Mikael Lyck from Chronicle Chamber catches up and reviews Fantomen 8/2024, 9/2024, 10-11/2024, 12/2024 & 13/2024 which feature the following stories:
Fantomen 8/2024
"Demonens avbild" ("The Demon's Image") by Tony DePaul and Heiner Bade
"Under Grenadas rännande sol" ("The Slaves") by Peter Mennigen and José María Ortiz Tafalla
Fantomen 9/2024
"Farligt vatten" ("Dangerous Waters") by Bernd Frenz and Janusz Ordon
"Krigshundarna" ("The War Mongers") by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan
Fantomen 10-11/2024
"Mannen som inte kunde dö" ("The Man Who Could Not Die") by Idi Kharelli and Georges Bess
"Fantomens masker" ("Masks of the Phantom") by Arild Wærness, Mike Collins and Knut Robert Knutsen
"Utbrytningen" ("The Breakout") by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley
Fantomen 12/2024
"Byrackorna" ("The Mongrels") by Jacob Habinc and Kasia Nie
Fantomen 13/2024
"Fantomens märke" ("The Mark of the Phantom") by Mikael Bergkvist and Gerardo Canelo
Review of Fantomen 8/2024
Quite a special issue in that it was created with the small convention Uppsala Comix. The cover is by Henrik Sahlström which features the Cathedral of Uppsala promptly and the reprint of The Demon’s Image story created by Tony DePaul and Heinar Bade back in 1995 takes place there.
The story has not yet been published outside of the Nordic countries, even though it won best story in Norway. It has some similarities with the 1996 movie and the second Indiana Jones movie in that a relic is stolen and needs to be returned, but differs in the relics power.
This story is paired with The Slaves, a Bastei story that was written in 1983, but was first released in Germany a few years ago. It was created by Peter Mennigen and José María Ortiz Tafalla. Always cool when Andreas choses something new to Fantomen and I hope he continues to introduce us to different Phantom content.
Review of Fantomen 9/2024
This features a cool cover with a lot of action by Luca Erbetta.
This comic features a new Team Fantomen story "Farligt vatten" ("Dangerous Waters") by Bernd Frenz and Janusz Ordon, it is a cool story with a lot of underwater action and great art by Janusz Ordon as usual.
The next story is a Sunday reprint, this time unedited, I know Frew readers are accustomed to this, but talking with other Swedish Comic book fans, not everyone over here enjoys this and want it to be edited to get more of a good flow. I am a bit on the fence here, I like to get all the content but think it is more enjoyable to read without repetitions.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by writing in the comments.
Review of Fantomen 10-11/2024
An epic cover depicting the 1st Phantom on the beach and swearing the oath by Rafael Ruiz. His style on this cover is somewhat different compared to the original stories he drew.
First up is the Classic 80ies Team Fantomen story "Mannen som inte kunde dö" ("The Man Who Could Not Die") by Idi Kharelli and Georges Bess. This version fixes the continuity issue the earlier versions had with the 3rd Phantoms wife at the time, so this is the “ultimate version of this story”. This story features a different wife Pura instead of Rosamunda, Shakespeare's niece.
The story itself, is about how the myth that the Phantom cannot die originates.
To celebrate Norway's constitution day the second story is chosen because it takes place in Bergen, Norway.
"Fantomens masker" ("Masks of the Phantom") by Arild Wærness, Mike Collins and Knut Robert Knutsen was first published in the Irish Phantom Strikes comics and then in a Norwegian magazine comic in 2019.
I had the privilege of listening to the two authors at the Stockholm International Comics Festival and got my issue signed. The talks will be up on our podcast / YouTube channels soon.
We also get a very short side comic about the hero "Karl Kämpe" by Jörgen Karlsson and Rully Akbar which is always a pleasure.
Lastly, we get "Utbrytningen" ("The Breakout") by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley which is another Daily adventure story about the prediction of the Phantoms end, it is really long but I hope the end justifies it. Let us know your thoughts of this series by writing in the comments.
Review of Fantomen 12/2024
A cover by an artist new to the Phantom, Kasia Nie, it has a really cool clean look, she also illustrated the art for the first story in the issue. Kasia Nie has former experiences working for Marvel, Image and Dark Horse she really knows her stuff and at least for me she is more than welcome to come back and do more art for Fantomen. Do you like her art? Let us know by writing in the comments.
The new Team Fantomen story is written by Jacob Habincfrom the editorial team, the title translates to The Mongrels. In my opinion it has some similarities to the Disney movie Oliver and the Gang.
As a backup, we have a new Thorgal story as the side story that ends in issue Fantomen 13/2024, here he encounters Bluetooth, not the wireless signal type but the old Norse King it is named after.
Review of Fantomen 13/2024
The new creators to Team Fantomen keep on delivering. This also features a new cover by Henry Johannes and this is their second cover.
The new writer is Mikael Bergkvist and the new artist is Gerardo Canelo that created the "Fantomens märke" ("The Mark of the Phantom") story. The Mark of the Phantom has evil artefacts, cults and an unexplainable mark.
Are you liking the new creators that have been introduced in 2024? Let us know by writing in the comments.
Until next time, Happy Phantoming!
All Fantomen reviews will be included in our monthly X-Band: The Phantom Podcasts. You can find out more at our website and or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos. Thanks also goes to Jörgen Karlsson for his help creating the Fantomen review intro which will now be featured for all reviews by Mikael Lyck.
