Murilo Marinho de Almeida, who plays the Phantom in the new Brazilian fan TV series, will be hosting a livestream Q&A on his Instagram. Click here to follow him on Instagram He will be available to chat with any questions plus give insights into the TV series and other behind the scenes of the production. The event will be held on 4 August 2025 at 8pm local time. Murilo lives in Praia Grande in the state of Sao Paulo . Below is a converter with some of the locations of phans from around the world. If your time zone is not included, you can go to this link and add in your own location, and it will convert the time for you . We can also confirm that filming has been completed and the editing has taken place.

Since 2019, the Papercuts Comics Festival , held biennially in Adelaide, South Australia , has consisted of various free events that showcase the many different facets of what comics can offer. These events are designed to appeal to readers, writers, and artists alike. In 2025, popular Frew creator Paul Mason will be one of the Australian guests who will attend. Nicola Scott who has drawn several Frew covers, will also be in attendance and both participating in the Creators in Conversation panels. You can find out more about the events at their website Talking Pictures: Friday 12 September 2025, 6:00pm arrival for 6:30-8:30pm Allan Scott Auditorium, The University of South Australia, City West Campus, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia Cost: FREE About: Experience comics in a different way at Talking Pictures, where creators will combine art and performance for a multimedia storytelling event. The presenters will each perform a live reading accompanied by onscreen projections of their own art. Creators in Conversation: Sat 13 September 2025, 10:15am-4:45pm Studio 01, Adelaide City Library, 3 Rundle Place, 77-91 Rundle Mall, Adelaide, South Australia Cost: FREE About: Internationally acclaimed graphic novelists from across Australia featuring five one-hour discussion panels, each featuring three acclaimed Australian comic creators! Market Day: Sun 14 September 2025, 11:00am-5:00pm Adelaide Town Hall, 128 King William St, Adelaide, South Australia Cost: FREE About: More than 120 comic creator stallholders! Come buy from the cream of Australia’s comics creators! Discover for yourself the vibrancy and diversity of the local creative community. From internationally published stars to young emerging artists, there’s something for everyone! Workshop: Sun 14 September 2025, times TBA Adelaide Town Hall, 128 King William St, Adelaide, South Australia Cost: FREE (bookings essential) About: Learn the secrets of making comics! Alongside this year’s Papercuts market day, four of the 120+ stallholders will each be running a free one-hour workshop in an adjacent space at Adelaide Town Hall ! *The workshops are free but each is strictly limited to 16 participants, and bookings are essential.* If you are aware of other Phantom-related comic events with Phantom creators or Phantom themes, please let us know so we can help advertise the event.

Hero's Journey Workshop works on custom props for cosplayers around the world, and his latest offering is on a replica set of rings from the 1996 Billy Zane movie Phantom rings. This set will cost $185USD plus postage. The rings can come in ring sizes 10 to 14. You can buy your ring set here These rings are painstakingly sculpted from copious reference images and measurements of the actual props from the 1996 film, The Phantom. Unlike many “true replicas” being offered on many seller platforms, these rings contain none of the extra details on the sides seen in many “replicas.” The ring of evil depicts the movie-style skull, and the ring of good the emblem of protection. Careful examination of both movie stills, prop auctions, and by a friend who works in the industry and had access to the actual prop allowed these rings to be sculpted to be accurate. No movie poster art on a postcard COA here. The rings can speak for themselves. We were lucky enough to have a chat with the sculptor and owner of Hero's Journey Workshop, and we asked him about the rings, his fandom and when he gifted a set of the rings to Billy Zane . I have been a fan of the Phantom since I was young. I was born in the mid-1970s and grew up on the daily Phantom newspaper strip stories and always looked forward to that full-color Sunday strip. The 1996 movie was (and is) one of my favorite comic adaptation films EVER. I’ve wanted these rings since 1996. I have not been able to find a good replica that was accurate to what was seen. There are many knockoffs that have singles on the side bands, etc., and that are advertised as true replicas, while they are merely recasts of an old licensed piece from 20 years ago. So, as I have expanded my skill set, I started looking at doing a Phantom build at some point but needed accurate rings. I was able to find a jewelry production partner who could work with metals that melt at a temperature significantly higher than what I can work with safely in my home but had to order a minimum quantity to get them made. That landed me with the “if you want something done right” idea of designing them myself, outsourcing the metal casting to a jeweler, and using the sales to cover the costs and a reasonable return for the weeks spent obsessing and sculpting the master files. My wife remarked about how I looked like a kid on Christmas the night the shipment arrived. I wore my set out to dinner and was looking at them in the car, and she noticed the excitement in my face. In 2019 I met Billy Zane, and he gave me one of the movie theater rings that were given out at the opening weekend showings. Then it was my turn to gift him something. I reminded him of him doing that and said, “There is an old jungle saying that when you visit kindness upon someone, it shall be repaid to you.” And sat the ring boxes on the table. He seemed genuinely touched and said it was a very thoughtful gift. We chatted for several minutes about the rings and took a few photos. I won’t go into the specifics of our conversation but will say that it was definitely something that immediately became a core memory for me with my love of the character and his portrayal.

The Phantom team ‘car 47’ has participated in the Queensland Variety Bash fundraiser for the past eight years and in 2025, they will be debuting a new car. Their vehicle, the new Phantom Lounge (car 47) is a modified Chevrolet Astro Van. Donate to The Phantom team The 2025 car is different from the 2024 car, which was a circa 1978-79 F100 Ford truck fitted with an ambulance body. Even the bust has been changed for 2025. The 2024 car features the Phan Fare bust and this car features the pokkie topper bust. In exciting news, the variety itinerary will be going through three states: QLD, NSW, and also South Australia. The tour starts on Sunday 3rd August at St George, QLD and ends Wednesday 13th August at Port Macquarie . You can look at the full itinerary and the dates the cars will be in your town here . The team on the Phantom car includes Scott Peatey , John Finlay , Zach Peatey , Allen Christensen , Andrew Schulze , Kerrie Le Du , Damon Lynch and Erica Hansch . Attached is a photo with some of them, all featuring a phun Davenport Phantom-themed vest.

348 fans have made their opinions count and have voted on their best Fantomen cover of 2024. The results have been announced in Fantomen 16/2025 . This tradition of fans voting for their favourite cover of the previous year has happened since 1971. Just over 20% of all the fans voted for Fantomen 25-26/2024  as their favourite cover. The cover was drawn by Henry Johannes who made his debut in 2024, and two of his three 2024 covers were in the top 10 as voted by the fans. Henrik Salhstrom came in second with his Fantomen 5/2024 cover, with 17% of all fans voting for this cover. His cover for Fantomen 20/2024 came in third with 13%. Henrik Salhstrom  is no stranger to high placings in this award; since 2016, one of Henrik's covers has won best cover for 7 years. In 2024, four of his covers (5/2024, 20/2024, 8/2024 and 6-7/2024) were voted in the top 10. Janusz Ordon , Luca Erbetta and Rafael Ruiz all had covers that were also voted in the top 10. All covers had at least three votes. 348 is the lowest number of votes submitted by the fans since fans voted on the 2019 best Fantomen covers. The below page outlining all the votes for all covers was printed in Fantomen 16/2025 along with a poster of the cover. Winners of the competition will have the prize sent to the postal address that they supplied when adding their vote.

At the (American) National Cartoonists Society ’s 79th Reuben Awards , comic arts legend Sy Barry will receive the Elzie Segar Award . This event will be held on August 15, 2025, in Boston. The Reuben Awards are held every year, during the NCS Annual Conference. The Society honors the year’s outstanding achievements in all walks of the profession. Along with this award, there are several other awards awarded to various creators in the related fields, ranging from print, comic strips to comic books, illustration to animation, gags to graphic novels, and more. Sy Barry joins the elite company of other creators who have won the award, including Milton Caniff , Mort Walker , Charles Schulz , and many others. For a full list of who has been awarded the Elzie Segar Award . Ironically, this award will be presented by King Features , his previous employer, which is a nice full-circle moment. You can learn more about the conference and award night at this link .

Mythos Editora has released on their website preorder links for three collection books to be released in July and August 2025. You can either go to their website to browse all their back catalog or click on the below links. Sy Barry Omnibus 4 Jim Aparo Collection Sal Velluto & Peter David Hermes Press Collection Sy Barry Omnibus 4 details (Shipping August 2025) This is the ninth volume released by Mythos Editora reprinting daily newspaper stories by Ray Moore , Wilson McCoy , Sy Barry, and the George Olesen and Keith Williams team. This is the fourth Sy Barry volume in the set. The omnibus will be 408 pages printed in black and white. This Sy Barry  book will also feature a translated excerpt from a Chronicle Chamber  podcast interview with Sy Barry  Below are some sample pages of the interview. The stories featured in this omnibus are: Daily 105 " The Jungle Home " Daily 106 " Rex, the Missing Heir " Daily 107 " The Gladiator " Daily 108 " The Missing Daddy " Daily 109 " Luaga's Undercover Tour " Daily 110 " The Mission " Daily 111 " Yes " Buy now Jim Aparo Collection details (Shipping August 2025) This book was originally released in 2020 and was very popular, with it being rereleased again. All the Jim Aparo Phantom stories published by Charlton will be published. The book is in paperback with 168 pages and in black and white and color. It is a translated version of the American trade paperback Jim Aparo's Complete Charlton Comics , published by Hermes Press , but with a different cover. " O Fantasma de Shangri-La " (" The Phantom of Shang-Ri-La ") by Dick Wood and Jim Aparo " O Faraó Fantasma " (" The Pharaoh Phantom ") by Dick Wood and Jim Aparo " A Morte do Fantasma " (" The Phantom's Death ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " O Reino do Penhasco " (" The Cliff Kingdom ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " O Símia Gigante de Tawth " (" The Giant Ape of Tawth ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " O Rio Sem Fim " (" The River That Never Ends ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " Uma Madeira Muito Especial " (" Very Special Timber ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " Os Traidores Bandar " (" Bandar Betrayers ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " Sequestro Aéreo " (" Skyjack ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " Dispersem a Patrulha! " (" Disband the Patrol ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " O Morredouro " (" The Dying Ground ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " A Nova Fé do Fantasma " (" The Phantom's New Faith ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo " A Armadilha " (" The Trap ") by Don Jon Arneson and Jim Aparo Buy now Sal Velluto & Peter David Hermes Press Collection details (Shipping July 2025) This book was originally released in 2019 and was very popular, with it being rereleased again this time with a new cover. It is a translated version of the American trade paperback Danger in the Forbidden City , published by Hermes Press . The book is in full colour and 148 pages. " Em Busca da Cidade Perdida, Capitulo 1 " (" Danger in the Forbidden City, Part 1 ") by Peter David and Sal Velluto " Em Busca da Cidade Perdida, Capitulo 2 " (" Danger in the Forbidden City, Part 2 ") by Peter David and Sal Velluto " Em Busca da Cidade Perdida, Capitulo 3 " (" Danger in the Forbidden City, Part 3 ") by Peter David and Sal Velluto " Em Busca da Cidade Perdida, Capitulo 4 " (" Danger in the Forbidden City, Part 4 ") by Peter David and Sal Velluto " Em Busca da Cidade Perdida, Capitulo 5 " (" Danger in the Forbidden City, Part 5 ") by Peter David and Sal Velluto " Em Busca da Cidade Perdida, Capitulo 6 " (" Danger in the Forbidden City, Part 6 ") by Peter David and Sal Velluto Buy now

As announced on his social pages, Keith Williams has been awarded a Hall of Fame award from the 2025 Inkwell Awards . You can follow Keith on his social media platforms ( Facebook and Instagram ). The Inkwell Awards is the only official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation whose mission is to promote and educate regarding the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize the best ink artists and their work. Bob Almond who has inked several Phantom stories for Team Fantomen is involved with the nonprofit organization. You can follow their work on their social media platforms ( Facebook and Instagram ) or at their website . From a Phantom perspective, Keith Williams  is known for his inking work on the Phantom daily newspaper stories from 1994 to 2005. He also inked the Captain Action crossover series published by Moonstone . During 2008, he also helped friend Bob Almond ink three Team Fantomen stories. Away from the Phantom. Keith Williams  began his career in 1982 as a background inker for John Byrne and Joe Sinnott . For a while he worked at the Marvel Comics editorial offices and was Jim Owsley 's assistant editor of the Spider-Man titles. After that, he became a full-time inker on titles like Web of Spider-Man , Quasar , Transformers , Silver Surfer , She-Hulk , The Mask, and Moonstone 's Kolchak: The Night Stalker . Keith Williams has been interviewed on our X-Band: The Phantom Podcast Episode #105 .

Stephen East, Dan Fraser and Jermayn Parker meet and chat with Daniel Nguyen, the director over at Saturday Morning Cards (SMC). SMC has released a Phantom Designer Art Card set, with preorders being shipped at the end of July 2025. During this podcast, Daniel shows us the cards and explains the collector card concept, which may be foreign for some phans. Daniel also shows us every card in the set from the different finishes, including the black 1/1 and some of the sketches. We would recommend everyone watch this on YouTube so you can ensure you see the different cards in this Phantom set but also some other great examples of designer art cards. Daniel talks about the endless possibilities of possible new Phantom products, including a prototype for an exclusive limited edition card that may be released. All these possibilities will depend on if the cards sell. If you would like to order your set, you can via the Saturday Morning Cards website. At this stage the website does not have the function to ship outside North America, but you can email them for a shipping quote. However, we can announce that there is now an Australian / New Zealand distributor who will be taking orders—you can contact them at SaturdayMorningCardsAUS@gmail.com . You can follow Daniel at his Instagram or for more Saturday Morning Cards exclusives and updates, you can follow them at their Instagram. We love your comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. You can either email us, leave your comments at our YouTube Channel, and or leave them at our social media platforms in Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel.

Christian Moller  reviews Zauberstern #19 that was out in late June 2025. The issue features the following stories that were first published by Moonstone Comics  and a Daily story published in the newspapers in 2013. " Steine aus Blut Teil 1 " (" Stones of Blood Part 1 ") by Ben Raab and Pat Quinn " Steine aus Blut Teil 2 " (" Stones of Blood Part 2 ") by Ben Raab and Pat Quinn " Auf der Jagd nach den Phantomdiamanten " (" The Scoundrel ") by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan You can purchase this comic and other back issues of Zauberstern  Phantom comics from their website . This comic is of great value with 100 pages of comics in full colour on great-quality paper for 10€. This magazine sees Zauberstern  reusing a past cover instead of creating their own new covers, which they have done previously. Do you prefer the publisher creating their own unique covers? This cover was created by Marat Mychaels  and was originally used as the cover #7A for Moonstone Comics   Ghost Who Walks series, originally published in 2010. The magazine also features an inside poster with advertising on each side, so if you remove the poster, you do not lose anything from the story. The poster is the cover for " Stones of Blood Part 2 " ( Moonstone #2 ) by Pat Quinn and Ken Wolak . Stones of Blood is a popular story with some great double-page spreads. The Daily Phantom story is by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan  and it is interesting comparing the colouring of the two stories. This comic also features a double page of phan letters which is a great addition. Ensure you read our interview with the publishers and editors behind Zauberstern  here - Interview with Simeon Hrissomallis  and Charles Bone . You will learn about the extra albums and magazines planned to be published in 2025 by Zauberstern . We have reviewed the first special magazine on our platforms. All Zauberstern and other German comic reviews will be included in our monthly X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. You can find out more at our website and or subscribe to our YouTube channel  for more videos. If you would like to join the team and review new comics being released around the world, please contact us.

Now open for preorder for a late July 2025 release are the exclusive collectible cards from USA company Saturday Morning Cards . This card set was first teased in December 2024 with an update in March 2025 on some of the designs . In exciting news, you can now preorder your card(s) from their website. Click here to pre order now These cards will be on showcase at the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) held on Thu, 24 July 2025 – Sun, 27 July 2025, at Saturday Morning Cards booth. Each card will be like a blind bag. You may get a sketch card or one of the different card designs on a special limited edition finish card stock. The card is stored in an official licensed collectible magnetic box, which will look amazing in your skull cave at home or the office. The main art for the cards and the box is designed by Erik Marshall ( Instagram ). At this stage on the website, there are four options to purchase: Case of 20 cards, each in their individual box with a guaranteed gold hit (or better) and sketch card. Link to buy . 6-card bundle with an exclusive limited 25 purple card. The other 5 cards will be a mix of random cards and rarity with a guaranteed sketch card. Link to buy . Guaranteed sketch card. Link to buy . Single card. Link to buy . Following their other product lines, there is a chance for t-shirts, stickers, and other related products to be released. At the moment these are only available to be shipped from the USA and Canada, but we are led to believe that there is a chance they will be available for distribution internationally outside North America. There will be 1200 cards in the set with a mixture of the 9 designs and unique 1/1 sketch cards. SMC has informed us that there will be more sketch cards than any of their previous releases. There is 9x standard card designs with multiple colours, a mixture of transparent, gold, black, and purple. As mentioned prior, this is not a collector trading card set but a single card. A trading card set is a collection of cards with a specific theme that can be collected and/or used for gameplay. We expect this method of collecting to be new for a lot of phans. If this confuses you, that is ok; we have organised a time with the owner of Saturday Morning Cards to join us for a podcast in the next month to explain the concept more, the uniqueness of the sketch cards, and to show us some of the cards. If you have any specific questions you would like to see asked to the owner of Saturday Morning Cards , feel free to add them here so we can ask.

Previously, King Features Syndicate had all their characters on their www.ComicsKingdom.com website, where you could read the new and old past stories as well as limited information on characters and creators. Now King Features has released a new standalone dedicated www.ThePhantom.com website. It is great to see the owners put some focus and attention on the Phantom. We assume the website will continue to grow with new information and features added as time goes by. At the time of writing this article (July 2025) the website includes information on the main characters (The Phantom, Diana, Kit and Heloise, Guran and Luaga), a link to the KFS shop, which sells The Phantom-branded merchandise. My favourite feature of the new website is the timeline. I would like to see KFS add some more important timelines, like the first Phantom comic ( read more about that here ) and the first Fantomen issue by Semic . On the Comics Kingdom website, they have biographies of the current Phantom creators and I would also like to see KFS add the current but also past creators to the new website. On the new website, they have a great informative bio on Lee Falk . One thing that may be missed by many is the iconic Old Jungle Sayings added to the bottom section of the website. Included is our detailed review of the website.

The San Diego Comic-Con is one of the larger comic conventions in the USA, and in 2025 we will have some Phantom influence. As we are a Phantom website, this article will only focus on the character and not the other amazing creators, publishers, guests, etc. The SDCC event is held 24-27 July, 2025. If we have missed any other creators and/or publishers who have Phantom credits and will also be in attendance, please let us know so we can add them. Mad Cave Studios Mad Cave Studios will be releasing their standalone Phantom comic series in September 2025 and, we believe production work has started on the second Defenders of the Earth series. They will likely have the Phantom Free Comic Day and Defenders of the Earth comics for sale at their booth. Unsure if any of their artists will be in attendance at this stage. If we find out more, plus any Phantom-related exclusives for Mad Cave Studios , we will update the article. Saturday Morning Cards Saturday Morning Cards (SMC) new Phantom collector card series will be available for purchase at their booth. Along with the cards, they will also have a special SDCC exclusive card only made available at the convention. This will be limited to 50. Daniel the Director of SMC will be joining us for an upcoming podcast to hopefully explain the collector card concept more for those who are still struggling to understand. We believe preorders will be posted out after the event . Hermes Press Hermes Press , which produces the high-quality hardcover Phantom Daily and Sunday newspaper reprint stories, will be in attendance with a booth. They will be selling their new Art of George Wilson book at the event. In 2024, they had a panel about the upcoming book with a family member and Joe Jusko who wrote a foreword to the book. We assume Hermes will also be selling current and old book stock, including the Phantom hardcover books. Artists At this stage, we do not know of any specific creators with Phantom credits that will be attending the event. Jim Calafiore the artist for the recently finished Defenders of the Earth series published by Mad Cave Studios . A lot of his stories were drawn traditionally, so he is likely to have original artwork for sale plus commissions and signatures. He will be at booth 4301. You can read an interview with Jim Calafiore talking about his work in the series here . You can watch our reviews on the Defenders of the Earth  series published by Mad Cave Studios here . We do know that Tadam Gyadu 's art dealer ( Comix Art Studio ) will be in attendance at the show and that Tadam has accepted commissions to be collected at the show. You can contact Tadam at his Instagram if you want to contact him about a commission. You can see the original artwork, for sale including Frew cover 1979 on the Comix Art Studio website . Tadam has created two Frew  covers . Keep an eye on this article and our social media platforms for updates. If you see any Phantom creators announced before us, please contact us. If you know of other Phantom creators attending other events around the world, please also contact us.

We understand the Phantom is a comic but it does not stop us and other nerds going all nerdy in phandom. Team Fantomen attempted the impossible in 1984 by creating an epic painted map of Bangalla created by Ulf Granberg and Ö zcan Eralp . You can find a translated version of this Swedish poster on our Phantom Preservation Project (P3) . This map has always intrigued me and leads me to the logical next question, what about the surrounding countries of Bangalla? In typical Falklore there have been numerous countries on the border of Bengalla. It is well known that Lee Falk did not keep records so details are not consistent. This is perhaps the fun but also the frustrating part of being a phan and trying to make sense of the phandom. My first step in bringing real-world logic to the fictional Phantom universe was to identify if current countries have multiple borders with other countries. China has borders with 14 countries, Russia has borders with 13 countries, Germany has borders with 9 countries. From an African point of view, Congo (DRC), borders nine countries and other nations with numerous borders include Angola, Zambia, and Algeria. Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe also meet at a quadripoint, where the borders of all four countries converge at a single location. I feel this is important because in Lee Falk 's stories and also Team Fantomen stories, there have been several different countries that depicted as bordering Bangalla. For instance, in the 1991 Daily 173 newspaper story " The Jungle Patrol v The Drug Cartel " (Daily 173), the narration identifies that the Jungle Patrol patrols the borders of five countries. So, let's try to identify the borders of these countries circling Bangalla. We are also focusing on Bangalla being located in eastern Africa rather than Indonesia or India, which were nominated as the Phantom's home countries before Falk settled on his final location for Bangalla from the 1960's onwards. Surrounding countries of Bangalla created by Lee Falk Ivory-Lana Is a neighboring country to Bangalla. Its capital is named Tuskula, and besides Bangalla it also shares borders with Tarashima as shown on 16th December 1986. In multiple stories this is shown as west and bordering a river with Bangalla. Fantomen have Ivory Lana located further south (more on this later). It was first included in a Phantom story " The Little Girl " (Daily 95). The 127th Daily story " T " was the first story it featured prominently. Team Fantomen has also featured this country in several stories including were Luaga was hiding out when deported from Bangalla when President Kabai Lubanga was in power. Tarashima According to the same map (above), Tarashima is located inland north of Bengali and north-east of Ivory-Lana. This country has been depicted in a few newspaper stories: D160 " The Tarashima Terrorists " 1986-1987 D163 " The Man-Thing " 1988 D179 " Nukes " 1993 S143 " Battle of the Jungle Boys " 1994-1995 In the map shown and the stories Tarashima is depicted as being north of Bangalla. Ughland Another authoritarian nation country shown as north of Bangalla. In stories featuring Ughland, we are treated to the occasional map but frustratingly, these do not include either Tarashima or Ivory-Lana. In the maps provided, Ughland is represented as north of Bangalla. Again, Ughland has been depicted in a few newspaper stories: D150 " Ughland " 1983 D152 " Visit to Baronkhan " 1983 D179 " Nukes " 1993 S150 " The Kidnappers " 1999 Zabadaba This country has been shown in two Lee Falk created newspaper stories: D162 " Zabadabah " 1987-1988 S136 " Return of the Thuggees " 1990-1991 What is it with dictators around Bangalla and Lee Falk having to feature the Phantom overthrow their authoritarian leaders? In the first 1988 story no location of the country was mentioned but in the second story the country Zabadaba is located south of Bangalla and separated by a river with Togana. Togana As you can see above, also featured in the 1990-1991 story (S136) " Return of the Thuggees " is another dictatorship: Togana . Lee Falk also uses Togana later in 1991, in (D173) " The Jungle Patrol v The Drug Cartel ". In this story, Falk tells us that this country is bordering Bangalla and along with Ivory-Lana has their borders protected by the Jungle Patrol. I personally do not see how any dictatorship would allow the Jungle Patrol to help patrol their borders. S136 " Return of the Thuggees " 1990-1991 D173 " The Jungle Patrol v The Drug Cartel " 1991 Brutalana Another dictatorship nation appearing in a newspaper story is Brutalana, shown in the 1989 Sunday story titled " Death from the Sky " as south to Bangalla. Brutalana is only used once in a Falk story. This story tells us that this country is south of Bangalla in a desert kingdom yet half the story features the Phantom running away from the border guards in the jungle. Floradona Another dictatorship country and once again south of Bangalla as shown in the 1999 Sunday story titled " The Floradon Mystery ". Floradana is another location only appearing once in a newspaper story. Again worth noting this is shown as bordering on Bangalla and again, due south. The southern border of Bangalla certainly seems to have a lot of neighbours! Have I missed any countries bordering Bengalia created by Lee Falk in the modern period of storytelling? The Misty Mountains The Misty Mountains where all the mountain kingdoms are located is on the eastern side of Bangalla. However, according to most fans and creators, Bangalla is on the east coast of Africa which makes east the sea. If you look at the common Sy Barry  drawn Phantom country drawing (below) it shows the Misty Mountains more north of the country instead of 'direct-east' and located in a true 'North East'. This makes more sense with the ocean east of Bangalla. Lee Falk identified at least 8 kingdoms in the misty mountains including Karola, Trondelay, Pathia, Corba, Grigoria, Buzanta, Baronkhan and Shardana (variously Shambad and Sharana). However, he also wrote stories which featured unnamed kingdoms of some 16 other rulers. The rate the Phantom dispatches bad dictators and rulers it makes sense that some of these 16 other rulers could easily be a ruler of one of these named kingdoms. For completeness sake, Tony DePaul has introduced another two kingdoms and Team Fantomen another 11 knigdoms with another 9 leaders shown who may be a ruler of one of the 20 odd kingdoms introduced by the three sets of creators or another standalone kingdom. We won't get into how the Misty Mountain kingdoms fit into the world wide stage. This article is already too long. I have a theory on how these kingdoms came into being, that will be another article. The Eastern Dark (Dakk) With the Misty Mountains north east of Bangalla and the Eastern Dark located further east again, it fits logically into the Phantom universe. This allows for the Eastern Dark to be beyond the mountains and near the ocean given that a port is depicted in several stories by Lee Falk , as well as and other creators stories. What country lies where? So according to these stories, we have Tarashima and Ughland to the north, Ivory-Lana to the West and a host of countries in Zabadaba, Togana, Floradona and Brutalana on Bangalla's southern border. Finally we have the Misty Mountains with the Eastern Dark to the north east on the coast above Bangalla. This fits with Bangalla at least partially laying in a bay where the 1st Phantom was shipwrecked 450+ years ago. According to Lee Falk stories alone we have 8 countries (including the Misty Mountains as one) sharing borders with Bangalla. This could be possible - could be even more possible if some of the southern countries changed names as they swapped dictators and leaders. We will get into this later but first of all, let us try and do the impossible and merge the Lee Falk and newspaper universe with the universe in the Team Fantomen created stories. Surrounding countries of Bangalla created by Team Fantomen Team Fantomen has a history of keeping fairly loyal and true to Lee Falk stories, however they have added two countries in their stories. One of these has made its own way into the newspaper stories. Before fans get upset, it must be noted that these two countries were added decades before some of the countries Lee Falk created in Zabadaba, Togana, Floradona, Brutalana, Eastern Dark and Tarashima in the 1980's and 1990's. Rodia Probably the most popular bordering country and while it was created by Team Fantomen , it has since also been added into the 'newspaper canon' by Tony DePaul . In " Deadly Cargo " (1989 Team Fantomen) Ivory-Lana is shown to the south with Rodia introduced as being to the west. Tony DePaul matched that iIn the 2005 Sunday Story " The Iron Python " (S161), depicting Rodia as bordering both Ivory-Lana and Bangalla. In the " Deadly Cargo " story there is a map shown which in theory makes sense with Ivory-Lana to the south west over the river but where do Zabadaba, Togana and Floradona all fit given they have all been depicted by Lee Falk as sharing a southern border with Bangalla? Sotuland Sotuland was created in the 1970's by the Team Fantomen crew of Ulf Granberg , Magnus Knutsson , Jaime Vallvé and Janne Lundström . The main story we learn about this country is " The Diamond War " (1973) which has not yet been published outside of Scandinavia. In " The Skull Murders " (2011) we learn it is south of Bangalla, likely next to Ivory Lana and was colonised by Germany. It is not 100% clear if this country actually borders Bangalla or not. It would fit more logically into the universe if it does not borde Bangalla and borders Ivory-Lana instead. Haman While Haman has only appeared in the one story " The Elephant Sect " (1987), it does not actually make the local geography more complicated, gven that this story is set in 1858 when England had colonised this part of Africa both in Phantom lore and in real life. Haman is shown to the west of Bangalla and for our purposes we could surmise that it likely changed names since this area was decolonised after the second world war, along with Bangalla and likely some of the other surrounding countries. During decolonisation, many territories and areas could have been split up depending on many factors and we could say that Haman has become Rodia and maybe even Tarashima or Ughland as well. The problem and a solution? The problem is there are too many countries that have been identified as bordering Bangalla. The problem was not made any simpler when Lee Falk introduced four new countries bordering Bangalla in the 1980's and another two in the 1990's. This happened after Team Fantomen introduced Rodia and Sotuland. No wonder Bangalla and Ivory Lana are always on tenterhooks and dodging assassination attempts with all these dictatorships around them! One possible feasible solution is that some of these countries introduced by Lee Falk have changed the names, which has happened in real life. A name change is often made for political or nationalistic reasons such as removing traces of colonial rule or reflecting the ideologies of the government in power. For instance, in the real world Cambodia changed its name five (5) times in the space of 40 odd years (1953 to 1993). In Africa, Bechuanaland became Botswana, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe and Nyasaland became Malawi. There is a pattern of this happening in the Phantom world too, with the change of certain Bangalla locations following their independance. For example Morristown became Mawitaan in the 1960's, after changing from Moribar to Morristown sometime in the 19th century. We can use this trend to speculate that several of the neighbouring nations followed suit, especially the ones only mentioned once by Lee Falk like Togana, Floradona and Brutalana. Maybe one or more of these countries are now Ivory-Lana, now a democracy with President Goranda as the leader My attempt to the solution is: Misty Mountains to the north east with the Eastern Dark beyond North. Tarashima, Ughland and Rodia to the west with Rodia the southern of these three. Ivory-Lana to the south, bordering Rodia with Sotuland further south or south east. Please note, these are just my thoughts and opinions and in no way reflects the opinions of King Features or even other fans. Would love to hear other fans' thoughts and opinions.

According to this article by ThePhantom.fan , the exhibition was organised by CELEG held at the American Cultural Center in Paris, France from the 3rd to the 15th of June, 1966. In a French comic magazine GIFF-WIFF n° 21 (1966) they have written about this exhibition. I have provided an English translated version of the article. The language (writing style) is rather literary and complex so I've added a lexique to help phans. You can see a scan of the original article along with the original French version towards the bottom of this article. Translated article into English from French Fantomandrake in St-Germain Des Pres You step out of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro station, stroll along the boulevard, cast a sideways glance at the Flore and its characteristic fauna, pass Lipp and La Pochade, and slip into the narrow rue du Dragon, dear to Audiberti and to lovers of meat cooked in wood-fired ovens (all the local joints cook with it—and the good stuff). You feel Parisian at heart, and germanopratin as if you were born here. But then, an odd little poster, signed Alessandrini, catches your eye: a masked figure, with a familiar musculature, whose lips are adorned with two fine mustachioed commas—clearly fake—tips his top hat to the passerby and invites you inside. You pass through a glassy hall filled with bespectacled students who look like Arthur Miller (or Rip Kirby), and, following the arrow, descend into a spacious, air-conditioned basement (in this mid-June heatwave, what a blessing). And suddenly, it’s complete disorientation, instant de-Germanopratinization. Traversing places and eras, traveling back in time, you find yourself in the jungle (Asian or African, it’s hard to say), then in the menacing shadow of the Pyramid of Cheops, where two sinister ambulant mummies emerge right under your nose, and finally, at the far end of the room, in the Skull Cave itself, lit a giorno by a glowing red neon. You are in the world of Fantomandrake. Once the initial shock passes, your eyes adjust. You make out, faithfully reproduced by a photocalque, the enigmatic mask of the master of the house (as was once said of Antonin Artaud: “he doesn’t have eyes, but rays”), and a few meters away, the coattails of his companion’s tailcoat fluttering in the air. You appreciate the humor in the Identikit portrait of the magician drawn by France Soir in an edition specially printed for the event. You linger before an Italian comic strip panel showing a dressed up Diana, with special permission from the God of Bandar, dressed in the Phantom’s legendary disguise and mask, which flatter her eternally youthful figure (“Bene,” approves the real Phantom, in Mr. Spada’s native tongue). You exchange impressions with your neighbor, an old habitué of the Left Bank galleries, who wandered in by chance and suddenly feels twenty years younger: he appreciates the aggressive face and ultra-virile musculature of Sy Barry’s Phantom, while you remain faithful to the elegant and refined young gentleman in the Raffles tradition, once drawn by the brilliant Ray Moore. But both of you agree that Wilson McCoy’s linework is a bit limp and Bill Lignante’s “style” (?) downright hideous. Soon, you succumb to the familiar game of comparisons: between Moore’s pirate women and the baroque violence of Josef von Sternberg; between the delicious palace intrigues of Phil Davis and the exoticism—again, necessarily baroque—of a Lubitsch. You begin laying the foundations for a sweeping exegesis: Lee Falk, the shared creator of two major comic-strip heroes who vie for your affection, supposedly spent most of his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri. How, then, to explain his inclination toward exoticism, a discreet eroticism, granted, but remarkably effective, toward serialized crime fiction, and voyages to the Black Indies? Compensation? Nostalgia? Influence of the Seventh Art? You ponder this, being literate yourself—though also a lover of pictures—thinking of Xavier de Maistre, Jules Verne, Pierre Véry, all exemplary sedentary bourgeois, tempted by the grand voyage toward elsewhere. This visit to Fantomandrake the Enchanter, he of the double face, was one you made—or should have made—between June 3 and 15, during the remarkable exhibition organized by the C.E.L.E.G. and put together by the devoted Jacques Lob, with the complicity of Nicole and Alain Terreich, in the pleasantly refurbished basement of the American Cultural Center, 3 rue du Dragon (a fitting name). In one of his early appearances, fighting against Prince Ahmed, the Phantom conceals himself under a grand oriental cape adorned with a dragon motif—on the front! Not to be confused with some competing exhibition (perhaps courtesy of the Cobra...?), this opening in that sacred temple of phylacterian art brought out all of fashionable Paris. And as often happens in the stories, Mandrake met his double: Lee Falk, in fact, came face-to-face with Michel Seldow, who treated the audience to a few brilliant feats of magic. It is with real reluctance that you tear yourself away from this wonderland, this fabulous cavern, with its masks, billowing capes, and dialogue distilled to its poetic essence—everything that can summon up the memory of childhood games. Outside, the scorching summer heat awaits you, along with the flow of convertible cars, the crusty remnants of the fake avant-garde in neighboring gallery windows, and the lost tourists, Rollei slung over shoulder, wandering the germanopratin sidewalks. A wild hope crosses your mind: that one day Fantomandrake, flying across the Seine on a magic carpet, will take up residence at the Louvre, and with a flick of his magic wand, make the Mona Lisa vanish. (Written by) Claude Beylie Lexique Places & Cultural References Saint-Germain-des-Prés – A historic and intellectual neighborhood in Paris, known for its cafés, galleries, and literary associations. Le Flore (Café de Flore) – Iconic Parisian café frequented by writers and philosophers like Sartre and Beauvoir. Lipp (Brasserie Lipp) – Renowned Paris brasserie known for its traditional Alsatian cuisine. La Pochade – Name of an art gallery in Paris. Rue du Dragon – A small, historic street in Paris' 6th arrondissement. Centre Culturel Américain – American Cultural Center, formerly in Paris, hosting exhibitions and cultural events. Samaritaine / Monoprix – Well-known French department stores. Artists, Writers, & Intellectuals Audiberti (Jacques Audiberti) – French playwright and poet known for his flamboyant style. Arthur Miller – American playwright, author of Death of a Salesman. Rip Kirby – Fictional detective from an American comic strip. Antonin Artaud – Avant-garde French dramatist and theorist, associated with the Theatre of Cruelty. Josef von Sternberg – Austrian-American filmmaker known for stylized, baroque visuals. Ernst Lubitsch – German-American film director known for sophisticated comedies and exotic themes. Xavier de Maistre – French writer, author of Voyage Around My Room, about imaginary travel. Jules Verne – French novelist known for adventure and science fiction. Pierre Véry – French writer known for mystery and children’s literature. Raffles – Fictional gentleman thief created by E.W. Hornung. People Mr. Spada ( Fratelli Spada ) – Italian comic book publisher who popularized The Phantom in Italy. Michel Seldow – Likely a stage magician who participated in the exhibition. Jacques Lob – French comic writer and curator of the exhibition. Nicole and Alain Terreich – Organizers or collaborators on the exhibition. Special Terms photocalque – A photo-based tracing or reproduction. queue de pie / frac – Tailcoat, formal wear typically worn by performers or elegant men. portrait-robot – Composite sketch or Identikit, usually used in police investigations. dégermanopratisation – Neologism combining “germanopratin” (of Saint-Germain) with a process of losing that identity. exégèse – Scholarly interpretation, usually of a text (e.g., biblical or literary). phylacterien / art phylacterien – A pun referring to comic books (“phylactères” = speech bubbles in French). Avant-garde – Radically innovative artistic movement. Rollei / Rolleyflex – A high-end vintage camera popular among photographers and tourists. à Giorno – An Italian term meaning "as bright as daylight"; used here to describe harsh, artificial lighting. Original French Vous sortez du métro Saint-Germain-des-Prés, longez le Boulevard, lorgnez du coin de l’œil le Flore et sa faune caractéristique, dépassez Lipp et la Pochade » et vous enfoncez dans l’étroite rue du Dragon, chère à Audiberti et aux amateurs de vin de feu de bois (tous les troquets du coin en cuisinent, et de la fameuse). Vous vous sentez Parisien dans l’âme, et germanopratin comme si vous y étiez né. Mais voici qu’une étrange affichette, signée Aleesandrini, accroche votre regard : un personnage masqué, à la musculature familière, dont les lèvres s’ornent de deux fines virgules moustachues, fausses vraisemlablement, tire son gibus au promoneuret l’invite à entrer. Vous croisez dans un hall vitré des étudiants à lunettes qui ressemblent à Arthur Miller (ou à Rip Kirby), et suivant la flèche, descendez jusqu’à un sous-sol vaste et climatisé (en cette canicule de la mi-juin, quelle aubaine). Et c’est le dépaysement complet, immédiat, la dégermanopratisation. Franchissant lieux et époques, remontant le temps, vous vous retrouvez dans la jungle (asiatique ou africaine, difficile de la situer au juste), puis dans l’ombre menacante de la Pyramide de Chéops, d’où s’échappent sous votre nez deux sinistres momies ambulantes, au fond de la pièce, enfin, dans la Caverne du Crâne elle-même, éclairée a giorno d’un néon rongeoyant. Vous êtes chez Fantomandrake. Le premier instant de stupeur passé, vos yeux s’habituent. Vous distinguez, fidèlement reproduit par un photocalque, le masque enigmatique du maitre de céans (comme on a pu dire d’Antonin Artaud, « il n’a pas des yeux mais des rayons »), et à quelques metres, la queue de pie volant au vent du frac de son compère. Vous apprécierez l’humour du portrait-robot du magicien tracé par FRANCE SOIR dans l’édition spécialement tiré pour la circonstance. Vous vous attardez longuement devant une planche italienne montrant Diane revetue, par dérogation exceptionnelle de Dieu des Bandar, de la detroque et du loup légendaires, lesquels mettent fort joliment en valuer ses formes éternellement juveniles (“Bene”, approuve le vrai Fantome, dans la langue de M.Spada). Vous échangez quelques impressions avec votre voisin, un vieil habitué des galeries de peinture de la rive gauche, fouroyé là par hasard et qui a rajeuni de vingt ans : lui apprecie la tronche aggresive et la musculature super virile du Phantom de Sy barry, alors que vous restez fidele à l’élegant et fin jeune homme racé, dans la lignée de Raffles, dessiné autrefois par le génial ray Moore. mais tous deux vous accordez à juger un peu mou le trait de Wilson McCoy et proprement hideux, le “style” (?) de Bill Lignante. Vous ne tardez pas à vous livrer au petit jeu des comparaisons : entre les femmes pirates de Moore et la violence baroque de josef Von Sternberg ; entre les savoureuses intrigues de palais de Phil Davis et l’exotisme, baroque encore, nécessairement, d’un Lubitsch. Vous jetez les bases d’un vaste exégèse : Lee Falk, créateur commun de deux grands héros des bandes dessinées qui se partagent vos faveurs, aurait, Lisez-vous, passé la plus grande partie de son enfance à Saint-Louis-Missouri. Comment donc expliquer cette propension à l’exotisme, à un erotisme discret, certes, mais singulierement efficace, au serial policier, au départ vers les Indes Noires? Compensation? Nostalgie ? influence du septième ? Vous evoquer car vous avez des lettres, bien qu’adorant aussi les images, Xavier, Maistre, Jules Verne, Pierre Véry, tous parfaits petits bourgeois sédentaires tentés par le grand voyage vers l’ailleurs. Cette visite à Fantomandrake l’Enchanteur au double visage, vous l’avez accomplie, ou auriez dû le faire, entre le 3 et le 15 juin, à l’occasion de la remarquable exposition organisée par le C.E.L.E.C. et mise en place par le dévoué Jacques Lob, avec la complicité de Nicole et Alain Terreich, dans le sous-sol agréablement aménagé du Centre Culturel Américain, 3 rue du Dragon (nom prédestiné). Lors d’une de ses premières apparitions dans la lutte contre le prince Ahmed, le Fantôme se dissimule sous une grande cape orientale orné sur le devant d’un dragon ? Ne pas confondre avec telle ou telle exposition concurrente située peut-être due au Cobra… ), lors du vernissage, dans ce haut lieu de l’art phylacterien, le tout-Paris, bien sur, était là. Et comme il arrive souvent dans les épisodes, Mandrake rencontra son double : Lee Falk, en effet, fut confronté à Michel Seldow, qui executa en sa présence quelques brillants tours de magie. C’est avec cette peine que vous vous arrachez à cette fascination, quittez la cavarne fabuleuse, ses masques, ses envols de cape, ses dialogues réduits au plus strict et néanmoins empreints de poésie, tout ce qui peur vous rappeler les jeux de l’enfance heureuse… Au-dehors, la chaleur torride de l’été vous guette, et le flot des voitures décapotées, et les croutes de la fausse avant-garde dans les vitrines des galeries avoisinantes, et les touristes paumés, Rolleyflex en bandouliere, sur le trottoir germanopratin. Un espoir fou vous traverse : qu’un jour FantoMandrake, traverse la seine, sur un tapis volant, et aille s’installer au Musée du Louvre, d’où il fera, d’un coup de baguette magique, disparaître la Joconde ? [Editors Note: For those who are interested in these type of articles, Chronicle Chamber has collected hundreds of similar articles and other mediums from around the world to our Phantom Preservation Project. If you have other articles, videos, audio recordings featuring the Phantom you would like to see preserved - please contact us.]