At the start of every season (Spring, Summer, Autumn [Fall] and Winter) we hold a competition for our loyal Patreon supporters. For the Australian Autumn, we have two (2) pencil roughs from Jeff Weigel from the current Sunday story which features the 13th Phantom visiting Australia and having an adventure with Australian explorer George Bass. The roughs are from the following dates: Sunday 17 November 2019 Sunday 26 January 2019 You will receive the roughs in A4 format, thumbnails and a print of the finished Sunday, All signed by Jeff Weigel. The competition is open exclusively to Patreon supporters of ChronicleChamber.com, the fine folk who help keep this website running with their contribution. The competition will be drawn on Sunday the 1st September and announced via video. How to enter: Current Patreon supporters: Do nothing. You are already entered! Not a current Patreon supporter? Head over to our Patreon page and sign up for as little as $1/month. It's that easy! The raffle draw is random, and Patreons will be entered at a rate of one ticket for each dollar pledged monthly. For instance, supporting at $1/month equals one entry; supporting at $5/month equals 5 entries. Of course, $5/month support also entitles you to access all the Phantom goodies that are stored in our very own Major Treasure Room, the Phantom Preservation Project (P3). #Patreon #TradingCards #Frew #JeffWeigel #KeithWilliams #JasonPaulos #DrPaulMason #JamieJohnson #GlennLumsden #ShaneFoley #DanielPicciotto #MarceloBaez #RenoManiquis #WendellCavalcanti #JanBielecki

Sorry for the delay in this podcast but we have been busy with the Phantom bushfire phundraiser - more on that soon! Anyway we discuss all the news from the last two and a half months along with eight Phantom comics from Fantomen (Sweden) and Frew (Australia). If you are looking for an excuse to support us as a Patreon, make sure you listen to the news at the start of the podcast. We announce TWO amazing Patreon-only announcements with the card game that is about to be kickstarted, as well as some exciting news regarding the Phantom bushfire phundraiser. Thanks as usual to Mickael Lyck for his detailed reviews on Fantomen, as well as Angus this month who helps us reflect on Frew's 2020 Annual Special. Please don't forget that we're looking for a phan from Brazil, Hungary and Norway to help us reviewing their comics. 1 min - General news - Update on Bushfire Phundraising book - Phantom card game update - New Sy Barry print - New Phantom movie from India 17 min - Publisher news - Fantomen 70th Anniversary - Fantomen Best Story competition - Best of Frew 2019 results - Mallon 85th Anniversary edition 35 min - Comics reviews - Fantomen #1, #2-3, #4 42 min - Frew #1856 - 2019 Christmas Special 51 min - Frew #1857 The Forgotten Tribe 1hr01 - Frew #1858 - 2020 Annual Special - Isle of Eden compilation - Kid Phantom special - with special comments from Angus 1hr29 - Frew #1859 - Replica series #22 Happy Phantoming! #XBand #Podcast #Fantomen #MikaelSol #Frew #HenrikSahlström #ClaytonBarton #JamieJohnson #MassimoGamberi #LeeFalk #SyBarry #WilsonMcCoy #KidPhantom #DrPaulMason #AndrewConstant

A huge honour to chat with Graham Nolan who is a modern day legend in the comics field with credits at both DC and Marvel and is mostly known for his Batman work including the co-creation of Bane, the villain in the world of Batman. As you will find out in the following podcast, there is much more to Graham Nolan that his Batman work including a legacy of the Phantom phandom passed on by his mother at a young age. Graham's Phantom work includes the Sunday newspaper strip adventures, writing Phantom stories for the newspaper strip and Egmont, covers for Moonstone, Hermes & Fantomen and of course the Frew Gallery Trading Series 1 and 2. We also touch upon two great subjects regarding his retirement from the Sunday newspaper stories and two panels that caused some angst among certain phans. You will enjoy gaining an insight into this modern day comics legend! This video was recorded using a different software than our normal software hence the different style of the video. Hope you enjoy it. #XBand #Podcast #GrahamNolan #Moonstone #DonNewton #HermesPress #Sundays #PaulRyan #TonyDePaul #ClaesReimerthi #Fantomen

In Fantomen issue 4/2020, as per tradition for the last three decades, we can now vote for your favourite 2019 Fantomen comic cover. You can vote here at this website. There were 19 beautiful covers in 2019 and only 5 of them were done by someone else then Henrik Sahlström. They are: Fantomen 1/2019: Rafael Ruiz Fantomen 6&7/2019: Sal Velluto & Eugenio Mattozzi Fantomen 8/2019: Rafael Ruiz Fantomen 9/2019: Luca Erbetta Fantomen 14&15/2019: Jan Bielecki This is easier for non Swedes to do a justified vote since all covers are on the website. You can win a cloth tote bag featuring art of the winning cover. This is open for international phans with the winning prize sent free of charge to your address. Do not forget you can also vote for the best story here with entries closing 19th February 2020. #Fantomen #HenrikSahlström #Egmont #SalVelluto #EugenioMattozzi #RafaelRuiz #LucaErbetta #JanBielecki

In the last two and a half years, Coral Martinez has been receiving credit for her work inking Rafael Ruiz' Phantom stories. She has worked with Rafael on five Team Fantomen stories at the time of this interview. Three have been published by Frew in English, the story details are below: "The 22nd Phantom, Part 3: The Man in the Shadows" Frew #1794 (2017) Fantomen 2-3/2017 "The Scavengers" Frew #1845 (2019) Fantomen 1/2018 "The Pit of Doom" Frew #1853 (2019) Fantomen 1/2019 "Eldkraft" (Swedish Title) Fantomen 8/2019 "Den gyllene burens fånge" (Swedish Title) Fantomen 16/2019 Chronicle Chamber has been lucky enough to interview Coral and learn more about Coral, an inker making a name for herself in a male dominated Phantoms world. Chronicle Chamber: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself? What country are you from? Coral Martinez: I am from Galicia, a northern region in Spain, where I can enjoy the frozen waters of the Atlantic Ocean. CC: And where did you Study art? CM: I studied Art at Universidade de Vigo, and one year at Universidad de Barcelona. During those five years learning “art” (mainly conceptual art) not one of the teachers encouraged me to keep drawing cartoons or comics, because as you would know... this is not real ART. In my opinion, it is more important to work on your own path, focusing in the area you are interested about (inking was mine), and work very hard on that area. Fortunately I found some very good comic professionals who helped me become a better inker, by sharing their experiences, knowledge and advice with me. CC: That’s wonderful. Is there anyone in particular who has inspired you and influenced your work? CM: Well, I don’t know if these artists have influenced my work, but they really inspire me. They are Bruce Timm, Mike Mignola, Taiyou Matsumoto, Sandra Hope, Jonathan Glapion, Jordi Tarragona, Kevin Nowlan, Matteo Scalera and Dino Battaglia. CC: What made you wanting to be an artist? and an Inker? CM: Wow... This is very difficult to know! This is not going to be the perfect answer as we are used to reading that since a very young age I knew my future was to be an artist”. When I was a child I instead dreamed of becoming a great ballet dancer (despite not taking ballet lessons) or maybe an archaeologist. I was very good at drawing, and working on creative things. I decided go to University and study Art, but my teachers did not value my drawings and accurate strokes. Teachers and students prefered flowing paintings... more chaotically techniques and fresh drawings, directly from the soul to the paper, less academical. So I thought “there may be a field where I can apply all that accurate strokes made with brush”, and a good friend of mine talked to me about the inkers of the comic industry. What a discovery! CC: We’re pleased you made that discovery. Are you able to work full-time as an artist now? What other jobs have you had in the past to supplement your career as an artist? CM: Today I work as a comic teacher, illustrator and inker. It is a personal decision, because I really enjoy sharing my knowledge in the comic field with people. I still enjoy day to day work as an inker and illustrator. I published my first book in October 2018. In the past I have worked in fashion and sports stores while I was building my career. CC: What other comic work have you done (prior to The Phantom) that we should become familiar with? CM: I started working as an inker at 26 years old with some pages to DC Comics on titles like Smallville, Battlestar Galactica and Dynamite Enternainment on titles like HeMan and the Masters of the Universe. CC: Your work with the Phantom has been as an inker for Rafael Ruiz. Can you tell us about how that happened? CM: After four years working on these titles, I decided to move to Barcelona, where I started working as an inker in a comics studio called “Comic Up”. Mainly we inked Disney stories, like Donald Duck magazines. During the first few months at the studio they started working with The Phantom comics for Egmont, with pencils done by Rafael Ruiz. They tested all the inkers on staff to decide who was better suited to ink The Phantom and the rest is history. CC: Your published work proves they made a good choice. Do you like working on the Phantom? Did you know of the Phantom before you started work on those stories? Did you ever read the character? CM: Yes, I like working on the Phantom, he is a good character to ink, and is a very dynamic drawing as well. I knew the Phantom, of course! But just in a physical appearance, the costume, the colors etc. I never had read the character (shame!), because I thought he was a classic character, with lots of BAM! CRASH! and that kind of stuff. Sorry about that, fans! I’m not proud about that. CC: We’re sure the phans can learn to forgive you! What do you enjoy most about inking? CM: I love inking, most people think it is a technical process without artistic value, in my opinion and experience, I disagree. I have the responsibility of the final lines, the final lines that are going to be printed and published. I have to understand the drawings, the personal style of the artist, in this case, Rafael Ruiz, absolve it, respect it and, if it is possible, bring new nuances to his lines and movements. It’s very important to keep the drawings as clean as possible, to help the readers differentiate what’s happening in every single scene with the foreground and background. I personally prefer inking main characters and nature backgrounds (trees, plants, organic stuff) than city landscapes or big buildings. Ships, cars and bicycles are my worst enemies, hahaha! Of course the first 4 hours inking are better than the rest, I will not lie. CC: You will love the Phantom then, especially if you can work on more of his jungle adventures! How do you find the challenge of inking someone else’s work - are you able to bring your own flair or style to the drawings? Are you able to make your own inking decisions to his pencils? CM: Well, it is a big responsibility! You can bring your own style, but not you cannot change the main character including his face - that has to stay in the pencillers style! Hahahaha!! The areas where you can make decisions and leave your personal print are mainly the backgrounds, different surface textures and the way you apply the shadowing lines (soft, fast, aggressive, thick, splatter etc). Pencils always come very clear and with no doubt on how to ink, but sometimes characters and backgrounds can get a little bit confusing. in these cases, my work is try to add some order in the scene. CC: Professional comic book creation is a notoriously male-dominated industry and The Phantom is not immune, with precious few female creators in the past. What has your experience been like in this area as you have established yourself in the industry and the Phantom world? CM: This is a personal point of view based on a personal experience. When I started working as The Phantom inker I was in a comic studio based in Barcelona, where there were 8 inkers and 5 of them females. That was a very nice place to work, without any kind of sexism at all. Unfortunately, it is not always the case. For example at a Manga Convention, where fandom and artists are on average 50 / 50 between men and women (if not even more women) there is greater respect. Compare that experience to a generic Comic Superhero Convention where while you still find plenty of women, in my experiences, you can feel a little bit awkward, with people staring at you, and adding stupid comments or sexist behavior. A sad example was from my first comic agent who told me on a phone call: “Hello! My name is XXX, I saw you in the comic con last week. The first thing I noticed, was your legs... So, you are an inker right?” Few years ago that kind of conversation would have left me completely shocked, without words trying to answer or make sense of what just happened. Nowadays society is changing and thankfully behaviors are also changing in a positive way. I hope we will reach the point of call us “artists” and not male artist or female artist. We are people, human beings, that’s all. let our work tell the tale. CC: Wow, that is horrible! I am glad the experiences are getting better. As we finish up, what is the best way for someone to contact or look at your work? CM: The best place would be my Instagram account. CC: Thank you, we thank you for your time and we look forward to more of your artwork in our Phantom comics and seeing some Phantom commissions from phans around the world. CM: Thanks for that interview! I really enjoy share my experience with fans, readers and everybody who wants listen to me talking about my work and my personal world. Un abrazo, Coral Martinez #CoralMartinez #RafaelRuiz #TeamFantomen #Egmont #Frew

For a lot of Frew readers from the 1980s and 90s, the work that Jim Shepherd and Frew did by bringing to us unedited and uncensored newspaper stories was all part of the reason why many including the team at Chronicle Chamber were and still are hooked on the Phantom. In the December Comics and News X-Band podcast in a discussion between Mikael, Dan and myself we highlighted how even today the newspaper stories get edited in comics from Frew and Egmont which is a direct 180 on what Frew readers received in their comic a few decades ago. The first example is in the Fantomen issue 25&26/2019 and the 2019 Christmas Album. You can view the edited panels either in the gallery below with the edited panels along with the original. Or you can view our YouTube video (attached below) from the 1 hour and 7 minute mark. The obvious question is what reads better? This is not a problem just isolated to Egmont either. In the following examples we see some edits in the proportion of the way the panels are shown across Newspapers from Australia and comics from Fantomen and Frew. Thanks to Anthony Gillies for the photos. The original is the first image. Frew’s height to width ratio is .657 (second image). Fantomen published at a height to width ratio of .651 (Third image). The Sunday Canberra Times height to width ratio is .89. The worst example is the Sunday in the Sunday Canberra Times newspaper which is squarer resulting in giving the warden a distorted elongated head (Fourth image). While the proportion of what the Sunday Canberra Times do is almost criminal, at least they still publish the Phantom with many other newspapers cancelling the comics and the Phantom. If you look at the comic book examples in the images above or have picked up Frew issue #1856 (Frew Christmas special) or Fantomen 25-26/2019 yourself, you would have noticed that both do not include the top line of the three tiers which includes the unique title image and generally the 'for those who have come in late' reminder catch up panel. Many will argue that the story reads better with the title image and previous recap being removed but many will also argue that it is not a true representative of what was originally published. What side of the fence do you stand on? Do you prefer your newspaper stories edited to a more readable comic story or do you prefer them unedited in the newspaper format? A huge thanks to Anthony Gillies and Mikael Lyck for their help with photos, scans and some technical help in this article. #JeffWeigel #TonyDePaul #Sundays #Dailys #ComicsKingdom #Fantomen #Frew #KeithWilliams #GeorgeOlesen #KingFeaturesSyndicate #JimShepherd

For those who came in late… Phantom + Raffle = Phaffle! As we discussed in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #140, Peter Kingston of The Phantom Art Show has generously donated several artworks from the exhibition to be used as part of our phundraising efforts for the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal in Australia. To make sure we honour this generosity and raise as much money as possible, while also giving all phans a chance to own one of these one-of-a-kind and completely unique items, we've decided to hold a series of phaffles. What's a phaffle? Well, over the last few months phaffles have become a great way for collectors to quickly sell items at a price that they want to get for it. Popular on Facebook groups like Trader Joe's General Store For Phantom Collectables, phans have also had the chance to add to their collections by getting sought after items at minimal price. In essence, it's a raffle with a limited number of tickets. Given this is a phundraiser for a desperate cause, and that the extraordinary prizes on offer are by nature very difficult to value, we're tweaking the idea by asking for a minimum number of tickets sold before the prize can be drawn. Peter has been a great help in assisting us set these minimum values. Since the podcast release, Friend of The Phantom Pete Klaus has also been in touch, offering a some Sal Velluto designed pins and buckle as another phaffle prize! The phaffles will be held on our Facebook page and will run for only a few days each - see the schedule below. Over the coming weeks we'll publish a series of posts, each featuring: a picture of the item up for grabs and a brief description a price per ticket to enter a closing time for the draw the minimum number of tickets required to close and draw the phaffle our PayPal details. If the minimum has been reached or surpassed by the closing time, we will draw the prize and move on to the next one. If the minimum has NOT yet been reached, then the phaffle will stay open until it is; in this case the phaffle will close immediately once the minimum is achieved. All funds will need to be sent to our PayPal address. Comments / likes / shares are welcome, but will NOT be considered entries in the draw. Only PayPal receipts count as tickets. Prizes will be posted to Australian winners at no extra cost. International winners to pay actual postage. So, check out the catalogue of items below, take note of the planned schedule if you want to target a particular piece, and good luck to all phans! #ArtShow #PeterKingston #BushfireAppeal #PeteKlaus #SalVelluto

It's only been a little over a week since we launched ChronicleChamber's Phundraiser for the Bushfire Appeal, and it's fair to say that we've been completely blown away by the response from the Phantom and broader artistic community. In episode #140 of X-Band: The Phantom Podcast we go into detail about the project (listen through the player at the bottom of this page, or via your favourite podcast app), and you can also read below for a latest and fullest update. At the time of writing over 50 artists have been in touch to say they would like to help with the contribution of artwork, and well over a dozen have already sent in their finished pieces. It's fair to say they have mobilised in support of what is a very worthy cause. Contributing artists have come from far and wide! As you might expect, many local Australian artists are putting their hands up. But we have also already received artwork from all over the world - Brazil, Italy, USA, Bangladesh and Canada are represented so far! The artwork submitted so far is nothing short of amazing, as you can see from some of the snipped previews in the gallery below. Most of the artists who have completed their pictures traditionally are selling the original art with all proceeds helping our cause in donating to Red Cross Australia. We are promoting these through our social media channels, most particularly our Facebook page, so be sure to keep checking this to see each piece in full as they come available. In addition to all the contributions of artwork, other Phantom individuals and businesses are also supporting in other ways. Hermes Press are donating a percentage of all Phantom books sold, and Frew will also shortly implement their own plans to assist. Peter Kingston, curator and exhibiting artist of The Phantom Art Show that toured Australia 2015-2017, has donated several sculptures and other artwork that appeared in the exhibition. We will be phundraising using these pieces, with money raised directly supporting the cause by allowing us to print books with more pages (art has outstripped our initial plans), and hopefully to print more books total. Again, this will happen via our Facebook page so we recommend visiting regularly over the next few weeks! As mentioned, all monies raised will support the work of Red Cross Australia. Red Cross supports the immediate evacuation and relief efforts, provision of psychological first aid as well as food, water, and other relief items, and emergency grants to people who have lost homes to bushfires. Their work is vital, and it's wonderful that so many people are coming together to support their efforts. Once again, a huge thanks to Baden and the team at Jeffries Printing Services - it is through their support that we are able to undertake this project. So, a reminder to save your pennies as we look toward our publication date: we're aiming to have the book in phans' hands by mid-March. #CiroBalzano #SalVelluto #DrPaulMason #GuyPoissant #LouManna #RRobertPollak #DeanRankine #SyBarry #ArifIqbal #PeterKingston #ArtShow #HermesPress #AlexSaviuk #BushfireAppeal

He may only be two months short of his 92nd birthday, but Sy Barry is continuing to produce some simply magnificent Phantom images. Anyone who follows Sy's work on social media (see his Facebook page here) knows that his commission work is still top notch. The posters released last year - and still available via his website sybarry.com - are fantastic current examples of his work. Now Sy is releasing a brand new limited edition print to begin the new decade, and he has sent us a preview copy of the image to unveil for phans! The below proof of the Sunset Salute print shows Phantom on a rearing Hero, saluting a passing biplane. Clearly the image is inspired by a deleted scene from the 1996 The Phantom movie, which appears as the closing of HBO First Look - The Phantom; The Man, the Myth, the Legend. The Phantom and Hero have been penciled and inked by Sy, with the remainder of the picture completed in watercolours. This has led to a stunning sunset with vibrant colours, an image that will look magnificent on the wall of any Major Treasure Room. The prints will measure 11 x 14 inches (approx 28 x 36 cm) with a white border making them easy to frame - about an A3 size frame will do the trick! The high GSM paper stock will showcase the amazing colours. This will by a print that phans around the world will want to add to their collections. Only a lucky and dedicated few can pick up a copy of Sunset Salute, however. They are truly limited edition, with only 50 created. Each will be hand numbered and signed by Sy. They will appear on sybarry.com in the coming weeks as they return from the printers, priced at a neat $100USD + shipping. In an effort to keep postage costs down for Australian purchasers, Sy's son David Barry has agreed to send a bulk order of the print down under, directly to CC team member Dan Fraser. All being well, these should be available from mid-late February. The price for these works out at $165AUD (matches the $100USD website price and also includes all postage and handling costs from Sy to you). Any Australians interested in this should contact Dan privately. Phans in other parts of the world should contact David by following this link as soon as possible to reserve a copy. #SyBarry

As most Phantom phans are undoubtedly aware, the summer of 2019/2020 has been and continues to be a particularly brutal one in Australia. Unprecedented devastating bushfires have engulfed huge areas of our island continent. At the time of writing, 28 lives have been tragically lost including a number of heroic volunteer firefighters. On top of this, over 5900 buildings have been razed to the ground including over 2200 homes, 26 million acres (10.7 million hectares) of bushland devastated, and an estimated half a billion animals killed. The crisis is far from over, with fires continuing to burn uncontrollably around the nation right now. The global response has been amazing, with Hollywood celebrities, sporting stars and everyday people digging deep to aid the recovery effort. We at Chronicle Chamber have wondered how we could help mobilise the Phantom community to make our own small contribution. In response, we’ve developed our own phundraiser idea - only made possible by the assistance and generosity of a variety of Phantom artists from around the globe. Amazing creators from around the world are contributing to a book that Chronicle Chamber is having professionally printed, with all sales to support the bushfire relief appeal. We are contacting creators, asking them to supply a unique Phantom image linked in some way to the bushfire crisis and recovery efforts. Sal Velluto, Josef Rubinstein, Lou Manna and Sy Barry have all already joined this effort and are offering their time and talents. More emails and messages will be flying to all corners of the globe now that we have a full head of steam on this project. If you are an artist and you see this post, haven't received a message but are keen - get in touch, please! We understand if you have to say no, we understand that many of you will be under the pump with deadlines and so forth... but if you can help us, that'd be great! No one is obligated to contribute, but many are committing to sketching/drawing/painting/etc a Phantom image of their own choosing and sending us a high res scan for inclusion in the volume. They have or will also sell/auction/raffle the original art (if drawn traditionally) as a further personal donation, but purchasing this unique volume will be the only way to own a print copy of all the pieces. If you are an artist and would like to contribute, please email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com. We are beyond grateful that printing is being donated by the wonderful people at Jeffries Printing Services - without their help this project would not be able to get off the ground. Chronicle Chamber will cover the cost of distribution. The book is being advertised and sold to phans worldwide, with every cent of the proceeds being donated to Red Cross Australia. With the Australian audience long being a mainstay of the Phantom community, we hope that many phans will take the opportunity to contribute to the larger bushfire appeal by purchasing this one-of-a-kind Phantom collectible. This book represents not only a unique addition to your Phantom collection but also an excellent way to contribute to the relief effort for all who have suffered immeasurably. Final purchase price for the book will be determined by how many pages it runs to, which will of course be determined by how many artists come on board. We are conscious of making it affordable enough for everyday phans, but also priced high enough to raise a significant total. The final price will include shipping, and we will be shipping internationally. Thank you. Again, if you are an artist or creator and would like to contribute, please email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com. #SalVelluto #JosefRubinstein #LouManna #SyBarry #BushfireAppeal

Roving reporter and Phantomer extraordinaire Duncan Munro is our host today as he explores Baltimore Comic-Con, 18-20 October 2019. We're lucky to listen in as Duncan has the opportunity to speak to a number of amazing American creators: Mike Gold - on the editorial team for DC's The Phantom series (1988-1990) Keith Williams - Daily artist (1994-2005) Mike Manley - Daily artist (2016-present) Bob McLeod - story and cover artist for Egmont (2003-2006) Thanks so much to Duncan for taking the time and effort to record these for us all to enjoy. #XBand #Podcast #MikeGold #KeithWilliams #MikeManley #BobMcLeod #DuncanMunro

The Swedish Phantom comic Fantomen have hosted votes about the best story for over 30 years, and now in their 70th year there is no exception. 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, the Norwegian Nya Fantomet Historier and even Brazil's Mythos Publishing are reprinting them. These publishers from around the world are more than likely to pick up a story that has won a Best Story award. How to vote? Go to Fantomen.org; if you use Google Chrome you can right click and choose 'Translate To English'. The best way for non-Swedes to identify each story is is to go to the Phantomwiki page for Fantomen 2019. This page lists all the Fantomen issues, with story titles given in English if they have been published by Frew. To see the titles of the other stories, you will need to follow the links (issue number) for each issue. The last date to vote is 19th of February and the result will be published in issue 9 of 2020. As an extra thank you, Team Fantomen are raffling away 10 Fantomen Noir books. 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! #Fantomen #Egmont

Seeing out the year Phantom-style, Jermayn and Dan review everything Ghost Who Walks 2019. Wishing you all very Happy Phantoming in the New Year! Tale of the Tape: who released what in 2019? 3m20 - King Features 6m20 - FREW Publications 11m40 - Hermes Press 14m30 - Comics Revue 16m40 - Fantomen 20m30 - Fantomet 21m45 - Regal Publications 23m50 - Kockás 25m15 - Mythos 28m30 - Lightning Strike Comics 29m30 - Summary Phan Phavourites 34m50 - Intro 35m40 - Best Cover (non-FREW) 40m50 - Best Cover (FREW) 49min - Best Story Writer 54m25 - Best Story Artist 59min - Overall Best Story 1h07m20 - Best Issue (non-FREW) 1hr11min - Best Issue (FREW) 1h19m30 - Best Merchandise 1hr37min - Best Addition to the Collection 1h39m30 - Best ChronicleChamber Moment 1h43m40 - Overall Reflection on 2019 #XBand #Podcast #Frew #Fantomen #Fantomet #TeamFantomen #Fantasma #Mythos #MattKyme #SalVelluto #LucaErbetta #Tessa #RegalPublications #Kockás #ComicsRevue #ComicsKingdom #HermesPress #PiddeAndersson #AndreasEriksson

Sadly, there wasn't a lot of new Phantom stuff available for phans to find under the Christmas tree this year. But the folks at Mallon Publishing are looking to help correct that for December 2020! Unless you came in very late, you know that through 2018 & 19 we saw the Australian company Mallon reprise a their line of Phantom calendars and diaries, items that had once been something of an annual tradition in Phantom phamilies around the country - almost every Australian phan seemed to find either that or a Mallon diary in their Christmas stocking or under the tree in the nineties and early 2000s! Back then and still today, Mallon's reputation is for quality, affordable, and practical licensed Phantom items. Throughout next year, they are looking to maintain a broad public presence while also taking a deliberate step into the collector's market. Phantom people with an eye on the future know that 2021 marks the 85th Anniversary of the "birth" of our hero, first published 17 February 1936. Back in 2016, Mallon produced an 80th Anniversary Journal/Address Book/Calendar volume - but they're aiming a little higher this time around! Indeed, they are looking ahead with big plans to produce something very special for us all. Mallon are well developed in their plans to create a special 85th Anniversary edition of their famous Phantom diary, with the prospect of a Deluxe Limited Edition copy of the work as well. Their press release follows: EXCITING NEW PHANTOM COLLECTIBLE - 85TH ANNIVERSARY PHANTOM DIARY DELUXE LIMITED EDITION In February 1936, the then 24-year-old Lee Falk published the first Phantom comic strip, introducing his audience to the adventures of a masked superhero who would go on to thrill, mystify and delight his fans to this day. To mark the 85th anniversary of the first appearance of The Phantom, Mallon Publishing is planning a deluxe, limited-edition 2021 Anniversary Phantom Diary for release in 2020. Each limited edition will be numbered, will feature a special binding, ribbon marker, and a numbered and signed limited-edition print by a Phantom artist. The format of the diary will be in the original cased, section-sewn style of the first Phantom diaries and the contents will cover significant events in the eight and a half decades of Phantom history, the facts and figures that fans look for, and will include some special spreads on Phantom topics such as Phantom artists, most popular stories, collectibles, the international scene, and other characters in the Phantom world. A proposed double-page spread for the diary is reproduced here: Sample spread only; not final art, content or layout. Specifications*: - cased, full colour throughout - section sewn - trim size 260 x 210 mm - 128 pp - special binding, ribbon marker - includes numbered and signed illustration by Phantom artist A trade edition is also planned, in the same format but with a standard cover/binding and no other extra features; and an anniversary calendar may also be produced if fans are interested. Pricing*: - $150 for the limited edition (plus GST & postage/packaging) - $50 for the trade edition (plus GST & postage/packaging) To register your interest and secure your copies, please contact info@mallon.net.au Some of you may have already contacted the publisher to support this publication; and while the response has been encouraging, we are still considerably short of orders required to make it viable. So all of you fans out there, get behind this venture and help bring this unique Phantom collectible into reality! * Details are indicative only at this time and may be subject to change. Mallon has a history of asking for and responding to public interest. We phans know from experience that if the interest is not evident then Mallon will not go ahead with a product; but if the people speak up, then Mallon produce something quite fine. So, it is incumbent on us all to get in touch and let them know we are keen! Make sure you click on this email link and indicate your interest to Mallon today! #Mallon

In this relatively short episode, we have a quick bit of Christmas phun! Joined live by Swedish correspondent Mikael Lyck, the CC team draw the special Patreon Xmas raffle before discussing the best Phantom Christmas presents we've ever received, and then our honest thoughts on the lack of explicitly Christmas themed covers from Fantomen or Frew in 2019. After musing on our Xmas/New Years wishes for 2020, there's a bit of a laugh while we scare each other with a round robin of "What would you choose?" Merry Phantoming to everyone, and don't forget to vote for your phavourite FREW comics of 2019. #Podcast #XBand #Frew #Egmont #Semic #RayMoore #Mythos #LightningStrikeComics #HermesPress #GlennLumsden #LeeFalk #HenrikSahlström #Fantasma #Fantomen #BillyZane #LucaErbetta #JasonPaulos #JoanBoix #PiddeAndersson #SalVelluto #AnthonySpay