Moonstone has a very important part to play in Phantom history with the small publisher printing the most Phantom books from USA. One of the men responsible for this rich history with our hero is Mike Bullock. He wrote 50 Phantom stories through out this time and as you will discover listening to the podcast, he had many more Phantom stories already penned and ready until they lost the license. We talk to Mike about that ill fated take over from Dynamite Entertainment and the conversation he had with senior editor Joe Gentile when they received the news. Other discussions we had was about the amazing artists he worked with, the bad guys he introduced and how they were all pitted against the Phantom. The story behind the "Invisible Children" saga and much much more. There is no video for this podcast but do not let that stop you listening to one of the most insightful podcasts you will listen to for a long time. #XBand #Podcast #MikeBullock #Moonstone #EdRhoades #DouglasKlauba #RubenProcopio #BenRaab #SilvestreSzilagyi #Zeu #FernandoPeniche #DynamiteEntertainment #LightningStrikeComics

French publisher Editions Dante has announced their newest release of the Phantom featuring stories from the Moonstone series that were originally published between 2002 and 2010. Each book can be purchased for €25.99 ($40Au, $25US & 280sek/nok) Book one can be purchased via this link Book two can be purchased via this link Each book is in colour with 140+ pages, featuring a beautiful cover by cover artist Douglas Klauba and hardbound. If you enjoyed the Moonstone series, you may be interested in some past X-Band: The Phantom Podcast 's where we interviewed past creators for Moonstone : Episode #146: Mike Bullock Episode #186: Ben Raab Episode #112: Douglas Klauba Thanks to Ohm Roy for the heads up about this release. If you ever spot any Phantom news we miss, please let us know.

Mythos from Brazil has continued to release quality books and the latest announcement is no different. This latest release is best described as an omnibus and is a whopping 570 odd pages and features stories by Lee Falk and Ray Moore . The release date will be August 2022. No definitive list on the stories yet but from the previews on their website and social media accounts we believe it will include " The Sky Band " and " The Shark's Nest ". The size of the book is 17 x 26cm. The sale price will be 230 BRL ($65AU, 45EURO, $45US and 460 sek/nok) however if you pre order you will get 50% off which is a great purchase price. The pre order price is 115 BRL ($35AU, 25EURO, $25US and 430 sek/nok). To pre order your copy, click here

commission,Moonstone was a hugely successful comic book series having growing sales and bringing quality stories created by talented writers and artists. We have already interviewed some like Douglas Klauba , Mike Bullock , Ben Raab and others. Now, we introduce Pat Quinn . Chronicle Chamber: Welcome to Chronicle Chamber, can you tell us a bit about yourself? What country and region are you from? Pat Quinn: I’m from the U.S ., currently living near Atlanta, Georgia . CC: Let us go back to the beginning. Is there anyone in particular who has inspired you and influenced your work? PQ: Yes, tonnes of artists. I’ve been reading comics since the mid-seventies, so by my early teens I became more aware of the different artists; bronze-age stars like George Perez and John Byrne were big hits with me. John Buscema ’s Avengers work, Paul Smith on X-Men , Bill Sienkewicz on Moon Knight , and a lot of others. CC: What made you want to be an artist? PQ: I don’t know… I was just always drawing. When I was very young, my mom was an elementary school art teacher, so there were always art supplies in the house. My dad was into sci-fi movies, and he was pretty creative too. CC: What is your process for drawing a sequential story? PQ: I started with traditional tools, of course, but now I’ll work either completely digitally or use a combination of digital and traditional tools. I’ll read the script a few times to let the ideas seep into my head, then it’s rough thumbnails. For whatever reason, the page layout usually hits me first. Then I try to give myself a few options per panel, moving the camera around, trying different angles/compositions. If they are digital thumbnails, I’ll choose my favorites and blow them up, then add a layer on top for the rough drawing. The next layer will be a background, which I tend to ink at the same time. After that, I’ll print the file keep the background inks black and everything else a color that I will ink over with a brush. Or I’ll just do everything digitally. If it’s a commission I’ll do most, if not all, traditionally. When I was on the Phantom, I drew my thumbnails in the margins of the script and then penciled that page at 8.5”x11”. I then scanned the pages, did any necessary editing, and printed them in blue at 11”x17” for inking. CC: Did you enjoy working on the Phantom? Did you know of the Phantom before you started work on those stories? Did you ever read the character growing up? PQ: I occasionally read the newspaper strip. I think because it looked the most like the superhero comics that I generally read. I did pick up some Phantom comics when DC and Marvel had the license. CC: How did you get the role of the Phantom for Moonstone ? PQ: Writer Ben Raab suggested me for the job. Ben and I had worked together before, which obviously helped. I did some tryouts for Moonstone and got the gig. CC: What did you like the best about the Phantom and the stories you drew for Moonstone ? PQ: I really liked the way Ben integrated the classic material with his style of writing and story structure. The most fun was the Sky Band. CC: That may well be one of my favorite stories ever by Moonstone . From what we understand, you penciled and inked the stories and also did a few covers for Moonstone . Did you enjoy having control over the whole book? PQ: I only penciled and inked the covers for issues 1 and 2 and the Generations and Legacy books. Yes, it was great that the publisher had the confidence in my work to let me do both jobs. But it wasn’t necessarily about control; I do like collaborating with other artists to see how the work changes, it just so happened that I had the opportunity to do both with the Phantom, so I took it. CC: One of the stories you drew for was the Legacy book, which featured a totally different style of drawings than what most Phantom phans had seen before. Was that a challenge? PQ: Yes, a real challenge. At first it was fun, but then I started looking at the time and money equation and had to make some adjustments. All the originals are fairly small in order to save time. It was a great learning experience, and again, I was really happy that the publisher had the confidence in me to let me try something different. A lot of credit goes to Moonstone . CC: From what you remember, how did that story and idea come about? At the time, it was so new and presented in a totally different format from what we phans had seen before. Were you happy with the outcome? PQ: I have no idea where it came from; it could have been the publisher. That may be a better question for Moonstone or Ben Raab . Sorry! I think that it turned out pretty well and was a great experiment and learning opportunity for all of us. I hope that everyone else enjoyed it. CC: You also first introduced us to Ali Gutaale, a vicious international terrorist originally from Tarakimo, a country bordering Bangalla. Do you remember coming up with the design of him, and what was your inspiration? PQ: Hmmm... I have to think about that one. I’m pretty sure I bounced a few ideas off Ben before we sent anything in for approvals. I’m sure that I had a lot of photo reference, but I don’t remember what specifically. Likely used a lot of military desert gear. CC: Did you use any real-life inspirations for your Moonstone Phantom work? For example: movie stars, known people etc PQ: No, I don’t think I did. I did look at a ton of Sy Barry work. Ed Rhoades was kind enough to share a lot of material with me to help out. We owe him a big debt. CC: Sadly, we only saw a handful of Phantom stories from you. Can we ask why? Did you enjoy your work on the Phantom? PQ: After issue two of the Phantom, I was offered two issues of Captain Marvel at Marvel, and honestly, the money was better, and we were planning our wedding, so I couldn’t say no to Marvel , plus it was Marvel . Then I came back for 7 and 8? And those were just pencils. I moved on from the monthly book after that. I think that it was a money + time issue for me. I did have fun with the character(s), and working with Ben is always a good time. CC: I, and I am sure others, wished we saw more from you. Do you accept commissions, and how can they contact you? PQ: Yes, I do take commissions; thanks for asking! People can reach me via email patquinncomics@gmail.com , but be patient; I have a day job and two great kids. Ha!! CC: Do you have a place where phans can see your work? PQ: Yes, my Twitter and Instagram are both @pqcomics . Jermayn, thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview. I really appreciate your effort and interest. I still get taken aback knowing that I played some tiny part in the massive legacy of the Phantom and am very honored and humbled that people enjoy the work. Please pass my thanks and appreciation to any other phans out there.

[Editors note: This article was originally released in the amazing Friends of the Phantom Newsletter #24 released by the late Ed Rhoades and Pete Klaus in the USA Summer of 2004. This article was republished with permission. Access to all Friends of the Phantom newsletters and much more can be found at our Phantom Preservation Project .] Claire Moore is an engaging conversationalist. Intelligent, modest, endearing and generous with her memories. After learning of her whereabouts, I did a little detective work and was granted permission to speak with her. When I came home from school and heard her friendly voice on my answering machine, I was excited. Until now, the amount of information about Ray Moore had been very scant and the opportunity to learn mare had not been very promising. I knew he was an Soldan High School Alum and a native of Montgomery City and that he lived from 1905 until 1984. In a clear confident voice, Claire began talking about Ray. " He was born in Oklahoma. " I remarked that I had only seen one picture of Ray and she explained." He didn't like to be photographed. There are same pictures from when he was in the service. " When I asked about his art she remarked, " I have an original drawing of of Ray's of the Phantom on my wall. " She confirmed that he was an assistant an the Mandrake strip, " Yes. but not very long. He worked an the Phantom from the very beginning. Ray drew the Phantom and followed through (with Lee Falk 's writing) and only sometimes made changes because he wanted to make it mare accurate. " She explained her plans for the acreage that she and Ray owned. " Phantom Forest was our home in ( Des Peres ) I've given that to the conservation department. It is in surburbia but still has foxes and deer. It will be turned over to the conservation department an my death. " When I asked her where she got the idea far Phantom Forest she replied, " It just seemed natural. Although it's located in an urban area. the creatures are still there, the turkey, the great horned owl. It was the sort of thing Ray enjoyed. " She reminisced about their early times together. " We did a lot of things together. He had a plane and we flew before the war. " When I mentioned that Lee Falk recalled contributing ta the art for the first two weeks. she responded " Ray and Lee may have worked together but Ray always drew it for publishing. " [Editors Note: This flies in the face what we have been led to believe by other interviews.] When I asked further on how much of a hand Ray Moore had in the creation of the Phantom. she recalled, " Ray had a lot to do with it Lee had an idea and together they worked it out. " I found it interesting to learn that Ray worked with a group of artists who helped him with the conceptual development of the Phantom's appearance. She explained " Ray had his own meetings with four or five St. Louis artists who met a few times a week. Lee came occasionally. They discussed it and helped Lee work it out. " When I asked about Ray's use of assistants. she explained " He had one or two people he used to do backgrounds at times but not the main characters. just to fill in. " She mentioned Wilson McCoy as one of the assistants who also did lettering. " Yes. Wilson McCoy started with Ray and filled in for him when he was in the service. We knew McCoy's family, they lived here in St Louis . " Her memories of Ray's fellow artists also included another. " They had a studio together with Hugh Hackaday . He did those beautiful animated Christmas windows. He was a very close friend of Ray's his family had a farm we went out there several times ." She discussed Ray's training. " He went to Washington University in St. Louis . I think Lee went there and that may be where they met. They had nothing like cartooning: they had only fine arts. " She confirmed the painful nerve damage to his face that Ray suffered as a result of the war. " He was a pilot and flew a number of open cockpit planes. I think that contributed to his problem. " I had heard rumors of Ray's interest in fine arts and she recalled that " Early he painted. but he was engrossed with the life we lived. " In his later years his health suffered. " He was active but not well. He was a golfer but just an amateur. We used to play together. When we went out of the city. we took our golf clubs. Although we never had and children. I still have an expanding family. We still get together. " She expressed her recollections of his work on the strip. " He promoted The Phantom and helped to get it going. It was his drawing that helped get it started. " She was aware of The Phantom's popularity abroad and was delighted that there were still fans. " I'm glad to hear that his memory and his work was appreciated. "

Moonstone are back publishing the Phantom again! Moonstone Books had a successful publishing history of the character for 8 years between 2002 and 2010. What may be a surprise to many phans is that no other USA based publisher has published as many comics and new Phantom stories as what Moonstone did. Moonstone stories are even today still very well received by phans. Their stories are still being republished all around the world including Australia, France, Norway, Germany, Greece, Brazil and Turkey. After a horrible mix up between KFS , Moonstone and Dynamite Entertainment in 2010, they lost the license and the Phantom has suffered in the USA since. Thankfully 13 years later Moonstone has signed up for the license again! Not only will they be releasing comics featuring the Phantom but we have learnt that Mandrake and Lothar will also be joining him on adventures. This is an exciting time for Phantom phans with the Moonstone comics to come out in 2024 to coincide with the new Phantom Video Game and the Phantom TV show currently being in development . A huge thanks to owner and publisher Joe Gentile and senior writer and editor Mike Bullock who have confirmed the exciting news with Chronicle Chamber. At this stage no dates for their first comic to be published has been released but the plan is the first comic will be released in the first half of 2024. Mike Bullock continues his role as the senior writer and editor and will be joined by several artists. One will be Argentinian Sergio Ibáñez . Those eagle eyed phans would have noticed some cryptic tease posts on Mike Bullock 's social media the last couple of months. Initially the release of the comic will bi-monthly and released in a collection comic featuring stories of the Phantom, Mandrake and other Moonstone characters. We can confirm that there will be at least one crossover adventure featuring Mandrake and the Phantom. The Phantom stories will be released in short installments and some of the stories will be in black and white. Perhaps the biggest question most phans will be asking is how can they get the comics? At this stage normal distribution will be with US/Canada. For the Australian, Sweden, India and other markets the best option is to contact your local comic shop and get them ordered in via their Diamond Comic Distribution orders or you can buy them direct from Moonstone 's own website . Obviously more details will be released closer to the 2024 date but Joe and Mike did share that the Phantom in their stories will be the 21st and will be featuring stories about the current environment of Africa much like they did a decade ago with child soldiers, blood diamonds, poverty, and slavery. Joe Gentile and or Mike Bullock have agreed to come on a future podcast with the crew at X-Band: The Phantom Podcast . If you have any questions you would like to see asked, please ask on our socials or email at chroniclechamber@gmail.com. If you would like to learn more about Moonstone including interviews with past creators please follow the following links: Chronicle Chamber reviewed all of their comics ( Part one and Part two ) Interview with writer Mike Bullock . Interview with writer Ben Raab . Interview with cover artist Douglas Kluaba . Interview with cover and sequential artist Pat Quinn . Interview with cover and sequential artist Lou Manna . Interview with sequential artist Silvestre Szilagyi . A farewell post to Moonstone . Keep an eye on our website and social media platforms as we announce and share other exciting news related to Moonstone and other Phantom related news from around the world.

I love hardcover collections and in 2022 we saw some great editions from France and Sweden. What some phans may not know is that Mythos from Brazil released three hardcover collections that look great in any phans collection. I was lucky enough to get a hold of each volume and hear is my review of them. In this review is the Ray Moore and Sy Barry Omnibus volumes with volume three now out in pre order and a Fratelli Spada collection. It must be mentioned that Chronicle Chamber would prefer that someone from Brazil is able to review all Mythos comics. If you are able to help us and review upcoming releases - please let us know. The prices for the Sy Barry and Ray Moore omnibus' are: RRP (250BR, $75AU & $50US) Current price on the Mythos website (170BR, $50AU & $35US) Pre order price on the third volume (150BR, $45AU & $30US) Volume 1 Buy Now Link Volume 2 Buy Now Link Volume 3 Pre Order Link The price for the Grandes Aventuras ( Fratelli Spada ) collection is: RRP (120BR, $35AU & $25US) Current special price on the Mythos website (85BR, $25AU & $18US) Buy Now Link Please note that postage from Mythos interstate is very hard and your best option is to find a phan and do some trades. Postage costs will be a lot with the omnibus' are 1.3KGs each and the Fratelli Spada book is 900g. The theme's of all three books are great. The shiny covers for the omnibus' are eye catching and could be something Hermes could look at doing. The quality of the reproduction of the strips are poor in the Ray Moore volume and obviously they did not use from past Frew and Hermes publications and used from past Brazilian comics. What is interesting is that they did not separate stories by an introductory or commentary or even a Brazilian past comic between each story. The Sy Barry omnibus has a great article by Glaucio Cardoso . It would have been nice to see something similar in the Ray Moore omnibus. The Fratelli Spada collection book also has it by Glaucio and it really adds something extra to the book. Many of the Fratelli Spada stories have not been published outside of Europe so it is great for a wider audience to see these stories as many have great artwork by natural talents like Germano Ferri and Senio Pratesi . Those with eager eyes would know that Germano Ferri penciled and worked on many stories with Felmang . I would like to see Frew do more Fratelli Spada stories in a hardcover collection like this. These books along with the others from 2022 by Egmont and France really raise the bar that I would like to see Frew and Hermes pick up their quality and exceed the bar. Have you brought these books for yourself? What are your thoughts?

Do you know what artists Vivek Goel , Lindsay Walker , Eugenio Mattozzi and Luca Erbetta all have in common? They are cover artists who came first, second, third and fourth in the 2008 Moonstone Books cover competition . 15 years ago, this competition helped kick started their careers. Whose career will this new competition help kick start in 2024? Moonstone Books Presents: Cover the Seven Kings! Cover art contest Moonstone Books is proud to announce the impending release of the epic tale " The Seven Kings! " A noir adventure starring The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, written by legacy Phantom scribe Mike Bullock . This opus unfolds over the course of three limited series, before colliding in one hardcover trade paperback. The opening tale " Phantom: Last Night " marks the first new Phantom story by Moonstone Books in over a decade! The harrowing tale continues in " Mandrake the Magician: Seven Kings Calling " before concluding in the first crossover limited series from Moonstone featuring The Phantom, Mandrake, Lothar, Diana and a surprise guest you may not see coming! " Phantom and Mandrake: The Seven Kings " But, what about this contest, you ask? Here’s the down & dirty details: Artists submit one (or more) print ready, full color pieces of cover art (minus cover dress, logos, etc.) for one of the three limited series. Phantom: Last Night , Mandrake the Magician: Seven Kings Calling! or Phantom and Mandrake: The Seven Kings . The cover submissions will be judged from the Skull Throne and the top three covers for each series will go to print. Each of the three series will have first, second and third place winners! First Place: Main cover for the first issue Second Place: Variant cover for the second issue Third Place: Variant cover for the third issue. That’s NINE winners covering issues 1-3 of the three series. Once those winners are announced and locked in, Round Two begins which will be an artist battle royal between the nine winners of round one where the round two winners work lands the coveted cover spot for the collected edition – featuring all three stories reprinted in one hardcover trade paperback. Submissions are due by November 30, 2023. Covers will be judged by Moonstone Books . Each published artist will also receive comp copies of the published books featuring their work. Since this is a contest, no financial payment will occur for any cover art submitted regardless of winner selections. A noir feel cover would appeal due to the noir theme of the stories. Phantom cover should just feature Phantom. Mandrake should feature Mandrake AND Lothar. The crossover should feature all three (and other Phantom/Mandrake characters if the artist wants). All submissions should be emailed to contact_us@Moonstonebooks.com with "CONTEST" in the subject line. Feel free to email them any other questions as well.

Editions Dante has announced their third Moonstone -created stories TPB, with it being released in March 2024. Like the past two volumes, this will be in full colour, with a hardcover and 150+ pages. The price is not advertised at this stage, but volumes one and two have been around €25 + postage. Volume one was released in 2009 and had the following stories: Purchase link to Editions Dante website " Stones of Blood Part 1 " by Ben Raab and Pat Quinn " Stones of Blood Part 2 " by Ben Raab and Pat Quinn " Curse of the Phantom Part 1 " by Ben Raab and Nick Derington " Curse of the Phantom Part 2 " by Ben Raab and Nick Derington " Damnation Game Part 1 " by Rafael Nieves and Jerry DeCaire " Damnation Game Part 2 " by Rafael Nieves and Jerry DeCaire Volume two was released in 2022 and had the following stories: Purchase link to Editions Dante  website " Enitan " by Mike Bullock , Silvestre Szilagyi , and Sergio Mulko " End War Part 1 " by Mike Bullock , David Michelinie , and Silvestre Szilagyi " End War Part 2 " by Mike Bullock , David Michelinie , and Silvestre Szilagyi " End War Part 3 " by Mike Bullock , David Michelinie , and Silvestre Szilagyi " Return of The Eastern Dark Part 1 " by Mike Bullock and Silvestre Szilagyi " Return of The Eastern Dark Part 2 " by Mike Bullock and Silvestre Szilagyi Volume three will have the following stories: Purchase link to Editions Dante  website " The Aviatrix Part 1 " by Ben Raab , Pat Quinn , and Ken Wheaton " The Aviatrix Part 2 " by Ben Raab , Pat Quinn , and Ken Wheaton " Slave Trade Part 1 " by Chuck Dixon , EricJ , and Peter Guzman " Slave Trade Part 2 " by Chuck Dixon, EricJ, and Peter Guzman " Nanamaru " by Ben Raab and Rich Burchett " Tiger's Blood Part 1 " by Mike Bullock and Gabriel Rearte Of course this release of the new TPB coincides with Moonstone returning to publish the Phantom in the USA. If you would like to learn more about their new series, please listen / watch our recent X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #269 - Update on the New Moonstone Series with Mike Bullock .

2025 is fast becoming a busy exciting year of the Phantom with the anticipated Phantom Video Game, USA publisher Mad Cave Studios new standalone Phantom series & now also Moonstone 's new Phantom series due for release in 2025. Ever since we first broke the news back in October 2023 we have been excited about Moonstone back publishing the Phantom. Thanks to publisher and owner of Moonstone Joe Gentile who has given us some new information we are able to share and help keep all fans excited about their new series. Joe Gentile has told us that the first issue featuring the Phantom will be in their new comic series featuring a new character called Bystander by Steven Grant and Sergio Ibanez . This issue will likely come out in May and or June 2025. In the first 4-5 issues of the Bystander comic, 10 pages of the comic will feature episodes of the first story. This will be written by Mike Bullock and drawn by Sergio Ibanez . The title of this story will be " Phantom: Last Night ". Thanks to Joe and Mike for sharing this image of the Phantom walking the streets that looks to be in the depth of chaos. It is fair to say, the Phantom is not walking the streets as a normal man on holidays. We can confirm that this longer story arc is still planning to feature a crossover with Mandrake the Magician . No word yet if this and other Phantom stories will share a comic with other Moonstone licensed characters but we assume it will. For the variant comic collectors, we can confirm there will be at least two covers available through Diamond Comic Distributors (assuming they will still provide this service with them going into bankruptcy) and possibly special exclusive covers through their website. For those international fans, you can buy these comics through your local comic shop or via Moonstone 's website. To ensure your local comic shop gets the comic, talk to them and ask for them to get them in for you. As we get more news, plus images, we will share them on our website and social media platforms. Thank you to Joe Gentile and Mike Bullock for sharing the news with us and Benjamin Thomas for spotting the news on Moonstone 's website. For those interested, we would suggest you watching our last podcast interview with author of the series Mike Bullock . Below is the video, you can listen to the audio only on your favourite podcast platform or via our website .

Moonstone Books , one of the US-based publishers who has been producing Phantom titles since 2002, launched a sale this week on all Phantom products. This includes their regular series stories from fan favorites Mike Bullock and Ben Raab , graphic novels, double-shots featuring The Phantom, and more. From now until December 12th, all Phantom-related books and products are 25% off when you enter the offer code ' phantompickup ' (without the apostrophes) during checkout. Find a link to Moonstone's Phantom products here: https://moonstonebooks.com/ols/categories/the-phantom Image courtesy of Moonstone Books For those looking to pad their collection, some titles are already out of stock. You have been warned. Question for the Phans: Are there any favorite Moonstone stories you're looking to pick up?

As posted on this website many times, many Phantom phans have been waiting all their lives for a decent articulated Phantom figure. We published a detailed post about all figures available about this time last year in anticipation of the NECA Defenders of the Earth line (released in the USA February 2021), as well as the Boss Fight Studios toy due out later this year. It has taken a while but finally the NECA figure is available throughout the globe, and each member of the team at Chronicle Chamber is now delighted to be the proud owners of a 7" articulated Phantom figure - albeit one without the striped pants! Unfortunately, most of us have heard the stories about the dangers inherent in opening the NECA toy, with disaster stories of broken limbs and frozen joints. While it all looks very promising in the box, it seems that the quality control down at NECA headquarters is not what it might be, and none of us want to break our new toy as we get it out of the packaging and ready to play with! To that end, we present to you a series of YouTube videos that shows the you everything you should do after bringing it home from the store and posing him on the collectables shelf, capped with a thorough review of the final product. To start off with, we present an unboxing of the figurine by Dan Fraser and then the bath by Ankit Mitra .

After their great success with the Defenders of the Earth figurines, NECA has announced January 2022 is the date for their Original Superheroes action figures including The Phantom, Flash Gordon and Ming The Merciless to be released. The price for the DotE Phantom was $32.99 while these versions will be $37.99. Unfortunately with a simple costume like the Phantoms there are not many possible changes between the two. The figurines are using the same base sculpt with some new tooling like the hands, a skull, gun belt and the guns. Some of the paint deco is also different like striped pants, a different shade of purple and the boots look different as well. Here is an image of the two together. You can judge the differences yourself. Below is a gallery of the figurines that was originally posted by Fwoosh ( Click here to view the original gallery and article ). Again like their DotE figurines, the packaging is as good as the figurines with great care taken. Interestingly the scuff marks is the design which had me fooled at the start. Will you be buying a full set including Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless or just the Phantom? Or is the DotE version enough for you? Thanks to Ankit Mitra and Daniel St. John for their help gathering information about this exciting development.

Back in November the figurines were announced by NECA and they are now available for sale in Walmart . NECA has a contract with Walmart and it will be available in other stories after a month or two. Eagle eyed fans will notice that the design of the figurine looks very similar as the Defenders of the Earth figurine ( our review can be found here ). The tooling is the same with different paint work like the strip jocks, box design and accessories. The Phantom features glow-in-the-dark eyes and includes interchangeable hands, two handguns, two detachable muzzle flashes, whip, and Oath Skull. Flash and Ming include interchangeable heads and hands, a laser blaster with two detachable effects, and a sword that fits into a sheath on the belt. Note that the box is not tattered or damaged but designed like that. Will you be getting another figurine set? Will you also get the Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless sets also? No word yet on the second wave of the Defenders of the Earth line if Mandrake or Lothar will get produced. Also no word if any other Phantom figurines will be produced in this "Original Superhero" series.

Has anyone else noticed that the Boss Fight Studio and NECA 'Original Superhero' figurines have not yet made their way into many Australian shops and phans hands? Some shops have received stocked limited stock but it has been very sporadic and for many phans, they are still waiting. From what we understand due to a dispute between NECA and Ikon Collectables , they wont be stocking anything new from NECA anymore. Ikon Collectables was the NECA wholesaler for almost the last two decades and because of the contract dispute they have now parted ways which has dire outcomes for Australian phans. This has caused distribution issues with many shops like EB Games , Zing , Popcultcha , Cult Collectables and others with new NECA stock including the new Phantom 'Original Superhero' range. You may have noticed this Phantom figurine with the striped underpants has not appeared on many websites. Some stores will get limited NECA stock in but you will have to hunt around for them. Today (August 2022) we have received word that several companies have received stock of Boss Fight Studio figurines so expect pre orders to be filled and more phans receiving their copies in the upcoming weeks. This delay of the Boss Fight Studio figurines was originally caused by the Australia distributor. If you are an Australian phan we suggest you shop around on the list of world wide retailers we posted previously . Some may not get both in stock but many will. Once we have received our copy of the Phantom and Hero figurine, we will also provide a review on it. Below are our past figurine reviews: Our review of Boss Fight Studio Wave 1.0 Our review of Boss Fight Studio Wave 1.5 Our review of NECA Defenders of the Earth Figurine