Now available for preorder with delivery in November / December 2026 is the translated version of the Mad Cave Studios Phantom series that is being collected into an album series. Album one is 152 pages and has the same contents as the Mad Cave Studios album 1 (read about that here) that was released in July 2026. The great thing about this reproduction is that the series now gets to be enjoyed by the local Brazilian fans with the comics translated into the local language of Portuguese. The album contains the first five issues of the regular ongoing series that were published in issues 1 to 5. The story is "The Tempest" and was created by Ray Fawkes and Russell Olson. The cover of the album originally featured on the cover of issue 3 and was designed by Freddy Williams II. Album two, which will be announced and released in 2027, will contain the three one-shot series: The Phantom vs. The Sky Band, The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons and The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood. We also believe that the Mad Cave Studios' Defenders of the Earth series featuring 12 stories will also be published in 2027 as well. More details to come. All caught up? Watch our reviews and tell us how you felt about this new take on the Phantom! At Chronicle Chamber, we love engaging with the fandom, and we always want to hear your thoughts on the series. Below, you can watch our video reviews for the first 5-issue miniseries, as well as the three one-shots that are currently available at your local comic book shop. The Phantom 5 issue mini-series review The Phantom vs. The Sky Band review The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons review The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood review

In this episode, the boys are back holding another emergency reaction podcast, this time looking at Tony DePaul, the writer for the newspaper comics, leaving the post. It is going to be interesting to find the fine line between honouring Tony's legacy and sifting through the outrage and optimism and also looking ahead. This is a podcast discussing the news and what is next. If you would like to ask any specific questions to him about the series that we have missed, please contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com or leave them on our YouTube channel and/or at our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. Jermayn Parker, Stephen East and Dan Fraser are joined by our Indian correspondent, Seuj Abir. While he was unable to join us for the podcast recording, we recorded his thoughts separately and have stitched them together. Seuj is one of the many phans who did not read the newspaper comic while Lee Falk was alive and became a phan reading his stories. In this podcast we go over Tony DePaul's legacy and his 30+ year career writing stories for Fantomen and then the newspaper stories which became Comics Kingdom. We look at the Comics Kingdom PR written announcement and Tony DePaul's blog post as well as ours. We share our reactions to the news as well as highlight some of the comments from the phans. We asked Tony DePaul what his favourite story is/was, and you will be surprised and maybe even disappointed with his answer. We would love to hear what your favourite story of his was as we also share what stories meant the most to us. We ask the question, wondering aloud if writing about Donald Trump or Elon Musk was a cause for his sacking, along with other possible reasons like 'changing' the Phantom lore and the length of his stories. We play Nostradamus and look at the decision to hire Alex Segura. Will it future-proof the Comics Kingdom stories? What type of writer could Alex be? If you are a casual or new listener to our podcast, you may have missed it, but we interviewed Alex Segura in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast Episode 346 and we would recommend you watch and/or listen to it. You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. We love comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. Make sure you stay with us, and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast on our YouTube Channel.

On 19 October 2026, outgoing newspaper writer Tony DePaul slipped something into the current daily story "The Grudge". In this story, the Rhodian (Rodian) capital city was given the name Utawala Mbaya, which is Swahili for 'bad governance', 'misrule', or 'poor administration'. In the Team Fantomen stories, the capital city has always been called Marcusburg, which is a much 'whiter' name, which makes sense, seeing Rhodia (Rodia) is not a democracy and is racially segregated, much like South Africa during the days of Apartheid. Team Fantomen introduced Rhodia (Rodia) into the Phantom comic world as a form of the Swedish countries' stand against South Africa's apartheid back in the 1970s. Swedish writers and artists transformed the American capitalist/crime-fighting trope into an anti-imperialist, socialist defender. The storylines tackled real-world political issues like anti-apartheid, postcolonialism, and foreign aid. You can learn more about this in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast Episode #235 and X-Band: The Phantom Podcast Episode #101. Rodia and the capital city have been mentioned numerous times in Tony DePaul's Phantom stories but has never been named as either Marcusburg or Utawala Mbaya until now. In the various stories it is just referenced as 'The Rhodian Capital', which was always interesting. Was this done on purpose? Can we have two names for the same city in Phantom lore? Can it be Marcusburg and also Utawala Mbaya at the same time? Could it be that the indigenous people of the region call it Utawala Mbaya as a protest against the junta's racist government?

The Phantom has rarely been published in Croatia, with a Phantom story published in a 2011 magazine. However, the character has a fairly strong cult following. This is because in the 1970s and 1980s, several publishers in former Yugoslavia published several of their series in the local Croatian language. These comic series were Fantom and Plavi Vjesnik. Now in 2026, Yugoslavian publisher Oz Comics will be releasing a new Sy Barry and Lee Falk series republishing the Daily newspaper stories in black and white from 1961 to 1963. The price is 29 euro ($50AUD, $35USD and 350 sek/nok). This new Phantom series follows the Flash Gordon albums Oz Comics are also releasing, featuring stories illustrated by Dan Barry, Sy's older brother. Oz Comics does not have a website you can order the album series from, but you can contact them atoz.comics2023@gmail.com or at their Facebook page. We have also found two Croatian websites that sell Oz Comics albums and comics in Stripovi.hr, and Puna Kolica. The stories to be included in this album are: "The Slave Market of Mucar" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry "The Epidemic" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry "The Wharf Rats" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry "The Mysterious Ambassador" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry "The Mystery of the Island of Dogs" by Lee Falk and Sy Barry If there are any phans who will be buying this and future albums of this series by Oz Comics and would be interested in reviewing them for our platforms, please contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com. Thanks goes to Boris Kay for the heads-up on this news. If you spot any other Phantom-related news, we have missed, please let us know.

In a significant development for Phantom phans around the world, King Features Syndicate (KFS) has released Tony DePaul from his position as writer of The Phantom daily and Sunday newspaper strips. Stepping into the role is acclaimed novelist and comic-book writer Alex Segura, marking the beginning of a new chapter for our legendary hero. No further details regarding the circumstances of the transition have been announced; it is not yet clear whether Tony will complete the stories he is currently working on or if his scripts will be left for Alex to finish.* Either way, there is no doubt that the change ends one of the longest and most influential writing tenures in modern Phantom history. End of an Era Few creators have left a larger mark on The Phantom than Tony DePaul. Following the death of creator Lee Falk in 1999 and after a brief intermediary stint from Claes Reimerthi, Tony was selected to continue writing the newspaper strip, a responsibility he carried for more than a quarter of a century. He had already established himself within the Phantom universe through his extensive work for Scandinavian publisher Egmont's Fantomen comic books, where he began writing Phantom adventures in the mid1990s. A lifelong Phantom fan who first discovered the character as a child in Philadelphia, DePaul brought a deep appreciation of Phantom history and mythology to the role. Prior to becoming a full-time freelance writer, he spent more than two decades working as a newspaper journalist before taking over the newspaper adventures of the Ghost Who Walks. For many modern fans, DePaul's writing became synonymous with The Phantom. During his tenure, Tony penned 70 Daily and 39 Sunday stories, guiding the character through the 21st century while preserving many of the traditions established by Falk. His stories frequently explored Phantom lore, the history of the Walker line, and the mythology of Bangalla, earning him widespread respect among readers and publishers alike. At the same time, Tony was not afraid to court controversy and test the boundaries of accepted Phantom tropes, famously showing his face for the first and only time in Phantom’s End (August 15-26, 2022). With sagas such as The Death of Diana Palmer and To Wrack and Ruins at Gravelines, Tony was not afraid to write extended and complex plots that captured readers for years at a time. On a positive note, Tony can now put aside a concern that he has expressed more than once in his blog “The Nickels of the Man” - he knows now that The Phantom strips won’t go out of production on his watch. And, with his bookend stories covering both the origin of the 1st Phantom (1536, Sunday 197, February-September 2026) and the death of the 21st Phantom (Phantom’s End, Daily 261, April-October 2022), Tony can stand down from his watch secure in the knowledge that he has provided a level of completion for the character. Despite this, his sudden departure marks one of the most significant creative changes in decades. ‘A New Shadow’ Taking over as writer is Alex Segura, an award-winning novelist, comic-book writer, and editor whose profile has risen dramatically in recent years. Segura is best known for his mystery novel Secret Identity, which won the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller, along with extensive work for Marvel, DC Comics, and other major publishers. Born in Miami and the son of Cuban exiles, Segura will no doubt be seeking to breathe new life into the Phantom universe. Many phans will already be familiar with Segura's work. He recently co-wrote "Phantom 2040: A New Shadow", the Comics Kingdom digital webcomic revival of the classic futuristic Phantom concept, alongside Michael Moreci. The series introduces a new generation of readers to the Phantom universe while demonstrating Segura's ability to balance established lore with fresh storytelling ideas. Like DePaul, Segura also began his career as a journalist before moving into comics publishing, where he held senior roles with DC Comics, Archie Comics, and Oni Press. Alongside his prose work, he has written titles including Star Wars: Battle of Jakku, Spider-Society, The Question: All Along the Watchtower, and the acclaimed Pete Fernandez mystery series. His existing connection to the Phantom franchise through Phantom 2040 makes him a logical choice to continue the newspaper strip while potentially introducing new ideas and perspectives to Falk's enduring creation. Recently, we were lucky enough to chat with Segura in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast Episode #346. Below is the YouTube video of that chat. You can tell he has an understanding and love for the character. The Phantom is Dead ~ Long Live The Phantom The transition from Tony DePaul to Alex Segura represents a rare changing of the guard for one of comics' longest-running adventure features. DePaul's contribution to The Phantom over the past quarter century is difficult to overstate, having effectively served as steward of the character's newspaper adventures for an entire generation of readers. Phans’ eyes will now turn to Segura as he assumes responsibility for one of the most iconic characters in comic-strip history. As the only third permanent writer for the strip in its 95-year history, and with so many phans regarding this context as the original and so the one true lore, he has enormous shoes to fill and a great responsibility to bear. Whether Alex chooses to maintain the established direction of the strip or introduce a distinctly new vision, his appointment ensures that The Phantom enters its next era under the guidance of a creator who has already demonstrated both respect for the character and enthusiasm for expanding his world. For Phantom phans worldwide, a new chapter begins today. *Update: Since publication of this post, we have learnt that Tony DePaul's public run on the Daily strip will expire on December 5, 2026, and that he has completed the script for the current Sunday, meaning that Alex Segura takes up the reins for the Daily from December 7, 2026, and the Sunday from April/May 2027. It has also been confirmed that Mike Manley and Jeff Weigel remain artists for their respective strips. Our next X-Band: The Phantom Podcast, we will be doing an emergency discussion on this huge news, if you have any thoughts you would like to share and be read out and discussed, please send them through to us. KFS & Tony DePaul's release of the news You can read the King Features (KFS) PR release of the news here You can read Tony DePaul's announcement here

Felmang is one of the most loved and enjoyed Phantom artists ever! Phans love his detail, his amazing penmanship, and the ability to tell a story with his artistic talent. It has been over 10 years since he last drew a story for the Fantomen comic, and it is exciting to see he is returning with a new story in Fantomen 22-23/2026. In this issue, we also see something different. Normally during the creation process of a comic story, we see inking and colouring after pencils. However, this story is different. The comic features the whole story skipping those stages and just in pencils. It is the first time this has happened with a Phantom story and presents a different unique style. Does it work? Is something lost without the inking? Skipping the inking stage is not entirely new and has been done before; usually it is for a style decision where printing the finishing pencils offers a soft, textured, and atmospheric look. Some notable examples of pencil-only comics are: Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt: Features a distinct, raw watercolor and pencil aesthetic that matches the espionage and mystery tone. Empowered by Adam Warren: Uses tight, clean pencil linework for certain sequences or stylistic choices. Nathaniel Dusk by Gene Colan: Famed comic artist Gene Colan often worked with a loose, highly atmospheric pencil style that was reproduced directly with minimal traditional ink. The comic comes out in shops on 14 October 2026, and the story is titled "Det gyllene svärdet" ("The Golden Sword"). We have included some of the panels below. Do you think the artwork works not being inked?

The author of this article saved this Better Little Book from Village Booksmith in Baraboo, WI. Tucked away in the back of a vintage and used bookstore in Baraboo, Wisconsin, a compact, worn copy of The Phantom and the Sky Pirates sat clustered with vintage children's books. A plastic bag protected it against dust, and the book sat there for days, weeks, months, and even years, with bookworms and visitors passing it by. Closing in on a century ago, this book and its format were big business for Whitman Publishing, which created a style and format that was copied and aped by many other publishers. Today, it's an echo from an earlier era, waiting for the right eagle-eyed Phantom phan to find it (spoiler: they did). Bearing the Better Little Books label, this was one of 6 titles adapted from The Phantom newspaper strip in the 1930s and '40s. Though based on the second newspaper story, The Phantom and the Sky Pirates was the 5th Phantom-related book published by Better Little Books. The Phantom and the Sky Pirates: What's Inside? Question for the phans: Have you collected any Better Little Book titles? Tell us about them. Comment on the video above, or contact us here or at chroniclechamber@gmail.com. Details about The Phantom's Adventures in Better Little Books Better Little Books (formerly called Big Little Books) published 6 different Phantom-related titles between 1936 and 1947. Each book has a corresponding series number, and most Phantom books do not use the story title originally featured in the newspaper strip. They are either adjusted or retitled altogether. Below, find a chart that lists all Phantom BLBs with their corresponding newspaper story. Books are listed in order of publication year. Book Series No. Publication Year Book Title Original Newspaper Story Title 1100 1936 The Phantom "The Singh Brotherhood" 1474 1939 The Phantom and the Sign of the Skull "War in the Jungle" / "The Diamond Hunters" 1421 1941 The Phantom and Desert Justice "The Slave Traders" 1489 1942 The Return of The Phantom "Fishers of Pearls" 1468 1945 The Phantom and the Sky Pirates "The Sky Band" 1416 1947 The Phantom and the Girl of Mystery "The Mysterious Girl" Because some of these books were published before The Phantom Sunday strips were introduced, the first two books feature The Phantom in a red costume. Later editions updated the suit color to purple. For a deep dive into the hundreds of Better Little Books titles out there, the University of Arizona has a large collection of titles. While you can't access them, you can read up on details and search for titles in the university database. About Whitman Publishing & Better Little Books Whitman Publishing started as Western Printing & Lithographing Company in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1907. In 1915, Western Printing agreed to publish children's books for the Chicago-based Hamming-Whitman Publishing Company. Within a few years, hard times hit Hamming-Whitman, and Western stepped in to assume control of the company. The company name was changed to Whitman Publishing. Between 1932 and 1969, Whitman Publishing produced hundreds of Better Little Books (originally called Big Little Books until 1938), covering a range of characters including Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Flash Gordon, Batman and Robin, Dick Tracy, Buck Rogers, The Phantom, and many more cartoon and newspaper strip characters. The size was similar for each Better Little Books title, typically around 90mm x 110mm. The formatting included copy on the left side and images on the right. Readers were able to treat titles like a flipbook, which added to the fun of these compact stories. Due to the success of these titles, many competitors worked on their own variations of the Better Little Books format, leading to several copycats. Whitman Publishing also introduced other lines of children's books, including the popular Little Golden Books (which is now owned by Penguin Random House). Why are These so Hard to Find? Better Little Books (or Big Little Books) were intended to be a cheap, easy-to-digest, and compact entertainment option for children. Like other "dime" books, they originally debuted for 10 cents in the United States. In order to keep costs low, these were printed on lower-quality pulp paper, which meant these books would break down more easily. Time, of course, plays a factor, and as the years tick away, it will be harder and harder to find these out in the wild.

Christian Moller reviews Zauberstern Phantom Album #1. Issue #1 was released in August 2026 and contained the following stories from the Team Fantomen 22nd Phantom saga: "Der leere Thron" ("The 22nd Phantom, Part 1: The Empty Throne") by Claes Reimerthi and Paul Ryan "Die Feuertaufe" ("The 22nd Phantom, Part 2: Baptism of Fire") by Claes Reimerthi and Alex Saviuk You can purchase this comic and other back issues of Zauberstern Phantom comics from their website. They also sell their comics from shops throughout Germany. These issues only costs 7.99 euro, are in full colour and each issue contains 52 pages. Interestingly, this comic comes with two variant covers. Cover A is by Timo Wuerz, which is a brand new cover design. Cover B is from Henrik Salhstrom, which is a reused cover design by Fantomen that was published for the first story in this arc. This comic also includes an editorial by Andreas Erikkson, which gives the fans and readers an insight into this series, which is very helpful. As per usual, the print quality is great with thick glossy paper, and the colours are very bright with sharp printing. This magazine does these stories justice. This is the first time that these stories have been published in Germany. For many readers it will be the first time they have read these stories. Are you enjoying these modern-created stories? Ensure you read our interview with the publishers and editors behind Zauberstern here - Interview with Simeon Hrissomallis and Charles Bone. We also review Zauberstern special magazines on our platforms. All Zauberstern and other German comic reviews will be included in our monthly X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. You can find out more at our website and or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos. If you would like to join the team and review new comics being released around the world, please contact us.

In this episode, Jermayn Parker will be dissecting the latest Sunday Phantom story that has just finished in newspapers around the world and on Comics Kingdom. This story is titled “1536” by Tony DePaul and Jeff Weigel and is a continuation of the origin stories by Lee Falk. If you would like to ask any specific questions to him about the series that we have missed, please contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com or leave them on our YouTube channel and/or at our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. We have four main origin retellings so far, which is actually not that much out of 2000+ odd Phantom stories created from around the world. We may have probably missed a couple, but these would be the main ones: In 1936, Lee Falk and Ray Moore gave us a week of the origin story. In 1971, almost 40 years later, we get a Sunday story that tells us the origin of the relationship between the Bandar, the origin of the poison arrows, the costume, and the rescuing of the Bandar from slavery, and something we will discuss more in this podcast. In the late 1980s, Team Fantomen, led by Ulf Granberg created several stories, which added on to these stories and snippets. "The Avenger", we see the Phantom getting revenge on the man behind the attack on his ship, the Singh Pirates, and we see the origin of the name "The Phantom". In 2025 at the start of “The Spark”, Mike Manley and Tony spent two weeks expanding the origin from leaving England to be found on shore by the Bandar. In many stories, we get four panels or one page in comics of the origin retelling, which has famously been called “For Those Who Came In Late”. This is important, as it catches up potential new readers to who the Phantom is. I would like to see comics do this more. The Phantom is one of the very few heroes with a legacy passing of the mantle. You have Black Panther, Green Lantern, and Blue Beetle, and the others are all manufactured post-creation, as they see the problem that the Phantom never has that sees the mantle passed from one generation to the next. The Phantom is unique. In “1536”, we see the soon-to-be first Phantom found by the Bandar, and in short, this story features the decision of the first Phantom choosing to be the Phantom. By the end of the story, we see the Phantom swearing the oath. In between these two points we get a lot more. This next part will contain spoilers, but you can read this story for free on the Comics Kingdom website, and it will be republished in the next few months by Shakti Comics (India), Fantomen (Sweden), and Frew (Australia). I think the first thing Phans need to know and remember is that Tony DePaul has not retconned or used one phans words “fiddled” with the lore. He has on purpose extended the stories, especially what has happened in between panels in past stories. This is not like "The Chain" retelling, where he has moved that into a ‘dream’ and ‘removed’ it from his universe (for lack of a better term). There are two main changes. Tony DePaul has made in this new story are: The change of the prophecy from saving the Bandar to being the Phantom The change of the origin of the cloth for the costume The other thing Tony DePaul didn't include was the Wasaka Tribe enslaving the Bandar. Lee Falk never wrote about them again. I only remember two other stories featuring this tribe again, and those were one by Moonstone and one by Fantomen. Tony on his blog has talked about not liking this potential ‘white saviour trope’, maybe other creators do not like it either, and that is why they have left it alone. One could argue that for the phans who like this story, this happened during this story or afterwards. Tony in my opinion cleverly and wisely did not retconned that story or on purpose striked it out like he did with the Chain storyline. He has left it alone for those who like it to fit it in their universe. Do you like this story? Did Tony DePaul give enough respect to the character with this “expanding” of the origin? Did you notice any other changes that I have missed? Are you happy with the Wasaka not being featured in this story? You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. We love comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. Make sure you stay with us, and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast on our YouTube Channel.

Mallon Publishing has been publishing Phantom diaries since 1993, and apart from 2019 and 2020, they have them produced non-stop, and they have become a yearly tradition for many a phan. The last couple of years they have produced themed annuals, and 2027 is no different with the theme – villains. You can order your copy by contacting Mallon Publishing at their email info@mallon.net.au or the order form at the bottom of the article. Australian fan-favourite artist Lauren Marshall has designed the cover of the diary for 2027, and as usual, her style shines with a beautiful underwater scene with some eye popping blue colours. This year, Mallon Publishing has five different items you can buy. They are: Trade Edition Diary A classic, full-colour cased diary in the traditional concealed-wiro binding. 120 pages Trim size: 230 x 170mm AUD $50 + postage Undated Phantom Journal The ideal option for phans who want Phantom-themed journaling, planning, or creative writing space. Soft cover (colour), one-colour internal pages 176 pages Trim size: 210 x 150mm Includes sections for daily notes, addresses & calendar AUD $40 + postage Lauren Marshall Limited Edition Print A premium full-colour art print from celebrated Australian illustrator Lauren Marshall. Printed on 270 gsm archival stock Signed & numbered by the artist Limited to 60 copies Trim size: 260 x 210mm AUD $100 + postage Official 90th Anniversary Bookmark Full colour, holographic gloss laminated 220 x 60 mm AUD $10 + postage Set of 4 Design Prints A curated selection of introductory spreads on the villains highlighted from the diary AUD $40 + postage How to Order To secure these limited-run collectibles, simply: Indicate your desired quantities using the Mallon Publishing order form (below) Send it back to info@mallon.net.au or post to: Mallon Publishing, PO Box 1210, Research, VIC 3095, Australia Pay via bank transfer, PayPal, cheque or money order. Full postage details and payment methods are included on the form. Thanks go to Daniel Brogna for the heads-up on this news. If you spot any other Phantom-related news we have missed, please let us know at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com.

Shakti Comics, after having been done with the ‘Death in the Himalayas’ saga with issues #20 - #28 (except for #21) are back to publishing their Indrajal series. This particular issue features the 48th Phantom Sunday Story titled ‘A Lesson for Prince Orq’ by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy. The Indrajal series, launched by Shakti with issue #21 of their Phantom Comics, is a legacy reprint venture that aims to give the readers, old and new alike, a taste of the classic stories as printed by Indrajal Comics back in the 1960s. For those who came in late, Indrajal Comics was the first ever comic book series to publish the adventures of the Phantom in India. Published by the Times of India Group, Indrajal Comics #1 saw the debut of the Phantom in India in 1964. The iconic cover depicting the double rainbows and The Phantom with Hero and Devil is a very iconic image and puts it on par with the Gold Key #1 by George Wilson if not more in terms of value and recognition in India. Indrajal Comics introduced millions of readers to the Phantom alongside many other characters. Thus the nostalgic value of the series remains unmatched. That is why almost all the recent publication efforts are compared to Indrajal and will continue to be. This is also why Indrajals in any language are still in demand and remain popular to even be sold as unofficial reprints. The value of Indrajals in the comic book market in India thus remains very much of a steady incline. The back issues dating back to the earliest ones are scarce and remain very expensive. While scans or reprints exist, there haven't been any official reprints as such of the Indrajal Comics or the stories in them. Shakti here does exactly that. They listened to this demand and have started reprinting the earliest Indrajals starting with #1 with #21. Three issues have been released so far with #29 reprinting #2 of Indrajal Comics with the title ‘Prince Orq’. The cover by Avishek Biswas is really good. Featuring an action scene, we see the Phantom hitting a dynamic pose with two pirates ready to battle him. The colouring is quite dynamic and striking; however, the Phantom’s face seems to be a little bit unpleasant to look at. The original black and white line art version, as shared by ago on their socials a few months ago, looked a little better, with the art style resembling Joan Boix's work. As previously mentioned, ‘A Lesson for Prince Orq’ or ‘Prince Orq’ was a Sunday story. In its original publication with Indrajal Comics, the story was edited with omission, extension, or alteration of the panels, which were also colourised locally. Shakti’s Orq, however, uses the original 1957 Sunday story with no alteration of the panels. However, Shakti also recolours the story locally. The colours are by Santosh Adsul and Avishek Biswas, two familiar names that have worked with Shakti for a long time, are quite impressive and doesn’t carry over the flaws of the previous colouring work on #21 ‘The Phantom’s Belt’. Wilson McCoy’s art shines with the (mostly) flat colouring and does look really great. However, some examples of shadows and highlights are still present in some pages or panels, which does ruin the experience a little bit. Shakti’s unedited printing is mostly unedited, as they have taken the liberty of removing the title panel, the date identifiers, and the signatures from the panels. In the copy reviewed, the contrast of the colours seemed to have been a little high; however, it might be an issue with the printing. Thus, we were unable to confirm the exact reason for this at the moment. The last few pages of the comic contain some phun information about the Phantom and the various monarchs that he had encountered over the years. It is a nice illustrated overview compiled by Shakti’s Biswadeep Purkayastha and Samrat Dhali. Also included is a character biodata of Dr. Axel and an overview of the different publications of the same Prince Orq story. Overall, Shakti Comics #29 delivers in terms of its quality and production value. Aside from a few gripes, there aren't any other complaints to be made. It is a quality production with its presentation of the story and the extras. It does prove that Shakti is listening to their phans and has made changes for the better. Wishing them all the best and hoping that they come out with more quality productions like this.

In this episode, Jermayn Parker and Stephen East are joined by our USA reviewer Scott Walyn as we are having another emergency podcast discussing our reactions to the apparent stopping of Mad Cave Studios creating new Phantom comics. We go into our reactions, and is this bad for the future of the character? What is next? If you would like to ask any specific questions to him about the series that we have missed, please contact us at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com or leave them on our YouTube channel and/or at our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. Some of the topics and discussion points we touch upon in this podcast are the following: How we have come to this conclusion. Our initial thoughts. Are King Features being too greedy, or are Mad Cave Studios jumping a sinking ship? We go over sales numbers on Phantom Comics around the world and through out its 90-year history Is this the end of the Phantom? Why does this keep happening? Does this mean Moonstone Books will be back? Why we need a successful Phantom series in the USA. Was Mad Cave Studios a success? We need consistency when it comes to our Phantom comics. If you would like to learn more about the Mad Cave Studios Phantom stories: You can watch our interview with Russel Olson, the regular series artist here in Episode #340. You can watch our interview with Juancho Velez, colourist for the comics here in Episode #336. You can watch our past review of the regular series here in Episode #332. You can watch our past review of the regular Defenders of the Earth series 1 here in Episode #315. You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. We love comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. Make sure you stay with us, and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast on our YouTube Channel.

Christian Moller reviews Zauberstern Phantom Spezial #9 and #10. We have fallen a bit behind some of our reviews, and combining both reviews for 9 and 10 allows us to catch us. Issue #9 was released in May 2026 and contained the following stories: "Das dreckige halbe Dutzend" ("The Dirty Half-Dozen") part 2 by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan "Die Rückkehr von Colonel Weeks" ("The Return of Colonel Weeks") by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan "Der Nomade" ("The Nomad") by Tony DePaul and Paul Ryan Issue #10 was released in July 2026 and contained the following stories: "Die Schatten des Rune Noble" ("The Shadows of Rune Noble") by Tony DePaul, Eduardo Barreto, Paul Ryan and Terry Beatty "Die Kraftwerk-Gang" ("The Power House Gang") by Tony DePaul and Terry Beatty "Rache in Rhodia" ("Revenge in Rhodia") part 1 by Tony DePaul and Terry Beatty You can purchase this comic and other back issues of Zauberstern Phantom comics from their website. They also sell their comics from shops throughout Germany. These issues only costs 7.99 euro, are in full colour and each issue contains 64 pages. The cover for issue #9 features a reprint cover by Jim Aparo, which was originally published by Charlton Comics #61 in 1974. This is the fourth time the cover has been used by another publisher with O.E.P.I.S.A. (Mexico), Bastei (Germany), and Nation Comics (Thailand). The cover for issue #10 features a brand new cover by Stefan Sombetzki, who is a local German cover artist who brings us his second Phantom credited cover. It is good to see the publishers support and hire local artists. As per usual, the print quality is great with thick glossy paper, and the colours are very bright as per normal. This magazine does these stories justice. This is the first time that these stories have been published in Germany. For many readers it will be the first time they have read these stories. Are you enjoying these modern newspaper stories? Ensure you read our interview with the publishers and editors behind Zauberstern here - Interview with Simeon Hrissomallis and Charles Bone. We also review Zauberstern special magazines on our platforms. All Zauberstern and other German comic reviews will be included in our monthly X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. You can find out more at our website and or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos. If you would like to join the team and review new comics being released around the world, please contact us.

Did you know that the very first full-length standalone Phantom Comic was published in former Yugoslavia? You can read about this exploration here. What is exciting is that we have been in touch with a collector who has 21x super rare 1937-1941 comics featuring the Phantom on the cover for sale. Mika Miš (written Мика Миш in Serbian Cyrillic, in English Mickey Mouse). This magazine was published from 1936 to 1941. Mika Miš included a wide variety of comics in every issue, like "Tim Tyler's Luck", Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant, "King of the Royal Mounted" etc. A total of 505 issues were published, and The Phantom appeared in a total of 419 issues. The Phantom appeared on at least 24 covers throughout the years, and currently for sale are 21 of those issues. What makes these comics rare is not just because they are some of the first comics featuring our hero; they are super old, but this magazine was banned and ceased publishing, with many copies being destroyed during World War II. These comics are for sale at $100USD each PLUS shipping, and if interested, please email the collector at info@komiko.rs. You can find out more about these comics and their contents via this PhantomWiki link. The gallery shows the actual comics for sale. They rarely come up for sale. If you are a collector and have super rare items like this for sale, please let us know at ChronicleChamber@gmail.com.

Shakti Comics, the Indian comic book publisher, is also the only publisher currently publishing the adventures of The Phantom in three languages in India. So far, over the last two years Shakti has published an impressive catalogue in the languages English, Bengali and Hindi. We here at Chronicle Chamber had reviewed Shakti’s phantom publications since their inception back in 2021. We had covered every single issue in its own dedicated review till issue #13 published in August 2024. The last issues covered, however, were #14 and #15, which were released on the X Band The Phantom Podcast Episode #305 back in 2025. Shakti’s latest release is #30, which was released in September of this year. This issue followed #29 released earlier in August, which highlights Shakti’s timely schedule that they have been successful in following. In order to catch our readers and viewers up to the review of #29, we have made an overview that explains the evolution of Shakti up to their latest offering. We do highlight the changes, including Shakti’s missing numberings on #13 - #15 and other partnership and design changes that occurred in between. The overview is available on YouTube, which can be viewed by the video attached to this article. The comics covered in this video catch up are: Issue 14: "The Rise of Tarashima Terrorists" ("The Tarashima Terrorists") part 1 by Lee Falk and Sy Barry Issue 15: "The End of Tarashima Terrorists" ("The Tarashima Terrorists") part 2 by Lee Falk and Sy Barry Issue 16: "The Baronkhan Sedition" by Tony DePaul, Paul Ryan, and Mike Manley Issue 17: "The Princess of the Songhai" by Tony DePaul and Jeff Weigel Issue 18: "Tale of Rex" part 1 by Lee Falk and Sy Barry Issue 19: "Tale of Rex" part 2 by Lee Falk and Sy Barry Issue 20: "To Wrack and Ruin at Gravelines" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley Issue 21: "The Belt" by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy Issue 22: "The Chronicle of Old Man Mozz" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley Issue 23: "Death in the Himalayas" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley Issue 24: "Phantom's End" by Tony DePaul, Mike Manley, and Scott Cohn Issue 25: "The Breakout" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley Issue 26: "Dungeons Undone" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley Issue 27: "The Journey Home" by Tony DePaul, Mike Manley, Bret Blevins, and Jeff Weigel Issue 28: "The Chain" by Tony DePaul and Bret Blevins