Come join us with just under two hours of Phantom phun as the guys talk everything new that has happened in the Phantom's world for the last 4-6 weeks. We talk all things Kickstarter, COVID-19 and how its affecting Sydney Supanova and the LFMBEC dinner plus updates on the Chronicle Chamber Phantom Bushfire Phundraiser book. Then between the team of Mikael Lyck, Dan Fraser and Jermayn Parker, we review in great detail eight new comics from Fantomen, Frew and Hermes Press. Some of the feedback is quite opinionated and we would love to hear from our listeners if they agree or disagree with our opinions. We do not review Frew #1864 (The Fight Against Singh, Part 1: Shadows over Singhtown), as we will save that to review all four parts together in a stand alone podcast. Please visit this link if you want to check out the "The Phantom: Card Game" Kickstarter Campaign. If you want to skip through the podcast and only listen to certain parts. Attached below is the runsheet with the time stamps for each subject: Phantom News: Supanova & LFMBEC fallout with COVID-19: 5 minutes The Phantom Card Game Kickstarter Campaign: 10 minutes Analysis of the Fantomen 2018 best stories results: 17 minutes & 30 seconds The New Sculpture from Brazil: 20 minutes Chronicle Chamber Phantom Bushfire Phundrasier Book: 22 minutes & 15 seconds Comic Reviews: Fantomen Comics Review (8/2020, 9/2020 & 10-11/2020): 25 minutes Frew #1862 & #1863 (Inked in Blood): 35 minutes Frew #1865 (Collectors Replica Series): 54 minutes & 30 seconds Frew Trade Paperback #3 (The Triads Series): 59 minutes & 45 seconds Hermes Press President Kennedy Mission Graphic Novel: 1 hour, 18 minutes & 30 seconds

By now a lot of Phantom phans have already signed up for "The Phantom: The Card Game" kickstarter campaign that is currently live now. The dates are between May 1 and May 29. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN The team at Chronicle Chamber were lucky enough to be shown an exclusive demo of the game and we are able to show you now via the YouTube video below. This game allows you to don the mask and take on the role of the Phantom (and Diana) and cooperatively join forces to play not one but three games based on classic adventures published numerous times around the world. If you are still unsure about pledging, watch this video and watch Dan and Jermayn join forces to try and rescue Devil as a pup, train him and then defeat Colonel Bagshot and Satan. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

Frew Publications has just released their third Trade Paperback, The Triads Saga. This beautifully presented volume brings together the popular 5-part Team Fantomen story, first published in late 1994. This memorable series, written by Claes Reimerthi with story art by Felmang, was quickly printed in English by Frew in early 1995. This TPB is the first subsequent printing of the story in Australia, and only the second time all five parts have been brought together in a single volume (it was also released in Norway in Fantomets Krønike 8/2008). Frew has also commissioned a postscript to the original series, with a sixth story adding to the Traids legend. In a masterstroke from Frew, this was also drawn by Felmang who has clearly delighted in revisiting the characters and setting as re-imagined by Australian writer Andrew Constant. Felmang also contributes the stunning cover, with the overall effect of a seamless transition from 1994 to present. This TPB is presented in full glossy colour and features an introduction from Andreas Eriksson, as well as covers of the original comics and information about the original series. Quality paper stock for story pages as well as a heavy paper back cover means that this is a substantial volume. Retailing at $30, you can purchase a copy either at any good Australian Comic Book Shop or directly from Frew's website. A full video review of the TPB is below. The Chronicle Chamber team will review the stories in our upcoming May Comics and News Podcast. My rating is 4.5 Good Marks out of Five.

Along with Team Fantomen (Sweden), Fratelli Spada (Italy) and RGE (Brazil), Germany also created their own stories back in the 1970s and 1980s. Not much however is known about them with English readers only seeing one story translated and a handful of others have ever been published outside the Bastei comic. However thanks to some clever research by certain phans, we have found out that one writer Peter Mennigen wrote majority (if not all) of the nearly 250 stories published by Bastei. This puts him in the same category as Lee Falk who wrote around 350 Phantom stories and Claes Reimerthi who is just under 300 Phantom stories as the most prolific Phantom creators. We are lucky enough for Peter who still writes comic stories to take some time out of his schedule to answer some questions we have about The Phantom, Bastei and the character in Germany. Chronicle Chamber: First of thank you for your time. Can we start off with you telling us a bit about yourself? What country and region are you from? Peter Mennigen: I am from Germany and grew up near Bonn, the former capital. After completing my art studies, I worked as an author. At first I wrote comic series for the Bastei Publishing House, then other publishers like Egmont and Panini. I also wrote books, audio plays and scripts for television series freelance at the same time. CC: How did you become a writer? Did you study journalism or some other related degree? PM: I neither studied German literature nor journalism - I am a self taught writer. Because I read comics passionately from an early age, I probably internalised what a comic story should look like. I originally didn't want to be an author. After completing my studies in the summer of 1977, I applied to the Kauka Publishing House with my self drawn comics. Kauka was at that time the only publisher in Germany who produced comics. However, all of the Kauka stories were drawn in studios abroad, mostly in Italy and Spain. Because of this, there was no need for other artists and my application was rejected. Fortunately the editor-in-chief liked my stories and offered me a job as a comic book author. Around the same time, the Bastei Publishing House was looking for authors to continue comic series that the publisher had previously published including licenses like: Bessy, Silberpfeil, Lasso and of course The Phantom among others. Since most of these comics were published weekly, the stock of stories that had already been produced quickly run out. This meant either the publisher stopped the series or produced their own stories. Luckily the editorial team decided on the second option. I wrote my first scripts in the fall of 1977 for the weekly series titled Gespenster Geschichten. I then took over more and more comic book series as a writer which included the stories for The Phantom. CC: I know it is over 40 years now, but could you go into more on how you picked up the role of Phantom writer for the Bastei Publishing House? PM: I can still remember a visit to the Bastei Publishing House in late 1977 or early 1978. When i left the publishing house the editor-in-chief came running after me. We sat down at a table in the reception area. He showed me some of the large over sized format Phantom magazines. Each issue contained two Phantom stories, a longer story and a second shorter second story with an average length of about 15 pages. The editor of Bastei explained that they wanted to produce these short stories themselves. So he asked me if I could write these shorter 15 page stories. When I got home, I started writing some story plots for The Phantom, sent them to Bastei for checking and I soon got the job. I wrote each of the shorter stories for the large over sized format Phantoms magazines until the last issue #238 in the summer of 1983. From 1980 to the end of 1984 I also iwrote the stories for the 25 Phantom paperbacks. Plus another 49 issues between 1980 and 1982 which was a four color series in the normal comic book format called Phantom Spezial. CC: Is there anyone in particular who has inspired you and influenced your work? PM: There are many comic book authors who have inspired and still influence me today. In the beginning it was Stan Lee, Jean-Michel Charlier and the German comic author and artist Helmut Nickel. Today I also admire stories by Peter David, J.M. Straczynski and Jason Aaron with their wonderful balance between humor and suspense. I'm also a big fan of Ed Brubaker. CC: Are you glad you made the switch to writing instead of your original dream being a comic book artist? PM: It was born out of necessity. After the dream was burst in retrospect, that was the way to go. As an artist, I probably wouldn't have had the same success as I have had as an author. That is life, sometimes failed plans means destiny wants to steer you in another and often the right direction. CC: Did you like working on the Phantom? PM: Writing Phantom stories has always been a privilege for me. When I started working at Bastei I would never have dared to dream of writing stories for a series with such a historical background. As a child, I had already read Lee Falk’s stories with enthusiasm. CC: Did you know of the Phantom before you started work on those stories? Did you ever read the character prior? PM: As a reader, I had known of The Phantom since I was a child in the mid 1950s. In Germany, The Phantom comics appeared in comics together with other cartoon and adventure series in a regular magazine along with some stand alone comic books. CC: Some readers may also be confused why the stories were published in black, white and red. Do you have any insight into why? PM: Most likely for cost reasons. I am only guessing but since The Phantom newspaper strips were all in black and white, the publisher wanted to save on expensive colouring, along with the expensive printing films and four colour printing. The red coloring was probably a compromise. (Editors Note: It must be noted that not all stories were printed in black, white and red. Attached in this article are some examples of full colour.) CC: You wrote over 240 stories (224 published and some more unpublished) which makes you one of the most prolific Phantom writers. First of all congratulations and thank you for your work but secondly, do you have any specific stories that are special to you? PM: I can only remember very few comic book stories that I have written. This applies not only to The Phantom, but also to all other comic series I have written over the years. While it has been a lot of years since I've written most of them. At Bastei I wasn't just the author of The Phantom. I also wrote several weekly, bi-weekly and monthly comic book series for other characters and titles such as Lasso, Bessy and Silberpfeil to name just a few. I was not afforded the luxury to memorise all the scripts. After I completed a script, I immediately erased its content from my memory to devote myself entirely to the next story I had to write. CC: We are led to believe there are several previously unpublished Bastei Phantom stories. Do you know if they still exist now? PM: That is correct! This happened because of the cycle of stories. For example when a comic book was released, the following three or four comic books of the series was already in different phases of production. The artwork for the second issue was already completed and was waiting to go to print. The third comic was still in the drawing studio, but was almost finished except likely the speech bubbles which was the last stage. The fourth issue was also normally at the studio and in layout stage. In addition also some of my Phantom plots and full scripts were waiting for their approval by the Bastei editorial office. I say all that because there was certainly a whole bunch of Phantom stories that were not published. Ironically, last year I was sent one of my unpublished Phantom scripts and was asked to modify it and turn it into a prose version. This year the story will appear in a Phantom special edition. CC: Oh wow! Please let us know when that becomes available so we can inform the Phantom phans. PM: Of course. CC: Can you tell us why the stories were never published? My stories and the artwork either stayed in the studios or was stored in the archives at they canceled with advanced warning and you can plan on not creating any new stories. I only know one comic book series where that has happened throughout my time in the fields. My stories and the artwork either stayed in the studios or was stored in the archive at Bastei when the series was cancelled. I expect majority is lost forever though as Bastei Publishing House moved locations in 2009 and I suspect it was thrown in the garbage. CC: For the average Frew (Australian) reader there has only been one Bastei story published in English. Do you have any specific stories that you would recommend phans hunt down and read? PM: Unfortunately no. I cannot name any special titles, especially since there have been no new comics of The Phantom in Germany in recent years. I can recommend the oversized Bastei magazines, they are a treasure trove for every fan because of the great mix of newspaper strips, my Bastei stories and the stories from Sweden which we published some off. CC: On the comics, they were price-marked on the cover for distribution in West Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Do you know if they made it into those countries and regions? PM: Bastei had a phase distribution plan. In the first phase a comic book was published in the north of Germany, in the second phase in the south of Germany. In the third phase, any remaining issues were then sold in German speaking countries such as Austria and Switzerland. The left over comics afterwards were then delivered to the tourist strongholds of Spain, Italy and other countries where Germans vacated. In theory it meant the local Germans who brought the comic, did not have to miss out while traveling. So the shops outside Germany did not had to convert the German comic book price, the price was printed on the cover in the relevant national currencies. CC: Do you know how many issues sold on average? PM: No, the sales figures were kept secret by the publishing house. But compared to today's sales figures, the sales figures for The Phantom were certainly a lot higher than most comic book series. During the 1970's and 1980's if a comic series at Bastei Publishing House had a sales run of 50,000 issues it was at risk of adjustment or cancellation. Today, a comic series with 50,000 issues would be described as a bestseller in Germany. How times have changed. CC: We believe there was also a Phantom club. Do you have any information on that? PM: At that time there were a number of Bastei clubs for almost each published comic series. Cut out club ID cards were printed and enclosed on selective Phantom comics. However, it was primarily up to the fans to organize the clubs activities. No one from the publishing house organised anything. (Editors Note: Attached is a gallery of the Club ID cut out, the instructions for the club along and an example of a Club sticker. The stickers can be found on eBay at times.) CC: One of the most obvious differences between Bastei and Falk stories is that the Phantom in your stories is the 15th in line and not the 21st. Do you know how that came about? PM: I don’t know where the information comes from that the Phantom in my stories was said to be the 15th instead of the 21st. I never received any documentation or a set of 'rules' from the editors like what number the Phantom was. If this appears in the text of a comic, somewhere in the magazine section or in the editorial of the magazine, the text would have been added or edited by the editor and not me. CC: Another big difference is that the Phantom rarely wore his Mr Walker alias outfit to hide his identity when in public. Could you explain the reasoning behind that for us? PM: Good question. Some Mr. Walker illustrations in which he still wore a hat and coat over his phantom costume didn't really hide his identity and I was disappointed in them. They didn’t convince me and his appearances in the costume seems to be cooler than those in the Mr Walker outfit. While I made the creator freedom to remove that back then, if I was to write another Phantom story again today, I would definitely interpret it differently and implement him wearing his Mr Walker alias. CC: Did you create stand alone adventures or were they part of an ongoing serialised adventure? PM: I did not receive many guidelines from Bastei except one. All comics were not allowed to be sequels or serialised and had to be stand alone adventures. Each comic book had to contain a completed story. When purchasing the comic book, readers should know that they did not need to spend money on a sequel to know how the story will end. CC: In the stories Guran was a lot skinnier in some stories? Was that just an artistic license issue or was it part of the style guide for your stories? PM: There was no such think as a style guide for the drawing studios. So Guran's different presentation was pure coincidence. It was up to each artist and art studio on how he graphically presented the characters. They only had to remain recognizable which was kept an eye on with the Bastei editors. I am sure there would be other differences as well. CC: How much time did you spend on writing a story? It seems like you must have written new Phantom stories almost weekly, and that was in addition to writing several other comics at the same time. PM: Taking into account how many Phantom comics were released at the same time with the "oversized Phantom magazine" published monthly. The "Phantom Spezial" released partly weekly and partly bi-weekly and from what I remember, the paperbacks with multiple comics appeared every two months. I would have had to be creating one and a half to two Phantom stories every week. Since I was also writing other series at the time, I had to work to a precise strict schedule. My average day would have looked like: 6am my working day started by writing plots. I usually came up with three or four story plots by noon and then sent them to the publisher. I received the edits and suggestions back from the publishing house a few days later. Mostly they were provided with small comments or requests for changes. During the next step I worked out each story as a script with detailed picture descriptions for the artist. I always reserved the afternoons until late evening for that. It would take me about thirty minutes per page. Because of the many series I was forced to work through weekends and public holidays. To return to the question, depending on the length, it would usually take me a day or two to create a Phantom story from the idea, to the plot, to the finished script. CC: Wow that is simply amazing how quickly you worked through the stories! You are probably one of Germany's most productive comics writers, and you have worked on lots of your own creator properties and other licensed properties. How highly do you rank your Phantom work among your work? PM: The Phantom is very high on my list for obvious reasons. If someone asks me today to name the most prestigious comics I have been allowed to write on (apart from my own) my top six would be: Lucky Luke, The Phantom, Prinz Eisenherz (Prince Valiant), Manos der Dämonenjäger, Bessy and Silberpfeil. CC: A lot of stories (Newspapers, Spada, Charlton & Team Fantomen) published by Bastei were heavily edited. Were you involved with any of the editing? Was there a reason behind it? Was it to fit in with your universe better? PM: I was not involved in the editorial work (including cutting and removal of the panels). I guess the main reason was that a comic book was not allowed to exceed a certain number of pages so that the length of the story was adjusted to fit the comic. CC: Do you have ideas that would be suitable for more Phantom stories if you get the opportunity? PM: As far as I remember there was no female phantom in my stories. In retrospect, I very much regret that and would correct it if I had the opportunity. I would occasionally involve the Phantom in actual historical events too. I would also perhaps focus more on the mystical aspect of the character. As mentioned briefly earlier, maybe a Mr Walker story were he stays in costume and set in a film noir style would be interesting. Another idea would be of a descendant who refused to accept the Phantom's legacy and preferred to have fun as a student in England. A lot has changed since I wrote The Phantom forty odd years ago. The comics are no longer as simple and innocent as they were then. In order to reach a modern readership, the stories have to be told differently, but on the other hand they should remain true to The Phantom lore. Just like with James Bond, the success of the series is based on the fact that each Bond was adapted to the respective era but still remained true to itself. In terms of content, the stories of Sean Connery and Daniel Craig are not all that different, only the way they are told is completely different. Lastly I also think (and hope) that I have developed more as a writer since the 1980s. I know I definitely take a lot more time writing my stories than what I did in the past. CC: Have you any thoughts on the other created stories from around the world? PM: Bastei published the comic strips from the United States, but also increasingly the stories produced in Sweden by Team Fantomen. I very much enjoyed the Swedish stories & think they were very well done. Thanks to the internet, I am able to research the artists behind the modern Team Fantomen stories. César Spadari for example did great artwork, Angelo R. Todaro and Joan Boix are also excellent and have enjoyed their work. Many of the Swedish creators that I cannot name I have also enjoyed looking at their art. CC: You are currently writing the successful graphic novel series Malcolm Max, which is set in Victoria London. This series includes cameos by other literary characters, i.e. Sherlock Holmes. Could a mysterious “Mr Walker” one day make a cameo appearance in a Malcolm Max story? PM: A crossover of The Phantom and Malcolm Max would certainly be interesting however legally it is like walking on thin ice with licenses. I am safe using historical figures like Queen Victoria into the comic. A character like Sherlock Holmes is more difficult because of the license, I end up writing about a detective at 221B Baker Street but never mention Holmes by name. CC: If people want to learn more about yourself, they can go to the Phantom wiki but do you have any other places on the Internet they can visit? PM: I´m posting news about my current work and things from my past as a (comic book) author on Facebook and Instagram. In addition, a comic portal (Comic.de) regularly publishes articles about my work as a comic book author. CC: We thank you for your extensive time in this interview and your imprint you left on our hero. PM: Pleasure was all mine. Keep up the great work!

Today we’ve got an extra special podcast for you to celebrate our 150th* episode. At the end of every podcast we thank our patreons and we try to give incentives for our patreons such as the Phantom Preservation Project, prizes, behind the scenes etc, because without our patreons none of this would be possible so, today, in episode #150 we are throwing the lines open to our patreons. We have 13 patreons join us and they take over discussing a range of topics including what products and merchandise they would like to see produced and what are the key items to add to your collection. However one discussion did make the phone lines melt which was what would they do if they were handed the keys to Frew and Fantomen for a day. A huge thank you to all our patreons who support us and to our listeners for making our 150th* podcast a possibility. Here's to our next 150 episodes. *yes we are aware this is actually our 158th episode - It's a Phantom / Frew tradition. You can learn more about our patreons and how to join here.

Join us with an engaging chat with Lennart Moberg who worked for Fantomen for 15 years and was one of the few who wrote and drew stories for Semic / Egmont. If you read Team Fantomen stories in the 1990's you would have marveled at his stories. We are talking about classics like Hoogaan's Revenge, The Set Up, Hunted, King of Chicago, The Psychopath, The Murder Rap plus many more. Lennart was also part of the Team Fantomen crew who mapped out and planned stories we all read, loved (and hated!). He retells us what the meetings were like under Ulf Granberg and he even retells us the weekend meeting as they created the infamous Luaga v Lubanga v The Phantom saga. We go through specific stories, specific creators he worked with along with his new recently published comic "Hell Week" plus his work on the Fantomenland zoo. This podcast was extra special for Stephen and Jermayn with their genesis moment to their addiction coming from two of his stories. #XBand #Podcast #Frew #TeamFantomen #Fantomen #LennartMoberg #ClaesReimerthi #JeanYvesMitton #Felmang #HansLindahl #UlfGranberg #Lubanga #ChristerThunborg #FantomenZoo

G’day ChronicleChamber Patreons, Thank you for all of your support, we’ve said it before and we won’t get tired of saying it, but it’s because of you that we are able to do the things we do. The success of the recent Bushfire Phundraiser Book is an outstanding example of this. As you are no doubt aware we are nearing episode #150 of X-Band: The Phantom Podcast and as an extra thank you for your support we are inviting Patreons ONLY to join us on the show for the celebration. The format of the podcast will be similar to phoning-in on talk back radio where you get to give your opinion. The plan is that the ChronicleChamber Team will start a topic briefly then “open the phone lines” for the Patreons’ contributions. The discussion will then be recorded and released to everyone on Monday, 20 April 2020. If this is something that you would like to be a part of then we would love to have you on board. Please note: This is JUST FOR PATREONS. We are planning to record on Thursday, 9th April 2020 at 9pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. Time zones are always fun to work out, we have added a number of locations from around the world which may help patreons get the correct time. You can view the link via here and you can either find your timezone or easily add your own. The ChronicleChamber Team will have some pre planned topics that we could put up but we would prefer if you, our Patreons, had topics or discussion points that you want to discuss. If so please send them through to us. We really want this episode to be a celebration of your support. Requirements you need to join the Podcast. ZOOM: This is a program that allows for Video conferencing. It is available on PC and Mac as well as portable devices (smartphones, tablets etc.) and it's free! HEADPHONES & MIC: The set that you get with any new smartphone will suffice. Using Headphones and Mic eliminates, to a large degree, any unwanted background noise. ACCESS TO A COMPUTER or SMART DEVICE: Without one of these you won’t be able to access the podcast. BE A PATREON: If you want to learn more about patreons, go and visit our Patreon page. If you need any further information about the above please don’t hesitate to get in contact with ChronicleChamber, either through email (chroniclechamber@gmail.com) or messenger. We will send out further information regarding how to access the Zoom Meeting a day before the podcast. Please note: This is JUST FOR PATREONS. We will then record the podcast and release for everyone to hear as the X-Band: The Phantom Podcast Episode 150 on Monday, 20 April 2020. Once again, Thank you for your support, Happy Phantoming! The ChronicleChamber Team (Jermayn, Dan & Stephen)

The Philippines has a rich history with comics (komiks in the Filipino language) and was widespread and popular throughout the country from the 1920s. Komiks were partially inspired by American mainstream comic strips and comic books during the early 20th century. This sky rocketed particularly after World War II and then again in 1971, when DC Comics editor Joe Orlando and publisher Carmine Infantino traveled to the Philippines on a recruiting trip. This led to the Phantom being published briefly in the Philippines, that series was not popular and only a handful of comics still in circulation today. From the research I have done, I know off five comics to exist in today's market. However what was popular in the 1970s and 1980s were TEK(S) cards. It is believed that the cards and the game actually started from the 1930s, however the popularity was at the highest in the 1970s and 1980s. The cards featured characters from TV Shows, Comics and movies including The Phantom, Batman, Spiderman, King Kong, James Bond, Wonder Women, Sesame Street, Iron Man and many others. Each card was meticulously drawn by unknown Filipino illustrators and were usually numbered from 1-60 to complete a storyline. They were sold by vendors attached together in packs of four or six. You would then either cut them or punch them out to single cards. Not only did the children collect and trade the cards, they also played a game which consisted of the two players placing a betting card on the floor and then the other player hits the card with another card. If the betting and hitting cards face the same way, the player keeps the cards. As you can imagine, majority of these cards did not last. Add the climate, the game, the fact they are just printed cardboard and the age it is no wonder why these cards are fairly hard to come across 40-50 years later. You can find Tek cards occasionally on eBay however very rarely do Phantom Teks cards came along. The Phantom Teks cards from the 1970s & 1980s are usually 35mm x 46mm in size however the earlier cards are a bit larger measuring 50mm x 68mm. I do not know the exact dates the Phantom Teks cards originated but I do know there is at least two sets as you can see with the gallery attached below. I believe this game also made it way into other parts of South East Asia with two sets of the Phantom games also being printed in Indonesia from the 1970s. These cards are smaller than the Filipino counterparts. Below in the gallery are the two known full sets uncut. The stories are "The Phantom vs The Black Cobra" and "The Phantom vs Raja Sihir". You will notice the Indonesian cards feature a different looking Phantom. This is fairly common with Indonesian Phantom comics. These cards are hard to find and if you find any, buy them. While not licensed, they are highly sought after by Filipino collectors who want to collect items from their childhood as well as collectors of the specific characters like the Phantom. If you like these type of posts of us delving into odd and rare collector items, please let us know. Thanks to Jon Cookson and Guy Poissant as some of these photos are from their personal collections. #TradingCards #Philippines #CollectorsCorner #TekCards #JoeOrlando #CarmineInfantino

It's been a couple of months since we reported on Mallon's plans to bring a special 85th Anniversary Special edition of their Phantom Diary to us for 2021, but today we can provide you with an update of their plans! All systems are still go for launch, with the volumes ideally available in time for Christmas this year. Mallon is currently seeking interest then pre-orders to ensure they have base costs covered, then it will be all systems go for this extraordinary version of their classic publication. As it stands, if everyone who has already indicated interest follows through and orders, they should have enough funds to cover most of the production costs. This will give them a good base to build on. Mallon will then be able to work on final designs, which should help in attracting more buyers. Please note that it will be a limited edition run of no more than 300 copies. In an email sent to everyone who has indicated interest so far and today through our website, Mallon is making a special offer to fans who buy direct from them and pay in advance. The offer is as follows: Phantom 85th Anniversary Diary: Limited Edition with limited edition print, special binding and ribbon bookmark ($150 + GST & post) Phantom Anniversary Diary: Trade Edition ($50 + GST & post) Phantom Anniversary Calendar ($25 + post) Complimentary gift of 8 spreads from the diary covering the history over 85 years (see image on this page for indicative sample) Total cost for this special offer is $275 inc. GST & post within Australia. Are you interested? Email Mallon by clicking here to register your interest. Once they receive positive replies, they’ll send out order forms as soon as possible. #Mallon

After an acknowledgment of the virus, this podcast becomes a refuge where you can focus on the Phantom instead of the worlds crises. This is a bumper podcast as we go through a lot of news and comics to review and discuss. There is some great discussions throughout the two hour podcast as we discuss editing of covers and comics, the famous Golden Eagle story, the end of the Phantoms World series, the ongoing Giant Size series with the cross over stories and new characters plus Mikael Lyck announces the start date of his kickstarter campaign and reviews the Fantomen Magazine 70th anniversary plus the two latest Fantomen comics. The runsheet with the time stamping is below. Phantom News: Bushfire Book - 6min Mikaels card game - 15min New Sy Barry Print - 19min Boss Fight & NECA Toys Release Dates - 21min Comics Kingdom new format for Sunday - 25min 45sec Robert Aman: Phantom Comics and the new Left book - 29min PhantomWiki update - 33min Publisher News: Mallon Anniversary Edition - 34min 40sec Frew drops the number of Regular Issues - 40min 30sec Fantomen 70th - 46min 40sec Comic Reviews: Latest Fantomen Comics - 48min 30sec Latest Frew Comics Frew 1860 - 53min 30sec Frew 1861 - 1hour Phantoms World 11 - 1hour 15min Giant Size 12 - 1hour 39min 15sec #XBand #Podcast #Frew #MikaelLyck #TeamFantomen #Fantomen #BushfireAppeal #SyBarry #PhillipMadden #AlexSaviuk #HenrikSahlström #AntonioLemos #LucaErbetta #RobertAman #BossFightStudio #NECA #ComicsKingdom #Mallon #PhantomsWorld #Felmang #GermanoFerri #Spada #GlennLumsden #ShaneFoley #JeremyMacpherson #AndrewConstant

Brazil has a rich Phantom history with one of the first Phantom comics ever published being from Brazil back in 1937. This is before countries like Australia, Italy, Sweden, Norway and USA. The Phantom was at his most popular in Brazil between the 1950's and 1980's with the regular RGE series publishing over 350 comics in the series including their own locally created stories. In 2001 Opera Graphica a local Brazillian publishing company tried to reproduce the magic by releasing several digest style comics reprinting new and older newspaper stories and Moonstone stories. While having moderate success these comics have still been popular for starved local phans up until recently the Mythos Editora who is currently publishing new comics that have been very well received. Today, we interview Mozart Couto a Brazilian artist who worked on several covers for Opera Graphica, one for Mythos Editora and also a card in the recent Frew Gallery Trading Card Series. Chronicle Chamber: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What country and region are you from? Mozart Couto: I was born and live in Brazil, in the city of Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais. I always loved drawing and had a dream of being a comics designer. My father was a musician and also drew. With a lot of technical drawing knowledge, he was my teacher. After 17 years old, I continued studying alone. I'm self-taught artist. Since 1979 I have been working with comics and illustrations for publishers in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro from here, from my home office. I have also been published in Europe and the USA during the late 1980s and until the mid 1990s. After then I started to dedicate myself more to illustrating textbooks and, sporadically I do comics, some of them independently. I am married and have two daughters, one is an architect and the other is a Designer. Despite living close to the turbulent center of the city, I live a calm life, next to the family and my two cats. CC: Did you have any form of official study as an artist through out the years or even at school? MC: No, totally a self taught artist. CC: Is there anyone in particular who has inspired you and influenced your work? MC: Many artists have inspired me at different times and they were artists of very different styles. I believe Frank Frazetta has been a strong influence for a long time, but others, like Moebius, Massamune Shirow, Paolo Serpieri, Harold Foster are the main artists on the long list. CC: Frank Frazetta and Harold Foster are two names that most would know off. What particular made you want to be an artist? MC: Since I was a child (around 4 years old), I drew almost every day, however like most other kids, I never stopped. Another thing that also stimulated me a lot was the passion of comics. It was very magical and I wanted to be a part of it. CC: Did you like working on the Phantom cover for Opera Graphica? Did you know of the Phantom before you started on the covers? Did you ever read the character prior or as a child? MC: Yes, I liked it because it reminded me of the comics I had as a child. I read Phantom comics and many others however I could not get into the Marvel and DC Superheroes. However when I was around 14 I discovered the mature European comics. Many years later, I was drawing and painting Phantom covers! What a surprise. CC: How did you get the role of the Phantom for Opera Graphica back in the early 2000’s? MC: Through a publisher I worked with for many years who was now working at Opera Graphica asked me if I wanted to do some covers for a Phantom series that they had the license for at the time. I made some sketches that were approved quickly and started to produce the images. The rest is history. CC: You have worked on several covers for Opera Graphica. Do you have a specific favourite that you look back on with pride? ​MC: It is hard to remember after all these years but one I always liked and still stands out to me was the one that featured a unicorn and the Phantom was near a tree, looking at the unicorn. The scene was taken place at night. CC: We have included that cover with the article to the right. The atmosphere and the way the tree portraits the Phantom and unicorn is well done. MC: Thank you. CC: Recently in Australia they released a Frew Gallery trading card series which features a drawing of yours. Can you tell us the story behind that drawing? MC: No special story behind the image sorry. The people at Frew contacted me via email and asked for a scene with Phantom for the card collection. They gave me the freedom to create what I wanted. It was really fun to draw The Phantom again after all these year! I saw other images from other artists who participated in the same collection and I thought it was excellent! Frew did a great job with that series and I am honoured I was able to be a part of it. CC: Do you prefer drawing covers or the interior comics pages and is there a difference in the way you work with a cover and interior story? MC: Currently I prefer to make cover illustrations. I did full length comics and interior pages for many decades. After a while it can be pretty tiring. I can still do it, but it depends on several factors that I have to decide on case by case when the opportunity arises. CC: Do you work traditionally using pencils, inks on paper or do you prefer working on the computer? MC: It depends a lot on the job. I usually mix between traditional and digital mediums but it does depend a lot on the situation, the job and the time frame. If the art required is very detailed I prefer to start on paper and then scan the artwork and touch up on the computer. My paintings are all digital. CC: What are you working on now? MC: I do illustrations for several ongoing clients including a religious artistic and cultural center. When I get time I also work, very slowly, on a series called: "Brakan" that I created and developed myself which I publish independently. It is a story of barbarians and a little magic. CC: Do you accept commissions and how can they contact you? MC: Yes I am more than happy to accept commissions for the Phantom or other characters. Please email me at mozartcouto@gmail.com and let me know what you would like. CC: Thank you, do you also have a place where phans can see more of your work? We have included a gallery below of all your Phantom covers. MC: You can visit my website at mozartcoutoblog.blogspot.com and also my YouTube channel "Mozart Couto" which features time lapse videos of some of my work. CC: We thank you Mozart for your time and allowing us to ask you some questions. MC: Thank you guys. It was a pleasure to talk about the Phantom again. CC: We have included a gallery of the covers Mozart has worked on Opera Graphica and Mythos Editora. #MozartCouto #Fantasma #OperaGraphica #TradingCards #RGE #Frew #Mythos

One of the most anticipated X-Band podcasts we have been apart of as we interview Erik Arana who is Partner / Creative Art Director at Boss Fight Studios. In July 2019 BFS announced they had a license for The Phantom and in February 2020, at the New York toy fair they showed off the first samples of their Phantom line. What followed was a chat and demonstration with us of what has so many phans excited with this announcement. Erik explains the H.A.C.K.S line, what a wave is, drops many a hint on what may come in wave 2, 3 and further down the track along what will be in wave 1. We also ask the important questions like when they be available for pre order, the likely release date, the price range and how phans from around the world can get their figurines. We recommend after you have listened to the podcast you watch the Youtube video as Erik shows us in detail the Phantom prototype plus the the 30 points of articulation and how you can customise your own Phantom. A huge thanks to Erik for his time and we hope you will be as excited about Boss Fight Studio like us after listening and watching. Happy Phantoming #XBand #Podcast #BossFightStudio #ErikArana #figurines #CollectorsCorner

For those who came in late, Swedish academic and Phantom phan Robert Aman has had his Phantom thesis turned into a book! His recently released volume The Phantom Comics and the New Left is an extensive examination into The Phantom and the way the stories played an important role in politics in Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s. The book is now being shipped around the world, with many phans having already made their purchase. Robert has graciously appeared on an episode of X-Band: The Phantom Podcast (October 2018, see link below) discussing elements from this book, and we also covered many of these ideas in May 2019 when we interviewed seminal author Magnus Knutsson (link also below). Phantom Comics and the New Left is the first in-depth academic treatise focused on the foundational comic strip heroes contribution to Swedish politics, with The Phantom contributing to the ever-growing body of literature on the rise of the New Left, the student revolts, the solidarity movements and other events associated with leftist radicalisation during the 1960s-1970s It details how The Phantom offered a direct commentary on Sweden’s perception of its own role in the world as a leading proponent of international solidarity. Even today elements of this time period still features in Phantom stories with the fictional country Rodia appearing as a fascist state modeled after South Africa in their apartheid reign. It took Rodia a lot longer to kick out the racist leader and swear in Nelson N'Dela as their new president in 2014 (Epilogue - Fantomen 9/2014 & Frew 1697 2014). It is worth mentioning Rodia has become so far entrenched in Phantom lore, it is one of the few Team Fantomen elements that has made its way into the newspaper stories. Phantom Comics and the New Left is incredibly detailed, with Robert taking the time to extensively interview former editor Ulf Granberg and writer Magnus Knutsson several times, which even included Robert visiting Ulf several times in person to ensure his research was accurate. Their writing colleague at the time, Janne Lundström, was having health issues during the time of the book's production, Janne sent Robert a transcription of a recent long interview he had done about his life and times in comics, which provided further background information. This formed an analysis focus on the actual storylines, interaction with readers on member pages and on-going debates at the time in other public forums such as the media back in the 1960s through the 1980s. Here is the blurb of the book: This book is about the Phantom in Sweden, or more correctly: about Sweden in the Phantom. Socialist Superhero uncovers how a peripheral American superhero – created in 1936 by author Lee Falk and artist Ray Moore – that has been accused of both racism and sexism has become a national concern in a country that several researchers have labelled the most antiracial and gender equal in the world. When a group of Swedish creators set up their official production of licensed scripts to The Phantom comic in 1972, the character is redefined through the prism of New Left ideology where the plots, besides aiming to entertain readers, also inform the reader about the righteousness and validity of the dominant ideological doctrine among the Swedish public at the time, which also impacted on the government’s foreign policy. Through a series of close readings of the comic books, alongside fan writing, cultural criticism, political documents, and interviews with creators and editors of The Phantom comic book, The Phantom Comics and the New Left’s various thematic chapters discuss how topics such as foreign aid and poverty elimination, guerrilla warfare and postcolonialism, socialism and equality are expressed on the pages of the comic book, along with the fight against apartheid, the construction of a cooperative society in the jungle and the Phantom’s self-affirmed role as spokesperson for then Prime Minister Olof Palme. What will be seen is how the common denominator is ideology: the Phantom reflects values, and embodies a dominant political point of view, of how Sweden sees itself and its role in the world. To get a better understanding of some of the elements Robert talks about, we have included a list of some of the adventures that are discussed in some detail in the book. As you can see, there’s quite a few Lee Falk stories which are used as points of comparison but also highlight what critics in Sweden at the time were targeting when Team Fantomen was founded. Many of the Team Fantomen stories have not yet been published in English by Frew Publications or any other publisher, so if they sound of interest to you, make sure you let Frew know. Stories created by Lee Falk: The Sky Band (1936-37) script: Lee Falk; art: Ray Moore. The Inexorables (1942-1943) script: Lee Falk; art: Ray Moore & Wilson McCoy. The Governor’s Wife (1953) script: Lee Falk; art: Wilson McCoy. The Mysterious Ambassador (1962-1963) script: Lee Falk; art: Sy Barry. Walker’s Table (1969) script: Lee Falk; art: Sy Barry. The First Phantom (1975) script: Lee Falk; art: Sy Barry. The Tree House (1980) script: Lee Falk; art: Sy Barry. Stories created by Team Fantomen: The Water Test (Fantomen 26/1970), script: Janne Lundström, art: Bertil Wilhelmsson. The Secret of the Plantation (Fantomen 16/1971), script: Janne Lundström, art: Bertil Wilhelmsson. The Dead River (Fantomen 1/1972 & Frew #1799 - 2017), script: Magnus Knutsson; art: Jaime Vallvé. The Slaves (Fantomen 14/1972 & Frew #1844 - 2019), script: Magnus Knutsson, art: Jaime Vallvé. The Trade War (Fantomen 3/1973 & Frew #1840 - 2019), script: Janne Lundström, art: Bertil Wilhelmsson. Diana in the Jungle Patrol (Fantomen 5/1973 & Frew #1804 - 2018), script: Magnus Knutsson; art: Jaime Vallvé. On Forbidden Land (Fantomen 1/1977), script: Janne Lundström; art: Jaime Vallvé. The book is available at the Palgrave website. It will cost you 42,79€ (approx. $73AU & $50US at time of writing) for the eBook version or 49,99€ ($85AU & $55US) for a physical copy. If you are a Chronicle Chamber Patreon supporter, there are some excerpts included in the Phantom Preservation Project section. Thanks must go to Robert Aman for keeping us up to date with the book's progress, and the insights into his research and the book. We recommend listening to the below two podcasts with Robert Aman and also Magnus Knuttsson. These elements, the stories and the importance of the work to the Phantom we read and love is all covered in the below podcasts. #RobertAman #MagnusKnutsson #UlfGranberg #JanneLundstrom #BertilWilhelmsson #LeeFalk #WilsonMcCoy #RayMoore #SyBarry #Fantomen #TeamFantomen #Politics

We are extremely happy to announce that the Phantom Bushfire Phundraiser Book is now available to Purchase! $30 per book (plus shipping). Over 50 artists featured on 52 pages in colour. Only 400 copies printed - do not delay! Officially licensed by KFS. This podcast is a quick chat with Stephen East joining the band, interviewing and asking the questions to Jermayn and Dan about the production of the book. Listen for a peak behind the curtain on the production of this book that will become an instant collectible. If you want a sneak peak at the book we recommend watching the YouTube video of the podcast. Purchase your Bushfire Phundraiser Book Here! #XBand #Podcast #BushfireAppeal #AlexSaviuk #JasonPaulos #DrPaulMason #WendellCavalcanti #AntonioLemos #CamilloDiPietrantonio #JamieJohnson #JeremyMacpherson #AnthonySpay #RubenProcopio #JosefRubinstein #GuyPoissant #CoralMartinez #MikaelSol #JoanBoix #KeithWilliams #PercyOchoa #DeanRankine #JeffWeigel #NormBreyfogle #MassimoGamberi #ShaneFoley #MikeManley #PeterKingston #GrangeWallis

We are extremely excited to chat with Indian super phan Swaroop Chand. Swaroop gives us a big insight into the world of comics and the Phantom in India. We talk about the importance of colour comics, the many languages that the Phantom has been published in and he shows us some brilliant rare comics from India and around the world. This is a phun chat with the boys and Swaroop and we guarantee you will learn something and have phun at the same time. We would recommend watching the video podcast when you get a chance as Swaroop shows us some of his treasures in his expansive collection. #XBand #Podcast #SwaroopChand #Indrajal #India