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.]

Supanova has hired local Melbourne artist PAINK Artist to paint some fantastic murals of their 2025 guests. Some of the actors he has painted include Tyler Hoechlin , Temuera Morrison , Evangeline Lilly and now Billy Zane . At the Perth Supanova event held on 28-29 June 2025 after his Q&A on Saturday, the painting was presented to Billy Zane and the audience. Billy enjoyed the piece of artwork so much that we can confirm it is now packed up and on its way to Billy Zane . Follow PAINK_ARTIST here We believe that the other pieces will be auctioned to support the amazing work of Shoalhaven South Coast Superheroes ( website & eBay ). 100% of the proceeds from the auctions will go towards providing short-stay accommodation assistance for families with chronically ill kids and those in need at the Superheroes Community Care River Retreat in Shoalhaven Heads, NSW . At Perth Supanova PAINK_Artist was selling prints of all of the murals he has painted for Supanova plus others, including Billy Zane as the Phantom. We can confirm, the artist will be attending Adelaide (October 31-November 2, 2025) and Brisbane Supanova 's (November 7-9, 2025) as well with prints on sale.

Mad Cave Studios   Defenders of the Earth # 8 was published on June 25, 2025. This issue features two different covers. Series artist Jim Calafiore created the main cover, with Djordje Djokovic creating a Kro-Tan action figure box-style variant cover. Credits for the issue are: Title: " Grand Finale part 2 " Writer: Dan DiDio   Artist: Jim Calafiore Colorist: Juancho Velez   Letterer: Carlos M Mangual   Editor: Chas! Pangburn  and Sarah Brunstad Cover A: Jim Calafiore   Cover B: Djordje Djokovic The synopsis: The Seven Nations is on the brink of destruction from the forces of Kro-Tan's ice army and the massive, kaiju-sized serpent, Mongor. As The Phantom, Jedda, Mandrake, Lothar, and LJ battle against the army, and Mongor, Flash Gordon, Rick Gordon, and Kshin journey to Kro-Tan's base to put a stop to this siege once and for all. From a Phantom perspective, we see very little of either Kit or Jedda in this issue. Jedda gets a few punches against the ice soldiers in, channeling her newly gained power of the ten tigers. Kit, on the other hand, channels his worries and concerns for his daughter into action, using his fists to battle against a seemingly never-ending horde of soldiers. After the grand finale, complete with a fun trick from Mandrake, the Defenders join together once more and prepare for another adventure. The issue ends with a tease for at least one more storyline, referred to as "Defenders of Mongo." Question for our readers: Have you enjoyed Defenders of the Earth from Mad Cave Studios? What are your thoughts on the storyline, as well as the happenings between The Phantom and daughter Jedda? We would recommend you check our platforms as we have published three interviews with the creator team for the series: Dan DiDio  the writer , Jim Calafiore  the illustrator  and Chas! Pangburn  the editor . A huge shout-out to our reviewer Scott Waldyn  who will be reviewing Phantom comics from USA. You can follow him on his Instagram and/or website . All Mad Cave Studios  comics and other 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 Phantom videos and reviews.

A group of Fantasma (Phantom) phans from Brazil are at the moment working on a local fan-made TV series featuring the Phantom. The Phantom TV series at this stage is planned for 3 seasons, with each episode varying in length between 20 and 30 minutes. The Phantom series will be released in September 2025 and will be launched on YouTube. The episodes will be in Portuguese, but we have been told they will eventually be dubbed into English. YouTube also does allow automatic captions if you cannot wait. You can follow them on Instagram here You can follow them on YouTube here In rather exciting news, we can confirm that a local cinema has agreed to show at least the first episode in their cinema. We have been promised action, romance, and adventure with the series. The first episode will be about chip technology, where the current Singh Brotherhood tries to sell an illegal chip technology that, when placed in electronic equipment, it allows people to control them even from long distances. Attached is the promo image for the first episode. Below is a trailer showing what we can expect. We have been in contact with the director, Eduardo Rios Garcia and the actor playing the Phantom, Murilo Marinho de Almeida . Their biographies and other key people involved in this production are below. Murilo Marinho de Almeida (The Phantom) Murilo Marinho de Almeida is 34 years old, Brazilian, and lives in the city of Praia Grande in the state of São Paulo . His profession is security, and he also works with the geek content on the internet and in movies or series. He was a canoe athlete from the age of 14 to 21, as well as an athlete with some martial arts skills. In his free time he participates in events as a cosplayer, including The Phantom, where he designed the Phantom costume with the help of a local tailor to create the costume. Eduardo Rios Garcia (Director) Eduardo Rios Garcia , the series director, is 47 years old, Brazilian, and lives in Santos in the state of São Paulo . Eduardo works as an entrepreneur in the accounting field, works with geek content on the internet, and also participates in geek events and cosplay. He also has a social project called Donating Batman Christmas Toys , where he dresses up as Batman and delivers donated toys to needy children and makes hospital visits. In the series, he will be the director and will also play a villain. Jéssika Senna (Diana) Jéssika Senna will play Diana Palmer, Phantom's wife. Her character will be a strong, courageous woman and an excellent fighter, working at the UN office in Bangalla. Jéssika is 31 years old, works with geek content, is Brazilian, works with geek content, and is also a cosplayer. Felipe Sherman (Main bad guy) Felipe Sherman will play the main villain; he will be a leader of the current Singh Brotherhood, being a descendant of the Singh pirates of the 16th century. Felipe Sherman is 40 years old, Brazilian, lives in the city of Santos in the state of São Paulo , works in delivery, and participates in geek events and cosplay. His character is a villain named Charles, leader of the current Singh Brotherhood. The villain has a sarcastic and evil temperament. Felipe Rios (Captain Clark in Jungle Patrol) Felipe Rios will play an old friend of the Phantom, Captain Clark of the Jungle Patrol, a police officer who helps fight crime. Felipe is 33 years old, Brazilian, and lives in Praia Grande in the state of São Paulo . He works as a musician, singer, and guitarist. Gabriel (bad guy) Another main villain named Rodnei will be the underlord of the Singh Brotherhood. Rodnei, is played by Gabriel , who is 44 years old, works as a driver, and is also a cosplayer, dressing up as Aquaman at events. He is Brazilian and lives in Guarujá in the state of São Paulo .

Roberto Guedes , a Brazilian reporter, former Phantom magazine editor, and Phantom phan has released a fanzine with a heavy Phantom influence focusing on local artists Gutemberg Monteiro and Walmir Amaral . This is the 11th issue from the " Forca Maxima " series and the first one focused on the Phantom, with other issues focusing on other mainstream and local characters and stories. Roberto Guedes website is guedes-manifesto.blogspot.com but if you want to get a copy for your collection, the best option is to contact him directly either via the website or via Facebook . The cover features artwork by Gutemberg Monteiro  which was originally used on Fantasma #85 published by RGE in 1964. It has been flipped and coloured by John Castelhano which gives it a more modern look. Gutemberg Monteiro who passed in 2012, started his career in 1943 and became one of the first Brazilians to work in the American market in the 1960's. He contributed to the Warren magazines Eerie and Creepy , and then illustrated many " Tom & Jerry " Sunday pages under the pen name Goott , as well as " Casper the Friendly Ghost " and " Hot Stuff the Little Devil ". Inside this magazine it will contain reproductions of two stories. " O Tesouro Submerso " (" The Sunken Treasure ") was originally published in Fantasma 85 , 1964, and was an adaptation of The Singh Brotherhood story by Lee Falk and Ray Moore . " Os Invasores da Floresta Negra " (" The Invaders of the Deep Woods ") by Elias Barrocas , Walmir Amaral de Oliveira , and Milton Sardella . It was first published in Fantasma 168 (1970). The story is about renegade aliens battling the Phantom in an entertaining science fiction plot—a type of plot generally avoided in stories written by Lee Falk . Thanks to Andreas Eriksson and Celso Nunes for the heads-up on this new publication. If there are any Brazilian phans who would like to review these comics and magazines for Chronicle Chamber, contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com .

Jermayn Parker and Stephen East chat with Swedish writer Magnus Carling. This is a fascinating chat with a new comer to the Phantom universe who has two story credits to his name. We learn about his jounery from a Fantomen reader as a kid who grew up in the 1980's to someone who gets to live most phans dreams of creating their own Phantom stories. You can follow Magnus Carling at his Instagram or Facebook, or look at his work on his website which includes links to his novels and books that you can purchase which includes several being translated into multiple languages including English. Some of the topics we touch upon in this podcast are his mentorship with popular Fantomen creator Dai Darell aka Diane Alfredhsson / Karlstrom. How the real life world problems of an off shore drill rig being hacked inspired one of his stories, his ways of solving a decreasing page count to tell a comic story plus much more. We love 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.

” Fantis ” in Fantomen 14-15/2025 is a two page humorous short story on the Phantom by Anders Skoglind . Skoglind is a Swedish comic creator from Tornedalen . Previously he has made comics for Åsa-Nisse , Humorklassiker , and 91:an . 91:an is one of Sweden’s most popular and well-known comics. So Skoglind probably is known by a lot of Fantomen readers, although he was personally unknown to me. I found the story quite funny; I especially liked the Phantom's 6th sense guiding him to “CHEFEN“, and I wouldn’t have minded if the story was a little longer, as I felt it ended a little bit abruptly. I hope we get to see more of this comic in future issues of Fantomen , when there’s a need to fill a few pages. My only dislike is that I personally detest whenever the Phantom is called Fantis, which in my mind is a derogatory nickname for Fantomen, but I think I am probably one of the few that reacts to that as much as I do. The name Fantis has been used many times before in Fantomen in other humorous comics. So, with that being the norm, I probably should try to conform. Would you like to see more Phantom stories with different art and writing styles in your Fantomen and or Phantom comics? Is there room for this exploration?

Released at Sydney Supanova 2025 is a purple skull pin for sale at their merchandise stall. The cost is $5 each, and they are the same design as the 2019 pin. The only difference between the two is the 2025 release is purple, while the 2019 version was silver. We have included a photo of the two side by side. Supanova does not have an online shop, so the only way to purchase is to either buy on the secondary market or attend an event yourself. The next Supanova events for 2025 are: Adelaide: October 31 to November 2. Brisbane: November 7 to November 9. Chronicle Chamber has a few extras and will be giving some away as future Patreon prizes. You can learn more about helping us out by becoming a Patreon here .

Fantomen has released three hardcover collection books so far and now details have started to be released on the 2025 book. 2024 saw the popular Kate Sommerset stories collected ( our review ). 2023 saw the Gladiator, Crusader and Egyptian Phantom stories collected ( our review ) and 2022 saw the Heart of Darkness stories collected ( our review ). The 2025 theme will be stories from the 1970 era which includes stories on the fascist country of Rodia (or Rhodia in the newspapers) with the title " På förbjuden mark " translated to " On Forbidden Ground ". It is now available for pre order for 795 sek ($130AUD, $80USD/EU & 7,000INR). It will be printed in Swedish and not English. Pre order your copy now The cover artist is Henrik Sahlström, who has drawn the past two previous hardcover albums and as usual has knocked this cover out of the park. " På förbjuden mark " is the title of the 1977 Team Fantomen story, written by Janne Lundström , with art by Jaime Vallvé and was first published in Fantomen 1/1977 , Fantomet #120 (1979) , Mustanaamio 10/1977 and Fantomet 10/1977 . It has yet to be published outside of Scandinavia and or in English. On the Adlibris website, it says the book will be released in August 2025 and unlike the first three books, this will be limited to 700 copies instead of 1,000. The theme listed on the website is: Rich mine owners exploit their workers, businessmen try to get away with pollution, and in the apartheid state of Rodia, a few thousand whites rule over millions of black residents. Corruption and oppression permeate Bengali and her neighboring countries, and the resistance movements need all the help they can get. Luckily for them, a wandering ghost haunts the deep forests, who has dedicated his life to fighting evil. Get to know the adventures that cemented the values ​​of the Phantom and put the Swedish newspaper on the world map. There are no details on the number of pages at this stage or the specific stories but based on the theme description on the Adlibris website it will feature a lot of the stories Robert Aman talks about in his two books. Some of the 'left leaning' elements included colonialism, major white families controlling natural resources, race, apartheid, environmental issues, gender equality etc and our Phantom helped solved these issues in Team Fantomen created stories. A lot of these stories have been published by Frew but apart from the newspaper stories, many have not been read by phans outside of Scandinavia and or Frew readers. We would recommend watching our past podcasts with Robert Aman and his two books: Podcast #235: When the Phantom became Swedish Podcast #101: The Phantom and politics When we know more about this book including the cover and the contents, we will update you via our website and social media platforms. We are still looking for a Fantomen reader who can help us with comic reviews, if that interests you, please contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com . Thanks go to Erik Engberg for the heads up on this news and others who have been able to help us with this announcement.

If you did not attend the Sydney Supanova event and missed out buying your pholio #10 set, Frew have now made them available to purchase on their website. The price is $99 +postage. You can purchase via this link The theme is the Phantom and his friends and features 9 prints by 9 Australian Frew cover and interior story artists in Clayton Barton , Marcelo Baez , Shane Foley , Antonio Lemos , Jeremy Macpherson , Lauren Marshall , Paul Mason , Jason Paulos and Alex Trpcevski . The artists have done a great job capturing the friendship between these beloved characters from the various depictions of creators from Lee Falk to a loved TV series to modern tales by Andrew Constant . Clayton Barton - Flash Gordon & Mandrake the Magician Marcelo Baez - Lothar & Mandrake the Magician Shane Foley - Emporer Joonka Antonio Lemos - Heloise, Guran, Hero & Devil Jeremy Macpherson - Rex & Joomba Lauren Marshall - Old Man Mozz Paul Mason - Bryon Jason Paulos - Miss Mist Alex Trpcevski - Frankenstein Past sets of the pholio's are also available on the Frew website to purchase ( link here ). Pholio #1: Phantom in Australia Pholio #2: Hermes Press variant covers Pholio #3: Phantom World covers Pholio #4: Phantom by Gaslight Pholio #5: The Phantom and Gaint Size Characters Pholio #6 / Pholio Mini #1: Femme Fatales Pholio #7: Pirates Pholio #8: Generations Pholio #9: Rough on Roughnecks Pholio Mini #2: Glenn Lumsden

For the Phantom to be successful, we need a popular and successful Phantom series in the USA. Starting September 24 2025, Mad Cave Studios regular series will be out in comic shops around the world. You can either pre order via Mad Cave Studios website or via your local comic shop with the pre orders being available in the July previews. The series is written by Ray Fawkes , drawn by Russell Mark Olson and lettered by Taylor Esposito . The first Phantom story of this new Phantom series was issue #0 which was released on Free Comic Day on 3 May 2025. Our review of this comic can be found here . The synposis of the first issue is: When a violent gang of smugglers stubbles on an idyllic Bandar village, the peace that the Phantom has brought to the African nation of Bangalla will suddenly shatter. It will take all of the Phantom’s many skills — and allies — to restore it. The most exciting series of the year starts here! To help make a big splash with this new series, Mad Cave Studios  has released various variant covers including two of the artists who have drawn Phantom covers for Australian publisher Frew . The art style is different and varied among the seven different artists which will be great to try and draw in multiple phans who all have different tastes. Cover A drawn by Freddie Williams II Cover B drawn by Canaan White Cover C drawn by Russell Mark Olson Cover D drawn by Dan Brereton Cover E drawn by Freddie Williams II which will be a B&W version of cover A Cover F is a Blank Sketch Cover Variant Mad Cave Studios website exclusive drawn by Maria Wolf 1:10 Retailer incentive drawn by Natacha Bustos We would not be surprised to see other variants released similar to what they did with their Defenders of the Earth comic to coincide with comic conventions around USA. Freddie Williams II Freddie Williams II entered the comic scene in 2005, when he began work with DC Comics on Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle . He has since gone on to work on several series including finding a niche in crossover series, including Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , He-Man/ThunderCats , Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe , and Turtles of Grayskull . This is not the first time he has drawn the Phantom. He has drawn the cover for the second Frew TPB. When we have spoken to him about the story behind this cover, he talked about his relationship with the Phantom came from his mother in-law who was a fan of the character and that he contacted Frew to draw the TPB cover as it was a homage to his mother in-law. Website Instagram Canaan White Canaan White entered the comic scene in 2006, when he was published by both the lndie Graphic Novel Publisher Dabel Brothers and Marvel Comics . He has since gone on to work on several series for Avatar Press ( Uber which is a historical fiction series on second world war), Zenescope ( Grimm Fairy Tales) and Marvel Comics ( Luke Cage and Ptolus ) Canaan White has also drawn a cover before for Frew for their 2017 Female Phantom Annual (issue 1774). Instagram Russell Mark Olson Russell Mark Olson has the disctintion of growing up in the St Louis, Missouri area which was the home town of Lee Falk . Russell is the current ongoing artist for this new Phantom series. Since moving to the United Kingdom, he has worked on several comic series in the UK comic scene including 2000AD , AccentUK , Cult Empire , Mad Robot , and other various UK and US small presses like " Gateway City ". Website Instagram Have you read the first #0 comic? If you have not, you can download your FREE copy at the Mad Cave Studios website . Dan Brereton Dan Brereton entered the comic scene back in 1988 with the story " Lost Causes Chapter 1 " in Merchants of Death #1 published by Eclipse Comics . Brereton gained further attention for his work on Batman: Thrillkiller , Superman and Batman: Legends of the World's Finest , and JLA: Seven Caskets , His most famous work is his own series " The Nocturnals ." This will be his first Phantom licensed work and it is good to see another USA well known creator adding the Phantom to their credits. Instagram Maria Wolf Maria Wolf entered the comic scene back in 2019 with her work on Boom! Studios . She has also drawn covers for Image Comics and IDW Publishing on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . Her rise has continued with several covers for Marvel Comics for Spider-Man , and Moon Kinght . She has also worked on several video games. She identifies with her tribe the Tarascan , purepecha of Michoacán Mexico and has created comic book illustrations for the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of the American Indian’s “Native Knowledge 360” ( KN360 ) online exhibit. Instagram Natacha Bustos Natacha Bustos is from Spain and has an unique clean style that may be a bit different for some old school phans but I believe it will appeal to many younger readers which we need to encourage to pick up every Phantom comic we can. Her first cover was for the Star Wars franchise for Marvel and since then has worked on other credits include Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur , Doctor Aphra , Buffy Vampire Slayer: Willow , Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville and Harley Quinn . Instagram The final cover is a sketch blank cover where you can hire an artist to use the comic as a canvas to create an unique custom illustration for you. Many of these have become popular in the USA comic industry. It will be interesting to see how many other Phantom phans buy this for their collections. Chronicle Chamber can confirm that these comics will be available to pre order via your local comic shop with the July previews. Preorder from your local comic shop to secure your copy. Retailers interested in exclusive variants are encouraged to contact Mad Cave and we have been told that no minimums are required!

Christian Moller  reviews the third issue from the newest magazine series from Zauberstern . The magazine was first released in shops on 26 May, 2025. The stories we review in this video are: " Die Insel der Schlangengöttin - Teil 2 " (" The Snake Goddess's Island Part 2 ") by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan " Terror in Mawitaan! " (" Terror in Mawitaan ") by Tony DePaul and Graham Nolan " Der Sindbad-Stein " (" The Sinbad Stone ") by Graham Nolan You can order your copy of this from the Zauberstern  website . They also sell their comics from shops throughout Germany. This issue only costs 7.99 Euro, is full colour and this issue is 64 pages, starting with the second part of the " The Snake Goddess's Island " story. The rest of the stories feature more drawn by Graham Nolan . This cover is by phan favourite Ertuğrul Edirne  and was repurposed with the original appearing on the Turkish Kızılmaske #6  comic published by Büyülü Çizgi Roman . The original cover featured a red Phantom and this has been edited to feature a purple Phantom. Spezial #4  will be out in July 2025. The print quality is great with thick glossy paper and the colours are very bright as per normal. This magazine do these stories justice. Included in this magazine is an editorial asking for feedback from the publishers - you can contact them at either tom@zauberstern-comics.de  and simeon.hrissomallis@zauberstern-records.de . All Zauberstern  Phantom comics and other Phantom comics from Germany 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.

June 21 and 22, 2025 Phantom phans from around Australia will be gathering to catch up and spend time together. In exciting news, Supanova are really making this a weekend to remember with two Phantom related panels on Saturday 21 June 2025. Billy Zane will be hosting a Q&A in the Superman Theatre at 2:30pm on Saturday 21 June 2025. Alex Trpcevski , Lauren Marshall and Daniel Picciotto will be hosting a Phantom themed panel at 4:30pm on Saturday 21 June 2025 at the Imagineers Stage . For those who want more, the following two creators will also be involved in other comic related panels that may interest some. Joe Jusko will be on a Q&A panel at the Imagineers Stage at 12:30pm on Saturday 21 June 2025. Lauren Marshall will be featured iin a sketch off with two other artists at the Imagineers Stage  at 12pm on Sunday 22 June 2025 Phantom guests at Supanova There will be a number of guests at Supanova Sydney  with Phantom credits. Below is a list along with their booth table numbers: Frew Phantom publishers booth. Booth number 3049 Billy Zane . Phantom actor for the 1996 movie. Photo times (Saturday: 10:50am & 4:05pm and Sunday: 11:40am & 4:40pm) Joe Jusko . Artist for the 1996 Inkworks  Phantom Puzzle card set. Booth number 4 Daniel Picciotto . Frew cover and interiors artist. He is the cover artist for issue 2000.   Booth number 15 Alex Trpcevski . Frew  cover artist. His most recent Frew  cover is issue 1998.   Booth number 20 Jamie Johnson . Frew , Hermes Press  and Lightning Strike  cover artist. His most recent Frew  cover is issue 1999.   Booth number 27 Lauren Marshall . Frew  cover artist. Her most recent Frew  cover is issue 1995.   Booth number 34 Most of the artists will be available for autographs on the comics they have worked on, plus will have prints and likely also be available for commissions and or have original art for sale. We suggest you contact them directly about commissions beforehand. Thanks goes to Daniel Brogna for the information on the two events and the announcement on the time table. You can either access the timetable via their app or via their website . For those in Perth who will also be attending the Perth version of Supanova , the weekend after (June 28 and 29 2025), Billy Zane will also be featured in a Q&A panel at 1:30pm at the Superman Theatre  on Saturday 28 June 2025. We have gone over the weekend in past podcasts and articles so for those who have come in late, to learn about the weekend, we recommend reading this article which outlines all the guests attending, the weekend phan gatherings and the LFMBEC  charity dinner . Other important links are what Frew will be having at their booth including their celebrational number 2000 comic . We have also chatted with four of the organisers for the charity money raising Phantom themed dinner . If you attend the event on the weekend, we trust you will have a great time.

Mad Cave Studios   Defenders of the Earth #7  was originally published 28 May 2025. This issue features two covers with Jedda Walker having her time to shine on the variant cover. Please note, this review will have spoilers including Jedda having a moment to shine in the story. Credits for the issue are: Title: " Grand Finale part 1 " Writer: Dan DiDio   Artist: Jim Calafiore Colourist: Juancho Velez   Letterer: Carlos M Mangual   Editor: Chas! Pangburn  and Sarah Brunstad Cover A: Jim Calafiore   Cover B: Djordje Djokovic  and Jack Tsai The synopsis: With Seven Nations on the brink of surrender to the ruthless Kro-Tan, Lothar and his ex-wife race to unite the fractured leaders, while Flash faces an impossible choice: save the world or the woman he loves. We learn the truth about Mings death and how Flash Gordon was involved which started in the Flash Gordon Quartley #3 . In this issue, we get a lot of action scenes with the Defenders of the Earth battling the ice robots. Plenty of opportunities for all the heroes (and the kids) to have their moment of glory. From a Phantom perspective, Jedda has a great moment as she gets the power of the 10 tigers. This was created for the tv series and up until now, the Phantom had not used the power. Do you like the power? Are you happy to see it back? We also see the return of the league of the Phantoms with Jedda's grandfather giving her the power. Will we see the league return in issue #8? Would you like to see them back? Do they add anything to the story? It seems like Jedda will be the main Phantom in any future issues of Defenders of the Earth . Do you like that? Would you like to see him stay more? The end of the issue see the heroes split as they try and defend the Seven Nations and take the fight to Castra and Krotan. Have you been following the series and what are your thoughts on what is happening with the Phantom? Please note, issue 8 comes out at the end of June 2025 and will feature the end of this series. According to an interview with writer Dan DiDio , he has penned a future series but that will depend on the success of this series. We would recommend you checking our platforms as we have published three interviews with the creator team for the series in Dan DiDio  the writer , Jim Calafiore  the illustrator  and Chas! Pangburn  the editor . A huge shout out to our reviewer Scott Waldyn  who will reviewing Phantom comics from USA. You can follow him from his Instagram and or website . All Mad Cave Studios  comics and other 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 and reviews.