery Series 2 Trading Card set!! Despite the promo card that appeared mid-last year with Frew's 80th Anniversary Special (#1763) promising that the set would be available by Christmas 2016, we are now five months later and no cards in sight! However, it seems that they might finally be on the horizon. From a statement on the Phanfare Facebook page: "First of all let me express my apologies for the delay which has largely been out of my control...I also appreciate your keenness and patience - it will be worth it. This has been a TWO YEAR project and it will be worth it, trust me. While it is a little disappointing that these cards are a few months behind schedule, it's probably best to keep these things in perspective. After all, the Phantom Gallery Series 1 cards were released over 20 years ago. Another month or two to wait for Series 2 surely won't make that much of a difference! We will post sneak peeks of the Chase cards etc in the upcoming weeks up until the release." Phanfare proprietor Glenn Ford tells us, "All artwork is in from all artists!!! Chase cards are going to printer next week, base cards the week after, for mid-year release." We know that one of those artists is Sal Velluto, who told us all in December last year that 12 pieces of his work had been submitted for the set. All this only serves to further whet the appetite for the first set of genuine Phantom trading cards in the Internet communication age. Hopefully most phans are really looking forward to the trading element in the modern world, perhaps with plenty of 1 for 1 swaps on PhantomCollector and the other various Facebook groups. It is amusing to imagine cards zinging around the country in the mail as phans complete their sets! #Phanfare #TradingCards #Clothing #GlennFord #ReneWhite #SalVelluto

A week ago we reported that, despite their commitment to the event over recent years, Hermes Press are not releasing a contribution to Free Comic Book Day 2017. ChronicleChamber has been in touch with Dan Herman, publisher of the American company, to find out why not. Dan Herman: "First thanks to everyone in the Phantom community for their support. Now onto what happened with FCBD. I reviewed my proposal with my account representative at Diamond, to reprint in its entirety, one of the best Phantom stories created by Don Newton, The Phantom of 1776 from the Charlton Phantom #74. He thought it was a great idea for both Phans and young readers. "The story has memorable historical elements, is in many respects educational in its perspective dealing with the American revolution, slavery, injustice, and is a powerful Phantom story. How can you go wrong? If you can't guess it's one of my personal favorites. "My rep backed us up completely. I submitted the proposal and the response was a form rejection (pictured below), that they're looking for books that have a 'sustained successful presence.' Now to be frank that's just flummery. "Hermes Press successfully publishes original Phantom comics, reprints of the classic comic books, at least 4 books of archival daily and Sunday reprints per year and we're now publishing the Avon Phantom paperbacks. Our Phantom program has a sustained successful presence in the market and has been critically acclaimed to boot. Our Phantom titles sell vigorously all over North America. Some of the titles picked for FCBD haven't had one issue out yet. So, go figure." Thanks very much to Dan for clearing this up for us - we appreciate the candour and insight into the marketing decision that has been made by the team at Diamond Comic Distributors. We're sure that the majority of phans would be in full agreement that it is a very odd decision, and one that we all hope is rectified for 2018! #HermesPress #Charlton #DonNewton #AvonBooks