ChronicleChamber.com Archive

THIS PAGE NO LONGER UPDATED

2011-12-30T23:05:00.000+11:00

This, the long-serving Blogger home of ChronicleChamber.com, is no longer being updated. The reason for this? We have a smashing new site over at ChronicleChamber.com.

So, for all the news, articles, interviews, issue listings and everything else Phantom, be sure to check out the new and improved site!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T16:19:00.000+11:00

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Litha, Midsummer, Hanukkah or any other festival, everyone here at CC wishes all our readers a fun and safe holiday season!

As mentioned previously, we have some big plan for 2012, so I hope that you can all join us again here on CC in the New Year.

Happy holidays, all!

Terry Beatty new Phantom Sunday artist

2011-12-23T11:08:00.004+11:00

Terry Beatty has announced on his Facebook page that he will be the new artist on the Phantom Sunday page:

"I'm filling in as artist of The Phantom Sunday strip for King Features. My first strip, drawn this past weekend will appear on 1/29/12. Whether it becomes a regular gig for me or not is yet to be decided. Can't show you that first page yet -- you'll have to wait until it's in print -- but I can show you the sample drawing that got the editor's attention. I'm thrilled to be working on this classic feature. Thanks to Tom Smith for pointing me toward this!"

The sample piece mentioned by Beatty is the illustration showed at the top of this blog post.

Colorist Tom Smith has previously colored Phantom covers and Sunday pages drawn by Paul Ryan, and will continue to color the Sundays drawn by Terry Beatty.

The last Sunday page by the late Eduardo Barreto will be published on January 8, 2012. The two Sundays that follow will be drawn by Paul Ryan and colored by Tom Smith, and then Terry Beatty's first Sunday (with colors by Tom Smith) appears on January 29, 2012.

Thanks to kit*walker for reporting the news on Phantom Phorum.

Eduardo Barreto has passed away, age 57

2011-12-16T10:41:00.006+11:00

Eduardo Barreto, artist of the Phantom Sunday strip since July this year, has reportedly passed away on December 15th, age 57.

Barreto previously fought meningitis in 2010, which caused him to resign from the Judge Parker newspaper strip. The Phantom Sunday page was his return to regularly drawing comics since his illness.

Tributes to Barreto's memory are now showing up on the Internet, including the following sites:

Comic Book Resources

Comics Alliance

Bleeding Cool

Oni Press

Ty Templeton

Sal Velluto

ScienceFiction.com

Nerdage

Twitter

Update: Artist Paul Ryan and colorist Tom Smith will fill in for two Sunday strips while King Features Syndicate search for a replacement artist. (Thanks to Jermayn Parker for this information)

New Newspaper Strip

2011-12-12T23:31:00.001+11:00

The latest Daily Strip D234 - The Den of Tigers has been added to the Newspaper Strips listing.

Fun with the Defenders

2011-12-09T12:39:00.000+11:00

It's been a little quite in the world of the Phantom lately, so I thought I'd post something a little fun. Sit back and relax for a minuet with the soothing tunes of the Defenders of the Earth theme song.

The Phantom Thinker

2011-11-22T20:04:00.000+11:00

"What do you get when you combine a statue by Rodin with the Phantom, Ghost Who Walks, the original super-hero?" is a question asked by artist Sabina Nore. Well, Sabina has answered this question with her brilliant artwork Phantom, The Thinker.

Thanks to Sabina for sharing this on our Facebook page.

Forum Closed

2011-11-16T17:55:00.000+11:00

The ChronicleChamber.com forums are again closed. I apologise for this second closure, but after much thought I felt it best. If you'd like to know the reasons for the closing of the new forum, please click on the Read More button below (the button only appears on the front page, so if you're reading this post on its own page, just scroll down). I would like to assure everyone that the forums will return and that the closure is the first step towards some big, exciting changes for CC. And I mean BIG.

Again, I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and ask that everyone bare with us for the moment. Remember that you can still discuss the Phantom and Mandrake on our Facebook page, and via Twitter.

Cheers,
JoeMD, CC Admin
Reasons For Forum Closure

The reason for the closing of the new forums is due to a case of being twice burnt. As you may recall, the host of our previous forums cased all sorts of trouble when they moved their servers. These issues seemed to be ignored by the host with no seeming attempts by them to fix the issue.

To assure that our visitors would be able to continue discussing their hero, I quickly set up a new forum. After the forum was set up I noticed there was a problem with the banner image. Visitors to the forum may have noticed that it did not always show correctly. Going to the host's support forums I found that this problem had been affecting many forums for many weeks. And not only were banners not showing, but ANY original images added by forum admins. As of today, this issue has been known to the forum host for over a month and nothing has been done to fix it. This, as I'm sure you'll agree, is unacceptable, especially when the service is being paid for.

Basically, I was worried of a repeat experience to that of the first forum - something happening that drastically messes up the forum which myself and the other Team CC members have no control over and, thus, no means to fix it. I felt uncomfortable not having enough control over the forums to fix these issues in a timely manner. So, after much consideration, it was decided that the new forum would be closed.

The plan now is to build a new forum, hosted on our own server so that I have full control over it. I'll be installing a brand new phpBB forum and building it from scratch. This will ensure that, should any issues arise, myself and the rest of Team CC will be more in a position to fix things ASAP, rather than having to wait for a third party to 'get around to it."

As mentioned at the top of this post, this rebuild of the forums is one of several big changes planed for ChronicleChamber.com. These changes are estimated to take effect sometime between Christmas and New Years. I hope that everyone will be able to join us for that exciting time.

Hermes Press' Phantom Sundays Collection

2011-11-14T13:27:00.000+11:00

Finally, details have appeared for Hermes Press' first volume collecting the Sunday Phantom strips. The first volume collects strips that appeared from 1939 to 1943. For full details on the books, see it's issue listing on the Hermes Press page.

The books is currently available for pre-order either through the Previews catalog at your comics store, or from BookDepository.

New Forums Are Open!

2011-11-09T10:17:00.000+11:00

ChronicleChamber.com now has a new forum!

As you may recall, when our forum host moved their servers all manner of issues arose. Although we bought these issues to the attention of the host they seemed in no rush to fix them. So, rather than struggle on with a crippled forum I decided to create a brand new one! The new forum has many advantages over the old forums, including

Refined, easy to navigate layout.
No advertisements
Quick reply option
New ranking system
Several layout options to fit your taste exactly
No issues up-loading and linking avatars

However, due to the forums being completely new, and wanting to get them up and running as soon as possible, all members will have to sign up to the forums once more with a new account. I apologise for this inconvenience, however many issues caused by the host server change would have had to be sorted out before member details could have been brought over to the new forums and this would have taken considerable time. The same holds true for forum posts, however all the most popular threads have been recreated.

So, if you were a member of our previous forums I hope that you'll join us for more discussion at our new home. If you hadn't yet joined the greatest Phantom forums on the internet, now is the perfect time to do so!

I hope to see you all there!

DE's Last Phantom Annual Preview

2011-11-08T16:52:00.000+11:00

Broken Frontier have provided five page preview of Dynamite Entertainment's up-coming Last Phantom Annual #1 which is due in comic stores this month.

What happens in the Skull Cave... STAYS in the Skull Cave!

Clues to the fate of the previous Phantom are uncovered in this untold tale of skullduggery in the heart of the Deep Woods! As the Ghost Who Walks battles to thwart tomb raiders, Kit Walker's estranged father may be sealing his own doom within the Phantom's own secret sanctum!

BONUS: Secrets of the Skull Cave revealed in a dynamite double-page spread!

Forum Issues

2011-11-04T19:41:00.000+11:00

Some of you may have noticed that since our forum host changed its servers things over at our forums have not been that same. Our custom style has vanished and some users avatars are no longer showing. Of course this is extremely frustrating, both for us here at CC and our members, but rest assured we're working on a solution. Weather that be simply up-dating the forums we now have or moving to a new forum all together, we aren't sure yet.

In the mean time, however, none of the functionality has gone, just some of the aesthetics, so the forums can still be used to post messages and discuss our hero.

Forum Downtime

2011-10-25T23:55:00.000+11:00

Over the next few days of the 26th and 27th of November, the CC forums may experience some downtime due to our host migrating their servers. This should only affect those two days, and it may not even be the whole of those days. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Aussie Comic Forum Initative

2011-10-25T22:22:00.000+11:00

The people behind CC are looking into a new initiative for Australian comics fans. Their plan is to create a forum specifically for Australian comic fans that is more in line with comic release dates in Australia. Check out the discussion in the forums and let us know your thoughts there, here or on Facebook!

Hermes & Mandrake Collections Details Up-Dated

2011-10-16T18:50:00.000+11:00

Details for Mandrake the Magician: The Sundays: 1935-1937 (Vol.1) and Hermes Press' Gold Key Years Volume One and The Charlton Years: Volume One has been up-dated with prices, release dates and, in Mandrake's case, a cover scan.

A Look at Lee Falk: Sotryteller

2011-10-13T10:45:00.001+11:00

You've probably seen all the talk about the wonderful Lee Falk: Storyteller book on the forums over the last few days. People are very excited about this amazing tome and, having received our copy this week, CC decided to take a look inside the and show you all just what everyone is talking about.

2012 Diary Details Up-Date

2011-10-08T00:19:00.001+11:00

The details for the 2012 Phantom diary have been up-dated. The diary should be appearing in stores across the country now, but it is of course still available on-line. See the listing for full details.

Lee Falk: Storyteller Details Updated

2011-10-03T19:55:00.001+11:00

Details of the Scandinavian Chapter of the LFMBEC have been up-dated to include cost and ordering details. If you've not secured your copy of this amazing, one-of-a-kind book yet head on over to it's listing on the Various Publications page to found out all the info.

New Newspaper Strip

2011-09-25T22:13:00.003+10:00

The latest Sunday strip S175 - The Shadows of Rune Noble has been added to the Newspaper Strips listing.

Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch

2011-09-15T17:12:00.000+10:00

The Bradford Exchange is offering an amazing collectable to celebrate the Phantom's 75th Anniversary this year. Limited to only 500 pieces and retailing for $399.95AU the Officially Authorised Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch is sure to have collectors falling over themselves to get a hold of one.

Further information on the watch from Bradford's website is as follows.

This exclusive The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch, only from The Bradford Exchange features:

Show the whole world that you’re a Phantom fan with this official 75th anniversary Phantom watch available only from The Bradford Exchange

The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch is officially authorised by King Features Syndicate
The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch is strictly limited to only 500 - Be one of only 500 fans to acquire this watch
The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch is expertly hand-crafted in stainless steel with a rich golden finish
The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch is enhanced with a Phantom-purple watch face and golden Good Skull Ring motif
The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch features a precision quartz movement, adjustable ‘C-clasp’ and is water resistant to a depth of 3 ATMs.
The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch has three subdials for seconds, minutes, and hours
The Phantom 75th Anniversary Watch side is etched with ‘The Ghost Who Walks,’ while the back showcases the official Phantom logo and the individual edition number
Arrives in a FREE Presentation Case - treasured keepsake for yourself or the perfect gift for a true Phantom fan – reserve yours today
Includes 7 FREE full colour Collectors Cards featuring Glenn Ford art with commentary from Glenn himself
5 instalments of $79.99 or $399.95 (plus shipping and services)

You can order the ring from Bradford's web site.

Thanks to Ben for this info.

Lee Falk – Storyteller

2011-09-07T21:12:00.005+10:00

The Lee Falk 100th Anniversary Book that was announced on Lee's birthday April 28th is soon here.

Entitled Lee Falk – Storyteller, the Swedish and English versions of this book will debut simultaneously at the Gothenburg Book Fair on September 23.

The book is no less than 348(!) pages and includes:

Interviews with Lee Falk from 1946 to 1996
Short stories, poetry, script excerpts and more written by Falk himself
Articles about Lee Falk and his creations The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician
Memorials written by friends and family

The interviews and some of the other material has of course been published before, but several of them are rare and/or have never been published in English before!
The book also contains a lot of unique material - photos, artwork etc - never before made public.
For a more detailed list of contents, please visit PhantomWiki: Lee Falk – Storyteller.

Fon information on how to buy the book, see this post on CC Forums

Collector Interview - Jermayn Parker

2011-09-04T12:58:00.000+10:00

In the first of a new series of interviews looking at phans who have, arguably, more money than sense we talk to Jermayn Parker about his impressive Phantom collection.

A member of the Phantom phan community for many years both here on ChronicleChamber and other on-line communities Jermayn is known as Germ. Constantly attaining new items for his collection CC asked Jermayn to share with us what a closer look at his ever growing horde of Phantom goodies.

CC: Hello Jermayn, thanks for sharing your collection with us on CC. To start with can you tell us what it is about The Phantom that drew you to the character and made you decide to collect the various merchandise associated with the character.

JP: I always grew up with comics thanks to my step father who always borrowed (for good) Asterixs, Footrot Flats, Phantoms, Tintins, Cammandos, Archies and some of the British comics (Beatle I think they were called) but it was not until I was 12 and going to Indonesia for a Church Mission Trip and I was brought into a newsagent and told to buy something to read on the 4 hour flight to Jarakata.
I picked up Frew #1120, The Set Up, and was enthralled, it was an amazing story of action, a good storyline with a bit of mystery and I was hooked. I read it about five times during the trip and before even landing in the airport I had decided to myself to buy the next issue in two weeks time when back in Australia - the rest as they say is history.

That was back in 1995 but it was not until I started earning more than just pocket money did I focus on merchandise in 2000 which was annoying as I missed out on all the 1996 movie merchandise and it has cost me a mini fortune since.

CC: How long have you been collecting for?

I have been collecting comics from 1995 and collecting merchandise from early 2000 when I discovered eBay while I should have been studying at Tafe. I started focusing on comics around the world back in 2009.

CC. Where do you source your collectables from?

I daily visit eBay and have a bunch of RSS feeds but I also source collectables from around the world from other phans around the world including Norwary, Sweden, Hungary, USA, India, Canada etc.
I do enjoy going to the local comic store/ book stores and sifting through back issues in Perth but also whenever I go to other cities and towns around Australia. I usually plan a whole day to visit as many as possible and I am lucky enough to have a wife who will come with me.

CC: Is there an particular kind of collectable you concentrate on?

All of them....

I go through phases where I focus on certain stuff, I am like a little kid in a lolly store where you go from one place to another excited and counting your pennies to buy as much as possible. That is me...
I focused a lot on the trading cards and now have almost them all including the famous G0 card and the 3 Chromium Animal card subset which all cost me a fortune.

I now am focusing on countries published around the world - I use the PhantomWiki.org website for my research and have been able to identify about 40 odd different countries around the world. At last count I have 25 different countries including some super rare ones from Israel, Egypt and Angola (in Africa).

I also love original artwork and whenever possible buy sketches, sketch cards and commissions.
Overall it costs me a lot which means I do a lot of extra work around the house to stay out of trouble with what I spend.

CC: If you could choose one item from your collection you are most proud of to have found, what would it be?

I am fairly proud of some of the rare comics I have from Israel and Angola. It took me 6 months to track down an Israel seller who had a Phantom comic. It may seem weird but I do not really have a one favourite item, I am proud of them all and with most of them there is always a story behind them which I love telling phellow phans.

CC: Are there any items you are yet to track down that you'd love to have in your collection?

I would love to get a Fijian and Papua New Guinea comic but they can sell from $400 to a few thousand so I may have to wait for those. If anyone has any they would like to sell, please do contact me :)

And apart from that and getting the other 15 country comics I yet to have I would love to get artwork from as many current and past Phantom artists.

CC: Some Phantom collectables are very expensive. Do you have a limit to what you spend on any item?

With comics from countries I want, there is no limit except what I have in the bank account. For various merchandise I know will be on sale somewhere again someday I usually am more stingy and never pay what the price guide says.

CC. Lastly, what advice would you give to other Phantom collectors, be they seasoned collectors or just starting out?

First of all never outbid me on eBay!

Second, it can be hard to buy and collect everything Phantom related so focus on what you enjoy and what you like the look off. I know people who spend majority of their money and time collecting rings, clothes, artwork, comics around the world, English comics, figurines etc.

Also most items will appear again on eBay so unless its super rare and or you have no patience, be patient and wait for it to appear again. I waited an extra year to get one of the Phantom Candles with the ring in the bottom but it meant I saved myself $30 and a bidding war.

CC would like to thank Jermayn for giving us a look into his impressive collection. If you'd like to see more of Jermayn's collection check out his Picasa collection gallery.

Lego Phantom Phan Film

2011-08-30T19:12:00.000+10:00

A group of young phans have made this brilliant Phantom-inspired Lego film. The film gives credit to CC Community member Paul Andreas for educating the film makes on the great Ghost Who Walks.

Issue Listings - Your Thoughts

2011-08-28T22:46:00.001+10:00

Hey folks,

I'm wondering how you guys would like to see issues listed on the site and how you'd like new listings and releases information detailed. At the moment there are three options that we have in mind. These are

Option 1. Post a news article on the main page linking to the newly added issue WHEN it's added to the site. Also post a news article when issues are released. (This is how we used to do things on the site previously.)

Option 2. Use Latest Releases and Newest Additions lists on the main page which link to issue listings. No actual news posts. (Current system.)

Option 3. Continue using the Latest Releases and Newest Additions lists on the main page but also post a news article at the END of each week (most probably a Friday) detailing what issues where released/ added that week.

Please vote in the poll on the forums or let us know your thoughts on our Facebook page. If you have another option you'd like to suggest, please post it there.

Savage Beauty No More

2011-08-24T00:10:00.000+10:00

After releasing just one issue Mike Bullock's spiritual successor to his Moonstone Phantom run, Savage Beauty, has sadly been cancelled. However, the entire three issue series will be collected into trade paperback.

Mike has many other projects in the works so fans of his writing will not have to wait long for future titles.

New Newspaper Strip

2011-08-15T18:04:00.002+10:00

The latest Daily strip D233 has been added to the Newspaper Strips listing.

Vote for the Phantom to become "greatest superhero".

2011-08-02T12:50:00.003+10:00

Support the The Ghost Who Walks and vote for The Phantom in this poll from Total Film magazine.

http://www.totalfilm.com/news/who-s-the-greatest-superhero-ever

Note from CC Team member Paul Andreas:

"Let's avoid the "The Phantom isn't a superhero!!!" debate here and vote the Ghost as far up on the list as possible, he deserves the attention."

Titan Books to Collect Mandrake Strips!

2011-07-31T15:49:00.000+10:00

As if all the collections from Herems Press weren't enough, now publisher Titan Books has announced that they will be collecting the entire run of Mandrake the Magician with the first volume due out early 2012!

At 144 pages this first volume is a very generous size with the pre-order prices being quite reasonable. For all the information on Mandrake the Magician: The Sundays: 1935-1937 (Vol.1) check out CC's listing of the book on our Strips page.

Thanks to forum member Lothar for this info!

PhanWorks is Back!

2011-07-31T15:47:00.000+10:00

After moving all of our galleries to our Facebook page we had to contact some of the artist whose work had appeared in the old PhanWorks DeviantArt group for permission to feature their work on Facebook. Well, the first batch of artists have gotten back to us with their blessings and thus PhanWorks has returned!

We will hopefully feature more artists' work soon - and if you're an artist yourself or know of one who might like to appear in the gallery please let us know - but in the meantime be sure to check out the fantastic art that's there already over at CC's Facebook page.

Court Papers Served To Shocker Toys

2011-07-23T21:04:00.000+10:00

In an interesting - and somewhat worrying - development, Bleeding Cool News has reported that Shocker Toys where served with court papers, during their own panel no less.

The troubled toy company, who announced a long-awaited Phantom figure , has had quite a troubled history, as we have reported before.What this development means about a possible future release of Shocker's Phantom figure - not to mention those that have already paid for their pre-order - remains to be seen. Whatever the case, CC will keep you up to date with any future developments.

You can read the full article on Bleeding Cool HERE.

Fantomen #1500

2011-07-22T00:44:00.003+10:00

July 21 sees the release of the 1500th issue of Fantomen, the Swedish Phantom comic book which has been published since 1950.

The 1500th issue features a cover by Sal Velluto, which is a recreation of the cover of the very first Fantomen issue.

New Hermes Page - New Collections Listed

2011-07-21T14:09:00.000+10:00

Due to Hermes Press now releases so many great Phantom collections, we've given the publisher their own page!

The listings for Hermes' Dailies Collections volumes 1 -3 that where listed on the Strips page have been moved over to the new Hermes page and we've also added listings for Hermes' up-coming Gold Key and Charlton collection releases.

Check out the new Hermes Press page HERE.

Latest Releases/ Newest Additions

2011-07-18T11:40:00.000+10:00

We've changed the way that the latest released comics and issues most recently added to the site are listed. You'll notice in the right menu two new lists, Latest Releases and Newest Additions.

The Latest Releases list replaces the old Latest Releases page. When an issue is released for purchase into comic stores/ newsagents this list will be up-dated accordingly. So, Frew #1606 is the most recent issue to be released.

Similarly, the Newest Additions shows the newest issues to be added to ChronicleChamber's publisher pages. As you'll be aware, often we add issues weeks or months before they are released commercially, so this list will help you keep track of what issue information is currently on the site. So, at present, Fantomet 14/2011 and Fantoman 15/2011 are the newest issues to be added to the site.

Clicking an issue in either list will take you to that issue's listing on its corresponding publisher page.

Hopefully having this information available right on the site's front page will make it a lot easier to keep track of issue releases and additions. However, we will also continue to announce new releases and additions on our Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

Custom Skull Throne - UPDATED

2011-07-08T23:14:00.001+10:00

One very talented phan who goes by the name of Kurr63 on the forums has created a custom Skull Throne to go along with his Captain Action Phantom doll. Given the positive feedback he's received about the Throne Kurr63 is now offering then to phans.

Selling for $30US plush shipping if you're interested in purchasing one of the Thrones you can do so by contacting Kurr63 via our forums.

UPDATE: You can also contact Kurr63 via e-mail HERE.

Frew up-dates

2011-07-06T00:17:00.000+10:00

We've added a cover scan for issue #1606 and issue details for #1607.

75th Anniversary Skull Ring

2011-07-04T22:34:00.000+10:00

Bradford Exchange, an Australian jewellery manufacturer, had released a 24-carat gold Skull Ring to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Phantom this year. Designed to replicate the look of the ring in the comics and strip and engraved with the words "Ghost Who Walks" this a beautiful collectable for those phans who can afford the $180AU price tag.

From Bradford Exchange's website;

Meticulously researched by the Master Jewellers of The Bradford Exchange, our exclusive edition is a stunning recreation of the Skull Ring worn by The Phantom. Hand-cast ring in shimmering 24-carat gold plate, the ring showcases a bed of pure black onyx from which rises the one symbol criminals fear most: the dreaded skull! ‘The Ghost Who Walks’ is carefully engraved on the inner band adding more authenticity to this officially authorised edition. Great gift for a Phantom fan. Hand-crafting limits supply. Don’t wait. Reserve yours today!

The ring is now available for pre-order. For more information on the ring and to place your order, visit the Bradford Exchange site.

Thanks to Ben for this info.

Pre-Order 2012 Phantom Diary & Hermes Vol. 3

2011-07-01T20:49:00.001+10:00

The 2012 Phantom diary from Mallon Publishing is now available for pre-order. Mallon has produced many Phanton diaries over the years and always they are of a high quality. To pre-order the diary, see THIS page.

Also, the release date for the third edition of Hermes Press' The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies has been moved to August 19, 2011.

Thanks to William Dorrington for the above information.

New Comics

2011-06-25T13:35:00.000+10:00

Here's the latest from Frew and Egmont -

Frew:
#1605 - Fateful Meeting
#1606 - Romance (AKA Romance and the Vesta Pirates)

Egmont:
Fantomet nr. 13/2011
Sweden: Fantomen nr. 14/2011
Norway: Fantomet nr. 13/2011

Our Latest Releases page has also been up-dated.

IMPORTANT: Shocker Toys Money Back

2011-06-23T14:30:00.001+10:00

If you are worried about possibly losing your money over the Shocker Toys figure due to the reasons we mentioned previously, there may be hope! We can confirm that if you paid via PayPal and lodge a dispute with Shocker via your PayPal account you can get your money back. This worked for one of the CC Staff so if you paid with PayPal and wish to try let us know how you go!

CC Gathering & Dinner Wrap Up

2011-06-22T20:03:00.000+10:00

The 2011 ChronicleChamber.com Gathering is over, but what a time we had! Eight of us met up at the Supernova con, Sydney, for a day of talking Phantom, trading collecting stories and spending heaps of money on back issues and collectables. It was great to catch up with everyone and hang out. Add to this the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorer's Club dinner that same night and it was a whole 24 hours of Phantom goodness!

The dinner was another brilliant night of wonderful food, exciting auction bidding (with nearly all of our Gathering friends scoring some nice collectables!). The items included many original artworks from artists suck as Sy barry, Sal Velluto and Paul Ryan among others, and many very desirable collectables. The auction raised $7000 for the Sydney Children's Hospital at Westmead. As always, it was a brilliant night.

Photos from both the Gathering and the LFMBEC dinner can be found HERE and HERE, respectively, in our gallery on Facebook

Enjoy.

Ray Moore's Family Album

2011-06-15T11:21:00.005+10:00

Thanks to Ray Moore's great niece Gina Moore Reiners, Phans have now got a chance to see a rare glimpse into the life of the legendary artist Ray Moore through these exclusive photos. Click the link below to view the photos.

http://phorum.thedan.org/viewtopic.php?t=3876

Thanks to 'Germ' for the heads up.

ID Tags and Dinner Transport & Parking

2011-06-15T00:03:00.000+10:00

With only a few short days until our 2011 Gathering of Phantom fans at Sydney's Supanova convention there are a few small details that still need to be covered.

Firstly, we've created a funky ID card for all those coming to the Gathering. It can be hard to spot people over a crowded convention floor, even more so if you're not sure who you're looking for. Thus, these handy ID tags will make the job of spotting fellow phans and Gathering-goers all the easier. Simply print out one of the tags, write your name on it (your real or forum name, whichever you prefer) and pin/clip/stick the tag to your person while at the con so people can spot you. To download one of the tags, simply click the preview of it below.

Our second order of business regards transport and parking to and at Doltone House, the venue of the LFMBEC dinner. Richard has kindly sent a PDF detailing all of the transport and parking information. You can download the PDF from HERE.

The starting time of the dinner is 7pm for Phantom cocktails and mingling with the auction and dinner starting about an hour later.

So, I hope that you all have your tickets bought (if you're going to the con and/or dinner) and your accommodation booked if you need it. We're all looking forward to meeting all the phans who attend, new and old.

It's going to a heck of a time!

IMPORTANT: Shocker Toys Information

2011-06-10T19:48:00.001+10:00

You may recall that recently we posted that the long awaited Shocker Toys Phantom action figure is available for pre-order. Well, before you rush off to place your order from one of the figures, you may want to read the below information.

Since posting that initial story, ChronicleChamber.com has been contacted by Craig, a representative of UnScrewedComic.com, an organisation who fights for the rights of creators and fans who have been 'screwed over' by comics-related companies and publishers. Craig warned us that, in the past, Shocker Toys was been less than reliable in actually releasing their figures. Before posting this information, however, we wanted to make sure it was indeed true. Sadly, it seems to be.

From research we've done we've found other websites and forums that back-up Criag's claims. As such, I thought it only fair to post Craig's message here so all can be aware of what is going on.

Your website was recently brought to our attention, in particular, the article in regards to the Shocker Toys figure.

I highly recommend that you yourself do some research on the company, and encourage your forum members to do the same, before pre-ordering.

Customers have still not received the mail-away figure from series 1 of the Indie Spotlight line, first released in April 2009.

They are also still waiting to receive the 2010 San Diego Comic Con exclusive figures, that were supposed to be available at the convention. We are now one year overdue, with no word on when they will be available.

Unscrewed is looking into Shocker Toys, and is currently investigating, and seeing what can be done about their planned convention appearances this year, and to aid customers that have not received goods paid for, and have not been given correct options, regular updates, etc.

The Phantom figure will also be available at other stores for pre-order, the BIG difference being that these stores will NOT charge you until the item is in stock. I would suggest looking into that, and advising your readers/forum members to do the same. Same end result, but it puts the burden onto that retailer, not you. If the figure never ships, you're not out a cent.

Also, please note that with Paypal, you only have 45 days to lodge a dispute, making them ineffective with Shocker Toys, a company that is notorious for missing shipping dates by years. Indie Spotlight Series 2 has still not shipped, despite its original availability date being listed as mid 2008 originally.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask, as I am happy to assist.

Yours sincerely,

Craig

After a reply sent from CC, Craig sent this further message;

We're currently collecting information, due to various other later products of Shocker Toys, that currently have no timeline for release.

Unfortunately, it REALLY is a large, messy saga. There has been some movement from them, but it's only been recently. The day after we posted a release asking for information on them, and discussing further action, they sent out an 'apology' email for the lateness of their products (varying from 1 -2+ years), but it STILL had no timeline, other than a vague 'as soon as is humanly possible'.

The company has unfortunately been doing this for years, not just to customers, but also to creators (one we have given advice to recently, for example).

The problem is that you and your fellow 'phans' (it took me a moment to get that, I must admit!) have already paid. After 45 days, as you know, Paypal is useless for retrieving your money, and after 3 months (at least here, generally speaking) your credit card company won't be able to do much, either. At that stage, you're at the mercy of the company itself.

I absolutely understand your desire for a quality Phantom figure. I also understand wanting to know you're guaranteed one.

There are other options besides Shocker directly. Many stores online are offering these figures, AND the best thing is, they will only charge you WHEN the figure arrives - so no risk to the customer.

The likes of you folks receiving your figures within 45 days are looking, I'm sorry to say, slim to none. Series 2 was originally due for release in mid-2008, it has still yet to come out, and has no set timeline.

So the odds of series 3 being out this quickly are basically zero. They'd have to basically be in production at the factory in China at this moment, to be available to you before that 45 day cut-off, due to general factory and shipping timelines.

I highly recommend you and your members reconsider where you have pre-ordered from, and that you look around, and find a retailer that will charge you on arrival, not upfront like Shocker directly.

People have also had problems in the past getting refunds via Paypal, including some concerns over Shocker changing their Paypal details after taking orders. I can't really go into that much, as I don't know a lot of the detail there, and what, if anything, came of that. It's merely something that I read other customers discussing on a thread at www.thefwooshnet.com .

At the very least, please keep an eye on that 45 day limit, and don't start the dispute smack on the deadline. Better to get in early than late!

I'll leave you to consider what I've said here, and of course, please let me know if I can clarify anything further, or help in any way.

I will leave it with you, and see what you and your members believe to be the best course of action.

Given this information, it may be best to wait until the figures are actually in stores before trying to purchase one. We realise that many of you have already placed pre-orders and CC has contacted Shocker to see if those pre-orders can be cancelled with a full refund. It was been just shy of a month since we e-mailed them regarding this and we've not yet had a reply.

This is a huge shame for the Phantom community who have been long looking forward to a quality Phantom action figure. Whatever future developments may come, CC will be sure to let you know.

Lions, Tigers and Bears Movie News

2011-06-08T13:10:00.000+10:00

On his Facebook page, Mike Bullock has related the latest news in regards to his creator owned series, Lions, Tigers and Bears, coming to cinema screens. The article from website Collider.com, talks about two writers coming onto the project to pen the script.

The film may be a little way off yet, but definite moves have been made to make it happen! Click HERE to read the full article.

Comics - New Site Page, New Frew & Egmont

2011-06-06T15:04:00.001+10:00

We have a big up-date today on the comics from. First up is our new Various Publications page. This page will list one-off and limited series publications about the Phantom, Mandrake and surrounding subjects that are not published by the publishers already listed on the site. The new page lists some interesting releases, such as the Phantom's return to India and the first in a collection of Mandrake strips. So be sure to check it all out!

Secondly, we have added information on the newest issues from Frew and Egmont. Our Latest Releases list has also been up-dated.

LFMBEC Auction Info

2011-05-28T11:12:00.000+10:00

As CC's Gathering, 2011 and the LFMBEC Dinner #23, which happen to be the night of the Gathering, draws closer I thought it would be fun to take a look at the items confirmed to be in the Dinner's auction. So far we have

1. Four volumes of the 2007 Euro Books in Mumbai Phantom publications, all in full colour and containing two stories each. These include
Return of the Ghost/Klu Klux Klan
Lethal Science/Freedom Trail
Lubanga's Revenge I & II
Doomsday Sect/Assassination of President Lincoln

2.A sketch by Sy Barry.

3. A drawing by Fred Fredericks.

4. An original by Sal Velluto.... and maybe even something by Doug Klauba and Ruben Procoppio.

While those are the CONFIRMED items, there are bound to be more, as this image of Sy Barry and Archie artist Stan Goldberg hints towards.

Furthermore, it's been confirmed that the below painting by Birgitte Hansen will be a door prize on the night.

The special guest for the night will be Pete Klaus, probably the most prolific Phantom collector now or ever.

Many of us who will be attending the CC Gathering, 2011 will also be at the LFMBEC dinner, so we hope you see you all there. For more information on the Gathering and the Dinner, check out our Gathering, 2011 page.

Gallery Moved to Facebook

2011-05-22T20:52:00.000+10:00

CC's gallery has now been completelly moved from it's old home at Photobucket to our Facebook page. All of the images are there, now easier to view and you can all post comments if you wish. We'd like to add some phan artwork there too, so if you have some - or indeed any images - that you'd like to submit, please e-mail us or post them on your forums by following the below link.

New Frew & Egmont - UPDATED

2011-05-22T12:46:00.001+10:00

Here are the latest from Frew and Egmont:

Fantomet nr. 10/2011
Fantomet nr. 11-12/2011

Frew #1603 Fatal Salvation

The Latest Releases list has also been up-dated.

Last Phantom #6 & TPB Sales Figures

2011-05-22T00:47:00.000+10:00

ICv2 has stated that Dynamite Entertainment's The Last Phantom #6, the final issue of the series' first story arc Ghostwalk, sold an estimated 6,902 copies through comics distributor Diamond to comics speciality stores placing it at number 199 in the Top 300 Comics for April, 2011. This is a drop of 2,957 issues from the sales numbers for issue #2 which sold 9,859 copies.

The highest selling comic for April, 2011 was Marvel's Fear Itself #1, the first issue of their major 2011 event, which sold 128,595 copies. The highest selling non Marvel/DC title was Image Comics' Walking Dead #84 which sold 31,930 placing it at number 48. Again, no Moonstone titles made the list and the lowest selling title was Image's Daomu #3 at 2,767 copies.

Of course ICv2 only takes into account sales of issues to comics stores via Diamond and does not count copies sold directly through DE's website, at cons or other on-line resources. Also, the number of sales lost could be attributed to readers 'waiting for the trade' and not necessarily abandoning the series. If we look at ICv2's top 300 graphic novel sales figures we can see that the The Last Phantom, Vol. 1 TPB sold 911 copies placing it at number 81 on the chart. So, if we assume those readers who dropped the single issues picked up the trade then the series at a whole lost 2046 readers. However, on the flip side, this confirms that an estimate of 7813 people in the US are reading The Last Phantom in some capacity.

CC on CGS

2011-05-15T14:31:00.000+10:00

The first of two promos for ChronicleChamber.com has appeared on ComicGeekSpeak's 1069th episode. For those who came in late, ComicGeekSpeak (or CGS) is one of the first and longest running comics podcasts. Hugely popular among comics fans, and for good reason, the CGS team looks at all aspects of the comics medium and related medias.

Kindly the guys allowed CC to host two episodes in which they give a short promo and shout out to the site. You can download episode 1069, which contains a discussion on the final issues of DC's Brightest Day event, HERE. The promo starts at the 1:02 minute mark. While you're there though, be sure to check out CGS's other episodes, there is sure to be something there to interest everyone!

Review - The Last Phantom: Ghostwalk

2011-05-14T22:44:00.001+10:00

Sometimes, things need to be considered in their totality to truly be appreciated. Judging such texts by its parts alone does not do it justice and can cause the viewer to miss its most vital points. The first story arc of Dynamite Entertainment's The Last Phantom is such a story.

It wasn't until I'd read the final issue and reflected on what came before that the story began to ring true with me. Originally I didn't feel The Last Phantom fit the 'mould' of a good Phantom story, however now I feel exactly the opposite. It's not until you consider what the writer and artist were trying to do over those six issues that you realise that had Lee Falk himself created the Phantom now rather than in 1936 he may have presented us with a very similar story. Now, before all the traditionalists out there claim I'm on D.E.'s payroll, let me elaborate.

The Phantom was born of death and blood. No matter how you try and coat it this fact is right there in the original strip. A pirate attack of which there was one survivor. This survivor took up the mantle of the Wasaka demon and reined vengeance down on evil doers. Apart from the time period how is this any different than what we see in the pages of The Last Phantom #1?

When the first few issues came out much was made of the violence of The Last Phantom. I myself rallied against it. However, having read the six issues of this arc I view that violence in a new light. The character goes through an origin; a death and a birth of sorts, which are always violent and bloody. If you look across the span of the six issues you'll see that the book becomes gradually less violent until, at the very end of the arc, the Phantom barely even injures the man who destroyed his life. In issues one and two we see the metaphorical and, for the character, personal and spiritual death of Kitridge Walker. What comes out of that plane crash is the personification of vengeance and righteous retribution. Is this really that different from the Kit Walker of the 1700s becoming the masked avenger who would eventually be known as The Phantom? The fact that Kitridge stopped using violence shows an evolution of his character. With the desire for vengeance in his heart sated he looked back at the line to which he belongs. The Phantom does not kill, and once he donned that costume the killing stopped. The man in the “berry costume” was not the Phantom, but rather something hovering between where Kitridge ended and the Phantom began.

As the series continues to progress we can see Kitridge's confusion and doubt as to if he is doing the right thing. He questions his strength, his sanity, even his own identity. The scene in which he covers half of Bock's face with Good Marks and the other with Skull Marks is illustrative of the turmoil he is feeling, torn between wanting to do to those what had been done to him and taking the higher, righteous path of his forefathers. It's an inner battle that continues right up to the arc's final issue. In effect, issue six sees a new man emerge. Kitridge Walker's family is dead and he died along with them and now all that is left is his legacy, the legacy of the Phantom. He says himself in the closing pages of issue six that it is the legacy the defines his life and who he is now. Truly it isn't until that point that we really see the Phantom in this series.

While all of this may sound like a lot of waffle to some, the truth of it is in the pages of the story. What this story works on is visual metaphor, and Scott Beatty and Eduardo Ferigato have provided plenty. From the Good and Skull marked face of Bock previously mentioned, to the slow metamorphosis to the traditional Phantom costume showing Kitridge's acceptance of his new role. Even the “berry costume” can be seen as a metaphor for birth and/or the shedding of an old skin/personality. Metaphoric works can not be taken by what is said in the dialogue or shown in the art alone, they have to be read between the lines and considered. And as such a story The Last Phantom truly is a success.

However, these is also the argument that unless a story works on the surface level first, the rest is immaterial. While the arguments to and for that point can could rage forever, it must be said that for all its clever use of metaphor The Last Phantom isn't a perfect comic series. It is incredibly violent, especially in early issues, which, as we have seen, can turn some readers off. The art is inconsistent in places, ranging from quite lovely to rather pedestrian in a single issue. There are also some small inconsistencies with established Phantom law that need to be explained and while these may not be looked at as faults as such, they do give the reader pause. It is also interesting that it is still unclear just how familiar with the character Beatty and the rest of the team are. In one instance the story reads like the creators of The Last Phantom have an intimate knowledge of the character, and in the next it feels like all their knowledge comes from the 1996 movie. Given the quality of this first arc I'm prepared to give the creators the benefit of the doubt and go with the first option but it is a mystery as to why certain aspects of the Phantom mythology – such at Kitridge's father apparently happy to plant Good Marks on evil doers - are seemingly ignored.

The Last Phantom: Ghostwalk is a story that is best read in its entirety. Reading one or two issues and then passing it off is not doing the story justice as there are themes and ideas here that do not pay off or become clear until the very end. If you dropped the title a few issues in then I recommend you pick up the remaining issues and try the whole arc before passing final judgement. If you have been waiting to read the story in collected format I'm sure that you will find something here to enjoy. Having said that though, if you are a reader who reads for “entertainment value only” and isn't compelled to consider or reflect on stories once the final page is done you may not get the most out of this book. However if, like myself, you tend to geek out on the intricacies and metaphoric meaning of images and dialogue then this is most likely a book you will appreciate having in your collection. As such, for better or worse, The Last Phantom is still one of the most original Phantom stories we have seen yet and it is sure to be a title around which controversy and discussion will always flow.

Reviewed by Joe Douglas

New Comics - Frew & Egmont

2011-05-14T14:16:00.000+10:00

New from Egmont:
Fantomen nr. 10/2011
Fantomen nr. 11/2011

New from Frew:
#1602 - The Python Strikes Back

SupaNova Sydney Tickets On Sale

2011-05-14T13:13:00.000+10:00

The tickets for SupaNova Sydney - the meeting place for CC's Gathering 2011 - are on sale now. You can purchase them from HERE. There are differant ticket options depending how exactly what convention experience you wish to have, so be sure to read through the list.

Thanks to Geaghs for the heads up on this.

New Newspaper Strip

2011-05-09T17:13:00.003+10:00

The latest Daily strip D232 - The College Kid has been added to the Newspaper Strips listing.

Shocker Toys' Phantom Figure FINALLY Available: UPDATE

2011-05-05T19:52:00.003+10:00

NOTE: Before placing your order for one of these figure read THIS!

The long (long, looooooong) awaited Phantom action figure from Shocker Toys is finally available for phans to pre-order via their website. Originally announced in 2008 its taken a while for the figure to arrive but not it has it look like it may have been worth the wait. Beautifully sculpted and painted, the figure would make a great addition to any phan's collection.

The figure retails for $25US for those in America or $35 for those outside, and those prices include shipping. At a fairly affordable price when put up against other collectable figures there's no reason not to claim one of these for yourself.

UPDATE: The figure we linked to above appears to be a variant. The regular figure can be ordered HERE. The variant edition sports a yellow costume while the regular figure has the traditional purple. If you've already placed your order for the variant but would prefer the regular, try contacting Shocker via their website to see if you can change your order. Others had had success this way.

Thanks to Germ for alerting us to this.

Environmental Avenger Translation

2011-05-04T21:03:00.000+10:00

You may recall a little while ago we told you about a Norwegian comic in which the Phantom was used as a spokesperson of sorts on environmental issues. Well, one intrepid phan, Germ, has started work on a English translation of the comic. His work is looking good thus far and he's looking for people to help in the task.

You can see his work so far on our forums.

New Frew & Egmont

2011-05-04T20:58:00.000+10:00

Here are the latest issue listing from Frew and Egmont.

Frew:
#1601 - The Legend Of Rahotep, Part Two
#1600 - The Skull Murders - cover added.

Egmont:
Fantomet nr. 9/2011

Lee Falk 100 Years - book project announced

2011-04-28T06:07:00.005+10:00

April 28, 2011 would have been the 100th birthday of Lee Falk - creator of The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician.

Give mr Falk a thought this day in honor of his creations and legacy! And why not make a shout out to him on Facebook, Twitter, and other forums and social media aswell to let people know about him.

In honor of Lee Falks's centennial (and the 75th anniversary of the Phantom comic strip this year), the Scandinavian Chapter of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club announce that a book dedicated to him is intended for release later this year.

The book will collect interviews with Falk, articles about him and his creations, tributes from friends and family and writings by Falk himself! For more information, visit Scandinavian Chapter's website and sign up for the newsletter to get updates as the book's release approaches.

The book is intended to be published in two versions; one Swedish and one English. The Swedish version will be released at the Gothenburg Book Fair in September, and the English version as soon as possible after that.

The Scandinavian Chapter's first book was released last year, a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Fantomen comic book.

Mike Bullock Returns to the Phantom?

2011-04-24T18:17:00.004+10:00

In a recent interview with Scoop in which he talks about the forthcoming third series of his creator owned title Lions, Tigers and Bears ex-Phantom writer Mike Bullock hints that he may, at some future point, return to writing the Phantom. From the interview;

Scoop: We miss you working on the Phantom. Yeah, we know that's not a question, but it's still true.

MB: Me, too. But, [Last Phantom writer]Scott Beatty is a very talented writer so I’m sure the skull ring is in good hands. Deep down inside, I feel like I’ll be writing Phantom stories again before it’s all over and done, so that’s what keeps me from getting too depressed about it. Phantom, Diana, Devil, Kit, Heloise, Guran and Hero had become like family to me, but I have a feeling I’ll be seeing them again soon.

So could this be a hint at things to come or just wishful thinking? Either way, we'll let you know as soon as we find out.

Superhero Rewind: The Phantom Review

2011-04-24T16:11:00.000+10:00

YouTube user Geekvolution, who records regular reviews of superhero movies, has recorded a review of the 1996 Phantom movie. It is possibly the most well thought out and considered review of Billy Zane's time in the purple spandex you're likely to find, so be sure to have a watch of it below.

Thanks to Paul Andreas for pointing this out.

Further LFMBEC Dinner Detials

2011-04-24T14:09:00.000+10:00

Richard of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorer's Club has given further details about their up-coming dinner which coincided with CC's 2011 Gathering.

In two separate e-mail Richard layid out the rational for the night's auction and also details on what items will be up for grabs. This first e-mail also contains important details about the dinner on the night.

Greetings All,

1. Thanks to those who have already paid. As I explained previously I am paying up front and early payment is appreciated. Full refund if you are unable to attend.

2. Please let me know if you have any allergies or intolerances (gastronomical, that is, not religious, political, cultural or social) so that I can make sure the menu accommodates all.

3. The auction promises to be a good one. If you have some items you wish to donate please send me a suitable image of it in good time but there is no need to bring the item until the night.

4. Auction rationale:
a) We want to raise as much money for the Children’s Hospital as possible BUT,
b) We also want to have a jolly good time eating, drinking and being merry. (We also don’t want Antonio to get too carried away with his own self-importance and bore us to intellectual extinction with tales of his childhood. Frankly, I think it’s all lies and I’m not sure Antonio actually had a childhood.)
c) I was buoyed by the success of the silent / live auction format at the Dave Gibbons Dinner #21 and intend to follow suit … so,

5. Auction format:
a) All auction items will be on display for silent auction. Through the evening you are at liberty to add your bids to the attached sheets.
b) After dessert Antonio will conduct the live auction starting with the most desirable artworks, the last bid on the sheet being the opening bid.
c) When time finally beats us the last bidder on the remaining sheets will claim the item.

6. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I am expecting to receive a few artworks from the United States.
a) Our honoured guest, Pete Klaus, has indicated to me that he will bring, “… a sketch by Sy Barry--a drawing by Fred Fredericks--an original by Sal Velluto and maybe even something by Doug Klauba and Ruben Procoppio …”
b) I have also contacted two iconic comic artists in the US. One will provide some artwork in his own right but both of them will also combine to produce an artwork unique in comicdom … a one off that will never be repeated. The latter will be the first item auctioned and will have a reserve placed on it which I have no doubt will be overbid within seconds. But I believe in suspense so … later. J

Regards to you all,

Richard

Richard's second e-mail details two of the items that will be available at the auction.

Greetings All,

i.
The global reach of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club is truly staggering. Not only do we have the previously emailed contributions from our good friend Sérgio in Brazil but today I received some terrific items for our auction from Shantanu Dhar in India.

In 2007 Euro Books in Mumbai published a 15 volume series (2 stories per volume) in full colour. Shantanu has sent four of these volumes for our auction.
1. Return of the Ghost/Klu Klux Klan 2. Lethal Science/Freedom Trail 3. Lubanga's Revenge I & II 4. Doomsday Sect/Assassination of President Lincoln (images below)

Many thanks to Shantanu.

Remember, there is a real art treat coming up for the auction … but not for your eyes yet. J

ii.
Tomorrow afternoon I meet with the event organiser to finalise the deposit for the venue as well as other administrivia for the Dinner.

Payment details are included again for those who delete their emails.

Happy Easter, Passover … etc to you all.

New Comics - Frew & Dynamite

2011-04-24T13:52:00.000+10:00

Here's the latest issue info from the Australian and US publishers.

Frew:
#1600 - The Skull Murders
#1599 - The Return Of Colonel Weeks

Dynamite:
Last Phantom #11

The Latest Releases page has also been updated.

Hermes Press to Reprint Gold Key & More!

2011-04-12T09:07:00.002+10:00

Hermes Press has announced on their blog that they will be reprinting the Gold Key, King and Charlton Phantom runs as companion pieces to their current strip collections. The official announcement reads

Hermes Press Announces Reprints of The Vintage Phantom Comic Book!

When Lee Falk and Ray Moore’s adventurer The Phantom burst into newspapers as a daily comic strip in 1936, he was the first precursor to the comic book superheroes of the late 1930s and ‘40s. Hermes Press is proud to announce our reprinting of the Silver Age adventures of the globe-trotting Phantom, starting with Gold Key’s 1962 version, in eight hardcover library-bound volumes.

When Gold Key sent the “Ghost Who Walks” into four colors, they recruited famed painter George Wilson for iconic covers, writer Bill Harris for pulse-pounding adventure stories, and artist Bill Lignante for his rendition of the hero. The Phantom: The Complete Series—Volume One reprints the first eight issues of the comic, reproduced through today’s digital technology to look better than the original printing.

Hermes Press started reprinting The Phantom daily strips, with Volume 3 due out this May. The comic book reprint series will reach eight ambitious volumes, spanning 15 years and encompassing 17 Gold Key comics, 11 King Phantom comics, and all 45 Charlton Phantom issues. Alongside the handsome daily and upcoming Sunday strips, The Phantom: The Complete Series—Volume One, The Gold Key Years cements Hermes as the home for the original crimebuster!

The Phantom The Complete Series: The Gold Key Years: Volume One; reprints issues #1 through #8; cover artwork by George Wilson; interior artwork by Bill Lignante; stories by Bill Harris

ISBN #978-1-61345-005-5; 7.5 by 10 by 1.25 inches,full color; deluxe hardcover with dustjacket and printed cover with endpapers; 256 pages; historical essay; $49.99.

With original issues of the Gold Key, King and Charltom books fetching a pretty penny on the secondary market these collection will be wonderful edition to any phan's collection who is yet to experience these stories, or even those who already have but just can't say "no" to a quality hardcover.

Source: Thanks to abhinav from our forums for alerting us to this.

Phantom, Environmental Avenger

2011-04-11T22:38:00.000+10:00

In Norway the Phantom has been used by the Minister for the Environment, Erik Solheim as a 'spokesperson' on environmental issues in a special created comic. The event was covered by many Norwegian newspaper, but the original announcement can be read HERE (although it's all in Norwegian). The comic, which has art by Knut Westad, can be downloaded and read HERE, but it is also in Norwegian.

Source: Paul Andreas

Poll Time

2011-04-11T20:40:00.000+10:00

We've added a poll to the front page of the site, on the bottom most left menu. We thought it'd be fun to have a topic on which Phantom fans who visit the site could vote. The poll topic will change every month or so (read: when JoeMD isn't swamped with uni and/or remembers ^_^) with the results announced on the forums.

Our first topic of the new poll is what colour Phantom costume do you prefer? Vote now!

Comics: Frew, Egmont and Frew Price Increase

2011-04-10T13:53:00.000+10:00

Yes, you read that right, Frew has increased their regular 36 page issue price from $2.50AU to $3.00AU per issue. While it's only 50c, hopefully it'll mean that the quality of the Frew product will improve.

Now, onto the newest issues from Frew and Egmont.

Frew:
#1599 - The Return Of Colonel Weeks
#1598 - Sister Steelfist - cover added

Egmont:
Fantomet nr. 6/2011
Fantomet nr. 7+8/2011

LFMBEC Venu Confirmed

2011-04-06T20:10:00.000+10:00

Previously we told you that Richard of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorer's Club was looking for expressions of interest as to the venu of their 23rd Dinner which coincides with CC's Gathering 2011. Well, he recieved enough interest that Doltone House is now the confirmed venue for the dinner. Richard has sent a further e-mail which reads as follows;

Greetings All!

1. As there has been an excellent response to Dinner #23 I will take the brave step on Monday of signing a contract (never had to do that before) and pay a deposit to secure the venue.

Doltone House is in the Accenture/Google building just past the Star City Casino. Please avoid the casino before the auction.

If you are staying in the city you can take the monorail. Parking options are shown on the map (see below).

2. Before I select the menu (not immediately urgent) please inform me of any food intolerances or allergies.

3. Remember that wine, beer, juice and soft drinks are included in the cost.

4. I will be sending a separate email about the auction in a few days.

5. Payment details are:

COST: $120 pp

As usual, I ask you to pay up front so that I can enjoy the evening and concentrate on more important matters. This is particularly so for this Dinner as I will be paying half the bill in a couple of weeks (the Fry family won’t starve but early payment would be appreciated where possible) and full payment will be required by the venue a week prior to the event. If you are unable to attend, even at the last minute, your payment will be refunded.

Please remit payment by any of the following methods.

1. By Netbank or Direct deposit to the ANZ (Strathfield Branch) Account of R L Fry:
BSB: 012 401
A/c: 3678626

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME IN THE APPROPRIATE WINDOW SO I KNOW WHOSE MONEY IS WHOSE. ALSO, EMAIL ME DETAILS OF THE TRANSACTION.

2. By cheque made out to R L FRY and mailed to:

Richard Fry
48 Illawarra Road Marrickville 2204

EMAIL ME THAT A CHEQUE HAS BEEN SENT.

I will acknowledge receipt by email.

I am looking forward to what promises to be a memorable Dinner.

Regards.

Richard

So please send the money for your place ASAP. If you need a little extra time simply e-mail Richard to make sure it's alright to pay at a later date. Hope to see you all there.

Map of Venue

Happy Birthday to Us!

2011-04-06T18:09:00.000+10:00

Today ChronicleChamber turns 5, making us the second longest running Phantom fan site on the web! It's gone fast and I think I speak for the whole of Team CC when I say it's been a blast working on the site.

Thanks to everyone who has visits and continue to support the site. A special thanks goes out to all the Phantom creators who have been kind enough to share their time with us over the last five years. A big thank you to everyone on the forums for making them an awesome place to visit and discuss our favourite hero, and of course many salutations to the other Team CC members who help make the site what it is.

Cheers.

April Fools!

2011-04-01T21:05:00.000+11:00

So, that story about the HD remake of Phantom 2040....yeah, we totally made that up. ^_^ Sorry folks, but we couldn't resist a little April Fools joke. As much as we here at CC would love to see another new Phantom video game, be it a 2040 related one or not, sadly it isn't so at the moment.

Still, we thought it was funny.

SyFy Phantom in Scandinavia

2011-04-01T10:24:00.000+11:00

SyFy's The Phantom TV movie is coming to DVD and BluRay in Scandinavia on April 27th. For those in Denmark it can be pre-ordered from HERE and for those in Scandinavia from HERE.

Source:Simon Treschow

Frank Bolle The Phantom #64 Up for Auction

2011-04-01T10:00:00.000+11:00

Heritage Auctions has a beautiful colour re-production of the cover to Charlton Comic's The Phantom #64 by Frank Bolle. Bolle drew a lot of Phantom covers in the 1970's and this beautiful piece is expected to fetch quite a tidy sum. For those interested, bidding opens on April 16th.

Source: Ronald Montuori via Facebook

Phantom 2040 HD Re-Make

2011-04-01T09:44:00.001+11:00

Retro games site RetroConnect has confirmed that a HD re-make of the Phantom 2040 video game that appeared on the Sega Mega Drive/ Genesis and Super Nintendo consoles will be heading to Steam, X-Box Live and Playstation Network.

With the growing popularity of retro gaming and the increase of more and more obscure games appearing on downloadable services it's not a huge surprise that the brilliant but sadly overlooked Phantom 2040 has been included. What is a surprise, though, is that it will be a HD remake. Perhaps this is a testing of the waters for future Phantom products? Time will tell.

LFMBEC Dinner - Possible Venu

2011-03-29T23:37:00.000+11:00

Richard from the LFMBEC has just sent out an e-mail about a possible venue for the dinner that will coincide with CC's 2011 Gathering along with possible cost per person.

Greetings All,

Your attention please!

1. I believe I have found an excellent venue for what promises to be an exceptional Dinner of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club on Saturday, June 18th. However, before I commit myself financially (a deposit will be required on booking) I need reassurance as to numbers. Otherwise I shall have to seek elsewhere.

I am hoping to secure the large function room at Doltone House opposite the Casino at Darling Island Wharf. The cost will be $120 pp which includes all wine, beer, juice and soft drink.

If you intend to come please let me know ASAP (I have just a few days to confirm) so that I may feel confident (or otherwise) as to numbers. Let me know how many in your party.

2. As you are aware we will be honoured by the presence of Pete Klaus from Baltimore, who is to the world of Phantom Collecting what NASA is to the collection of moon rocks. His presence demands a LFMBEC Dinner extraordinaire.

3. Another reason to attend will be the opportunity to bid at the auction as we raise money for the Westmead Children’s Hospital.

Pete has already indicated that he will be bringing some original artwork. I am also arranging for some very special artwork from America about which more later.

As you can see Richard will need your reply ASAP if you intend to go so be sure to e-mail him!

Please note that these are NOT final plans/ details, but simply possibilities. You still must acknowledge your intent with Richard though if the above sounds good to you.

New Comics - Frew & Egmont

2011-03-29T20:08:00.000+11:00

Here are the latest issues from Frew and Egmont.

Frew:
#1597 - The Fourth Son
#1598 - Sister Steelfist

Egmont:
Sweden: Fantomen nr. 7/2011

New Newspaper Strip

2011-03-27T17:40:00.003+11:00

The latest Sunday strip S174 - The Nomad has been added to the Newspaper Strips listing.

Tangent Review: Savage Beauty #1

2011-03-16T17:47:00.001+11:00

We take a look at Mike Bullock and Moonstone's spiritual success to The Phantom, Savage Beauty #1.

Tangent Reviews are a new initiative we're starting in which we take a look at non-Phantom works by Phantom creators. If you know of a non-Phantom book your favorite Phantom artist or writer has worked on please let us know and maybe we'll review it at a later date.

LFMBEC Dinner to Coincide with CC Gathering!

2011-03-09T12:58:00.000+11:00

Richard of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorer's Club has announced in a recent e-mail that the Club will be having a dinner in Sydney on the same night as CC's Gathering at SupaNova.

Dinner # 23 is clicking in from 1st to 2nd gear. Antonio and I are looking forward to another great evening of Phantom camaraderie, a popular Guest Speaker (the search is on … worldwide!), an auction with unique Phantom artwork and at the end, a substantial cheque for the Westmead Childrens Hospital. And yes, a venue providing superb food is also a must. We have been spoiled the last few years but I shall do my best.

DATE: Saturday June 18th … to coincide with Supanova so that your weekend is chock-a-bloc with good things to do.

VENUE: To be decided

GUEST SPEAKER: Searching … searching …

It will be our great pleasure to welcome a special overseas guest, Phantom collector extraordinaire, Pete Klaus from Baltimore. Pete last visited Australia for Frew’s 50th and this time, at the invitation of John Bedogni of New Zealand and our good friend Nigel Johnson in Queensland, Pete and his wife will grace our shores again.

While all the details are yet to be finalised it;s wonderful to know that both events are again happening side-by-side so that Phantom fans will have a whole day AND night of Phantom entertainment! Once the full details have been announced we'll let you know!

French Release for SyFy Phantom.

2011-03-09T12:46:00.000+11:00

The SyFy Channel's The Phantom TV-movie has been released on DVD and BluRay in France. You can read about the release HERE as well as check out the cool purple case.

Thanks to Paul Andreas for this info.

Product Review: Good Mark Pendant

2011-03-06T01:44:00.000+11:00

Every now and then a collectible comes along that you just need to have in your collection. For me, a Good Mark pendant has always been such an item, however, until recently, it was priced far out of my range. However this long sought after item now holds a place of pride in my Phantom collection so let's take a closer look at it...

The Good:

Before I even got to the pendant I was struck by just how nicely it was packaged. Arriving in a lovely card box which itself was inside a protective plastic covering, the pendant was housed in an absolutely stunning wooden display box. Carved with the Phantom's good mark on the lid and the Phantom merchandise logo on the bottom; the box is sturdy and durable. The hinges are of a good quality and don't feel either too stiff or too loose. The box is held closed by a lovely metal clasp at the front of the box.

The interior of the box is swathed in a lovely purple material inlay. The inside of the lid shows a nice Phantom logo with the number of that particular pendant in the top right corner (mine is #364 out of 2000 made).

The pendant itself sits upon the inlay and looks beautiful in it's home. Although it is a decent size it's not heavy at all. Kudos must be given to the manufacturers for including a neck strap so the pendant can be worn straight away; too often pendants are bought and one must spend extra for a decent chain. The pendant is wonderfully presented and looks just like it does in the comics. No evil-doer will trouble you with this around your neck!

The Not So Good:

Truly it is hard to fault the pendant and its packaging however there are one or two small matters that take away slightly from the over all quality of the item. The first of these is that the clasp on the front of the box - at least on the one I received - is not straight. While this does not affect the ease of which one can close or open the box it does result in it looking a little tacky.

Secondly, my pendant was rather tarnished. Thankfully a cleaning cloth comes with the pendant with which you can clean (most of) the tarnish off with but it is still disappointing. As tarnish is naturally occurring in silver there really isn't much that can be done to avoid it but it would have been nice if the pendant was cleaned before it shipped.

Conclusion:

The Phantom Good Mark pendant is an wonderful addition to my collection. It looks beautiful in it's box and very impressive when being worn. The size of the pendant may stop some people from wearing it regularly but I know I'll be donning it at cons and CC Gatherings from now on. Even though there were two small problems with my pendant (although "problems" feels like too strong a word) at the current sale price of $75AU from Kollectable Kaos you really can't go wrong with this wonderful Phantom collectible.

Reviewed by Joe Douglas

Product Reviews are something new we're trying at CC. Please let us know what you thought of this first article by posting your oppinions on the forums, here on the site via the Comments link, on our Facebook page or via e-mail.

UP-DATED: New from Frew and Egmont

2011-03-06T01:00:00.001+11:00

Here are the latest issue from Frew and Egmont.

Frew:
Up-Dated: #1596 - The Legend Of Rahotep
#1595 - Power Of The Skull Mark - latest issue
#1594 - In The Shadow Of The Guillotine - cover added

Egmont:
Fantomet nr. 5/2011
Fantomen nr. 6/2011

Our Latest Releases page has also been up-dated.

New from Dynamite

2011-02-24T22:58:00.000+11:00

Issue info for The Last Phantom #10 is now on site, as well as up-dated cover info for Last Phantom #9.

Good Mark Pendant for $75AU!

2011-02-24T17:32:00.000+11:00

Kollectable Kaos are selling their beautiful Phantom Good Mark Pendants at the awesome price of $75AU. Regularly retailing for $189.95 this is an amazing saving so if you've ever wanted one of these beautiful pieces for your collection now is the time to get it.

Shipping within Australia is $15AU, extra for international orders.

Christchurch

2011-02-24T08:19:00.000+11:00

All of us here at CC.com would like to send out thoughts and well wishes out to all those in Christchurch, New Zealand who have personally or have friends and family who have been affected by the horrible earthquake there. With 60+ lives already lost and hundreds of people displaced, we hope that soon the mending can begin and that no more tragedy lies ahead.

New Comics - Egmont

2011-02-21T11:12:00.000+11:00

The latest issues from Egmont have been added to the site.

Fantomen nr. 05/2011
Fantomet nr. 04/2011

Happy Birthday, Mr. Walker!

2011-02-17T15:26:00.000+11:00

On this day in 1936 the world was introduced to a new newspaper strip hero. His creator, one Mr. Lee Falk, expected the character to last around six months before its popularity waned. Now, 75 years on, that character is one of the most popular and long running in the history of comics. He truly is the Man Who Can Not Die. He is The Phantom!

All of us here at CC would like to wish our purple clad hero a very happy 75th birthday! From newspaper strips to comics, TV to movies, video games and even music is seems the Phantom has done it all.

Never once being out of print in his long 75 year history we've seen some amazing things in that time, and we here at CC are sure we'll see a lot more in the years to come.

Long live the Phantom!

New from Frew & Egmont

2011-02-14T00:10:00.000+11:00

The latest from the Australian and Scandinavian publishers;

Frew:
#1593 - Walker's Ride - cover added
#1594 - In The Shadow Of The Guillotine

Egmont:
Fantomen nr. 04/2011

Collectorz Comic Collector V.5 - UPDATED

2011-02-13T17:36:00.004+11:00

Updated with correct pricing info. Sorry 0_0

If you've been visiting the site for a while you'll know we here at CC are big fans of Collectorz's Comic Collector software. For those who may not know, Collectorz's software is a leading comic cataloging database program and, exitingly, version 5 of the program is due out in a few days and promises to be the biggest and best version yet!

Version 5 adds a whole host of improvements and additions to the program. All the best features are remaining - automatic addition of issue information via download from an on-line DB, personalization of information presented, in-depth statistics and many other great features - but v.5 builds on these. The new version of the program will include;

Add comics by barcode (American comics only at the moment)
Improved Design of Add Comics Automatically screen (using a new tree structure)
Online database improvements
Find Cover Image screen (find missing cover images via Google)
Collection Statistics integrated in main screen
Improved Wish List functionality (create an easy to view/ edit Wish List)
Improved My Rating functionality
Improved Images View in main screen
New "Vee Five" Templates for Details View and Export to HTML

For a full rundown on each of these new features, check out the Comic Collector v.5 Preview Page.

While some may accuse us of this simply being a big ad for Collectoz, let me assure you we're posting this out of your own trust and appreciation for the Comic Collector program. It's by far one of - if not the - best comics cataloging software currently available. It's also very affordable!

Comic Collector, v.5 will be released on the 15h of February for Windows and March 1st for Mac. It can be bought from the Collectorz.com website and will cost $29.95US for the standard edition, $49.95 for the Pro edition of $24.95 if you are up-grading from version 4.

There are already hundreds of Phantom comics in the Collectorz DB so this is the perfect program for anyone who has ever wanted and easy way to catalogue their ever-growing collection.

Ghost Who Walks Music Video

2011-02-12T11:21:00.000+11:00

Here's a Phantom music from YouTube. It can't really be described it's that crazy, but it's well worth a watch.

Thanks to Paul Andreas for this.

Hidden from Facebook

2011-02-11T14:42:00.000+11:00

In their infinite wisdom the people at Facebook have made it harder to follow all your friends and pages. For the full story on this, check out THIS page but the basic problem is as follows;

Have you noticed that you are only seeing updates in your newsfeed from the same people lately? Have you also noticed that when you post things like status messages, photos and links, the same circle of people are commenting and everyone else seems to be ignoring you?

Don't worry, everyone still loves you and nobody has intentionally blocked you. The problem is that a large chunk of your friend/fan list can't see anything you post and here's why:

The "New Facebook" has a newsfeed setting that by default is automatically set to show ONLY posts from people who you've recently interacted with or interacted the most with (which would be limited to the couple of weeks just before people started switching to the new profile). So in other words, for both business and personal pages, unless your friends/fans commented on one of your posts within those few weeks or vice versa - you are now invisible to them and they are invisible to you!!

HERE'S THE FIX: Scroll down to the bottom of the newsfeed on the homepage and click on "Edit Options", click on "Show Posts From" and change the setting to "All Of Your Friends and Pages" Note: This is the fix for personal pages but I am unsure of whether or not the business pages are set up the same way.

As you're probably aware you can follow us via Twitter and, of course, here, but if you're on Facebook please make sure our Facebook page isn't hidden from your news stream.

Vote for Best Fantomen cover!

2011-02-09T18:23:00.003+11:00

The vote for Best Fantomen cover 2010 is now open. To vote, click on this link. All of last year's covers are on display. After you've found your favorite, fill in the form at the bottom of the page:

Bästa omslag 2010 (select the number of your favorite cover)
Min t-shirt storlek är (select your t-shirt size)
Namn (Your name)
Motivering (If you want to, you can write a short explanation on why this cover was your favorite)
Epost (Your e-mail address)
Address (Your address)
Postnummer (Your zip code)
Ort (Your city)
Vill du ha vårt nyhetsbrev? (Select this if you want to receive the Fantomen.com newsletter)
When you have filled out the form, click Sänd.

100 t-shirts with the winning cover will be randomly selected from all participants, regardless of which cover you have voted for.

For a historical overview of the Swedish Best Cover vote, click here.

Last Phantom's Performance

2011-02-08T23:42:00.000+11:00

Website Publisher's Weekly has talked with Dynamite Entertainment publisher Nick Barrucci to discuss how D.E.'s various titles have sold over the last year. Of course, The Last Phantom is mentioned in the article, and unfortunately it hasn't performed as well as D.E. was hoping.

Publishing up to 25 books a month, some Dynamite titles don’t' get as much attention as they should, such as The [Last] Phantom, which Barrucci feels is a very well-executed book. "It's an example of that damned if you do, damned if you don't situation to be in. We tried something different—instead of just keeping him in the jungle as previous versions did, we turned it into a more of a blood-soaked revenge tale and got a lot of heat and criticism for it. But once people have started reading it it's a really good story. Our job is to try to figure out how to make it work. Fortunately, the title is still doing fairly well, and we are happy that it’s successful enough to continue as an ongoing series, but obviously it would be great if we had more readers."

You can read the full article HERE.

Thanks to Paul Andreas for this.

New from Frew & Egmont

2011-02-05T12:07:00.001+11:00

Here are the latest issues from Frew and Egmont.

Frew:
#1593 - Walker's Ride
#1592 - The Sons of Captain Walker - updated with cover image.

Egmont:
Fantomet nr. 03/2011

You'll also notice on the Frew page the new Creators list. Over the last little while I've been adding issue listings with creator tags so that you can now easily find all issues with a specific creators credit. Simply click on the creators' name and the listings will appear.

Menu Troubles

2011-01-31T23:39:00.000+11:00

If you visited the site at all today you may have noticed the menu was all out of whack. The issue has been fixed and now everything is back to normal. We even fixed the gap problem on the issue listing pages.

Last Phantom #4 Release Date

2011-01-30T11:27:00.000+11:00

While it may be months late writer Scott Beatty has ensured CC that the fourth issue of Dynamite Entertainment's The Last Phantom will be out next week. Fingers crossed.

The Creators Front for Diversity in Comics

2011-01-29T15:33:00.002+11:00

The Creators Front for Diversity in Comics is a new movement by creators of original comic IPs within the comics industry to bring more originality to the medium. While I do love superheroes I will admit that "saturation" is too light a word when describing their make up of the comics market. It is incredibly hard for an original, creator owned series to get up and running. This is not something that will change overnight, but by supporting creators of original comics perhaps some headway, however small, could be made.

The following video discusses and illustrates this situation better than I could explaine. At first it may seem nothing more than satire or a cheap knock at superhero books but stick with it to the end and your eyes will be opened.

To support The Creators Front for Diversity in Comics visit their Facebook page and click the Like button.

Thanks to Puggdogg for the heads up on this.

New "The Last Phantom" and Wallpaper

2011-01-29T15:23:00.000+11:00

The solicitation for issue #9 of Dynamite Entertainment's The Last Phantom has been added to the D.E. page.

We've also created a new wallpaper from the issue's very cool cover. Click on the thumbnail for the full version

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

New Frew - #1592

2011-01-28T21:42:00.000+11:00

Frew's latest issue, #1592 - The Sons of Captain Walker, has been added to the Frew page. The Latest Releases page has also been up-dated.

Phantom: Final Rore - FREE Prose Story

2011-01-28T20:01:00.000+11:00

Mike Bullock's story from Phantom Generations Special is now available to read for free at AllPulp.com. While the site provides a complete reproduction of the text, unfortunalty the amazing artwork cannot be seen here.

PhantomWiki reaches 10 000 articles!

2011-01-19T19:39:00.005+11:00

PhantomWiki, the online encyclopedia dedicated to the Phantom, reached 10 000 articles this weekend.

The Wiki was started in October 2007, as a response to Bryan Shedden's decision to no longer updated the DeepWoods website.

The vast majority of the 10 000 articles deal with Phantom comics published all over the world, most with cover scans. But the Wiki's goal is to cover anything Phantom-related, not only comic book issues, but stories, characters, memorabilia or people who have worked with the comic aswell.

The Wiki is maintained by The Scandinavian Chapter of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club, but is free for all to edit and participate in.

New participants are always welcome!