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The Oz Comic Con is about to start its annual circuit of Australia, and for the first time in a long time Phantom phans will have a very purple reason to attend. The all-Australian creative team behind Frew's soon-to-be-released Kid Phantom series will be in attendance and will be speaking on a panel, confirmed in both Perth and Adelaide at this stage. Both Andrew Constant (author) and Dr Paul Mason (artist) are looking forward to sharing information about the story, and a few behind the scenes details as well. "Those that dig the Phantom might want to come by and see us at the conventions," says Paul. "Hopefully we'll be at the other Oz Comic Cons too this year if they get the numbers. Those that don't mind a few spoilers, but are keen to know more about the genesis of the ideas, and how comics come together, they'd dig it at the show." At Perth on Saturday 25th March, Andrew and Paul will be presenting at the Kid Phantom panel on Stage 2 from 11am-12pm. In Adelaide, the team will be again be speaking on Stage 2 from 11am-12pm, but this time on the Sunday (April 2nd). Phans in other cities (Melbourne, July 1; Sydney, Sept 23 ; Brisbane, Sept 30) might want to jump on the Oz Comic Con website and scroll down to the bottom of the page to request the Kid Phantom panel at a venue near you! #AndrewConstant #DrPaulMason #KidPhantom

The team at ChronicleChamber have been privileged to be able to interview Martin Thomas Dahlström - creator of the McCoy Swedish Exhibition. We find out about the process, how his love was birthed and the joy he had in getting in contact with Wilson McCoy's grandson Bruce, who came over for the opening and shared his own stories about Wilson and his family. The exhibit was created and developed by Swedish culture journalist, filmer and artist Martin Thomas Dahlström, which he expanded out of his previous Wilson McCoy exhibition. He's pictured here alongside (in order) Niklas Dahlström (Martin's brother), Airi Goldbeck-Löwe (Martin's wife), Martin Thomas Dahlström and Bruce McCoy. The Wilson McCoy's Fantomen exhibit will be on display until May 21, 2017. As you may be aware there where some programs, postcards and posters available for purchase for the exhibition. The team at ChronicleChamber are working through some hurdles to hopefully help you get some if you want them. When the final hurdle has been jumped, we'll let you know how you can add them to your Phantom collection. You can view some of the photos of the Exhibition here. Now onto the questions... CC: Tell us about yourself, Martin. I was raised with an art gallery. I loved comic strips as a kid. Later I have worked as a culture journalist and an artist in different fields including writing. I made some films for Swedish television and I have made plenty of multi sound reviews about all kind of movies in Sveriges Radio. What you see in the exhibitions was at first just a relaxing hobby of mine: to catch the wonderful essence of McCoy’s entire work by choosing single pictures, cleaning them from dust and carefully tint them. CC: How did you become a Phantom phan? As a kid I felt a strong connection to Wilson McCoy´s The Phantom. Many did. Sweden´s Bob Dylan – Cornelis Vreeswijk - did. Some of Sweden´s today biggest names in art did. Three of them contributed to the exhibition with McCoy inspired art including Jan Håfström, Jan Lööf and Jan Stenmark. In those days The Phantom started out every Sunday page with a smile. And it was the sublime humour, the warmth and the obviously very special art that kept on capturing me. CC: And how did you become a Wilson McCoy fan? Was there a certain story that hooked you with the Phantom, and of course Wilson McCoy? There is a strong both inner and outer beauty in the McCoy´s comics. He loved his work every day, an important – and unfortunately rare quality for a comic strip drawer, since it is such hard work. One of the first McCoy stories I read and loved was “A Lesson for Prince Orq”. Another one was “The 50th Wife”. CC: Can you tell us a bit about your collection? Does it feature any original artwork of Wilson McCoy or other artists? I am a lazy collector. But whatever is printed by Wilson that I came across, ends up on the bookshelf. Important was the huge French magazines printings of the daily strip in colour in the 60-ies. There you got more than a hint about his comics getting better the larger it got! Later explained by Wilson´s early career as a creator of pictures for huge billboard signs. They had to be clear and perfect and fully understandable from a long distance! CC: What made you decide to first create an exhibition for The Phantom in 2016, and now a bigger better focusing on Wilson McCoy? Also my exhibition 2016 was, as a matter of fact, again exclusively about McCoy. Lasse Åberg showed some extra Phantom items together with it. That was all. The exhibition is about a fat jigsaw piece of our cultural history that does not seem to have been told before, as strange as it seems. Therefor the exhibition is a sensation. Many sensitive persons though, as I mentioned, have felt McCoy´s The Phantom is very important in different ways. CC: Where you in touch with any of Wilson's relatives for your research? I finally - three weeks before the vernissage - and with great help from a Norweigan McCoy fan - got in touch with grandson Bruce McCoy. It was fantastic then that he enjoyed contributing in such a full hearted way, and even chose to take part of the opening where he shared some memories of his grandmother and Phantom co-creator Dorothy McCoy, who had been very close to him. Bruce seemed to appreciate a lot the enlightens by which I show Wilson´s work. Which aims are only to reveal as much as possible of the qualities. CC: Can you explain to us why Wilson is the grandfather of pop? He reduced gracefully the line in the art into what was just absolutely needed. An impressive effort. A graphic beauty that then was praised by the pop artists. They could for example enlarge a simple apple enormously and get a fundamental but strong effect of beauty. THAT is essentially already Wilson McCoy´s working method. CC: What do you hope to get out of this exhibition? I have no idea to be honest. But I think it contains fantastic stories: how the first super hero was born in the world political darkest hour - it must be the story of how art itself came through. Wilson´s moving background from help supporting his mother and his six siblings as an eleven year old ”newsie”, into being the creator of what he made the world´s largest adventure comic strip in a time when comics was THE big thing. Beside the spectacular hard-headed unique art work he did, clearly breaking way for the eternally famous pop art. So if there are any more museums out there looking for a profound story about our world told through art, they would of course be welcomed. CC: Have you been surprised at the level of interest from Phantom phans and outside the Phantom Phamily community? Except for a good group at the vernissage and some more, I don´t know anything about the level of interest from Phantom phans in or outside the Phantom community. I know the head of Borås Museum Pontus Hammarén was very enthusiastic and that Lasse Åberg who showed them in Bålsta outside Stockholm was. And the audiences that have watched it. But I have just been busy working with these wonderful pictures and the human experience that´s behind them. It is all. CC: Tell us about why you chose the images for the postcards and posters? I guess there was a lack of time and I had to pick what felt best among the pictures I could remember at the moment. There are so many pictures – it is impossible to get an overview. But I don´t complain. That´s the kind of confusion I like! CC: Thank you for your time Martin and we from around the world thank you and wish you the best in doing a great job showing off the character and artist we all love and respect. #WilsonMcCoy #GodfatherofPop #MartinGoldbeckLöwe

The winners of the saso.creative Phantom Downunder Art Prize: The Phantom and the Australian Experience were announced at the opening of The Phantom Art Show in Coffs Harbour, at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery on Friday night. Of the 30-odd entries, four finalists were chosen in the Open division, and three in the under-18 category. All these artworks are on display in the foyer of the Bunker Cartoon Gallery. Judges of the Art Prize were prominent Australian artists Euan McLeod, Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch. Sam Chapman, from Art Prize sponsor saso.creative, reports that judges "were thrilled with all entries, and were very positive about overall quality, interpretation and technique. While not everyone can win, I can say that there were a lot of very close calls." Indeed, too close to call in the under 18 category! This was ultimately awarded a three-way split between Shailey Brown (17) for Smoko, Angus Fraser (7) for Phantom Shaker; and Anastasia Christie (13) for The Phantom. These youngsters were awarded a certificates and $100 each. In the Open division however, a clear decision was made: John van der Kolk won with his sculpture Tuesday is Washing Day. John received the major prize of $1200. His entry was considered to be so impressive that the curators of the show have asked that his piece become part of the exhibition as it travels to its future destinations (Newcastle and Manly). Highly commended certificates were awarded to Jan Paul for Mr Walker Does Dapto, Joel Tarling for Lord of the Jungle, and Robert Carter for Been Tough Too Long. All of these will be on show at the Phantom Art Show at the Bunker during its Coffs Harbour leg. All the entries that were received, many of which feature in the gallery below, will be displayed in the "Phantom Walk", a pop up gallery around shopfronts on Harbour Drive in Coffs Harbour through to mid-April, and then will be displayed in Coffs Central until around 8 May. #ArtShow #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch

While some phans may not like the Replica Series they are very popular among the majority of phans and the trend is very similar in other countries like Sweden and now Norway with news of a new series the publishing giant Egmont has recently announced. Eagle eyed phans may have already seen some of the posts on Facebook and other social mediums but lets go over it again in case you have missed out. Like Frew, Fantomet will be releasing a number of issues together along with the extras that came with the comic like club, editorials etc and binding them together with a 'stiff cardboard' cover. It will be slightly larger than a Frew Replica Series with 132 pages and each issue will have a different cover. The other notable difference between what Frew are doing is the Fantomet Chronological Series will be starting with their first issue and not counting backwards. Fantomen Egmont are also doing a Replica Series but in hardcover format and add extra articles and features unlike Fantomet and Frew. We have done a video post about these which you can see here. Fantomet's Chronological Series costs 149nok which works out at about $25AU. This does not include postage. The first one is at a special price of 99nok and includes a poster (pictured below) if you order a subscription. You can do your order here When one of the Chronicle Chambers team receives a copy, we will do an extensive video review for you. #Fantomet #Fantomen #Frew

When Peter Kingston and the Kit Walker Phantom Art Show posted this picture on Facebook in the week leading up to the opening of The Phantom Art Show in Coffs Harbour, sections of the Phantom collectors community went into meltdown. A new Phantom ring was available! The announcement that a "brace of Phantom rings from melted down old pirate gold [were] heading for the BunkaPhantom (sic) show at Coffs Harbour", and would be limited to "first come first served", had some phans drooling. Priced at $25, the rings sold quickly over the weekend. With an empty shelf by midway through the opening gala on Friday 10th March, it appeared that if you had missed the party you had, well, missed the party. Fortunately for those who came in later, a second stash was discovered and the shelf re-stocked for Saturday's Artists' Talk event. However, ChronicleChamber can report that all the "Pirate Gold" rings are now sold, with Australia's preeminent Phantom ring aficionado Gary Horne confirming with Gallery staff that he had purchased the last rings available early on Sunday morning. But what are the origins of the "Pirate Gold" ring? Surely at $25, they could not be real gold? Of course not! However, the provenance is no less compelling. At the Toowoomba opening of the Show, Michael Bryce spoke and presented the curators with a sketch of an F-4 Phantom fighter jet that travels with the Art Show to this day, and three Skull Rings that he had produced himself with a 3D printer, pictured right. Inspired, Peter made a mold from that ring and used it to create the "Pirate Gold" Skull Ring, made from the remnant resin left after producing batches of figurines for the Phantom Game of Life and Death. ChronicleChamber has confirmed that total of 15 rings only were produced. While all of these have been sold at the time of writing, it is entirely possible that more rings will be created as Peter has more remnant resin available at the end of creative runs, and will possibly produce another batch for the Art Show when it moves to Newcastle and Sydney later this year. It is worth noting that there is also at least one variant of the "Pirate Gold" ring, created in the prototype stage: a hand-painted green and white version. Finally, eagle-eyed phans may be wondering: what about the cheaper Kids' and Adult's rings on the merch shelf in the picture above? To clear up any confusion, these are the more common alloy metal Phantom rings that were initially produced for the 1996 The Phantom movie. For copyright reasons, these rings are the ones sold in the box with the paper label wraparound; the unlicensed "Pirate Gold" ring was sold in a plain cardboard box with no label. #ArtShow #PeterKingston #1996movie

Arriving at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery on Friday night, it is immediately obvious that this is to be a very special opening of the latest incarnation of The Phantom Art Show. The setting is amazing. Tucked into the side of a hill and surrounded by dense trees and vegetation, a Deep Woods feel is evoked immediately. This is only enhanced by the sight of burning tiki torches and the sound of welcoming jungle drumming and bird noises as we approach. While the grand Skull Cave planned for the Gallery entrance has not eventuated, a dramatic and imposing 12-foot replication of Dick Frizzell's iconic Grieving Phantom is no less stunning. The statuesque figure, inspired by Wilson McCoy's image at the conclusion of the 1943 story The Governor and Suzie has become emblematic of the Art Show, and sets a tone of epic humanity that resonates throughout the exhibition. It is an entirely appropriate welcoming scene. Co-curators Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch are among the first to meet guests, along with contributing artists Euan McLeod, Dick Frizzell and Dare Jennings. They warmly greet arrivals, and usher us all into the Gallery. Here we are met by friendly and hospitable Gallery volunteers and staff who hand all guests a catalogue and a Phantom mask. The masks are very popular, with almost everyone wearing theirs at one point in the evening. Drink tickets and gourmet snack food are handed around, and raffle tickets are selling quickly. Prizes of high-quality prints of the artwork on display mean that the opportunities to win them are snapped up. Manager of the Gallery, Margaret Cameron, is a picture of elegance and sophistication as she effortlessly and efficiently coordinates last-minute details and movements. Sam Chapman and Nanette Backhouse from sponsors Saso Creative are seemingly everywhere as they meet and greet the many guests and visitors. The Bunker gallery is essentially two rooms. The antechamber is a large, clean room with high ceilings. The Show starts here, with many pieces hung around the walls. In one corner are the works from the finalists in the saso.creative Phantom Downunder Art Prize. Interestingly, in another corner is more merchandise than has been available at any of the other exhibiting galleries. I make a note to come back to this... Moving from this entry space into the main Gallery chamber is like stepping into another world - it really does look and feel like you're entering a cave. There is a dark and eerie feeling to the space, brought on by the black ceilings, the purple mood lighting, and the dense camouflage netting that covers the walls. It's a full house; all 120 tickets have been sold and you sense that not too many more patrons could fit in. The crowd is happy and jovial though, easing past each other to move around the Gallery and enjoy the many and varied Phantom-inspired works. Most of the crowd seems to be Coffs locals and friends of the Gallery rather than genuine Phantom phans, but this has been a common theme as the Art Show has travelled around Australia. Of course there are exceptions - I spot a couple of fellow phans who I vaguely recognise from their Facebook profiles and suddenly, as though from nowhere, Frew's Glenn Ford appears. There is also a mysterious gentleman who moves through the crowd wearing a hat, sunglasses, a trenchcoat and a scarf... It's a tough crowd for speeches. They're chatty and excited, but through valiant efforts Margaret, Nanette, Councillor Jan Strong and Paul McKeown are able to make themselves heard. Dick Frizzell is witty and entertaining, and key speaker Dare Jennings (founder of Mambo) is particularly enlightening. A fun part of the evening is the announcement of the winners of the saso.creative Phantom Downunder Art Prize. The judges have found it impossible to split the finalists in the under 18 competition, and the three of them are awarded as joint winners: Shailey Brown (17) for Smoko, Anastasia Christie (13) for The Phantom and Angus Fraser (7) for Phantom Shaker. The Open Winner is John van der Kolk for the delightful Tuesday is Washing Day. Further details and photos of the winning artworks will appear on ChronicleChamber later this week. The final speaker of the evening is ... the Phantom himself! Emerging through the smoke that appears from behind his Skull Throne, his impressive physique draws a few gasps. Our hero is usually a man of few words: he says little but no breath is wasted, and this well-garbed cosplayer plays the role to perfection. After a few wry comments about his history, he calls members of the audience forward to swear the Phantom Oath, and devote their lives to the destruction of all forms of piracy, greed and cruelty. After the speeches, the mingling resumes and guests enjoy each others' company and the space. The Phantom sticks around for photo opportunities, and my wallet groans as I return to the Merchandise corner. There is a real sense of the effort that has been required to make the evening happen. Co-curators Peter and Dietmar are more proud and exhausted than excited, with evidence of the strain visible. Dietmar's spectacles have broken during the week and he's only had the time to repair them with tape; Peter's distinctive orange glasses are splashed with paint from the grand facelift they've given the Bunker. They concede that the plan for a Skull Cave entrance had been simply impractical and unachievable, but are justifiably pleased with the final result. After the Phantom Art Show was forced to share time and space with other exhibitions in Broken Hill and Murwillumbah, it really is refreshing to see an entire evening devoted to the celebration of Lee Falk's character, and the interpreted art of Ray Moore and Wilson McCoy. All involved at The Bunker Cartoon Gallery: directors, staff and volunteers; and of course Peter, Dietmar and Euan particularly, deserve an immense amount of congratulations for the way the exhibition has come together. The opening night was a grand celebration of this, but even if you missed the evening you simply must see it at this location. The Phantom Art Show has not looked like this anywhere else, and probably never will again. The Phantom Art Show is exhibiting at The Bunker Cartoon Gallery (John Champion Way, Coffs Harbour) until 21st May 2017. NB - All the speeches from the evening, as well as the Artists' Talk that took place the following morning, will soon be available via X-Band: The Phantom Podcast. In the meantime, please enjoy the video below! Photos courtesy Steve Little, Peter Kingston, Keith Bennett and Dan Fraser. Videography courtesy Don Hunt. #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch #ArtShow #GlennFord

The Phantom Art Show lands in Coffs Harbour this weekend, and while most of the focus has been on the Grand Opening celebration on Friday 10th March, plans are also in place for a recovery gathering the next day. On the morning after the night before, co-curators and contributing artists Dietmar Lederwasch and Peter Kingston, together with featured artists Euan McLeod and Dick Frizzell, will reconvene in the Bunker Cartoon Gallery for an Artists' Talk. This will be a unique opportunity for phans and art lovers to hear from four of the key contributors to the Phantom Art Show. Meanwhile, the redecorating of the Bunker Cartoon Gallery has had the final touches applied in the last couple of days, and while the final result may not be the Skull Cave replica we envisaged earlier this week, it is certainly no less spectacular. If the images posted on the Kit Walker Facebook page (below) are any indication, the mural that envelopes the entrance will be absolutely awe-inspiring. The grand scale reproduction of Frizzell's Grieving Phantom that now appears deep in the Coffs Harbour jungle is both an imposing and a fitting image to welcome visitors into the latest incarnation of the Phantom Art Show. ChronicleChamber will be present at both the Friday night opening and the Saturday morning Artists' Talk, and we look forward to sharing the sights and sounds of both occasions via this website and X-Band: The Phantom Podcast in the coming days and weeks. #ArtShow #DietmarLederwasch #PeterKingston #XBand #Podcast

It's been a long time between drinks, but finally Hermes have released their second brand new, specially commissioned The Phantom series. Across their range of social media and communication platforms tonight, Hermes Press have directed phans to their website where their newest incarnation of our favourite purple-clad hero is available for pre-order. A fascinating plot is promised, with Hermes spruiking a 1960's era Phantom in which Kit Walker is a wartime buddy of John F. Kennedy, who calls on the services of the Ghost Who Walks when the now-President needs a certain set of skills to help he and his country out of a jam. The official spiel from Hermes: The year is 1962, and the Phantom returns once again in a new adventure! There’s a possible world war with Russia looming on the horizon, and newly minted President John F. Kennedy calls upon his old friend Kit Walker for help – let the action and intrigue begin! In this all-new Phantastic adventure, veteran Phantom script writer Ron Goulart returns with artist Sean Joyce, a newcomer to the Phantom and to comic books, but no newcomer to the art world! Joyce is best known as one of Hollywood's most talented matte painters and storyboard artists, and he is lending his talents to comics for the first time, to bring The Phantom to life in this exciting new adventure! This five book story arc (each issue to be released every month and a half) has something for every Phan- history with JFK, Russian femme fatales, espionage, lost U.S. astronauts on a secret mission, Singh pirates, and, of course The Phantom, Diana, and Devil! Journey back to the swingin’ 1960s with The Phantom! Issue one boasts three original covers and one virgin variant. Don't miss out! Cover #1 was drawn by Scott Brooks, cover 1a and 1b was drawn by Sean Joyce. Interestingly, together with Frew's Kid Phantom series, this is the second new The Phantom story announced in 2017 to be set in the 1960s. At 84 years old, author Ron Goulart is one of the oldest active Phantom authors going around, and one cannot quibble Hermes' assertion that he is a "veteran Phantom script writer". Indeed, Goulart wrote the first six Phantom Avon novels, initially published in the 1970s! On the other hand, it will be interesting to see how readers take to new artist Sean Joyce's interpretation and stylising of our iconic hero. Playing on historical events (the Cuban Missile Crisis perhaps?), this may not be a story for phans who prefer their hero to be set in the here and now, but given Hermes history, the ChronicleChamber team is backing this in to be an entertaining story. Publisher Dan Hermes makes some grand promises in his YouTube promo (below), but it remains to be seen whether or not Hermes Press are able to keep to their nominated publishing schedule of a new issue every 6 weeks or so. Make sure you follow this link to check out the Hermes Press website and pre-order Issue 1! #HermesPress #SeanJoyce #RonGoulart #AvonBooks

The Phantom has shut down plenty of slave markets, pirate dens, and smuggler rings over the last 400 odd years - but an Art Gallery? Not until March 2017. Margaret Cameron, Manager of the Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour NSW, has today let faithful patrons know that preparations for Friday evening's phantastic gala opening of The Phantom Art Show has led to the highly unusual step of temporarily closing the Gallery to members of the public. Further adding to the mystique of the Show, it seems that the Skull Cave image we released in yesterday's post may be indicative only, with the real work taking place this week. Based on Margaret's statement, together with reported sightings of co-curators Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch in Coffs Harbour in the last couple of days, who knows exactly what will greet Phantom enthusiasts on Friday night? Margaret's full message, as emailed to friends of the Bunker Cartoon Gallery, is below: There is much excitement at The Bunker right now with the opening of The Phantom Art Show so close. Of course, it is chaotic while we put together possibly the biggest and certainly the most complex show yet to be seen at The Bunker, and in the interests of public safety we have had to do something which we don’t normally do, and that is close the gallery for a couple of days. With scaffolding outside and art pieces all over inside, it is not a safe place for visitors, and for this we do apologise to anyone planning a visit today or tomorrow (Tuesday and Wednesday). The Bunker will reopen its doors on Thursday afternoon and by Friday will be ready to welcome all to The Phantom Art Show. Remember if you want to come along on Friday night, tickets are selling fast and we do need you to pre-purchase so give the gallery a call 6651 7343 (yes the volunteers are all still here to take calls) and book your ticket or go to https://www.stickytickets.com.au/49487/thephantomartshow.aspx and book now! #ArtShow #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch

With less than five days till the opening of the Phantom Art Show in Coffs Harbour, hosts The Bunker Cartoon Gallery are in the final stages of planning and preparations! The first images of the transformed Bunker entrance has come to light, and it looks pretty special. This photo (below) has appeared on the Kit Walker - Phantom Art Show Facebook page, together with the following caption "... the giant skull starts to take shape at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour, something to rival the Big Banana." Friday's opening is shaping as one of the greatest Phantom-themed parties in Australia in recent memory. For all the details, check out our post from a couple of weeks ago. For a stunning Deep Woods experience, the chance to meet and mingle with some of Australia's greatest artists and phans alike, and an evening devoted to exploring the exhibition, you just cannot go wrong. ChronicleChamber will be attending and will of course report on the event, but there is nothing like being there for yourself. If you can make it, get there! Fewer than 120 total tickets are available, and they have been selling steadily since the invitation was released. Tickets to the event are $30 per person. Please note that bookings beforehand are essential and numbers are becoming extremely scarce. To reserve your place, you can call in at The Bunker, phone 6651 7343 or click on the link to Sticky Tickets Phantom Art Show. #ArtShow

Last month we posted that you can vote for Norway and Sweden's best cover & Story for 2016. Voting for Sweden's Fantomen ends this Wednesday 1st March 2017. Get your vote in now and be in the running for the Fantomen 80th Anniversary Book. To vote go to www.fantomen.org - you will need to either speak Swedish or use a translator on your browser to help you know what to add in. Thanks to Andreas for reminding us about the competition. #80th #Egmont #YearinReview

Jermayn, Dan and Steve (who unfortunately had to leave due to unforeseen circumstances) conduct an insightful, interesting, and entertaining interview with Egmont author Göran Semb. Göran will be familiar to Australian Phantom readers with three of his stories being published by Frew: A Bandar's Pride (#1149), The Medicine Man's Daughter (#1724) and Nuclear Terror (#1763). While we’d recommend listeners go back and read those issues if they can, it’s not essential to enjoy the conversation. Gören provides a fascinating insight into what it takes to have a Phantom story published, the way editors and artists affect the final result, and the influence of Lee Falk on some modern authors. ChronicleChamber encourages you to check out Goren’s website, his Facebook account and his youtube channel/podcast Seriepodden. Enjoy! #GöranSemb #Frew #Egmont #LeeFalk

Were you planning on entering the saso.creative Phantom Downunder Art Prize, but missed getting your entry form in before the February 17 deadline? Well, ChronicleChamber has some good news - the deadline has been extended! As we reported earlier this month, artists young and old are invited to submit their Phantom creations to The Bunker Cartoon Gallery. Two winning artists will have their artwork join the Phantom Art Show exhibition for the duration of its stay in Coffs Harbour. All other entries will also be on public display from 14 March - 8 April in a 'Phantom Walk' popup gallery display on Harbour Drive, before being moved to Coffs Central from 9 April - 8 May, 2017. Entries do need to meet the theme The Phantom and the Australian Experience and of course, fit into the general style of the Art show - i.e. demonstrate a connection to the earliest incarnations of The Phantom as drawn by Ray Moore and Wilson McCoy. Besides the obvious glory of having their work displayed, the winning artists will also score the added bonus of the $1200 first prize in the Open category, with $300 on offer for Under-18s. The winners will be announced at the official opening of the Phantom Art Show, 6pm Friday, 10 March, 2017 at The Bunker Cartoon Gallery. All terms and conditions are outlined in the entry form - download this below. As mentioned though, you can disregard the stated date for lodging of the entry forms. Margaret Cameron, Manager of The Bunker Cartoon Gallery, has confirmed that the forms can be submitted no later than 3rd March, with the artworks required to arrive ready-to-hang/ready-to-display by 7th March. Download the Entry Form here Hopefully the extension will allow for many more artists to get creating and for the team in Coffs Harbour to bring together a sensational Phantom Walk! #ArtShow #RayMoore #WilsonMcCoy

The Bunker Cartoon Gallery are pulling out all the stops when it comes to opening the Phantom Art Show in Coffs Harbour! Spurning the traditional format of a typical Art show opening, The Bunker is instead presenting the opening as a major social event. The opening, on Friday March 10th, will take the form of a welcome party with good food, an atmosphere Lee Falk would be proud of, and a chance for patrons to talk to the artists. They intend to make all phans feel very welcome. Plans are afoot to transform the entry of the Gallery into the mouth of the Skull Cave. As people arrive they will be treated to a Deep Woods experience. Drinks and fingerfood will be shared, and two of the exhibiting artists will briefly address the gathering: namely Dare Jennings (Australian artist, entrepreneur and long-time phan) and Dick Frizzle (New Zealand artist). The winners of the saso.creative local art competition will also be announced and prizes handed out. The rest of the evening is devoted to exploring the exhibition, mingling, and meeting fellow phans and artists; a DJ will supply the ambiance and all will be invited to eat, drink and be merry! ChronicleChamber has attended or reported on the Phantom Art Show openings at Toowoomba, Broken Hill and the Tweed, Without divulging any other details or surprises planned for the evening, we can vouch that the Coffs Harbour opening will exceed anything already seen by devotees. All phans are encouraged to get there if they can. Tickets to the event are $30 per person. Please note that bookings beforehand are essential and numbers are extremely limited. To reserve your place, you can call in at The Bunker, phone 6651 7343 or click on this link to Sticky Tickets Phantom Art Show. #ArtShow

The family fun day at Bradley Peach's Enter The Phantom exhibition in Albury is this weekend - and some famous Phantom personalities will be there! As we reported a couple of weeks ago, one of Australia's preeminent Phantom collectors Bradley Peach is currently displaying a small part of his collection in the Lavington Library in Albury, New South Wales. While Bradley would be the first to say that the Lavington display is not quite the extravaganza of his 2014 Enter The Phantom exhibition, the art and collectibles on show are still well worth the look. This Saturday 25th February, Bradley and wife Joyful are hosting a Phantom Fun Morning at the library from 10am - 12:30pm. There will be dress-ups and story time for kids, as well as all the materials they need to create and draw their very own comic strip. Of special interest for adult collectors will be the Collector's gathering. Phans are encouraged to bring along any particularly special collectibles and to share stories. Bradley and Joyful will also conduct a tour of the exhibition. Prominent phans who are planning on attending include Trevor Clark and historian David Budds, who is currently assisting Frew Publications with their Philecards. Speaking of Frew... two thirds of the Frew Crew will also be there! Glenn Ford and Rene White are making the journey south from Frew HQ in Sydney to support the exhibition and meet some phans. This is a very special and rare opportunity to meet the men behind the revitilisation of Frew and talk about all things Phantom. So make sure you get along to the Lavington Library (366 Griffith Rd, Albury) on Saturday to see it all for yourself and to have a chinwag with some of Australia's greatest Phantom phans and producers! #BradleyPeach #LukeMcDonnell #Frew #ReneWhite #GlennFord