Shakti Comics from India continue with their publication of the The Phantom in the three languages of English, Bengali and Hindi, with their 2nd issues out in January 2022. The new issue is a vast improvement over their debut issue - which had impeccable production quality but was riddled with a number of problems which could be considered as birthing pains. The 56 page comic is of 17 × 23 cm size - slightly smaller than their previous issue which was 17.5 x 23.3 cm. Like its predecessor it too has high quality laminated covers, thick but light glossy inside pages and is glue binded (also known as 'perfect binding' in India). Shakti set a very high standard in the production quality of their first release. Having continued with that level of production for the second issue they have added a new factor of collectibility with the inclusion of variant covers! The issue comes with 2 cover options: The standard cover, done by yours truly Ankit Mitra, is available across all three languages of English, Bengali and Hindi. The variant cover is pencilled by Indian Comic's living legend Anupam Sinha - famous for his work on Raj Comics' mainstay characters of 'Super Commando Dhruva' & 'Nagraj' - and inked and coloured by yours truly Ankit Mitra. This variant cover is exclusively available in the languages of Hindi and Bengali In addition Shakti has also given a poster of 43.5 x 29 cm featuring the standard edition cover art - made by yours truly Ankit Mitra - as a free novelty to all those who ordered the book during the preorder stage directly from their own website, or their authorised retailers. As of now the free poster is only available with the preorder stock fulfilled with the retailers, and/or by ordering the book directly from Shakti's website. The story included is 'The Phantom Lion', which is the 236th Daily Strip story written by Tony DePaul and illustrated by the late Paul Ryan. All the major presentation problems from the previous issue have been addressed by the new decision they have taken by: The Original Lettering has been kept intact. No Panels have been omitted, rearranged or 'stretched'. The book follows a 4 daily strip per page format like most publishers have done their reprints of daily strips on and is hence a lot more aesthetically pleasing to read. Their effort to maintain the production quality and take in the feedback and improve on their presentation easily makes this release highly recommended! The price for each issue is 200 Indian Rupees which is about: $3.80 Australian Dollars, $2.68 US Dollars, 2.39 Euro and 24.99 Swedish Krona. Due to licensing limitations, Shakti Comics can only sell & ship to addresses within India - so for Phans living outside India, I recommend you befriend an Indian Phan & have these books bought & shipped to you by them. If not, FREW are going to be selling some copies of this series via their website, and I'm sure these issues too will show up for order there - although in very limited quantity. Shakti has a webstore you can order from plus they are also available across various comics retailers in India. For any assistance regarding ordering these books directly from Shakti Comics you can contact them here: Shakti Comics Website: https://www.shakticomics.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/268814338130861/ E-mail: shakticomics@gmail.com

Comic Conventions like most other things in recent years have been difficult and tumultuous around the world. The Supanova comic convention for Australia is no different. However maybe, just maybe 2022 will see 7 events go ahead in Australia like back in 2019 which saw Billy Zane come to Australia. No announcements yet on guests, panels or anything but the dates have been set in stone (baring any other COVID curveballs). Keep an eye out on our social media accounts and website as Phantom related guests are announced. The dates for 2022 are: Melbourne - March 5-6 2022 Gold Coast - April 9-10 2022 Sydney - June 18-19 2022 Perth - June 25-26 2022 Brisbane - November 5-6 2022 Adelaide - November 12-13 2022

The famous Swedish painter Jan Håfström that made his name by painting Mr Walker in a Wilson McCoy style has joined forces with a Swedish clothes store called A Day's March. They are selling Wool trench coats in the style of Mr Walker and shopping bags with Mr Walker prints. You can buy the clothes here. You can view some inspiring pictures and learn more about the collection here. Andreas Eriksson wrote about the Jan Håfström statue that got erected in Stockholm some years here. Examples of the items you can buy are viewed below. Will you be buying any of these?

Boss Fight Studio's have announced a cartoon style 3 inch figurine set due to release in the (USA) summer months which is June, July & August. These King Comics Super Heroes set are not articulated and this release feature 5 from the world of the Phantom and 5 from the world of Flash Gordon. We assume if its successful we may see more posses or characters from maybe Mandrake etc. This is a different size, style and series from the Hero Hacks version. For those who are wanting to know about the Hero Hacks, they should be out March/April 2022. To buy via pre order from Boss Fight Studio click here. The cost is $179US +postage/taxs ($250Au, 160 Euro & 1,650sek/nok). Several stores around the world including Australia will also have pre order packs available - to learn if there is a store around you that likely will get these in visit this link. The pre order is for 18 of these figurines in a 'blind bag'. A blind bag means each figurine will be hidden in a non clear bag and you can only know what you have by opening it. It is ver popular at the moment with kids from around the world. Anyone with kids or grandkids under teenage years have likely already opened a few with them before. Blind bag toys are designed to surprise, delight and maybe even cause a few to groan as they get something they already have. However for many phans, we just want a complete set and especially the five Phantom figurines. The way around that is each box of 18 will contain a set of 10 and 8 others will be 'doubles'. Characters include Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, Prince Thun, Phantom (Blue), Diana Palmer, King Vultan, Dale Arden, Phantom (Purple), Phantom in Disguise, and Devil. I really like how the Phantom is in two different poses, it would have been much easier to come up with the same pose but it shows love and care to the character and fans. Devil also looks like a wolf and not some corgi or german shepherd dog which is another good sign. Will you be pre ordering a box pack of 18 from Boss Fight Studio or from your local dealer? Or will you wait and buy singular packs?

Australian artist and writer Paul Mason already has one exhibition of his Phantom work available for viewing by the public in 2022, and in the not-too-distant future he will participate in a second – and go international at that! Since last week the Brisbane Square Library, located in the Queensland capital’s CBD, has had a collection of fifteen A1 size prints of Paul’s more recent work on the walls of the Young Adult section. The images are largely covers and internal art from Kid Phantom and The Phantom: Vietnam series, and we here at Chronicle Chamber are incredibly touched that Paul’s cover for the Bushfire Phundraiser book has also found a place in the collection. A couple of other prints are described as "work yet to be published in 2022". These two full-page colour images depict a Phantom with boxing gloves, and one includes a background poster proclaiming “Masked Marvel Returns!” … these would seem to be some pretty handy clues about a Paul Mason story that will appear in a Frew comic later this year - confirmed by a little bird at Frew! This is not the first time Paul has had a display in the Brisbane Square Library, previously featuring a predominantly Kid Phantom collection back in 2019. The current display should be up and available for public viewing until March this year. As for his second upcoming showcase: last week it was announced that Paul would be a participating artist in the Australian Comics presented by IllustrateYourLife exhibition to be held in Bangkok, Thailand later this year, opening on 16 March 2022.. Australian Comics presented by IllustrateYourLife is a series of exhibitions highlighting Australia’s best and most original comic art. This third edition of the exhibition is curated by Jakub Mazerant and organised in partnership with the Australian Embassy in Thailand. According to illustrateyourlife.com, the exhibition showcases “exceptionally talented individuals, artists who focus on very different themes and use various forms of expression”. The exhibition has stated goals of “promoting Australian arts and culture, reaching out to younger generations around the world, providing exceptional educational opportunities and igniting a creative dialogue between nations.” The work of Paul Mason, especially his Phantom work, is a very appropriate vehicle to help achieve those goals. Head to Paul's website to keep up with his latest activity, and especially to follow his upcoming Kickstarter for FLOCK #1, a new creator-owned comic series that Paul will be launching soon.

Mikael Lyck from Chronicle Chamber reviews the latest Fantomen issue - 2022/2-3 which features the following stories: "Flamman del 3: Ruttna äpplen" ("Rotten Apples") by Duncan Munro and Jeff Weigel "Giftmakaren" ("The Poison Maker") by Hans Lindahl "Rasputins rebus" ("Rasputin's Puzzle") by Idi Kharelli and Georges Bess Really love this cover by Henrik Sahlström, it connects to "Rotten Apples" very well, art by Jeff Weigel and written by Duncan Munro, first published in Frew 1896, Duncan Munro gets an introduction on the editorial page, there is also a notice about Andreas reading Chronicle Chamber to get the info needed, seems to be a good page for that. The main story Rotten apples ties up the threads from the two earlier: "Hero Complex" and "Held to Account". A great story in all ways. Then we have a reprint of "The Poison Maker", story and art by Hans Lindahl, first published in Fantomen 14/2004 and later in Frew 1388. I want to say that I enjoy the modern reprints so much more than the old Wilhelmson and Eralp ones, even though this one was close to memory to me. The story is about a Bandar coming back to the Bandar village after living in the city for some time and plots to take over the chief position from Guran. Then we have information about how to vote for the best story of 2021. You can read about that here. Lastly another reprint; "Rasputin's Puzzle", written by Idi Kharelli and art by Georges Bess. Published in Frew 878,1705 and in Fantomen 17/1986. In my opinion the story is very close to the Avon novel "The Vampires and the Witch", with a whole town being afraid, but it has a few of its own things as well. Upcoming in the next issue ("The Jungle Trek") by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan and "The Witch" by Ulf Granberg and Özcan Eralp. See you then! 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

Like all elections it is important to vote! Even to non-Swedes this vote is important since it gives Team Fantomen and Egmont's editorial staff information about what type of stories you want to read in future issues. These days most Team Fantomen stories show up in Frew in Australia. Publishers from around the world are more than likely to pick up a story that has won a Best Story award or polled well. My vote for best story for 2021 is "The True Singh Brotherhood‎" which appeared in Fantomen 25-26/2021. Honourable mentions "Nosferatu's Revenge" and the classic stories "Story of Devil" and "The Founding of the Jungle Patrol". How to vote? Click here to go to Fantomen.org; if you use Google Chrome you can right click and choose 'Translate To English'. The last date to vote is 9th of March and the result will be published in issue 10-11/2022. As an extra thank you, Team Fantomen are raffling away 10 Fantomen Hård mot de hårda books (review of the book here). From past experiences they do post winners out overseas including Australia. As soon as we hear word about Fantomen's annual Best Cover vote, we will let you know! GO AND VOTE NOW!!

Comics never used to include or record credits so many comics created prior to the 1980's has had that important information lost. One of the goals for resources like Phantom Wiki is to try and find that lost information. With many of the creators sadly passed away it can be painful trying to piece the jigsaw puzzle back together. Recently there has been confirmation on three exciting creators who now have Phantom credits (Jerry Siegel, José Delbo, Gary Poole and Joe Musial) and Pat Fortunato who has another story credited to her. You can read more about Pat in this article where we originally said that we believe she wrote another story. Credit must go to the guys over at Phantom Wiki (Andreas Eriksson and Marko) and also Kristian Hellesund for bringing the information to our attention. The information was originally listed at the "Who Created the Comic Books" blog and the Heritage Auctions website. Jerry Siegel is one of the biggest comic book names who is famous among other things for his Superman creation. In some past interviews Jerry has mentioned that he once wrote a Phantom and Mandrake story, no one knew which one. New details have emerged that the Phantom story he wrote was "The Invisible Demon" which was published in King Comics #20 in 1967. It was originally believed to be written by Bill Harris. Sal Trapani is credited for many Charlton comics which isn't a surprise being the brother-in-law of Dick Giordano who was the editor for Charlton. He inked the story "The Secret of the Golden Ransom" from Charlton Comics #30, released in February 1969. However no one knew who penciled the story, recently Phantom Wiki have confirmed that the penciler was Trapani's frequent collaborator José Delbo. To learn more about José who is still alive and accepting commissions go to his website. This same story is the second credited story for female writer Pat Fortunato. Interestingly as she was not hired by Charlton it is suggested that this story was created for King Comics and when Charlton took over the rights, they got the story to publish as well. Gary Poole has had a long history writing and drawing comics and books. He wrote two Phantom stories for King Comics and Charlton Comics titled "The Story of Hero" (King #27 - 1967) and "The Living Legend" (Charlton #30 - 1969). He also wrote several Mandrake and Flash Gordon stories for the publishers. The front cover for Feature Book #57 published in 1949 was always down as unknown on Phantom Wiki and other comic websites. Recently the original art was sold on Heritage Auctions and on the back cover there is a note with Joe Musial was the artist. (It would be good to see the auction company actually photograph the note for providence). Since the 1930s he was a ghost artist for King Features and art director of the comic book division until taking over the strip The Katzenjammer Kids until his death in 1977. So there you go, recently lost information has now been found. Keep up the great work all. If you would like to read the original blog posts, comments and the online auction, the links are: A Trapani Ghost on the Ghost Who Walks, and Writers A Mandrake Writer Joe Musial Feature Book #57 The Phantom Cover Original Art (David McKay, 1948) auction on Heritage Auctions If you ever find any other useful information on long lost Phantom creators, we would love to hear about it, please email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com. Thanks to Andreas Eriksson, Marko and also Kristian Hellesund for their research for this article.

Regal Publishers have released three issues for December also labelled as 'Christmas Edition 2021' with covers created by Vincent Moses Raja, Abhilash Chako, and myself Ankit Mitra. 3 comics with 2 stories in each, in full colour. Publishing these comics on every other month in these pandemic times is no easy feat! I am happy to confirm that Regal have kept up their high standard of production with these latest releases too! Attached is my review of the three comics. The contents of each comic are: Phantom issue #19 Cover by Vincent Moses Raja Free supplement cutout card based on the cover art "The Forbidden Lands" by Tony De Paul and Graham Nolan "The Little Detective Who Disappeared" by Tony De Paul and Jeff Weigel Phantom issue #20 Cover by Abhilash Chako Free supplement is a stamp based on the cover art "Trouble in the Twelve Nations" by Tony DePaul and Terry Beatty "The Return of Colonel Weeks" by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan Phantom issue #21 Cover by Ankit Mitra Free supplement is a collectible card based on the cover art "The Free Avar Front" by Tony De Paul and Jeff Weigel "Crocco Island West" by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan The price for each issue is 200 Indian Rupees which is about: $3.70 Australian Dollars, $2.68 US Dollars, 2.36 Euro & 24.23 Swedish Krona. (Approximate Rates) Due to licensing limitations, Regal can only sell & ship to addresses within India - so for Phans living outside India, I recommend you befriend an Indian Phan & have these books bought & shipped to you by them. If not, FREW are selling some copies of this series via their website, and I'm sure these issues too will show up for order there - although in very limited quantity. Regal has a website you can order from plus an Amazon Storefront for Indian Phans who would like to order these books from Amazon.in For any assistance regarding ordering these books directly from Regal you can contact Regal Publishers here: Regal Publishers Whatsapp & Phone No: +91 94810 52592 Website: https://regalpublishers.in/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/regalpublishers/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/regalpublishers/ E-mail: regalpublishers@gmail.com

Mallon Publishing (Australia) have delivered their 2022 diary, journal and print, with pre-orders that were placed directly with the publisher now being filled and arriving via Monkey Mail just in time for Christmas. Chronicle Chamber has examined these books to share a video review with you (see above), but to summarise some of the important points: The print quality of the two Douglas Klauba covers are amazing. Crisp, clear and vibrant colours will make these books stand out in any collection. The interior of the Journal/Calendar/Address book has been reused from previously effective Mallon publications of this style - the real difference is in the cover. Following the landmark 85th Anniversary 2021 Diary, Mallon has returned to a simpler format with Phantom covers from around the world apparently arranged around monthly themes. Extremely functional, the 2022 Diary is a smaller size spiral bound version, compared to previous years' traditional bindings. A high quality limited edition print of the Diary cover image is also available and looks outstanding - you will want to frame and hang this one. To purchase these Mallon products, you can order from FREW's website here, or contact Mallon directly via email on info@mallon.net.au

Mikael Lyck from Chronicle Chamber reviews the latest Fantomen issue - 2022/1 which features the following stories: "Den magiska flöjten" ("The Magic Flute") by Donne Avenell and Hans Lindahl "Flamman del 2: Ställd till svars" ("Held to Account") by Duncan Munro and Jeff Weigel A reprint of "The Magic Flute" by Donne Avenell and Hans Lindahl that was published in 1995 in Sweden and The Phantom #1139 (1996) in Australia. A story about how the flute that lured rats and children ended up in the Treasure room. The 4th Phantom and Suran ran into these villains that pray on the weak. What I really like with this one is that the flute is not just a prop but it is used as a plot device also. "Held to Account" the Frew story from Duncan Munro and Jeff Weigel. Amazing story just as the first part, in Sweden it is presented as the Flame part 1,2 and perhaps in the future 3? It have this 2nd part feel, like empire, it starts up with reference to the first part and ends with a promise of a sequel but also holds its own story. Including an article on what we can expect for Fantomen 2022, which you can read here. 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

A week before Christmas Wulfric Media has announced a Go Fund Me campaign for their "The Phantom Treasure" game up and running. CLICK HERE TO GO FUND THE PROJECT Up front, it must be said that a Go Fund Me campaign is different to a Kickstarter campaign - a kickstarter has a return depending on what level of funds are given. A Go Fund Me has no guaranteed return. The target is $40,000Au ($28,500US, 25,300 Euro & 262,000 sek/nok). This amount as outlined on their Go Fund Me Campaign will cover licensing, legal costs, manufacturing, artwork, and fabrication along with the website needed. Not much is still known about this game but hopefully if this campaign reaches target or even close we may soon know more. Will you donate any money?

In the latest Fantomen issue (almost from the future) issue 1 of 2022, editors Andreas and Jacob talk about what we have to look forward to in Fantomen 2022. Some of this was discussed with Team ChronicleChamber in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #201. I loved Fantomen 2019, each issue had a Phantom story that had not been published in Sweden, 2020 on the other hand had almost only reprints, 2021 was on the right track and now in 2022 they have announced that once again at least one Phantom story in each issue will have not been published in Sweden before. They also mention that there will be a mix of new and returning creators and we will get to read Claes Reimerthi's last two stories. There will be a new story with the Phantom visiting Sweden, but not in Stockholm this time. There will be some reprints (as every year), included in the first two 2022 issues will be from Hans Lindahl, which is the first time since 2016 we have seen a story from him in a Fantomen comic. They continue on saying that there will be some content in black and white and some in full color. If I had to guess, probably close to the mix 2021. There will be 3 new back up comics, both from France and Sweden, first one will be in issue 6-7. There will also be some returning old acquaintances. Last but not least they confirm that 2022 will have both the softcover book and the Christmas album. But also some kind of new book! I am really looking forward to this Fantomen 2022!

This podcast is just shy of 16 minutes - maybe our shortest EVER! Jermayn Parker, Dan Fraser and Stephen East talk about some of their favourite Frew issues, covers and stories and then hand over to Frew creator Matt Kyme as he gives us his top three issues and stories for the year. To vote for your favourite Frew cover, issue and story for the year follow the link below: CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE We would love to hear from you on what you think of what we discussed in the podcast and do not forget to vote away. You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at 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.

I haven't read and do not own all the DC Phantom comics from the late 1980's so enjoyed sitting down and reading the stories for the first time in the Hermes Press' most recent publication, a magnificent hard cover with bright glossy colour pages. Overall I was certainly not disappointed and recommend any phan to add this book to your Phantom library. This quality reproduction contains 224 pages of action packed stories, starting with the complete 1988 mini-series by Peter David with art by Joe Orlando and cover art by David Gibbons. Following that is the first two stories from the 1989 series with script by Mark Verheiden and pencils and inks by Luke McDonnell Both series are coloured by Anthony Tollin. As with any good Hermes Press books it includes information about the creators, in this case an interview by Peter David and an essay on Joe Orlando, who was a giant in the comics field and passed in 1998. This is the first of three volumes and a highly recommended purchase. If you would like to learn more about the DC Phantom series, we would recommend watching/listening to X-Band: The Phantom Podcast interviews with both Mark Verheiden and Luke McDonnell. You can buy this and the next two volumes at local comic books shops, the Hermes Press website and other online stores.