Past Best of Frew Results

Frew Publications Phantom Comics from Australia Frew Publications is an Australian publisher that has been printing "The Phantom" longer than any other publisher in the world. It's main title, The Phantom, has been published since 9th September 1948. Created in 1948 by Sydney businessmen Ron Forsyth, Lawford Richardson, Jack Eisen and Peter Watson created the business name Frew by combining the first letter of each surname. Eisner and Watson left the business early, but the name Frew was retained. During 1949 to 1958 Frew also printed books containing a host of other heroes including "Popeye", "The Phantom Ranger", "The Shadow" (not the American "Shadow", this was an Australian creation) and Super Yank Comics to name but a few. However the growing popularity of television and a sudden flood of imported American titles in 1950 saw Frew reduce their output to a single title – The Phantom. When did Frew start publishing non-Newspaper stories? The first non-newspaper story published by Frew, was not actually a Team Fantomen story but actually Gold Key stories which were drawn by Bill Lignante. These were printed in the 1960s. In November 1978 Frew published its first Team Fantomen Phantom adventure in issue #730, which was entitled "The Ghost". Although the Egmont stories now make up the bulk of Frew’s output, a second Scandinavian-created story did not see release until 1983. Since then, Frew has regularly published Team Fantomen stories, and the vast majority of them have been published by Frew in Australia. Frew receives the stories from Egmont (previously Semic Press) and Frew then translates and re-letters them. The stories are sometimes edited in art or dialogue, which makes them slightly different from the original versions. Also, Frew's comics are in black/white while the Team Fantomen stories were originally published in color since 1991. When did Frew create their own Phantom stories? In 1990 Frew published the first-ever Australian-created Phantom adventure, "Rumble in the Jungle" which appeared in issue #951A, it was written by Jim Shepherd and drawn by Keith Chatto. What is not well known is that artist Gary Chaloner was originally hired to draw the story. The team of Jim and Keith ended up drawing two other stories together: "Return of the Singh Brotherhood" and "The Kings Cross Connection". Unknown to many, Keith Chatto had started writing and drawing another story, "The Revenge of Kharmi", when he passed—to this date, it has remained unfinished. Glenn Ford teamed up with Jim Shepherd in 1996 to produce "The Search for Byron". The next wave of Frew-created stories happened with the purchase of the Frew company from the Shepherd family in 2016 which has seen stories created by artists and writers from all around the world including Australia, Sweden, Brazil, Italy, the USA and many other countries. Interviews with Frew Publication creators X-Band: Phantom Podcast #305 - With Marcelo Baez X-Band: Phantom Podcast #291 - Janusz Ordon Fantomen artist Introducing Fabio Alves, the new Frew sequential artist 1 2 3 4 5 Why did Frew publish "The Slave Traders" story first? Frew was instructed that they could not print anything that was currently running in other publications, nor could they print anything too soon after it has appeared in the Australian Woman’s Mirror. Frew should have commenced with Lee Falk's first Phantom adventure "The Singh Brotherhood" but due to the conditions stated by Yaffa Frew's first Phantom edition contained the story "The Slave Traders". (The book had the message Enter the Phantom on the cover.) This first edition debuted on the 9th of September, 1948. Who are the Frew Crew? In 2013, Jim Shepherd passed away after many years as Publisher of Frew's Phantom. His son, Steve Shepherd, filled the position and mirrors, in real life, the Phantom succession tale of father to son. Steve followed in the footsteps of both his father (Jim Shepherd) and his stepmum's father's footsteps (Ron Forsyth who originally started Frew publishing back in 1948). Dudley Hogarth stepped in as editor in 2014. At the end of 2015, Judith Shepherd announced her retirement and that she would sell Frew. The company was subsequently bought by Rene White. Their first issue as publishers was released in the beginning of 2016 and was #1745, with Dudley Hogarth remaining as editor. Glenn Ford also came on board as the art director for the company who oversaw the creative direction of the company with creators from around the world creating new stories, new products, individual covers for every issue, and other publications like Kid Phantom, TPBs, Phantoms World, Giant Size etc. The history of Frew X-Band: Phantom Podcast #261 - Looking At 75 Years of Frew Kevin Patrick joined us for a podcast where he talked to us about the Frew Publications 75th anniversary including stories about Ron Forsyth, Lawford Richardson, Jack Eisen and Peter Watson the original creators of Frew plus much more. In this podcast we also learn about Yaffa Syndicate and their relationship with Frew. This includes how Yaffa Syndicate was instrumental in helping the Team Fantomen stories become a part of the Frew publishing schedule. Another great story you will learn about is how Frew Publications almost lost the license in the late 1980's and how it took a last-minute stand to ensure they continued the comic. Kevin was also able to dig up some sales figures for issue #1 from the 1950s, 1970s, and 2010s. Why is the Phantom so popular in Australia? The Phantom has always been popular in Australia. So popular that for many years, many fans and readers always saw the character as their country's own creation. The reason behind this is multiple reasons. We would recommend a listen to our podcast interview with Kevin Patrick, who has written a research book on this question. We will go over some of the reasons below. The Phantom is a plausible heroic figure but not a superhero with amazing powers. He just has to rely on his physical strength & agility and his quick wits to overcome his opponents. He is relatable. All this matches the Australian 'fair go' ethos. He adheres to a very simple, uncomplicated moral code - he knows what's right and wrong and is prepared to fight for what he believes in on the behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. It is a code of honour that lots of readers seem to relate to. The Phantom was one of the first adventure heroes to be published in Australia. When the Phantom was first published in a magazine, the locations were changed to an Australian flavour. The New York harbor, where Diana was kidnapped, was changed to Sydney's harbour. The Phantom's home was also changed to a local Australian jungle location. With the comic traditionally printed in black and white on cheaper paper, the comics have always been accessible to a broad audience. The comic has always been made available at newsagents and local shops throughout the country, even the small country towns. These Phantom comics were often the only comic for many a kid growing up. Frew's 1956 great competition In 1956 Television was about to be introduced to Australia and publishers knew they would shortly face the same problems as their American publisher counterparts, many of whom went to the wall when TV fever swept the nation. Frew met the forthcoming challenge head-on with the launch of the biggest competition in Australian comic book publishing history in issue #97. Readers had to count the number of pygmies in a large drawing and vie for the grand prize -- a 28 day "Round the World" trip for two, valued at £2,200 ($55,000 AUD today). The trip started in Sydney and went on to Fiji, Honolulu, San Francisco, New York, London, and Rome with a return leg through Beirut, Karachi, Colombo, Singapore and Darwin. The competition was only open to children between the ages of 6 and 12. They could enter as many times as they wanted but had to cut out an answer coupon from a Frew Phantom comic for each entry. Latest Frew Publications news, articles & podcasts X-Band: Phantom Podcast #341 - July 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review Jul 13 Phantom Frew artist Jason Paulos original art for sale Jul 10 Details of the Frew Publishers 90th Phantom birthday comic Jun 11 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #338 - Discussing the world’s largest phan gathering Jun 8 Luca Erbetta, Fantomen & Frew cover artist original art for sale Jun 3 Guests named for Sydney Supanova for the 2026 Australian phan catch-up weekend May 12 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #335 - April 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review May 6 How Shane Foley fixed a classic Lee Falk story "The Fourth Son" Apr 30 The Phantom is back in Papua New Guinea Apr 15 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #333 - March 2026 newspaper stories, comics & news review Apr 9 1/21 All latest Phantom news, articles, reviews & podcasts from around the world X-Band: Phantom Podcast #344 - Introducing the definitive Sy Barry book project 6 hours ago Original art from Chronicle Chambers Bushfire phundraiser book up for auction 16 hours ago Results for 2025 Best Fantomen cover announced - congratulations to Henrik Sahlström 4 days ago X-Band: Phantom Podcast #343 - John Amor, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" artist Aug 3 Recording of Sy Barry talking the Phantom & retirement when visiting Australia in September 1998 Jul 30 Shakti Comics release a second BIG poster by artist Avishek Biswas Jul 28 1/297 The winner was announced in issue #100. According to records, Frew never seems to have nominated the official pygmy count, but you can have a try yourself with the scanned image. How much is my Frew Phantom collection worth? It all depends on the condition of the comics and what you have. Generally the earlier comics are worth the most. A good website to give you a rough idea on what your Frew comics are worth is ComicsPriceGuide.com (Frew is listed here ). If you have any Frew Phantom comics under #100 we would suggest an independent value on them. A mint Frew #1 can easily top $20,000 with a dozen or so sales since 2015. However, Frew did release replica issues of #1 and #2 that are harder to identify if they are legit original 1948 comics or replicas. Since replica #3 came out, they have been easily identifiable as replicas with significant markings on the replica comics. If you would like to contact us about getting a valuation or finding an independent valuation on them, please email us . How can I get my Frew Phantom comics outside of Australia? (India, The USA etc) Your best option is to get a Frew subscription via their website (link here ). They have options for Australian subscribers, New Zealand, as well as everyone else including the USA, India, Sweden etc. How do you identify a replica Frew Phantom comic? Frew replica issue one and two are the hardest to identify. Replica issue three has a small R in the cufflink of Mister Hog. From replica issue four onwards the words "Replica Issue" generally next to the M on the Phantom title logo. Replica Issue One The most obvious difference between the original and replica is the colour of the Phantom's costume; it is very light purple in the original and a darker purple in the replica. The most reliable method is to turn the front cover and look at the inside title page. The original had a line of text at the bottom of the page which says "Printed by ROTARY COLORPRINT CO. PTY. LTD., 15 Hamilton St., Sydney, for the publishers, FREW PUBLICATIONS, 39 Martin Place, Sydney". This line is not present on the replica edition. Replica Issue Two The most immediately obvious difference between the original and replica is the colour of the Phantom's costume; it is very light purple in the original and a dark purple in the replica. The most certain method of identification owes to the fact that the cover image for the replica was enlarged by 3.8%. Therefore, a careful measurement of the height of the red region on the letter "P" of the title "Phantom" from the lowest point to the top (parallel to the spine) should give 116mm for the replica compared with 112mm for the original. Furthermore, the binding on the spine of the replica was positioned very close to the edge of the "P" so that only 1mm of the background is observable between the "P" and the spine. In comparison, the original cover shows 6mm of background to the left of the "P". Some shops and eBay sellers have started selling the Replica Issues Frew have released from 2014 as single Frew issues. The easiest way to tell a replica from an original is that Frew issues below #200 did not have staples.

Ulf Granberg is one of the giants of the Phantom world as he was a publisher and writer for the Fantomen magazine. Learn about him in our special podcast interviews with one of the most influential Phantom people. Our Interview with Ulf Granberg Ulf Granberg (born 1945) was the editor responsible for the Swedish Phantom comic book, Fantomen from 1972 to 2012, a duty which also included heading the Team Fantomen production of Phantom stories. He has also written almost 40 Phantom stories. In 2018 we where given an opportunity to interview him and spent a good three hours going over his 40+ year career creating Phantom comics, and being told some amazing stories of artists and creators he hired and worked with over the years. Originally the interview was cut into two podcasts (part one here and part two here ), to make it simply for you, we have combined the two parts below for you to enjoy the three hours in the one place. Recent Phantom Happenings X-Band: Phantom Podcast #344 - Introducing the definitive Sy Barry book project Original art from Chronicle Chambers Bushfire phundraiser book up for auction Results for 2025 Best Fantomen cover announced - congratulations to Henrik Sahlström X-Band: Phantom Podcast #343 - John Amor, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" artist Recording of Sy Barry talking the Phantom & retirement when visiting Australia in September 1998 PRESERVATION PROJECT MUST STORIES FOR NEW PHANS TO READ Worldwide Phantom Phan Census

Must Read Phantom Stories With Fantomen and Frew producing over 4,000 comics together and close to 2,000 different stories being published around the world it can be a daunting task to try and get up to date if you have come in late. The team of Chronicle Chamber have collected a strong 100+ stories which we believe are a must read and a great starting point. If you have stories you feel we have missed, please let us know. Note, this is a start - now go and enjoy your deep dive into the world of the Phantom... X-Band: Phantom Podcast #344 - Introducing the definitive Sy Barry book project Original art from Chronicle Chambers Bushfire phundraiser book up for auction Results for 2025 Best Fantomen cover announced - congratulations to Henrik Sahlström X-Band: Phantom Podcast #343 - John Amor, "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow" artist Recording of Sy Barry talking the Phantom & retirement when visiting Australia in September 1998 Recent Phantom Happenings PRESERVATION PROJECT MUST STORIES FOR NEW PHANS TO READ Worldwide Phantom Phan Census

All Phantom News, Reviews, Articles & Podcasts All Posts Comics News Artists Authors Exclusives Collectibles Interviews Movies & TV Exhibitions Podcast Reviews Preservation Project Updates Competitions Site Updates Search Mikael Lyck 14 hours ago Review of Fantomen 4/2023 and 5/2023 Review of Fantomen issues 4/2023 & 5/2023 including two stories created by Philip Madden & Janusz Ordon and Pidde Andersson & Joan Boix Jermayn Parker 2 days ago Shatki Comics also Publishing Lee Falk & Sy Barry Stories from Issue #8 Shatki Comics have announced they will be printing reprint Sy Barry stories in their comics in a move that will excite many Indian phans ChronicleChamber Team 3 days ago X-Band: Phantom Podcast #244B - January & February 2023 Fantomen & Indian Comics & News Podcast #244 was so long we have split it into 2 episodes. Episode #244B is a review of comics from Sweden, India & news from Jan-Feb 2023. ChronicleChamber Team 6 days ago X-Band: Phantom Podcast #244A - January & February 2023 Frew Comics Podcast #244 was so long we have split it into 2 episodes. Episode #244A is a review of the Frew issues in #1935, #1936, #1937 & #1938 Ed Rhoades & Pete Klaus Feb 17 Conversations with Claire Moore (Ray Moore's Wife) A conversation with Claire Moore about her husband Ray Moore originally published in 2004. With permission we re publish for all to enjoy. ChronicleChamber Team Feb 13 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #243 - Previewing Fantomen 2023 Team Fantomen editors Andreas Eriksson & Jacob Habnic tell us what Fantomen readers will expect in 2023 & beyond in their magazines. Jermayn Parker Feb 13 Book Celebrating Norwegian Artist Håkon Aasnes 50+ Years Career To celebrate Håkon Aasnes 80th birthday & 50+ years in the industry drawing for Disney & Egmont, they release a book with some of his art. Christian Moeller Feb 12 Review of German Die Sprechblase Magazine #247 Review of the German Die Sprechblase Magazine #247 featuring several articles and 12+ pages on the Phantom and his influence in Germany Dan Fraser Feb 8 All You Need to Know About "The Phantom Game" Coming in 2024 A written summary of the key takeaways about the upcoming The Phantom Video Game, from our podcast chat with Ash Nicholls. Dan Fraser Feb 5 Review of Mallon 2023 Diary, Wall Calendar & Limited Edition Print Review of the 2023 Diary, Wall Calendar & the Limited Edition Print produced by Mallon featuring art by Australian artist Jeremy MacPherson 1 2 3 4 5 Recent Phantom Happenings Review of Fantomen 4/2023 and 5/2023 Shatki Comics also Publishing Lee Falk & Sy Barry Stories from Issue #8 X-Band: Phantom Podcast #244B - January & February 2023 Fantomen & Indian Comics & News X-Band: Phantom Podcast #244A - January & February 2023 Frew Comics Conversations with Claire Moore (Ray Moore's Wife) Enter your email address to be notified of all our news, reviews and more Subscribe Thanks for subscribing! The Phantom Bible Preservation Project MUST STORIES FOR NEW PHANS TO READ