Hermes Press' Daniel Herman

By Andreas

In February, Hermes Press announced an upcoming series that will collect the Phantom newspaper strip, beginning with the first strips from 1936. With many comic strips already being collected in similar series, Phantom fans have been looking forward to this announcement for a long time.

The series will be 9” x 11.75” landscape format hardcover, with deluxe dustjacket and endpapers and 100 matte finish coated stock paper, with two daily strips per page. The first volume will be 320 pages and will include a 16 page color section with an introduction by Ron Goulart.

ChronicleChamber contacted publisher Daniel Herman of Hermes Press as soon as the announcement was made, and in a series of e-mails we have tried to find out more about this exciting project.

CC: The news of your newspaper reprint series was very well-received among fans and collectors of the Phantom strip. Could you tell us a bit about your company and your interest in the Phantom?

DH: Thanks for the interest! Rest assured that our reprint of The Phantom will be of the same quality as our Buck Rogers in the 25th Century reprint. We worked very carefully with the family that owns Buck Rogers, with Buck Rogers fans and with Buck Rogers experts in creating our reprint series. We expect to put the same care and attention into our Phantom reprints.

Hermes Press has been around for eight years and we specialize in pop culture art books. We routinely produce high quality, full color art books which are sold all over the world. We constantly interact and rely on the fan base so that what we produce "gets it right." Everybody in The Phantom community should know that we want to work with the community to make these books the definitive source for The Phantom. As the publisher of Hermes Press I do not undertake projects unless I personally like the subject material. The Phantom has always been a favorite of mine (and my daughter's) and my big complaint for years has been that the series has never been done correctly. We hope to remedy this. Let me repeat, we cannot do this without support and assistance of The Phantom fan community.

CC: How will you proceed to get the material you need for the books?

DH: First, we need the best existing material. We have contacted Ohio State University's Special Collections to determine what material they have. They hold the archives for King Features Syndicate, and the first report is that they believe they have proofs for all the early strips, but they don’t have an inventory so it will take some time to determine if anything is missing or not in the quality we want. We will assemble material from many sources to make sure we find the best available material for each individual strip. We have already made arrangements with the Michigan State University (MSU) Special Collections to scan what they have in mid-June. We will then go to MSU (in East Lansing, Michigan – – I am an Alumni of MSU incidentally) to scan the material they have. However, we need back-up tear sheets and proofs from collectors so that we can sort through everything and only use the best material for each strip.

As an example of how complete these collections will be, I can tell you that we will include the individual story titles for each strip. In the 1930's, it was common that newspaper comics had a title for each daily strip printed above the strip. The Phantom also had these daily titles during the early years. The titles are generally omitted when the strips have been collected in books, but we will include them. However, we have found variations between titles used by different newspaper, so some research remains to make sure we use the title that was originally intended.

We are collecting the material right now so it's important for collectors who may have something to contribute to this project to contact us right away. We are going to put together the first two years of books in the next several months. Ron Goulart is already writing the introductory essay for Volume One.

Right now we are focusing on the first 10 years of the strip as we will issue Volume One in September/October. As a practical matter we can only plan a year in advance. As an example, we announced our Buck Rogers reprint last April. We started putting four volumes together at that time but we had to fill in missing areas in the material we had. We had some very dedicated fans working with us and we had the material for the first three volumes done by October-November last year. Buck Rogers Volume One came out in early December and the response has been very, very favorable. With the Phantom we would like to work on a similar time line.

CC: The announcement first mentions that you will publish "the complete run of daily and Sunday The Phantom newspaper strips"; "over 70 years of The Phantom", but later on it says "from the original Lee Falk and Ray Moore strips that began in 1936, to the Sy Barry strips from 1994." Which one will it be?

DH: We are committed to doing up through 1994, but if the audience wants us to continue and the interest is there we will.

CC: You also say you will release dailies and Sundays in separate series because they had separate continuities. That's true - with an exception. From February 1949 to May 1950, the dailies and Sundays had one, shared continuity. Although these stories have been reprinted in "daily-only" and "Sunday-only" collections previously, that's not how these stories were intended to be read. How do you plan to treat these stories?

DH: I have been thinking about the Sunday volume regarding the 1949-1950 stories which poses an interesting problem. Printing black and white daily strips (6 per week) and then one color Sunday page, actually means that the cost of printing the book will be the same as printing the entire book in color. We don't have to cross that bridge for some time, but after giving the matter some thought, we have decided to run the dailies and Sundays from this period in sequence in one book. It doesn't really make any sense to do it any other way.

CC: Will the books include the exact same number of strips in each book, or will the size of the book vary depending on the length of the stories?

DH: We won't break up a story, thus the books will vary in size. A good example would be in Buck Rogers Volumes One and Two. BR Volume One has seven stories and 320 pages (it has documentary material and an essay by Ron Goulart as well as the strip). BR Volume Two only has four stories because the book would have run over 340 pages (Volume Two is 256 pages, has an essay, again by Ron Goulart, color illustrations, advertisements, art, and almost 500 strips, two to a page).

CC: Although the format of the Sunday collections has not yet been revealed, I noticed that you have chosen a portrait format for the Buck Rogers Sundays. The Phantom strip however, is originally presented in a landscape format. How do you plan to treat the Phantom Sundays?

DH: My preference is always to use the format the art was drawn in. With Buck Rogers they were drawn as tabs, so we are reproducing them that way as it is faithful to the art and the strip. From what we understand The Phantom was not designed as a tabloid, but as you point out, it was horizontal. So, we will do the Sundays consistently with the way they were designed, landscape.

CC: Many fans are curious about your approach to the digital re-coloring of Sunday strips. Will you be doing the new colors based on the way the Sundays originally looked, or is this a brand new, "modernized" coloring?

DH: We fix what we have to, to make the Sundays look as close to the originals as possible. I suspect we will not be able to get color printer's proofs so at this time our plan is to clean up, repair and redo the Sundays from tear sheets without doing them over from the ground up. They will look very sharp and the color should be bright and very attractive, we will not alter or change the original look of the strips. What we are planning on doing will require a lot of restoration but this does not present a problem.

CC: Thanks for your time Daniel and on behalf of Phantom fans worldwide - good luck with your project!

DH: Thank you, I'm always free to talk with anyone with questions and I'm always willing to give an interview about what we're doing. I'm looking forward to speaking with collectors and fans who can help make this project a success.

The Phantom the Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume One 1936-1938 is scheduled for release in September/October and will be available worldwide.



For more information about Hermes Press and contact, see http://www.hermespress.com

Tim Boyle: Bringing The Phantom To Screen

By JD

For months now we've been hearing rumors of another Phantom movie. No one really knew how serious to take them. There was a lot of back and forth about who had the rights to the character, who was writing the film, who was directing. Rumors came and went and it looked as if our hopes of another big screen Phantom adventure where fading fast. Then Tim Boyle announced he had written two scripts for a Phantom movie, one of which had been picked up. The rumors started again but this time it looked like they might actually be true!

After some very exciting weeks filled with equally exciting news we decided it was time to get the facts right from the source. Tim Boyle, the writer and director of the proposed new film, The Phantom Legacy, agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the film and his vision for it in this world-first interview!

NOTE: This interview was conducted before the film's title was announced and reported on the site.

CC: G’day Tim and welcome to ChronicleChamber.com. It’s been over ten years since the first Phantom motion picture hit cinemas. Why do you think now is a good time to reintroduce the hero to the cinema going public?

TB: Probably the main reason why I think now's a good time to reintroduce The Phantom is that there seems to be a positive trend in comic book to screen translations. Gone are the days where Comic Book films are seen as 'hokey'. With the success of Spider-man, Iron Man, Dark Knight, Watchmen etc. people are interested in good character based 'super hero' films that not only entertain, but tell a solid story as well. The essence, as you know to most Comic Books or Graphic Novels, is based around moral decisions and consequences of our heroes. The Phantom was the first masked Super Hero – he is the original 'origin story'. I think that character, the one that started it all, should have a place in today's market.

So the question I’m sure everyone is waiting to hear the answer to is what will your Phantom film be like? Will it be faithful to the source material? In the announcement of the film you said it will be a father and son story “about a boy and his destiny.” Could you give any more details on this and what the plot may be?

It's a modern day Phantom. A Phantom dealing with real world issues based in the real world. The story will be faithful to the legend of the Phantom, but we're setting it in today's day. Unfortunately... I can't say too much more on this.

Specifically in regards to the Phantom costume, many who did not know the character but saw the 1996 film said that the purple costume was “silly.” Do you think the costume needs a change at all so that it is more palatable to the average movie goer? And what changes do you think would need to be made?

This is probably the 2nd most asked question... will we be changing the costume???? Yes, there will be changes – but you must remember, what works on the page doesn't necessarily translate to the screen – Think of the uproar when Byran Singer changed Wolverine's costume from yellow and blue spandex to the movie's silver and black leather. It looked AWESOME! I can't say exactly what we would like to do – but we're working on a compromise that should hopefully keep the Phans happy, yet make the character more accessible to today's audience.

With the 1996 film failing at the box office was it hard to pitch another Phantom film to the studios?

Getting any film made is always tricky and there are many hurdles to jump, but so far we've had great support from the Executive Producers and the Comic Studio. I'm extremely confident that the film we're making will have full studio support.

The Phantom is nowhere near as popular in the US as he is in Australia and Scandinavia with the 1996 films terrible performance at the US box office attributed to that fact. Is this something that concerns you and how do you hope to overcome it?

I know this might all sound elusive, but I don't really want to get bogged down on the last film and what it did or didn't do at the box office. The direction we're taking for this film is VERY different. What we have is a relaunch of the Phantom franchise. Comic book films of the mid nineties weren't as 'savvy' in respect to the way they treated their audience. Since then, the bar has been raised substantially. The benchmark has been set well and truly high. So it's up to us to deliver a film that will work on many levels – I feel that we're moving in that direction, so I have no concerns about it.

Are there any other challenges you could tell us about in regards to bringing the Phantom to the big screen?

It's still early days, but the biggest challenge so far is getting it right at script stage. If we can't get it right here, then all the visual effects in the world can't save you.

Are you planning on having the film focus on the 21st Phantom or a future or past Phantom?

The film is predominantly set in today's day - so I guess you can figure out the math on that one. Again, I'm not really allowed to say too much on this.

Will aspects of the comics’ mythology appear in the film such as the Skull Oath, the real origin of the Phantom (as opposed to the botched rendition in the ’96 film), the Phantom legacy and so on?

Yes! This film is heavily focused on the comics' mythology. You will see the Skull Oath and much, much more. It's really kick ass! And it's funny you mentioned the 'Phantom Legacy'.

Will we be seeing characters such as Guran, President Luaga, Colonel Worubu or others appear in the film?

Yes! I have accessed many characters from the comic and updated them to play similar roles in todays world. I did this especially for the Phans. I hope you enjoy that!

When writing the script was any particular Phantom story or stories an inspiration to you?

This screenplay is an original take on the comic and it's mythology. Elements from the story arcs will be found... but this is something very new. I've been working, and will continue to work hard with the guys at King Features Syndicate to make sure we give you something really special.

What do you consider to be the “core” of the Phantom character, that element that must be preserved in the film?

The Legacy – the passing down of the Skull Oath. Also the pure white eyes.

We’ve heard that the original script for the film was turned down by the studios. Can you tell us how the original script differed from the current one and why the studio rejected it?

Ah! Thank you for this question. The reporter got it WRONG! There was no other draft I wrote. There was a treatment that was not accepted written by a different writer – but both the producers and Comic studio flipped out when they heard my idea for The Phantom, and I was signed on to the project. There has never been a rejected script from my camp. This reporting was incorrect.

What are your opinions of the 1996 Phantom film and how will your film differ?

Look, again not trying to get caught up in the past. I think Simon Wincer did a awesome job for what he had to work with. The movie looked great, Billy Zane really did well and I've always loved Kristy Swanson – even before Buffy, when she did that cameo in Ferris Buller's Day Off... but the film just felt like a 90's comic book film aimed for children – The 1st Phantom swears an oath on a dead pirates skull he finds on the beach! It's actually a pretty gruesome visual. The guy carries two guns and has a pet wolf that can rip your head off and as far as the world knows... can't die! The Phantom has darkness to it – albeit not Batman dark, but still... he kicks ass and that's what I want to do with this film. Make it kick ass!

Will you be calling the film simply The Phantom or will you try and differentiate it from the ’96 film by calling it, say, The Ghost Who Walks?

No... the film's working title is called The Phantom: Legacy. I hope that just got you all a little more excited.

It’s been announced that you are considering Sam Worthington for the role of the Phantom. Was he who you had in mind from the start or are there other actors you think would be good in the role? Furthermore, has there been any talks at all with Worthington yet in regards to the film?

Ah the # 1 asked question. Who will be The Phantom? I didn't write the film with anyone per say in mind. Sam's been very supportive with my career. He's like the hardest working actor on the planet right now. We'd be lucky to get a guy like Sam – That said, there are a few different people I have in mind – and we'll start approaching them soon. But right now my focus is the screenplay.

As you yourself are Australian, as is Worthington, what do you think the chances of the film being shot here in Australia are; especially now so many Hollywood films are being made here?

The chances of an Australian shoot is HIGH. Although I'm currently based in the US, it would be awesome to come home and make this film 'Down Under'.

Finally, and most importantly, what is the current status of the movie? How long until we possible start seeing teasers and trailers appear on the web and in cinemas?

We're at scripting stage. The financing is taking place. We'll be hoping for a 2011 release date.

Thanks very much for your time, Tim, it’s much appreciated. We here at CC wish you all the best with the Phantom and all your other film projects!!

Thank you. And I just wanted to say I appreciate the support and let you know this film would not be being made with out the love of the Phans!
I'll try to keep you all as updated as I can and really look forward to making something you can all be really proud of.

Tim sent me an e-mail just as I was readying this interview for publication on the site. He asked me to let you all know that the film he is writing/ directing is NOT a sequle to the 1996 Billy Zane film but rather a complete re-boot of the Phantom film franchise. Tim says;

We've NEVER mentioned this as a 'Sequel'. Tell the Phans... This is a total relaunch. Starting from scratch - taking us into today. Don't fear... be excited!

You can visit Tim on-line at his MySpace page.

Discuss this interview on the forums.

An Interview with Claes Reimerthi

By Paul Jonassen

Few people actively reading The Phantom today can be unaware of Claes Reimerthi. The man is, after Lee Falk, by far the most productive writer to ever work on the character. Most of his work has been for Semic and Egmont, but Claes was also asked by King Features to write the Phantom newspaper strip after Falk’s passing, which he did for several years before finally returning to focus solely on Egmont's Phantom stories. He is also responsible for what is by far the longest Phantom story of all time, the epic Heart of Darkness saga (to date not published in English), and is today in charge of writing most of the new stories that are focused on evolving the Phantom and his world. Claes kindly took time out of a very busy schedule to answer CC’s questions about the future of the Phantom and his career so far.

In the two recent stories about Dogai Singh’s life it is revealed that Dogai survived Khermet Singh’s assassination. What plans do you have for Dogai in the future?

Honestly, I have no idea. It could sound strange, but that is how it is. Ever since Phantom Year One and the five-part Final Countdown where the Phantom believes that his family and circle of acquaintances are wiped out, I have worked on a set of stories that follow up the questions that originated there, which the intention of is to gradually modernize the Phantom-concept. Among other things, that goes for President Luaga’s, the Jungle Patrol’s, Lubanga’s and the Singh-pirates’ future roles in the series. One should be able to compare these stories to what we called “key-adventures” during the Lubanga-period in the beginning of the nineties, which means stories that influence the concept of the series. It has due to different reasons been me who has written all of these stories.

But still I will not lock myself at only writing stories of this kind, I will do others as well, for example historical adventures. That means that there is a fairly long time span between each episode in this batch. Once a year I participate in a Phantom-seminar together with Ulf Granberg and Hans Lindahl, where we draw the guidelines for next year’s production. Then I try to get in two-three of these “key-adventures” on the schedule. The 2007-2008 schedule is now nearly done with and there are no more “key-adventures” on schedule. But in a short while it is time for a new seminar, and then I will get the opportunity to start pondering the continuation. Until then I am simply not quite sure.

Sandal Singh was recently elected President of Bengalla, and this is only one of the many events that have contributed to make the Phantom’s world a lot more dangerous and insecure. What plans does Team Fantomen have for this new situation? Can we expect something like the Lubanga-era, or are you planning something entirely new?

The Lubanga-period is characterized by very many episodes – not just “key-adventures” – circling around Lubanga and Bengalla’s domestic-politics. I thought it was an incredibly dynamic and exciting time for the series, but it showed after a while that a) people thought it became too much internal-politics in the series and b) that it was annoying that Lubanga was certainly struck by back strike, but was never defeated for good. So a conclusion one can draw from this is that a rate of two-four new “key-adventures” a year is more passable. Of course, for example, the fact that Sandal Singh is president also be used in other stories during the year, but the concept ought to not be hard released in the way that happened during the Lubanga-period.

At the same time I am confident that there should be an overbearing “soap opera” theme in the series; that there will at all times be things happening that brings change to the characters’ lives. Both to create uncertainty about what will happen, and to make the comic more interesting to follow. There shall at all times be stuff happening that will have consequences. The Phantom’s universe was static for way too many years. It is in addition more fun to write a comic that is constantly under devolvement than one that just repeats the same formula over and over again and where everything that happens in the series is forgotten by the next issue. But outermost it is a question about making the series more believable and more realistic.

It has always been popular among fans to discuss who will become the 22^nd Phantom and if the 21st will ever die at all. A while ago a rumor was spread that the editors had serious plans about telling stories about the 22^nd Phantom, without necessarily killing off the 21^st Phantom. What is your opinion on this, should we, and will we, ever see stories featuring the 22^nd Phantom of Kit and Heloise, or the death of the 21 Phantom?

This is an incredibly difficult question. Those who favor change claim that it lays in the series’ concept that the Phantom dies and is replaced by the next generation. That is correct, but simultaneously it is a fact that Lee Falk never took this step with the 21^st Phantom. Something that was reasonably justified long before Falk passed if one looks at the different Phantoms’ average life-length. It is simply two widely different cases to have the 17^th Phantom die and have “our” Phantom die. My personal perception is that the 21^st Phantom’s death would bring changes so big that it would no longer be the same comic. The risk is so big that one would decant the child out with the bath water.

It is true that it’s been discussed about doing adventures with the 22^nd Phantom without killing off the 21^st. But so far the discussions have mostly held themselves at a common level as an imaginable possibility. Personally I deem this a good way of testing the 22^nd’s carrying power, as there then is a possibility of retreating if the result in one way or another or does not live up to expectations. All things considered I would gladly see more experimenting with the actual concept. I have myself contributed with several of these experiments in the last few years.

Do you have any all-time favorite Phantom stories by other writers than yourself?

It would probably be several if I really considered. But the first that pops up in my mind are Norman Worker’s Castle of Evil and The Shipwrecker. I also liked (it is a number of years since I read them the last time) many of Janne Lundstöm’s stories from the seventies. It was Janne’s stories, in a much larger degree than Lee Falk’s, that inspired me to become a Phantom-writer.

The 1996 Phantom movie adaptation starring Billy Zane remains a constant discussion-matter among fans. What do you think of the film?

It did not make a strong impression on me. First and foremost it was much too uneven. Good scenes were mixed with embarrassingly bad scenes.

You seem to write most of the stories about the evolvement of the Phantom and Bengalla. If you were given free reins, how and to what degree would you have developed the series? Are there certain elements of the comic you feel need modernization/change?

As I mentioned earlier it is maybe first and foremost me and Hasse Lindahl who determinedly fought to change and develop the concept (and who has opportunity to exert influence on that point). One could say that we got a bit carried away in regards to the Lubanga-period, which offered several opportunities to rummage around in the series. It felt very sad to return to the old, static Phantom in 1997 and see all the changes etched away. Luaga became President again, even the tunnel into the safe in the Jungle Patrol’s headquarters was recreated. I mean that if the series is to survive, then it needs to follow its times. And first and foremost the characters have to follow their times.

I have very free reins when it comes to developing the series, which is of course a strong reason why I enjoy it so much. I can make the series “mine” and write the sort of story that interests me. As I mentioned earlier, most of the ideas for new stories are presented at the Phantom-seminars. Editor Ulf Granberg is off course the one who decides if an idea is to be scrapped or realized. But we (Ulf, Hasse and I) are so coordinated after all these year that we think on approximately the same tracks. Ulf is open for changes and willing to listen to all suggestions on that way. Is it just a good idea, he tends to receive it without protests and also complete it with his own suggestions and ideas.

You can say that I now to some extent accomplished the changes I considered to be most needed. Luaga is gone from the presidential post (for good if I get to decide!) and the Singh have got a new interesting leader, who is just as charismatic as old Dogai, while the piracy is in the process of undergoing an adjustment to the 2000s with the launch of Singh Inc. Luaga must get a new role onwards, but the biggest problem is Diana, who does not at all have any working role in the series anymore. And I am not very sure on the Jungle Patrol’s role either. (When it comes to Diana Hasse Lindahl is of another opinion and has, I think, certain ideas within the future) On the other hand I cannot see any sudden need to do anything with the “order of succession” in the Skull Cave.

The Phantom is a character who looks to be very usable for a writer, but in contrast to other comic book figures he has not evolved that much throughout the years. What are your thoughts on the Phantom as a character? Are there any sides of his personality you wish had been different?

The Phantom is a classic hero to the degree that he frankly misses personality traits. He is just silent, heroic and self-sacrificing. I made certain attempts to penetrate in “behind the mask” during the Lubanga-time by reflecting his thoughts by the help of so-called inner-monologues, but it did not work very well. One will just have to accept that the Phantom is the unalterable cliff that everything in the series revolves around, but that the changes, psychologically and so on, first and foremost influences the characters around him. The myth simply overshadows the human.

Will Kigalia Lubanga appear in the series again, or is he gone for good?

An interesting question. Considering the Phantom’s fairly static role (see above) the villains who challenge him are incredibly important to give the series color. Good villains, such as Lubanga or Dogai, are literally invaluable for the series. At the same time it is difficult to create villains of this caliber. It is therefore one as a writer always hesitates to “turn off” these characters for good: it becomes an emptier, poorer comic without them. At the same time there are from the readers (even if they too love a good villain) a certain impatience, which I described above. Some time the bad guy must have to pay for his sins! His violation cannot remain unpunished forever, as this disrupts our sense of justice. And as a writer one is at time also tempted to take that last crucial step, if not for anything else then to raise the intensity and show that the fights the Phantom are battling are deadly serious and at life’s risk. And then one easily ends up in an evil circle where the bad guy’s “presumed death” is altered with constant resurrections. Both Lubanga and Dogai are examples on this. I can tell that when Dogai met his fate in “The Crystal Skulls” my thought was that he should really die for good. But once again he is such a good character that I fell to temptation and resuscitated him again. When it comes to Lubanga’s passing, my thought was the opposite: this was a typical case of “presumed death”. But as I see it now, I wonder if we, despite everything, should not let him remain dead, for the believability of the series. But I cannot swear that I will not sometime in the future fall for the temptation to resurrect him again. As Oscar Wilde said: “The best way to get rid of a temptation is to fall for it” (quoted freely from the memory). He was a usable figure.

Have you ever had any ideas for new stories that have been rejected simply because they were too controversial, or are you usually allowed to tell the stories you want to?

No, I cannot recall ever getting a story rejected for that reason. The most common occasion is usually that they are simply not good enough. I experience having a very large artistic freedom to evolve the series after my own mind.

In the stories about Dogai Singh we get a new appearance by Kabai Singh from Lee Falk’s first story, plus a glimpse of Sala, the aviatrix. Is it of interest to use more characters or crime-organizations (such as Hydra) from Falk’s stories in new adventures?

What concerns Kabai Singh and Sala, they show up in the series simply because they are an established part of the Phantom-myth. I cannot claim that I have any personal connection to these characters that makes me think of ideas to stories where they are featured. Generally it can very well be thought that figures from Falk’s universe resurface again, under the assumption that I feel I can do something exciting with them. One can look at them as pawns standing ready without leaving the gaming-board. But the crime-organization Hydra will probably not resurface in any of my stories. It is a pretty sad and anonymous organization whoes only distinctive stamp is the fact that it consists of a large number of branches. It does not at all have the lightning-power and originality of, for example, Singh and the Vultures. The Vultures’ specialty to primarily attack the weak and helpless makes them perfect enemies for the Phantom. They should actually get more attention in the series. We manage just as well without Hydra.

The last part of the serial ends with a real cliffhanger, so I just have to ask: Are you planning a sequel to the trilogy about the Phantom Crusader?

Of course I intend to keep exploring the past history of the Phantom-family. They are actually the stories I am the most enthusiastic about at the present time. But it will drag on a while before all the mists are spread and things will get their final explanation. Right now follows a trilogy that takes place in the antiquity of Rome and Palestina. That one I will start writing in a few weeks. Then I have two additional trilogies planned. Where and when they take place I think I will not reveal yet, but I really look forward to start writing them. I hope to realize such a trilogy once a year. The readers seems to have liked the Phantom Crusader-trilogy, so I hope to get to play further with this concept another time.

Which of your own stories are you the most pleased with?

I don’t think I can give a good answer to that. With almost 200 Phantom-scripts under my belt I have simply forgotten quite a few stories that I have written. There are some stories that I wish I had never written; a fair amount that are competent craft but not much more; and then there are a number of stories that for some reason “stand out” a bit extra, but that may be due to very many different reasons. I leave it to the readers to decide what stories they like or not. The Donald Duck-artist Don Rosa has said, that for every story he does there are those who think it’s the very best he ever did, while others think that it is the absolutely worst one. And most of the assessments end up somewhere on the scale between these extremes. That is also my experience. That makes one purified in the adversity and sober-minded in prosperity.

The "brain trust" consists of you, Ulf Granberg and Hans Lindahl. How far into the future are you planning stories?

Earlier on we had one seminar bi-annually, but now we are content with meeting once a year. On this meeting we draw the guidelines for about a year’s production.

You have written the longest Phantom story of all time, Heart of Darkness. Have there ever been plans to publish this serial in a collected edition? And has it been discussed making another of these serials that are published over several issues in the future?

I have long hoped to see Heart of Darkness collected, as I think the series would work better as a continuous narrative. Clearly there are at least a fair amount of readers who wish the same thing, as I have gotten to learn that it is the series people request most frequently for reprinting in the Swedish Phantom Chronicles (interviewers note: a black and white comic book that reprints older Phantom stories). Pleasantly enough we will get to have our wish fulfilled this year already if everything goes according to the plan. A reprint of the entire Heart of Darkness is as a matter of fact planned in the autumn and will run over four issues of The Phantom Chronicles. The thought is moreover that the fourth and final issue is to be completed with an entirely newly drawn episode that ties up to Heart of Darkness. This is to fill out the final issue. I am currently reading through the entire Heart of Darkness to find an angle to such a story. So let us hope that I will so that these plans can be locked.

Are you currently working on other writing-projects that are not related to the Phantom?

I write about 8-9 Phantom-scripts per year. Beyond that I write scripts to the Swedish humor-series 91:an and make translations for the Donald Duck-editorial staff (I have for instance translated about two thirds of the article-texts to the Swedish prestige-edition of Carl Bark’s Collected Works on 30 volumes). Beyond that I write a number of facts-articles for The Phantom and forewords to the Donald Duck-volume books. During my free time I work on a youth-book, a fantasy-novel that is called Myrddin (I have just finished editing the first half of the book and will in some days send it away to the publishing house), and with text- and facts scrutinizing of a book about Swedish comic book history (comic book history is one of my great fields of interest) that is set to be published by Seriefrämjandet (interviewer’s note: The Swedish Comic Book Association). Myrrdin I have done on pure speculation – I have no contract on the book yet – and the comic book history is ideal work from my side.

And finally, the obligatory question: What inspires you as a writer?

Everything I see, hear and read. I watch a lot of movies, read a lot of comics and heaps of both fiction and books of facts. One can say, that when if I do not write, I read. I do not have time for much else. There are therefore ideas popping up all the time and occasionally where you least expect it – both background-material and impulses for themes, plots and characters.

Discuss this interview on the forums

Mandrake: A Small Glimpse of Magic

As I'm sure you all know Moonstone Books will soon be brining Mandrake the Magician back to comics. As anticipation for the new stories builds I asked Mandrake writer Mike Bullock if he could tell us a little about what to look forward to...

CC: Hello again Mike, thanks for once again joining us here at

ChronicleChamber.com. As we've all heard Moonstone will soon be releasing original Mandrake stories, written by yourself. Why did Moonstone decide to tackle Mandrake?

Hi Joe, thanks for having me back. I feel like a recurring guest on The Late Show. To answer your question, it just made sense. Joe Gentile, EiC of Moonstone Books loves pulp/radio/newspaper strip characters, as evidenced by their strong line up of licensed properties (The Phantom, Kolchack, The Avenger, Domino Lady, The Spider, Mr. Keen, etc) and especially loves the works of Lee Falk.

While I can't say I've been a longtime fan of Mandrake, I am a HUGE fan of Lee Falk's work, especially The Phantom. The more I read, the more hooked I become. When Joe asked if I wanted the opportunity to take on Lee Falk's other creation, I didn't hesitate in telling him yes.

What's it like for you writing Mandrake? It must be a buzz to now be writing new adventures for both of Lee Falk's classic heroes.

Oh, it certainly is. I've always marveled at the creativity of such writers from Lee Falk's era. Guys like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard and Lee Falk just had a certain ability to cast vision that you rarely see anymore. Chances are, that's why their creations have endured for all these decades.

What direction are you taking Mandrake in? You've said on the Moonstone Forums that the stories will follow on from Lee Falk & Fred Fredericks' tales. Can you give us a little more insight into this?

Well, we're obviously going to bring Mandrake, Lothar and the crew into the twenty-first century (not to say Fred Fredericks isn't doing the same in the newspaper). However, we'll also be bringing back a few of his old enemies. One of which has not been seen in quite some time. Just as I've done with The Phantom, you can expect Mandrake to exist in a world not dissimilar to the one we all live in today, where current events will have a bearing on the stories as well as the outcomes.

How will Mandrake's powers be in the book? Is he still simply the

master of illusion or is there perhaps some real magic about him?

A little from column "A", a little from column "B". ;)

So far we know of the six-page teaser story that is to appear in Captain Action #1 as well as Mandrake's appearance in the second Phantom annual. Are these two stories connected at all or are they each their own entity?

They're each their own. The six-page story is a prelude of sorts to the upcoming Mandrake #1. And while the six pager is really nothing more than a teaser, between it and the annual, readers should have a nice glimpse of what's to come.

What of Lothar? I assume you had to up-date him somewhat, make him slightly more politically correct?

Lothar has been updated for quite some time; however, I have tweaked him a bit. He's more suave, sophisticated and downright scary than he's ever seemed in the panels of the newspaper strips.

You mentioned on the forums that you spoke with Mandrake artist Fred Fredericks on the phone when you began the Mandrake story. Did he have any advice for you or input into the stories?

Fred had lots of insights I'd have never found in any amount of research. And, to get to speak with a man like him was just plain awesome. He's been around this sort of thing for a long, long time and shared several anecdotes of life working on the strip that I don't think I'd have heard anywhere else. His interest in the current comic industry was very keen and he was sincere in his offers to lend an ear or read over a plot anytime I needed it.

What kind of stories can we hope to see in the Mandrake books? Action/ adventure? Mystery? Fantasy? All of the above?

Definitely all of the above. While both characters were unique, Lee Falk's tales of The Phantom and Mandrake always carried those same common elements, ones I love to read and will enjoy building into the upcoming tales.

Ok, so we have the teaser and the Annual. Can you tell us when the first Mandrake "proper" book will be out?

We just finished the final script for the Annual, so now I have to get back to work on some Phantom scripts, but after I have #26 in the can, Mandrake #1 is up next. All I can tell you right now is to expect a big story, spanning forty plus pages that will set the tone for everything that is to come.

Thanks once again for talking with us, Mike.

You're welcome, thanks for having me!

Discuss this interview on the forums.

Mike Bullock: Phantom Truths

With issue #21 the biggest story arc to hit Moonstone’s on-going Phantom series begins. It’s been said this will be a defining moment for the series and once the arc is over things might just be a little…different.

So, I asked writer Mike Bullock if he’d be willing to shed some light on what we can expect during the arc. Mike, however, had other ideas.

Instead he said that once a week we could ask him three questions. One he’ll answer truthfully, the other two…he’ll make up fictional answers for. Your job is to figure out which is which.

A thread has been created over at the forums for discussion and also for any Phans who wish to submit questions to Mike.

This article will be up-dated each week with new questions and answers so keep an eye out on the forums and the CC Home Page for the heads up when this happens.

But now, without further ado, onto the truth…maybe.

WEEK ONE;

Questions:

1. Was the skull faced man we saw at the end of issue #19 Manuel Ortega?
   
2. Will HIM make a return?
3. Will this story be a turning point for the Phantom?

Answers:

1.Yes
2.Maybe
3.Yes

WEEK TWO:

Here are some more hints from Mike as posted on our forums;

Q. Will it feature several villains previously seen in the comic, as I believe it was hinted at months ago?

A. Not sure I'd use the word "feature", but there's more than one baddie grinding an axe in this arc.

Q. Will any of Bangalla's neighbouring countries be a part of this arc?

A. Yes.

Q. is it going to answer the political 'problem' that was questioned in issue 13?

A. That was a seed planted specifically for this upcoming arc. Beyond that, I can't say more without spoiling anything.

Discuss this interview on the forums.

Peter Chapman: The "Phantom Artist" of Frew

By Kevin Patrick

When the first edition of Frew Publications’ new comic book, titled Enter The Phantom, went on sale in September 1948, it was the latest entrant into Australia’s then-booming postwar comic book market.

The ‘boom’ was fuelled by a wartime embargo on the importation of American comic books (in place since 1940), and spurred by the increased availability of newsprint supplies and the easing of government restrictions which curtailed the launch of new, ongoing magazine titles, which were imposed to preserve paper stocks needed for the nation’s war effort.

Australian publishers were handed a captive audience and they launched a flurry of new, locally-produced comic books to meet the rising demand for escapist reading matter. For Peter Chapman, a 23 year-old aspiring artist from Cammeray, North Sydney, there wasn’t a better time to gain a foothold in the comic book business.

The prolific young artist had already become a fixture at Frank Johnson Publications, where he’d written and drawn a slew of comic strips for Johnson’s ‘Magpie Comics’ imprint since 1946, including the sci-fi serial ‘Captain Jerry Winters’ and a jungle drama, ‘Diana Hastings’, for Johnson’s Gem Comics title, as well as contributing stories to the company’s popular True Pirate Comics.

“When I was working at Johnson’s, a famous French writer, Eddie Brooker, who’d apparently had stuff published all over Europe, came along and said he was writing comics, but he couldn’t get anyone to draw them.”

“Virgil Reilly, one of the artists from the Daily Telegraph, wound up illustrating one of Brookers titles, called The Invisible Avenger,” according to Peter.

“Brooker would use a translator to turn his stories into English, but he [Brooker] used too many words, which would ‘kill’ the story.”

“I ended up doing The Invisible Avenger for him [Brooker] and took over from Virgil Reilly as the artist.”

Brooker, who by now was employed as a writer on the Daily Mirror newspaper, would try and sell his stories, using Peter’s original artwork, but often without giving Peter a percentage of any fees he received from publishers. “I’d be a rich man now if I kept all that original artwork,” Peter says ruefully.

Brooker wrote some of the early issues of The Phantom Ranger, a cowboy comic which was originally created by British-born artist Jeff Wilkinson, and became Frew Publications’ first locally-produced comic book when it was launched in October 1949.

According to Peter, Frew’s publisher and co-founder, Ron Forsyth, wasn’t entirely happy with Brooker’s efforts. “That’s when he asked me if I could do it [The Phantom Ranger] on my own instead.”

Chapman took over as both writer and artist on The Phantom Ranger, which was not only published under licence in the United Kingdom and South America, but also generated a line of Phantom Ranger merchandise and was adapted into a popular radio serial in the early 1950s, starring Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell.

Peter would also assume the writing and illustration for another Frew comic book, The Shadow, starring an urban masked crime-fighter, which was again created by Jeff Wilkinson. While never achieving the same popularity as The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow would enjoy an equally long publishing life.

(For readers interested in learning more about Frew Publications’ Australian comic book characters, selected issues of The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow and Sir Falcon have been republished in electronic format. For details, visit Vintage Australian Comic Books on CD-ROM)

“I worked with Ron Forsyth from about 1949, and well into the early 1960s,” he states.
“Ron was very good – he used to work over at the Daily Telegraph – but he didn’t have a clue when it came to comics,” according to Peter.

“He was offered two titles from America – one was The Phantom, and the other could have been Abbott and Costello – and, as luck would have it, he took The Phantom!” Chapman recalls that Ron Forsyth hired Thomas Russell (‘Tommy’) Hughes, who was then working as the Art Director on The Australian Women’s Weekly, to assemble the Phantom comic book and draw the covers as well. (It’s worth noting that both the Daily Telegraph and The Australian Women’s Weekly were then owned by Frank Packer’s Australian Consolidated Press.)

“Ron and Tommy were pretty good friends, so [The Phantom] was a bit of extra [income] for Tommy.”

“Some of Tommy’s covers were pretty rough, but it almost didn’t matter, because The Phantom sold so well,” explains Peter. “The kids knew who The Phantom was, because he’d been around for a while in the [Australian] Woman’s Mirror magazine.”

In addition to producing The Phantom Ranger and The Shadow, Peter would also assist with the production of The Phantom comic book throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.
“The artwork for The Phantom was supplied to Frew on bromides (black & white photoprints), but sometimes they’d be the wrong size,” he says.

“I’d have to cut them [the stories] from 32 pages down to 21 pages, or sometimes go the other way, in order to fill out the pages.”

“I used to do the paste-ups for Frew’s romance comics, by cutting down the original artwork so that it would fill out the 100-page digest-sized format they were using.”

Peter would also occasionally redraw some of the panels, or even entire pages, of a Phantom comic, in order to maintain story continuity, if some of the original artwork was missing, or had been left out due to space limitations.

“I did a few covers for The Phantom throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, whenever Tommy Hughes was away,” he adds.
“Tommy never seemed to actually drop in [to Frew’s offices], he’d always send someone around to pick up, or drop off his work.”
“I always worked from home myself,” Peter explains. “I was living at Dee Why, and then moved to Springwood. I’d always drop my stuff off at Frew, because I had a deadline to meet every second week.”
“Ron [Forsyth] always had a production bloke in there and a young girl assistant as well,” he recalls. “You’d change things [on the artwork] on the spot, in the office – if you got some grammar wrong, or something like that.”
The initial success of The Phantom allowed Frew Publications to expand its business by adding new, locally-drawn titles, such as Super Yank Comics, and other, short-lived titles like Suicide Squad and The Green Skeleton.
“I once went with Ron to see a psychoanalyst who explained why The Phantom was so popular. He didn’t tell us much more about The Phantom than we didn’t already know ourselves, but we partly based our next comic, Sir Falcon, on the explanation that he gave us.”

“A lot of people said Sir Falcon was a rip-off of The Phantom, and I’d say ‘Oh yeah? What about [Australian sci-fi comic strip] Silver Starr? He was a rip-off of Flash Gordon’.”

Working for Frew Publications was a lucrative, but demanding job for Peter Chapman. “When I started out in the industry at Frank Johnson Publications, I was getting 30 shillings per page of artwork – by the time I was working at Frew, I was getting £110 per comic book, which was good money at the time, as the average wage back then would’ve been £20 per week.”

“But that meant I did everything, including drawing the covers, doing the cover colours using an overlay sheet, writing the stories and all the artwork and lettering myself.”

“Ron used to have the panel borders, six squares per page, printed on to the art paper, which saved me a lot of time, and I could alter the borders to suit the artwork. I worked so fast that it got to the point where I could do the lettering without using guide lines.”

“Comics were possibly the hardest work I’ve ever done,” admits Peter. “Sometimes I’d have to work 48 hours straight, just to meet my deadlines – I’d do six pages per day, and could easily [complete] a full-length comic book per week.”

Peter left Frew Publications in the early 1960s, just as the Australian comics industry was slipping into decline, largely due to the popularity of television and the reintroduction of imported, full-colour American comic books onto the local market.

He has since enjoyed a lengthy and diverse career as a commercial artist and illustrator, as well as teaching art at New South Wales TAFE Colleges. For the last 14 years, Peter Chapman has conducted his own travelling ‘Art School’, which sees him visiting different towns throughout the state, where he conducts art classes.

“I can teach on virtually any art topic, because I’ve used every technique imaginable, from black and white illustration, to airbrushing.”

“I’ve taught students ranging in age from 7 years to 98 years – and that’s how I met my second wife, Meg Madden, who’s a very good landscape artist, too.” Discuss this interview on the forums.

Silvestre Szilagyi

By Dougy

With Moonstone's 16th Phantom issue Silvestre Szilagyi becomes the series new on-going penciler. In the lead up to #16's release we sat down with Silvester to talk about his career, how he came to draw The Phantom and all manner of important topics...

ChronicleChamber: G'day Silvestre, thanks for joining us here at ChronicleChamber.com. Starting with issue #16 (out this month), you'll be taking over as on-going artists for Moonstone's Phantom series. Although we've seen a few samples of your work, you are a fairly new name to Phantom fans. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your previous work?

Silvestre Szilagyi: I've been drawing comics since I was thirteen, as an amateur, for fun. Of course, I wrote my own stories that had to do with spy world and DC Silver Age superheroes. When out of high school, at 18, I took samples to the local publishing companies, and they sent me to study comic book art: I landed with Alberto Breccia for two and a half years.
Once Lito Fernandez was around looking for somebody to help
him and he liked what I was doing on the practices, so he hired me to ink backgrounds, later for some ghost penciling, which brought about my main stream for years; every now and them I go back that way.

While ghosting, I began working on my own for Columba publishing (the main company those days here in Argentina). Later I worked for every local publishing company, till they went out of business, around the mid-nineties.

Also, simultaneously, I began working for Italian publishing Eura, later also for Universo, plus some works for Great Britain (IPC) and Basteii of Germany.
I did all kinds of stories: romance, detective, adventure, war, science fiction, and historical themes.

I've drawn some thirty pages per month (penciling) and inking some twenty of them, as an average for quite a number of years. I'm working much slower now, trying to focus on better story-telling and better general drawing.

I'm married, and have a daughter...and a bunch of feline monsters.

CC: As I mentioned fans have seen some samples of your work already. From those few images alone fans are already comparing your art to the great Phantom artist Sy Barry. Everyone seems very excited for issue #16 and your art looks to be a big factor in that. Are you pleased with the fan reaction to your work thus far?

SS: Let's hope they like it when they read the whole story.

CC: Fair enough. As I'm sure you are aware The Phantom comic has a huge history and many, many artists have drawn the character. Did you do any research on him or look at any other artist’s work while drawing the Ghost Who Walks?

SS: The Phantom was one of the daily strip characters that had been generously edited by local companies. I know the character and love him from the days when we were receiving Lee Falk/ Wilson McCoy's Phantom. (In black and white!). He was the best at telling the story visually.

Some time later, we got the colored edition (from a Chilean publishing) of Gold Key's Phantom, with the original painted covers and interior art by Bill Lignante. I still love his work quite a lot.

Then came the astounding Lee Falk / Sy Barry, and for years they stole the thunder. I sold the Lignante and McCoy comics...Little by little I got them back. I look upon the three of them. Try to get some shadings and story telling of McCoy, the mood of Lignante, especially his facial expressions, and some general touches, mainly in the black and white, of Sy Barry. (I also admire his inking over Infantino's Phantom Stranger and early Alex Toth works.)

John Carter, local fellow artists, Travis Charest,...I could go on. Let's add Vermeer, Leonardo's drawings, most Italian painters from Renaissance, Van Gogh, and Seurat.

Movies: Fohn Ford, Sergio Leone, Phillipe de Brocca, Robert Bresson, Kubrick, John Frankenheimer, early Kurosawa (in Black and white!), Riddley Scott, Eisenstein, D.W.Griffith, William Wyler, some of Clint Eastwood, Carol Reed, Henry Hathaway, John Badham, Fritz Lang, Buster Keaton, TV Invaders (the Quinn Martin show), TV T.H.E. Cat (By Boris Sagal, with Robert Loggia)...Plus Hamilton-Matt Helm novels, Bradbury's Martian Chronicles and some other early works, Graham Greene, Alistair Mac Lean, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Salgari, Jack London and his dogs and wolves, some old legends (Mahabarata, Illiad, Odyssey, American legends, Scandinavians, mainly mythology, Sumerian pages, well you get the idea.), plus Gardner Fox, John Broome, Otto Binder, Bill Finger...And lots of drawing from real life.

Of course: these are some influences, and then there are those whom I like and enjoy. Sometimes they are the same ones.

CC: Wowzers, that is a lot! It's a well known fact that every artist puts their own personal touch on a character when they draw them. Are there any aspects of The Phantom's character, costume or personality you really want to explore with your version of the character?

SS: On drawing a story, I try to get as near to the writer's conceptions as I can. So, it'll be up to Mike to see how the Phantom gets on. I like the "classic look" on him.

CC: Moonstone has gone through quite a number of artists on their Phantom series. How long do you plan on staying with the book?

SS: If the readers/ editors/ writers like it, for a long time.

CC: You mentioned you'd read the Phantom comics and strips, but have you seen the 1996 film or any of the cartoons?

SS: I've also got some of the Charlton run by Aparo, and seen the 1996 movie on TV. (I didn't like it very much). All this was long before it crossed my mind to have something to do on The Phantom.

CC: Tell us how you landed the roll as on going Phantom artists.

SS: Joseph Gentile asked if I'd want to do the Phantom #16 as a fill in, then something happened to Carlos Magno's schedule and ...here I am. Still jumping to the ceiling with joy.

CC: Are there any Phantom projects outside of the on-going series lined up for you such as Legacy or Man-Eaters?

SS: I don't know. Maybe Mike Bullock can tell you.

CC: Can you give us any hints, art or story wise, as to what might be coming up after issue #16?

SS: Again, Mike might have the answer.

CC: Other than The Phantom, do you have anything in the works?

SS: There is one of Twilight Crusade books already finished (story by Joe Gentile), and when I have some extra time (which I don't have now) I work with fellow writer Ricardo Ferrari on some stories for Italian Eura. (Most recent one was about Samurais)

CC: Well, that about wraps us up. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us, Silvestre. Are there any final messages you'd like to send to the fans before we close?

SS: Yes. Remember that comics also involve writers, editors, colorists, inkers, letterers, proofreaders, the guys at the print, distribution...and fan pages.

Finally, I hope readers enjoy the book as much as I do while drawing.