Frew Publications has recently released a three part story titled "The Golden Queen" by Australian creator Shane Foley. This video is part of our "For Those Who Came In Late" video series and is designed to help give phans an idea on what they may have missed if you have not read this story or have forgotten it and cannot be bothered digging it out amongst your archive of comics. What makes this three part story special is that it is a prequel to a 1960's story by Lee Falk and Sy Barry titled "The Golden People". It was the 78th Sunday story and originally published in American newspapers from December 14th, 1969, to March 29th, 1970. This story was the only time the people, has ever been seen in both newspapers and other created stories around the world. It has however included on the Alga board game released in 1984 which includes a map painted by Ozcan Eralp. The "The Golden People" story was last published in Australia Frew #1335 (2002) Brazil Fantasma #315 (1972 ) Sweden Fantomen 2021 Christmas Album Turkey Kizilmaske #10 (2014) India Indrajal Vol 22 No 40 The story starts off with Rex and Tomm Tomm wanting to explore the major and minor treasure rooms and we get a preview of the amazing objects in the Skull Cave. Rex finds a golden flower that feels like metal and the Phantom has no idea. He looks into the chronicles and finds a date of April 1735 with the words "I returned from the Golden People with only a gold flower to remember them. I promised to say no more". This is what Shane Foley explores. that one paragraph in the chronicles. Brilliant concept. Back to the story, Devil and Hero go for a run and devil brings back a golden flower. Devil shows The Phantom where he found it and he is led to a cave with a hidden lake and a waterfall. He luckily escapes an arrow directed at his head and then climbs the waterfall. Once he reaches the top he gets attacked and quickly defeats the guard who recognises the Phantom. The Phantom then sees a queen being tied to a throne and about to be burnt who he of course foolishly runs in and rescues her and they all get excited about him being a 'mighty messenger of the gods'. The 21st Phantom then learns about the ceremony of the queen which includes them burning the queen every three years. What is interesting is the wall paintings which we learn that the queen and the Phantom were in love. The Phantom had to leave the broken hearted queen who then died of a broken heart. The Phantom rescues the day, stops the ceremony again and tours the place. It turns out its a huge plateau high above the clouds and is very isolated. It is like a jungle version of "Walkers Table". These prequel and sequel story ideas that Frew are creating are great ways of adding to the lore of what Lee Falk set out for us before and allows Frew to quietly build their own universe which sits closely with what Falk did before. Team Fantomen did it for decades as well. Shane Foley's story is a stand alone story and you do not need to read this to understand and appreciate his work but hopefully this video will make you enjoy it even more. Ensure you let Frew know if you enjoyed this story and would like to see more Shane Foley work and or prequel and sequel Falk stories. We hope this gives you the best understanding of what has happened in the past for what is about to happen in the future. Let us know if you like this 'For Those Who Came in Late' video and we may make more videos on other Phantom stories or elements of the Phantom.

David Barry has announced that he and his dad, Sy Barry will be attending the Big Apple Comic Convention in New York on Saturday December 17 2022. The event will be held at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel . David has told us that he will be having two tables at the event with original Sunday, Daily art from his Phantom drawing days along with other commissions, prints, signed books and much more. Sy Barry is a legend and a must for anyone who will be New York City at this time. Sy will also have drawings and prints etc of other characters he drew throughout a 70+ career which expanded through the Golden Age comic career. We fully expect other Phantom related USA based guests to attend like Keith Williams . When we have confirmation on other guests, we will inform you on our website and socials. Make sure you subscribe to our website and or social media platforms. If you know of other comic conventions and events with Phantom related guests, please let us know so we can share the information.

The number Phantom resource is back working again and can again be updated by us phans. What is going to be the first thing you update? www.PhantomWiki.org For those who came in late, 2022 has been a difficult year with several software updates not working which has seen the website unable to be updated since February. Chronicle Chamber has been getting almost weekly contacts from phans asking about the website and we are very happy to have received word the last week that the latest attempt has worked. Congratulations and thank you for getting this resource up again.

Mikael Lyck from Chronicle Chamber reviews the latest Fantomen issue - 2022/22-23 which features the following story: "Saga of the Vultures Chapter Two: The First Vulture" by Pidde Andersson & Anthony Spay "The King is dead!" by Norman Worker & Kari Leppänen "An Evening in the Jungle" by Jimmy Wallin & Anna Weatherly Grim cover depicting the first Vulture by Henrik Sahlström on this double issue. On the editorial page there is some text about the Gothenburg book fair, with images of Robert Aman (a future podcast guest), Pidde Andersson and Sture Hegerfors. The main story is the second part of the Saga of the Vultures created by Pidde Andersson and Anthony Spay, first published in Frew #1887, this part really goes in to the origin of the Vultures and the founder of the Vultures, awesome stuff again following the great first part in the last issue. And again such a great colouring! Even Anthony Spay was impressed with them. The non Phantom backup story, is the second and concluding part of the Libertalia comic, it is ok, but I enjoy the Red Pirate a bit more I think. Followed up by a short 3 page story written by Jimmy Wallin, I believe this is his second short Phantom story, art done by Anna Weatherly. I really enjoy the concept of Phantoms World and think it is great to get something that reminds of that again. Ending things in this double special comic off is a reprint of a classic Team Fantomen story from 1987 "The King is Dead!" written by Norman Worker and art by Kari Leppänen. A historic story about the Phantoms whereabouts during the assassination of the Swedish king in 1792. It is great to see it in colour. There is also a spread about the clothes the king wore in real life when he got shot. Preview of the next issue: The last part of the Saga of the Vultures and the daily story Jungle Mystery, that has not yet been published in Fantomen. Until next time, Happy Phantoming! We recommend watching/listing to our X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts with both Pidde Andersson (#224) and Anthony Spay (#188) as we discuss the Vultures Origin saga in both podcasts. 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.

IDW, one of the top publishers of comics and comics-related material, has just released King of the Comics: One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate, a look back at the history of one of, if not the, most important comic strip newspaper syndicate companies in the world who, among many other, brought us The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician. The hardcover, 288 page tome brings together some of the best comics historians to discuss and remember the huge impact KFS has had not only on newspaper strip and comics, but pop culture as well. Traversing the companies beginnings right through to their modern push into the digital realm, the book is sure to be interesting for anyone with a passion for not only Phantom history but also the history of the comics medium. The book, depending on where you are buying it from, ranges from $70AU (BookDepository, not released through them until October 13,) to $80AU (KingsComics, out now). It is sure to be available at many other retailers, so check your local comic or book store to pick up a copy. #KingFeaturesSyndicate #Mandrake

Now you too can shoot guns out of the hands of villains! Bradford Exchange is releasing two replica guns complete with holster, which featured Douglas Klauba are from his time at Moonstone, and a almost-gunbelt. As with all Bradford’s collection pieces you can “subscribe” to this release should you want to get both guns. Individually the guns sell for $119.98AU or two installments of $59.99AU each. By looking at the listing on their website, it seems that the first gun is already available with the second “coming soon.” So will you be picking these up? Let up know on our Facebook PhantomCollector page. Thanks to Will Dorrington for this info. #DouglasKlauba #Moonstone #BradfordExchange

Current artist of the Phantom Sunday strip Terry Beatty, has stated that Lothar will guest star in the next story. Exactly when this story is set to start or what Lothar’s involvement will be is unknown, but it’ll be very interesting to see where it goes. #TerryBeatty #Lothar

Kasual Friday, the company who has bought us many great Phantom t-shirts, has two new designs and one “secret” one. The new designs, which can be seen on their website, are called Jawbreaker and Phantom Classic on Purple and can be bought through their store now (the Phantom Classic shirt can also be bought from Limitless Visions for Aussie phans). The “secret” design is a design called Phantom – Man Who Can Not Die and is listed for pre-order in the newest Previews catalog but unfortunately no image of the design is given. Still, given Kasual Friday’s previous designs it’s sure to be very cool! #Clothing #KasualFriday #LimitlessVisions

Bradford Exchange, the producers of many high quality Phantom products, will be releasing a special coin collection for the hero’s 80th anniversary this year. The Phantom’ 80th Anniversary Silver Coin Collection will consist of six coins which are layered with silver and feature full colour Sy Barry art. The coins are designed in such a way that they are to look as if they came from the Bengalla mint, with what Bradford describes as a “traditional Bengallan art motif”. Bradford’s full description of the coin series reads as follows; Intended as a collector’s item, this coin is minted to extremely high specifications. Fully layered with pure silver, the artwork of The Phantom™ and Devil is depicted in full colour in the classic Silver Age comic style – the first time ever on such a coin. The image is encircled by a traditional Bengallan art motif as well as Good and Evil Phantom™ Ring motifs. The coin will be issued with a Certificate of Authenticity, detailing the provenance of the edition as well as informative facts relating to the history of Devil, as provided by Glenn Ford. Flawless in its mintage and struck with the greatest respect to its subject, Issue one: The Phantom™ and Devil coin honours the hero and one of his most enduring and loyal friends, the wolf known as Devil. The art has been selected and hand-coloured by Glenn Ford to ensure a faithful accuracy bestowed by an artist-fan who has spent his life steeped in the lore of Bengalla. You’ll receive a FREE gallery-quality display case with Issue two: “The Phantom™ and Diana,” which will be sent approximately one month after your first coin. As you can see, each coin in the series is released one month apart with the second coin coming with a wooden display box. The box appears to be quite similar to that which came with the Origin of the Phantom medallion collection, albeit smaller and without the viewing window. As will all of Bradford’s releases, you do not need to pay the full amount of the collection up front. Rather, the first coin in the series will be $49.99AU with each subsequent coin costing $99.99AU. (It should be noted that each coin will also cost $9.99AU in shipping.) While this is a subscription service, if funds start running low you can cancel your order at any time, so you’re not tied into getting all six coins. No exact release date for the first coin is mentioned on Bradford’s site, however assuming that these are for the 80th anniversary we expect the first to be released sometime in February. Similarly, there is no indication if this is the same coin we reported on previously, however we suspect it may not be as the original report said that coin would be released via Perth Bullion. The Phantom’ 80th Anniversary Silver Coin Collection can be ordered now via Bradford Exchange’s website. Thanks to Paul Moloney for the heads up on this. UPDATE: We’ve been told by Glenn Ford that these coins are in fact a separate item to that which is being produced by Perth Bullion. #BradfordExchange #GlennFord #80th #SyBarry #Devil #PerthBullion

Wristwatches are so modern, and modern is so blasé. If you want to be a real gentleman (or woman) around town it’s common knowledge that you need a pocketwatch. Well, Bradford Exchange has made it quite easy to tell the time in style with their brand new Phantom pocketwatch. The Phantom Pocketwatch comes with a belt pouch, 37cm watch chain and features precision quartz movement for accurate timekeeping,. If that isn’t enough it also comes with seven free collectible cards. Bradford’s site described the pocketwatch as follows – This classic timepiece is precision engineered for flawless time-keeping in a classic style that harks back to the railway watches of a more elegant era. A precision quartz movement for accurate timekeeping and a wealth of Phantom imagery create an edition which is both functional and stylish. You will be supremely impressed by the dramatic depiction of The Phantom in his classic arms-folded stance on the pocket watch cover, not to mention the action-packed colour portrait of The Phantom on the watch face! The inside cover of the pocket watch features the super hero’s signature symbol and on the outside back cover, The Phantom skull emblem features alongside the Edition Number feature. Your pocket watch arrives with six FREE gloss-finished collector cards, a FREE gallery-quality solid timber presentation case, FREE belt pouch and 37cm watch chain. Available to Australian and New Zealand fans only, the edition limit has been set at just 300. With such a limited number available, it is set to be one of the most prized Phantom collectables yet. So don’t miss out, order now! The pocket watch is limited to only 300 pieces word wide, so collectors will want to get onto this quickly! The watch can be bought through Bradford’s site at the cost of $349.95 plus $19.99 shipping. As always, Bradford also offers a payment plan; five installments of $69.99. If the this awesome pocketwatch is something your inner gentleman covets, be sure to check out Bradford’s site to order it! Thanks to Jermayn for passing this info on. #BradfordExchange #TradingCards

We mentioned a little while ago that Australian phans would be getting a postage stamp collection to celebrate the hero’s 80th anniversary this year. Well, thank to Stamp Bulletin, a digital publication from Australia Post all about – funnily enough – stamps, we now have our first look at the set. Coming in a cool little booklet and featuring 22 stamps (this is an estimate by CC based on the below image) the Phantom Stamp Set will cost only $16.95AU. The set will be available to order on-line, via mail-order or from participating Australia Post stores on February 2nd. If you’d like to check out the Stamp Bulletin page on the set you can do so HERE. If the link does not take you directly to the Phantom page, it can be found on page 6. Thanks again to Paul Moloney for this. #80th

It seems that everyone is getting their Phantom merchandise out ready for Christmas as we’ve just been alerted to a whole slew of good stuff that is now available. Bradford Exchange have three new items on offer. The first is a series of Glenn Ford prints of the Phantom and various villains, appropriately enough entitled the Villains Gallery, that come signed by Glenn and enclosed in hand-painted wooden frames. There are seven prints in all with each print costing $129.98AU. Secondly, the Phantom and Sala print from the Villains Gallery is also being offered individually for the same price. Lastly, Bradford has produced a new Good Mark ring. This gold ring features the Good Mark sitting in a bed of black onyx (the stone, not the Pokemon -_^ ) with “The Man Who Cannot Dies” engraved on the inside of the band. It retails for $179.96AU. Westfield Comic have two items available. The first is a simple but elegant t-shirt design featuring the Phantom brandishing the Skull Ring. It’s available for $16.79AU in a range of sizes. The second is the February 2014 edition of Comics Review, which is available for pre-order for $15.96AU. Lastly, from E&M Design are four original Phantom prints (above) showcasing some of the most memorable events in the Phantom’s 70+ year history. Each print was designed especially for this series with the artists involved being Glenn Ford, Lindsay Walker, Matt McGrillen and Wayne Nichols. The prints ate printed on on 250 gsm archival safe paper, A3 in size and limited to a run of 2,000, 200 of which (50 of each print) are signed by their respective artist. On sale from 6th January exclusively through E&M Design, the prints are $30AU regular or $45AU signed with a shipping cost of $15AU. Unfortunately they are only available in Australia thus far. If you are interested in acquiring these prints, you can contact E&M via their website. So, a lot of new Phantom goodies there. If you’ve not bought something special for the Phantom phan in your life, or you want to treat yourself to a Christmas gift, why not check out the goodies above? Thanks to Will Dorrington and Matt McGrillen for the heads up on this news. #BradfordExchange #GlennFord #EMDesign #LindsayWalker

Ikon Collectables, the makers of some great Phantom merchandise, is set to release a new statue depicting our hero astride the great stallion Hero. The statue is currently available for pre-order. Standing at 33cm high, the statue comes in both classic purple and alternate grey-costume colours. Estimated to arrive in August this year, both statues can be pre-ordered now from Popcultcha for $399.99AU each. You can see the purple statue HERE and the grey variant HERE. #IkonCollectables #Popcultcha

The folks at Bradford Exchange are releasing a brand new, highly detailed collectible – The Ghost Who Walks clock. ChronicleChamber has all the details. Bradford’s new Phantom clock, which they have named The Ghost Who Walks clock, has reportedly been two years in the making. Featuring an intricate design by Glenn Ford with lights and sound, the clock is arguably Bradford’s most ambitious item yet. The clock also has motion in that the Phantom, astride Hero, with Devil at his side, races out of the Skull Cave on the strike of twelve. The clock is limited to 1936 pieces. As you may imagine, such finery comes at a cost and the Ghost Who Walks clock is by no means a cheap item. However, as always Bradford offers installment payments, these being five payments of $59.99 plus $19.99 for shipping. Those on Bradford’s mailing list should be getting an order form in the post soon. If you have not received it already. For everyone else, you can order the clock from Bradford’s website. #BradfordExchange #GlennFord

Website Licencing Global has revealed that King Features Syndicate is looking to bring some of their classic properties into the digital age. One of these if, of course, The Phantom. According to the article KFS is looking to create all kinds of digital content such as games, social media integration, messaging apps and so on. Already both Bettie Boop and Flash Gordon have games available with Popeye following soon. Character skins of Flash Gordon and the Phantom will become available for players of the Hero Zero soon. KFS is also looking into releasing products for Kuboo, the child-friendly social networking site. Nothing specific has been announced for the Phantom apart from the Hero Zero skin. When/if it is, you can be sure to find the details here! #KingFeaturesSyndicate