[Editors note: This article was originally released in the amazing Friends of the Phantom Newsletter #20 released by the late Ed Rhoades and Pete Klaus in the USA Winter of 2000. The interview was conducted November 1999 only a month before his passing on December 7, 1999. This article was republished with permission. Access to all Friends of the Phantom newsletters and much more can be found at our Phantom Preservation Project.] George was an enigma, shy and outgoing, reticent and generous, open and articulate but protective of his privacy, talented and modest. He was grateful for having his work appreciated but adamant about not seeking fame for his efforts. During our conversation, he was approached by friends who knew him from dining at the establishment. When the waitresses saw the work he was autographing for us, they were surprised by his talent. They would never learn of his fame from his modest unassuming personality. Even though his residence was in the outskirts of a large metropolitan area, one gets a feeling of close community from the people there. The tone of our dinner was jovial and we were joking and laughing with George when we parted in the parking lot. Despite the fact that George has made no public appearances at comic shows and had no desire to do so, the fans would have certainly enjoyed his warm company. The evening Pete and I had with him certainly was a thrill for two longtime Phantom fans and it is our honor and pleasure to share it with our readers. Initially, in a phone conversation, he told me that he thought he only did the first few then worked on novels instead, but upon closer examination he recalled doing the cover art for all but three. Some he recalled specifically others he looked for details of his style. [Editors Note: Anyone have a clue on which covers he did not do?] One issue where the Phantom is fighting villains on a tile roof, contains a self portrait of George as a bad guy emerging from a window. [Editors note: Below Right] FotP: Were you interested in art as a young man? George Wilson: Oh yeah. I knew what I wanted to be when I was 16. You know most kids don't know what they want to be when they're 21 and graduating from college. Even when I was a little kid, I used to get up on a Saturday morning and sit on the couch and draw on the back of the dust jackets the rental library gave out. FotP: You showed the talent early? GW: Well, I had the desire anyway. FotP: Did you read comics and pulps? GW: At that time when I was growing up the best ones were the Big Little Books and my favorite was Alex Raymond (who did) Flash Gordon. FotP: Did you ever work on pen and ink? GW: Oh yeah. FotP: Did you do interiors of any books? GW: As a matter of fact yes. Recently a woman called me from California. She said her husband is writing a couple of books on the Hardy Boys. She said "I understand you did some. Can you get me the names of them?" And I said I'll have to consult my workbook. I'll get back to you; I'll mail you the list. And son of a gun. I had done twenty two. I was surprised. They were all pen and ink on the inside. FotP: What other mediums have you worked with? GW: Acrylic or oil or a combination. Sometimes when you've got a large area you want it to be smooth. Acrylic will leave brush strokes, so you go over it with oils and rub down with your thumb. FotP: Did you use pastels or watercolors? GW: No pastels isn't a commercial medium. Some people use it but it's a little too messy. With watercolors, I could never really catch on to the knack of it. A friend of mine I went to art school with is a master at it now. He's selling all his stuff through galleries. FotP: Did you follow the Phantom when you were younger? GW: I used to read the Phantom comic strips in the paper, but I didn't buy the comic books. FotP: Where did you grow up? GW: Buffalo. FotP: When is your birthday? GW: Aug 2 1921. FotP: Which areas of the country have you visited or lived in? GW: I moved to Syracuse, NY in 1935 and then we moved out to Buffalo, NY. Then I went down to Richmond, Virginia to art school for two years, then up to New York to Pratt Institute for 2 years. I then went in the army for over three years and back to Pratt again after the war. I went back to the same rooming house that I was in before the war. The room I had was where Carl Sandberg edited his Abraham Lincoln books. I slept in the same bed he slept in and worked at the same desk he worked at. The landlady was a proofreader for Harcourt Brace and she knew him quite well. He used to go up to their place in Connecticut in the summers. FotP: What branch were you in the armed forces? GW: Engineer. Camouflage. We went into Normandy. FotP: Besides Alex Raymond, which artists influenced you? GW: Oh gosh, there are so many of them. Noel Sickles was one [editors note: Noel Sickles was an illustrator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip Scorchy Smith.] FotP: Did you like fine art too? GW: Oh yeah. I was strictly a realist. Never went in for avant garde stuff. FotP: Did you work on other comics besides Gold Key for Western Publishing? GW: When I first started with Western, the comic books were being done for Dell and then after awhile I think Dell wanted to do their own or something like that, so Western Publishing struck out on their own. FotP: What titles did you work on? GW: Turok, Boris Karoff, Twilight Zone and Outer limits. FotP: Did you do other commercial art besides comics? GW: From 1983 to 1992, I was doing paperback romances for Harlequin. Funny thing, I thought I'd get tired of doing them as it's just one clinch after another but would you believe I never did. It paid pretty well. FotP: Did you work for an agency? GW: No, I freelanced my whole career except for one period of 2 weeks, I worked for a studio and literally had to punch a time clock. We were doing work for the government - catalogs and that work kind of played out. FotP: Did you use models for your paintings? GW: Oh yeah. For the paperbacks yes. For the Gold Keys, I usually tried to resort to photographs I had already taken for other things, twist an arm around here, use another photograph for the arm back here - get them all mixed up. FotP: Do you have a big morgue? GW: I have files, loaded with photographs back there now that I was taking mostly for paperbacks. FotP: You took your own photos? GW: No. We would go to a photographer. Some illustrator was able to talk the client into paying for the model and for the photographic shoot and that was a big step. Before we were very stingy in the shots we'd take, but with them paying for it, we were clicking away like mad. FotP: Would you describe your materials? GW: As far as watercolor brushes, I only use Winsor Newton, because they're the only ones you can depend on to always come to a point. But I use other sable brushes and bristle brushes, anything that will work. Different brushes give you different effects. FotP: How would you describe your style or technique? GW: Realistic. FotP: Did you keep any of the studies? GW: No. I got rid of that process stuff, that stuff will pile up on you. I live in a three room apartment. My books are driving me out into the hallway. FotP: Did you read the books to get ideas? GW: It's so long ago that I forget how I did those things. I must have been given a synopsis. Generally the way it works, is I would make a couple of rough pencil sketches and sent them in and they'd okay one or the other. FotP: Why did you only sign some of your novels? GW: I probably just forgot. A lot of times I signed it but it was kind of hidden. FotP: Are you still doing commercial art? GW: I do work for a WW2 magazine and one called Wild West put out by Cole's Multimedia. They put out one called Military History, one called Civil War, WW2, and one called Wild Wild West. FotP: What are you currently working on? GW: I just finished up a thing for WW2. Scenes of the Last Battle for Berlin. FotP: How did you get your ideas for it? GW: They seem to accept a lot of just battle scenes and I wanted to get more than that so I did one of an SS trooper. In the scene I used three men are coming up in the background and I thought it was pretty effective. And I did one of the Battle of the Bulge with a couple of Americans moving up through the woods trying to sneak up on the Germans. I tried to hook on something particular to make it more interesting than an ordinary battle scene. FotP: Do you do any painting for yourself or is it all commercial? GW: Mostly commercial. Gotta get the food on the table and get the rent paid. FotP: You probably don't meet a lot of your fans? GW: No, as a matter of fact, I never know whether the stuff is appreciated or not. I did get a hunting knife from a fan. I got a letter back from this guy with this complimentary knife, a scabbard and all. [Editors note: This article was originally released in the amazing Friends of the Phantom Newsletter #20 released by the late Ed Rhoades and Pete Klaus in the USA Winter of 2000. The interview was conducted November 1999 only a month before his passing on December 7, 1999. This article was republished with permission. Access to all Friends of the Phantom newsletters and much more can be found at our Phantom Preservation Project.] If you love George Wilson's artwork and or want to learn more about him, you may be interested in The Hermes Press "The Art of George Wilson" by Anthony Taylor. You can pre order / purchase at the Hermes Press website plus other sources like Amazon etc.

The Phantom seems to have found a great customer base for phantom merchandise after a new line of t-shirts have been found to be in circulation. With a new brand and a big Indian corporation involved, it is indeed a very exciting news for phans in India. The new T-Shirt is printed on a nice cotton fabric and has a nice Sy Barry style Phantom face along with the name of the character. The company behind the shirts is called 'Fashion Creek'. After a little digging they are found to be affiliated with Reliance Industries. Therefore it can be assumed that these are made only to be sold in Reliance Clothing stores and Malls across the country. It is also notable that it was first spotted in one of the Reliance Smart Bazaar Malls. The price tag on the shirt has the new Phantom style guide design launched by KFS for merchandising purposes. The copyright information also mentions KFS with a 2023 date. Which would mean they have been out for sale at a minimum five months, but haven't been reported yet. The shirt is only found in one colour and size in the store I found, however there may be more and we have enquired about it with them. Unknown as of yet is whether there are other designs and sizes which we have enquired with them about. The shirt is priced ₹599 ($7.18 USD, $11.02 AUD, €6.67 euro & 77.10 kr) and the only way to get them is to find them in the Reliance stores across India. There is still much to know about the t shirts like different sizes, colour or other designs. If anyone knows more about them or find more information about them, please contact us at our email chroniclechamber@gmail.com or reach out to us at our various social media accounts.

Mythos is back with a new hardcover omnibus being released in May 2024. It will be a large 544 pages presented in black and white format. You can pre order here The omnibus will contain the stories between 1942 and 1944 all created by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy. "The Inexorables" "Bent Beak Broder" "The Phantom's Engagement" "High Seas Highjacker" "Diana" "The Crooner" Chronicle Chamber has reviewed the first three omnibus volumes which you can view below if you would like to decide if you want to add this book to your collection. If there is anyone who reads the Fantasma comics and understands Portuguese, please contact us as we would love some to join the team who can review Phantom comics and books that come from Brazil.

Gonçalo Júnior is a recognized author in Brazil, having written more than 20 books, including biographies. He has done his extensive research on the Phantom and Lee Falk for the book, in total he has worked on this book for 20 years. In an interview with the Phantom channel FantasmaBrasil, he told host Glaucio Cardoso, that this book will present Lee Falk as a human rights activist. Below are two interviews with Gonçalo Júnior as he talks about his book - note they are in Portuguese. Sometimes he has been labeled unfairly as a racist with his depictions of the jungle folk in the Phantom strip and Lothar in Mandrake The Magician. You can support the fundraiser campaign here The book is 14cm x 21cm and will be over 300 pages with many photos never seen before. There is a limit of only 300 copies. The description of the book is: His story is finally revealed in this exclusive biography for Brazilian fans, written by an author who is a super fan of the masked hero who spent decades reading his stories and searching for details about his life!! You will meet an unimaginable Lee Falk, who: 1) He fought against racism! 2) He was a spy during the Second World War! 3) Denounced the fake Hitler biography! 4) Proved the existence of concentration camps! 5) Revolutionized American theater by placing black actors as protagonists! 6) He fought for the civil rights of black people and against the Vietnam War in the 1960s! 7) He was in Brazil and his trip is extensively documented in the book, with never-before-seen images! 8) He wrote his characters' stories for more than 60 years! At the stage of writing the book is 60% funded (dated 29 March 2024). Unfortunately, the crowd fundraiser does not ship the book but we would suggest contacting a Brazilian Phantom phan and ask them to pledge for your behalf. If you would like to look into more of the discussion of the Phantom and if he is racist, we would recommend our article which was written by Joe Douglas. The first YouTube video has the option for English subtitled so you can follow along. The interview is by FantasmaBrazil. The second YouTube video is by Obra Nerd. Note: it doesn't have English subtitled. Attached are some interior shots of the book. Thank you to Celso Nunes for his help and information on this article. If there is anyone who reads the Fantasma comics and understands Portuguese, please contact us as we would love some to join the team who can review Phantom comics and books that come from Brazil.

Regal Publishers in India has been publishing the Phantom Comics in English for nearly four years now (since 2020). Their last issue #35 is a themed Christmas special that came out during the second week of January 2024. With three stories and 80 pages with some other updates, this new issue hasn't failed to satisfy the phans in India. The three stories featured in the comic are: "The Epidemic" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry "Tiger, Tiger" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry "Captain Amazon - Pirate Queen" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry The cover by Ankit Mitra looks really good with the lamination and the thick paper it's printed on. Essentially another Christmas themed cover, it features a collage of several moments from the three stories inside with a Christmas phlavour. The same art is used for a Christmas card provided as a freebee with the comic. The inside credits page of the comic features a disclaimer which address the themes portrayed in the stories and specifies them as work of fiction from the time period they were originally published in. It's indeed something very interesting to see. The first story 'The Epidemic' is a Daily story from the early years of Sy Barry drawing the Phantom. With a great script by Lee Falk, it is a very exciting read. What adds to it are colours by Ivan Pederson, which are just pleasing to the eye and enhances the reading of the story. The colours also look really great on the paper it's printed on. It is also noteworhy that it is the first publication of Ivan's colours for this story, unlike the #31st Regal issue where it was already published by Frew. The second story 'Tiger, Tiger' is a Sunday story from the 1990s, which explains the idea behind both the tigers and lions existing in Bangalla. The story is coloured by Simi Muhamma, who has now become Regal's primary colorist. The colours look good, even though the extra shades and shadows, and not having a continuity with them remain. Otherwise, it looks very good with the printing. The third and final story in the comic 'Captain Amazon - Pirate Queen' is also a Sunday story from the 1990s. A phan phavorite, the story is also coloured by Simi Muhamma. In this story, it seems he has coloured using, a updated colour style, with the shades or shadows being gone. The colour looks really good and makes the story a pleasant read. Regal Publishers 35th issue is another great addition to their publishing catalogue, with continuous great printing, improved colouring among other things. An interesting note is that included on the last page features an advert from a local company, this a great way to get more revenue. However, the larger than normal intervals between comics is an issue that they need to be mindful of, along with the size of the panels being printed in the story. If they were a little enlargement it could have made the reading experience more pleasant. Regal's next issue #36 has been announced with an another Lee Falk and Sy Barry Sunday story from the 1990s, which should be out sometime next month. Until then Happy Phantoming! All Regal Comics and other Indian and other country 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.

Fantomen and the Uppsala Comix are working together to release a themed comic that will be released the week before the comic convention held on 14 April 2024. Included in the comic is the story titled " Demonens avbild " (" The Demon's Image ") by Tony DePaul and Heiner Bade which feature the 19th and 21st Phantom visit the city. On top of this, the comic features an amazing cover by Henrik Salhstrom who manages to portray several Uppsala  popular landmarks with a disguised Phantom in his Mr Walker alias. Robert Aman and Andreas Eriksson will both be attendance with panels. Robert will be talking about his new (not Phantom related) book and Andreas will be talking about the Phantom. You can find out more about the convention at their website or follow them on social media ( Facebook and Instagram ). This story has yet to be published outside of Scandinavia and was voted as the best adventure back in 1995 for Norwegian Fantomet readers. This is not the first time the Fantomen magazine has worked together with a convention or organisation to release a themed comic. In 1986, the Swedish Gröna Lund theme park in Stockholm, on their "Phantom Day", June 12th, 1986. Re released Fantomen 12/1986 with an extra cover - the contents were exactly the same. In 2008, Fantomenland gave away a comic featuring " Piratskeppet S/S Blitz " (" S.S. Blitz ") by Lee Falk and Sy Barry along with a program for an outdoor theatre show titled " The Phantom's Birthday ". It has me wondering if Frew and Fantomen have perhaps missed a beat by not creating a short or regular sized story every year featuring The Phantom visiting Sydney and Gottenburg for the Supanova and Gottenburg comic / book fairs? Thank you to Andreas Eriksson and Mikael Lyck for their help and letting us know about this news. If you spot other Phantom related news, please let us know via our social media platforms or via email.

Thursday 9 April 2020, Frew Publications are releasing the next story in the 22nd Phantom saga which has seen the 21st Phantom mysteriously disappear and Bengalla in turmoil with an earthquake and tsunami destroying much of the country. The 21st Phantom is nowhere to see. Kit and Heloise don't like each other. General Bababua and Lubanga are back. There is unrest between many tribes in the Jungle which sees the peace of the Golden Ox at breaking point. Frew will be publishing FOUR parts in the next part of the ongoing saga which was last published in 2017. This video is to help you get a recap of the first three stories. Only 10 minutes in length along with some questions we have about the next four parts and we touch upon how this future arc can fit in your Phantom universe along with some clues on how to identify just how far into the future this is to happen. We have reviewed the first three stories in a longer and more detailed podcast which you can listen to via the player below.

Hermes Press has announced that they will be re releasing the 1980's DC Series stories into a three volume series hardcover reprint series. The series will be very similar as past publications were they have previously republished USA publications like the Charlton, King and Gold Key series. Hermes first volume is due out in May 2021 and will feature the four stories from the mini series and two from the regular series. Volume two and three will feature the remainder of the regular series. No release dates on volume two and three have been announced at this date. The cost will be $50US which is $65AUD, €40 Euro and 415sek. Obviously prices will likely change in May 2021. Like with their Daily, Sunday, Don Newton and Jim Aparo hardcover series, there will be extras in editorials, extra art scans and essays included. No word if Hermes will be digitally altering the colours like previously. The four-part mini series published by DC Comics in 1988 was written by Peter David and drawn by Joe Orlando and Dennis Janke. The amazing covers were created by Joe Orlando, Dave Gibbons & coloured by Anthony Tollin. Following its success, a regular series was launched the following year published from 1989-1990. Plans were in place to continue the series but due to low sales the license was not renewed after the first year and the series ended with the 13th issue. The series was written by Mark Verheiden, drawn by Luke McDonnell who also drew the covers and coloured by Anthony Tollin. We have been lucky enough to interview both DC creators artist Luke McDonnell and writer Mark Verheiden in our X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. Below are the video podcast interviews. If you are a phan of this series, these podcasts are a must watch / listen. During the podcasts both creators were asked about republication by Hermes, either at that stage it was not on the cards or they held their cards close to their chest.

A huge thanks from a phan from Baltimore who pointed us in the right direction that Boss Fight Studio has released a listing and concept picture of their wave 1.5 which is likely to be released in June 2021. This is interesting as it is the first time we have heard about a 1.5 wave. The first wave will have: Blue Julie Walker as the Phantom 21st Phantom in purple Phantom with Hero in grey(gray) The Phantom with Hero is not yet available for pre order but you can pre order the other two here. In a previous video released by Boss Fight Studio, we have been told that the second wave will include: 11th Phantom in unknown colour Singh Pirate with multiple heads and gear so you could buy several and have multiple pirates for the Phantom to fight. There are no current release or ore order dates for wave 2.0 but with wave 1.5 having a tentative date of June 2021, I expect wave 2.0 to be released in the last quarter of 2021 with pre orders 1-3 months prior. Wave 1.5 will contain another Phantom and a female Phantom (who is likely Julie, the Phantoms 17th twin sister) but in different colours and with different accessories than in wave 1.0. The Phantom from wave 1.5 will be in blue and red underpants which is the typical Scandinavian colour set. He will be included with the 'Little People' which are an alien race that crash landed on Earth long ago, and who since then have lived in Bangalla and now the Island of Eden. The female Phantom will be in red which is the traditional southern Europe and South American colour set. She will be included with a Chronicle Book. This is the first time we have seen the red costume. It will be interesting reading and seeing the reactions from phans and if you will pre order and buy wave 1.5 as well as wave 1.0. Wave 1.5 has the same Phantoms as in wave 1.0 but in different colours. It could be a good test for the market to see if there is enough interest for phans to buy multi coloured Phantoms with slightly different accessories. This phan boy will be, will you? To find out more about Erik Arana and Boss Fight Studio, we recommend watching our X-Band: The Phantom Podcast episode #146. Video is below: A huge thanks to the phan from Baltimore for the news. If you ever spot any news that we have missed, please email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com.

Claes Reimerthi is retiring and it is going to leave a huge gap in the Phantom world. There will be questions on everyone's lips after the news broken by stalwart Kari Lappanen who posted on his own website that the story he is currently working on is his last script. Claes Reimerthi has been writing Phantom since 1984 and has just under 300 credited Phantom stories published for Team Fantomen, the Daily and the Sunday newspaper stories. Claes is second behind only Lee Falk as the most credited Phantom writer who wrote 345 Phantom stories between 1936 and his death in 1999. It was always interesting to some if Claes could ever take over as the most published Phantom writer. Unless he decides to write freelance, he will fall short. We can confirm after speaking with outgoing Team Fantomen editor Mikael Sol that Claes is retiring so he can focus on his own writings. With Claes Reimerthi retiring it leaves me with three BIG QUESTIONS that must be asked. Question One: Who will take over as the main Team Fantomen writer? Out of the last 50 stories published by Team Fantomen, 32 of those were written by Claes Reimerthi. Along with 7 stories also written by Mikael Sol in the past 50 stories who both have now moved on from Team Fantomen it leaves a huge hole for new editor Andreas Eriksson and Jacob Habinc to fill. We can also confirm that Mikael has been asked to freelance future stories. Will they however find one main writer or will they go for several writers to help fill the void? Question Two: What does this mean for the 22nd Phantom Saga? Claes Reimerthi struck gold with his 22nd Phantom saga which sees the complete 21st Phantom world as we know it all in upheaval. The 21st Phantom is missing, Diana is separated from him, Kit and Heloise were fighting, General Bababu is in control of a war torn Bengalla and Hero and Devil all or were missing. We can confirm that 22nd Phantom artist Janusz Ordon has two other Claes scripts he is working on currently but after that? Most phans love the series so let us hope that the new team hires someone with enough Phantom experience to continue on with the great work he has given us so far. Question Three: What about the Sandal Singh ongoing saga with the illegitimate son Nadir Singh? Some phans enjoy it, a lot do not like it and others are in the wait and see what happens before they storm the Egmont castle with their pitchforks. While Claes struck gold with the 22nd Phantom saga, the Sandal Singh storyline has some phans upset. What will happen? Was The Phantom raped? Is the son, the 21st Phantoms? Has Claes written down a storyline map for this storyline? If the mapped out storyline exists, will that remain or will the new writer take it in a new direction? Thanks to Norwegian phan Thomas Askjellerud for informing us about this huge development plus Mikael Sol who confirmed the retirement for Chronicle Chamber. Lastly, we must thank Claes Reimerthi for his huge amount of work and dedication he has given so we can enjoy the Phantom! As in perfect Phantom tradition, the mantle is now passed onto the next generation to battle evil. As you were gentlemen!

The Lee Falk Memorial Bangalla Explorers Club (LFMBEC) dinner is one of the best Phantom themed events you can go to. Please note that these events are invite only and there are limited spots available. Get in early. To be included in the mailing list or to have a look at past dinners, please go to their website - www.lfmbec.org. Dinner #35 will be held in Sydney, Australia on the 22 June 2024 at Deus Café, 98-104 Parramatta Road, Camperdown. Every year there is a main guest, this year the guest of honour will be Ash Nicholls, the creator of the Phantom video game. You can learn more about the video game and Ash in "X-Band: The Phantom Podcast" episodes #241 and #268. We have been informed that for the first time in the dinner history that a representee from the Chidlren's Hospital at Westmead will also be attending. Attached below is a photo from 2023 with Antonio DiDio, Mel, Bradley and Joyful Peach with the donation raised by the patreons of the 2023 LFMBEC dinner. Alongside this dinner there is also Sydney Supanova that is being held on 22 and 23 June 2024. You can find out about all Australian convention details at our website. For Those Who Have Come In Late, we suggest watching the attached video which is an interview with Dr Antonio DiDio, one of the founders of the LFMBEC event. You can also listen to the interview by clicking here. Please note that these events are invite only and there are limited spots available. Get in early. To be included in the mailing list or to have a look at past dinners, please go to their website - www.lfmbec.org.

Mikael Lyck from Chronicle Chamber reviews Fantomen 4/2024, 5/2024 & 6-7/2024 which feature the following stories: Fantomen 4/2024 "Ondskans sändebud" ("The Message") by Norman Worker and Kari Leppänen "Försvunnen i det östra mörkret" ("Return of the Eastern Dark - Shameful Trade") by Duncan Munro and Daniel Picciotto Fantomen 5/2024 "Brutna beten" ("Broken Bait") by David Bishop, Anthony Spay and Brian Atkins Fantomen 6-7/2024 "Vägs ände" ("Phantom's End") by Tony DePaul, Mike Manley, and Scott Cohn "Kidnapparna" ("The Kidnappers") by Lee Falk, Elizabeth Falk, George Olesen, and Fred Fredericks Review of Fantomen 4/2024 Cover by Luca Erbetta, to me it looks like a bit different technique used than his normal techniques. I am no expert but it feels very different than his usual covers, very sharp lines on the faces and great colors. "Ondskans sändebud" ("The Message") by Norman Worker and Kari Leppänen A classic Team Fantomen story about the origin of the Good Mark. I am however, a bit confused - when they hang on the chandelier it looks like the good mark, but then on the next page he presents it as it is a new motive and symbolising the 4 sabers. Well it is a great story nonetheless. Then we have a shorter Frew story, also a good one. FIrst published in Frew #1910 (2022). "Försvunnen i det östra mörkret" ("Return of the Eastern Dark - Shameful Trade") by Duncan Munro and Daniel Picciotto Review of Fantomen 5/2024 Cover artist Henrik Sahlström gives us his second cover this year. This issue and cover was originally suppose to be released last year, but there was some issues making it miss its first publication date. "Brutna beten" ("Broken Tusk") by David Bishop, Anthony Spay and Brian Atkins This story is about an elephant that never forgets as the old saying goes. This elephant does not forget the humans that wronged him. The Phantom is on damage control and tries to warn all the spoiled people that live in a gated community, but they will not listen to reason. I really like Anthony Spay's style as an artist and the story has a nice feel about it. The comic continues with a new story, "La Venin" by Laurent Astier. This series has taken the top spot for me of side comics in the Fantomen comics and I can't wait for the next part. Review of Fantomen 6-7/2024 Cover artist is again Henrik Sahlström, making it his third cover of the year. It looks like he is back from his hiatus, and I think all Fantomen phans are happy about that! This cover is really awesome and would look great as a poster. On top of getting the conclusion of the "La Venin" story by Laurent Astier, we get two Phantom stories: "Vägs ände" ("Phantom's End") by Tony DePaul, Mike Manley, and Scott Cohn The next part of the continuous ark of the end of the 21st Phantom according to Tony DePaul, I think this part is one of the strongest, I like to see Kit as the freedom fighter and how fate is cruel towards 21. "Kidnapparna" ("The Kidnappers") by Lee Falk, Elizabeth Falk, George Olesen, and Fred Fredericks The last Sunday story Lee Falk wrote, that got finished by his wife Elizabeth. It is not a great story, and at least in Swedish the “clue” that Tania leaves on tv is not viable to be solved. Lastly we have a new competition for the best Fantomen cover of 2023, you can find out more about it here. Until next time, Happy Phantoming! All Fantomen 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. Thanks also goes to Jörgen Karlsson for his help creating the Fantomen review intro which will now be featured for all reviews by Mikael Lyck.

In 1978 and again in 1984, Without Authority and Sydney's anarchist bookstore Jura Books used the Phantom to advertise their displeasure on the Australian governments decision to mine uranium in the Northern Territory. These posters are examples of radical political poster art from the late 1970s and 1980's, and further evidence of the Phantom's cultural appeal & recognition in Australia during this period of time. Without Authority was established by Joanne Horniman and Tony Chinnery. From what we understand Tony Chinnery is the artist behind the borrowing of the Phantom. The 1978 poster says "I swear on the skull of my anti-uranium badge to devote myself to the overthrow of Frazer [sic] and to spend my life in the destruction of capitalism and the state." The 1984 poster replaces "Frazer" [sic] with "Hawke", a reference to Bob Hawke, who succeeded Malcom Fraser as Australia's 23rd Prime Minister in 1983. Phantom historian Kevin Patrick wrote about these prints and posters in the book Graphic Indigeneity: Comics in the Americas and Australasia. However most phans have probably never seen these before. You can buy them at various art gallery websites online but the cheapest we have seen was one listed on eBay for $750 +postage. Eagle eyed phans would recognise the image as being re purposed from a Frew advertising advert on the back of their comics and in posters displayed throughout Australia and overseas like Papua New Guinea. The below photo is an example from James Lee's collection of the different uses of the design to promote the comics being sold. The story doesn't end here with Without Authority creating Phantom themed posters. During the research of the Fraser / Hawke prints we found a third print which is very likely to also been designed by Tony Chinnery. As you can see the main image of the Phantom is also repurposed from another source. This image of Diana dressed up as the Phantom is from the 32nd Sunday Phantom story titled "The Female Phantom". The Chronicle Chamber team have always been familiar with barcodes on everyday products, so we asked Kevin Patrick to provide us with some historical context to understand the significance of this poster. “The Australian Product Number System was introduced in the late 1970s to facilitate the application of barcodes to a wide variety of retail products, a few years after they became commonplace in the US.” “I think the Without Authority poster is addressing concerns that individual grocery items would no longer have a price sticker, other than the barcode price label affixed to the supermarket shelf. This means that customers wouldn’t be able to tell at first glance how much an item cost and make it difficult for them to calculate their grocery bill before they reached the check-out.” “Furthermore, retailers could simply increase the price of any given product via their computerised inventory database, rather than manually putting a new price sticker over the older (cheaper) price, making it difficult for shoppers to keep track of price increases.” This video from ABC's Friday Focus TV show in 1980s highlights both the commercial benefits and public concerns about the introduction of barcodes in Australia. “I’m guessing that Without Authority used the image of the ‘Girl Phantom’ for this poster because they felt that housewives and working mothers would bear the brunt of potential retail price gouging made possible by this new system. I doubt very few men took sole responsibility for grocery shopping back in the day!” “The bigger question for me, however, is who was the intended audience for these posters? The ‘Girl Phantom’ poster is especially puzzling – how widely did it circulate? Was it plastered over public spaces – especially near supermarkets – where people would see it?” “Also, there’s no ‘call to action’, or indication of how or where concerned people could educate themselves about the hidden costs of barcode-based pricing systems.” “Given this poster was produced long before the advent of websites or QR codes, how were people supposed to get further information about this topic? Was the poster simply designed to raise public awareness about the issue? Or was it just intended to be a broad swipe at the exploitative nature of capitalism?” “It’s a great piece of ‘guerilla art’, but its message seems muddled. At least the Condoman poster told people to ‘use Frenchies’ [condoms] to avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases!” We are still uncovering so much about the Phantom's cultural legacy in Australia. Thanks must go to Kevin Patrick for a lot of the information and also to James Lee for the use of his photo of pieces from his collection. If you ever spot oddity items like this, please contact us at ChronicleChamber.com or one of our social media platforms.

A very exciting new high-end Phantom collectible is about to hit the market. Phans who have been following the progress of The Phantom Art Show as it wends its way around Australia would know that one of the new and very popular pieces on display in Broken Hill is Peter Kingston's giant Snakes and Ladders board game. Now co-curators Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch (producers of the wonderful Solander Box collection) are announcing that a small scale version of the game, fully licensed by KFS, will be produced and made available for public sale. As an art work alone, the playing board is beautifully laid out with classic Ray Moore and Wilson McCoy panels. Thoughtfully, frames depicting happy events send players climbing ladders while encounters with roughnecks and the like will have you tumbling down a snake. The general arrangement of the snakes and ladders themselves, and therefore the game-play, has been modeled from a Victorian era set. Put simply, it also works as a functional and enjoyable game for the whole family. Kingston and Lederwasch will be making the Snakes and Ladders game on demand and in lots of 5 at a time. However, numbers are strictly limited to only 20 copies. You read that right: only twenty of these wonderful items will be created. They are very time consuming and intensive to make, so each one is a definitely a labour of love. The playing boards will be 49cm x 49cm in size and personally hand crafted by Lederwasch using box board and buckram, and will be signed by Peter Kingston. As for playing pieces, each game comes with two figurines, lovingly cast in resin and hand painted by Kingston. They range in height from 4-11 cms and fittingly, they will be The Phantom and either a friend or foe. This second figure will vary from set to set and is another way you will know that you have a truly unique and one-of-a-kind item. As Dietmar says, "all our products are hand cut, moulded, printed, glued, highlighted, drawn, inked, ................ no two items will be identical. Each piece is unique. Each piece is a genuine Art work for you to enjoy and hopefully hand down for generations to come." Given the workmanship involved and the bespoke nature of the game, the price of only $150 (+ postage) per set represents excellent value. It would not be at all surprising if the 20 games are sold out very quickly indeed. Contents: 49cm x 49cm game board, dice & holder, and 2 figurines only. Copyright - King Features Syndicate 2016. UPDATE: Sales of the game are paused at this time. While they are extremely gratified at the response and huge demand in the first 24 hours, Dietmar and Peter need time to create the games for orders already placed. Orders will recommence at at date to be advised once current orders have been filled. Rest assured, we will post on ChronicleChamber when this occurs! Note: many images on this page are of the original art piece. The replica game board available for sale is the smaller scale version. #ArtShow #PeterKingston #DietmarLederwasch #RayMoore #WilsonMcCoy #KingFeaturesSyndicate

2023 is once again a tough year to decide which is the best cover for Fantomen 2023. The covers for 2023 were all an amazing high quality. You can listen or watch what the team from Chronicle Chamber voted for on the Best of 2023 X-Band: The Phantom Podcast. This year the prize is for a Christmas 2023 album which is different to the limited print of the best cover of the winning 2022 cover. This competition is also open for international phans with the winning prize sent free of charge to your address. You can vote until 4th of April and the result will be announced in Fantomen 16/2024 with a poster of the winning cover as a supplement in the comic. GO AND VOTE NOW!!