X-Band: The Phantom Podcast

We sit down and discuss the comics news from July from seven different countries. If your one of the phans who can only listen to some parts of the podcast, below is a timeline.

Frew Comics:

• Frew #1947: 1 Minute 30 Seconds
• Frew #1948: 30 Minutes
• Frew #1949: 45 Minutes 30 Seconds

Fantomen Comics:

• Fantomen 13/2023: 54 Minutes
• Fantomen 14-15/2023: 57 Minutes

Mustanaamio Comics:

• Karpaattien vampyyri  1 Hour 1 Minute & 30 Seconds

Indian Comics Review

• Shakti #8: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
• Shakti #9: 1 Hour 17 Minutes
• Regal #30: 1 Hour 24 Minutes

Daily / Sunday Newspaper Stories Progress

• Daily 263: "Dungeons Undone": 1 Hour 35 Minutes & 30 Seconds
• Sunday 193: "Return of the Temple of the Gods": 1 Hour 50 Minutes
• Sunday 194: "The Commander Will See You Now": 1 Hour 56 Minutes

Phantom News From Around the World

• KFS Announce a New TV Show in Development (link): 2 Hours 1 Minute 30 Seconds
  • We have created a podcast where the extended team pitched some tv ideas (link)
• Art of Play Game update (link to last podcast): 2 Hours 4 Minutes
• Fantomen Announce Their Next Hardcover collection book (link): 2 Hours 6 Minutes
• Vale Treat Williams (link): 2 Hours 9 Minutes
• Finnish Brewery Releases, Sells out and re released of Phantom themed Beer (link): 2 Hours 11 Minutes & 30 Seconds
• New German Series: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
• Fantomen 2023 Christmas Album Revealed (link): 2 Hours 17 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Norway 2023 Annual Contents & Cover Revealed (link): 2 hours 19 Minutes
• Frew release Frew Pholio set & other prints (review of pholio): 2 Hours 21 Minutes
• Fantomen 2022 Best Cover (link): 2 Hours 27 Minutes
• Hermes Press Pre Order of George Wilson Book (link): 2 Hours 30 Minutes
• Canberra Times cancels the newspaper strip (link): 2 Hours 32 Minutes

You can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. We would love some feedback on what we discussed on the podcast and on the following topics:

• Who do you think the writer EJ Holden is?
• Do you like the sequel stories Frew produce?
• Are you enjoying the longer Daily and Sunday stories?
• Do you have any questions you would like to see Tony DePaul answer if we get him on the podcast?
• Do you still read the stories in the newspaper?
• You excited about the new TV show and video game?
• Have you tried the new beer from Finland?

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

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We are getting excited about the confirmation on the official KFS Phantom page that a new TV series is in development. Obviously with the very small notice given we don’t know much at all, but that’s not going to stop us speculating wildly!

For big news like this, we’ve got Chronicle Chamber members from all over the world to share in the excitement with Mikael Lyck, Ankit Mitra and Duncan Munro joining Dan Fraser and Jermayn Parker. Given we know next to nothing (read “absolutely nothing”) about what this series is actually going to look like, we decided to make out like this podcast as a pitch meeting with KFS where each of us pitch our concept to the showrunners, hoping to get greenlit for our idea to make the series.

The five elevator pitches are:

•  A Defenders reboot, centred around a near-future Kit Walker NYPD who grows into his Phantom legacy as a team develops to battle a new-age Ming.
• A two-speed narrative, with a season-long Presidential coup in the 21st Phantom’s time developing alongside episode-length tales of past Phantom’s from the Chronicles.
• A post-apocalyptic world creates a Mad Max-style ‘jungle’, where the story of a mysterious Phantom fighting for the moral good is told almost exclusively through the eyes of others.
• We follow the earliest adventures.of the 21st Phantom as he develops, through to the eventual avenging of his father’s murder by Rama Singh.
• A “Year One” style series with a new young Phantom developing his craft, with a focus on character development and a secondary "Year One" storyline of the very first Phantom.

Please note, we had some connection issues with the recording of this podcast so please bare with any glitches on the video and or audio.

Some generic questions about the Phantom TV Series we discussed and would love your input as well: 

• All but Ankit Mitra had a tv show with a 'Year One' theme. Would you like to see that or an established Phantom?
• Does the show need to be about the 21st Phantom?
• Would a Defenders of the Earth themed TV Show work with Flash, Lothar and Mandrake?
• Is establishing the lore important throughout the show for 'new' fans?
• Does Billy Zane have to be involved somehow?
• What is more important with your actors? Their voice, strength or their acting skills?
• Are we allowed to show the Phantoms eyes throughout the show?
• Can we have Singh as bad guys? The 1996 Phantom movie, famously changed them to Sangh.
• Does the Phantom need to stay in the jungle during the TV show?
• How can the TV Show find the balance to be removed from the 'White Saviour' problem like Tarzan and other super heroes from a bygone era?

If you have any feedback on our pitches, you can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. Please also let us know of your own pitch.

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

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Did you go to Sydnova 2023? If not, we have you covered. 

Included in this podcast we have a recording of the Supanova Phantom panel with Alex Trpcevski, Lauren Marshall and Matt Kyme plus Alex Trpcevski's LFMBEC speech. Jermayn Parker also gives his review of the weekend as he discusses the phan catch ups, the LFMBEC dinner, the Frew booth and Supanova in general.

The two recordings were recorded on a phone and in a non controlled environment, so the sound may not be the best. We did record the LFMBEC auction but because of the content, it was not included. Please note, we did get in trouble for this recording of the Supanova Phantom panel so there is a small chance that we will be requested to take it down. 

The Supanova panel starts at the 2 Minute 30 seconds mark and the LFMBEC dinner speech starts at the 46 Minute mark. The review of the whole weekend starts at the 54 Minute mark.

If you have any feedback, you can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

The  extended team Seuj Abir and Mikael Lyck join Jermayn Parker, Dan Fraser and Stephen East as they go through the comics from May (and June). We review 14 Phantom comics in total - 5x from Frew Australia and 3x from Fantomen Sweden, 1x from Mustanaamio and 2x each from Regal and Shakti which are published in India. It is a huge 33 Phantom stories in total.

As you can understand, this is why we split episode #253 and #254 into two separate podcasts. Sit back and enjoy the five reviewers as they discuss 33 Phantom stories first published from 1936 until 2023.

If your one of the phans who can only listen to some parts of the podcast, below is a timeline of what we discussed.

Frew (Australia) Comic Reviews:

• Frew #1943: 1 Minute 30 Seconds
• Frew #1944: 25 Minutes
• Frew #1945: 30 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Frew #1946: 47 Minutes 
• (Link to learn about the history of the Presidency of Bangalla)
• (Link to Ep 190 Phuturistic Phantom's)
• Giant Size #25: 1 Hour 8 Minutes 30 Seconds

Fantomen (Sweden) Comic Reviews: 

• Fantomen 9/2023: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
• Fantomen 10-11/2023: 1 Hour 31 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Fantomen 12/2023: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

Mustanaamio (Finland) Soft Cover Album Review: 1 Hour 36 Minutes 30 Seconds

• "Pyöreän pöydän ritari" ("Sir Phantom - Knight of the Round Table") by Ulf Granberg and Jaime Vallvé
• "Karpaatian vampyyri" ("The Vampire in Carpatia") by Ulf Granberg and Jaime Vallvé
• "Linnan aarre" ("The Treasure in the Castle") by Idi Kharelli and Jaime Vallvé
• "Capitoliumin vanki" ("The Prisoner at Capitolium") by Idi Kharelli and Jaime Vallvé

Shatki & Regal (India) Comic Reviews: 

• Shakti #7: 1 Hour 40 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Shatki #8: 1 Hour 48 Minutes 30 Seconds

• Regal #28: 2 Hours
• Regal #29: 2 Hours 10 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Regal #30: 2 Hours 16 Minutes

You can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. We would love some feedback on what we discussed on the podcast and on the following topics:

• Did you find any Easter Eggs or cameo's in the Vietnam story by Paul Mason
• Who do you prefer? Lana and or Greta?
• Would you like to see 
• Do you think Seuj Abir is a bit rough with his criticism of the Regal and Shatki comics?
• Do you like the 'standee's'? Would you like to see Frew or Fantomen do more freebies like this in their comics? 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

The team Jermayn Parker, Dan Fraser and Stephen East are all together as they go through the news from May (and June). We also go over the latest newspaper stories "Dungeons Undone" and "Return of the Temple of the Gods". It has been a busy but exciting last six weeks as we have new products to display in our Skull Caves, new clothing to wear at comic conventions and those boring Sunday lunches plus comics from Greece and France to discuss.

Stick around and let us have some phun as we discuss Phantom news from seven different countries.

Our review of 11+ comics from Australia, Sweden and India will come out in our next podcast in a weeks time.

If your one of the phans who can only listen to some parts of the podcast, below is a timeline of what we discussed.

Daily / Sunday Newspaper Stories Progress

• Daily 263: "Dungeons Undone": 4 Minutes
• Sunday 193: "Return of the Temple of the Gods": 15 Minutes

Phantom News From Around the World

• SydNova (link): 24 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Richard Fry Death (link):  36 Minutes
• Other Australian Conventions for 2023: 42 Minutes
• Sy Barry Art Auction July (link): 46 Minutes 30 Seconds
• New T Shirt Licence's: 50 Minutes
• Brisco USA (link)
• Souled Store India (Iink)
• Results of the Best Fantomen 2022 Story as voted by the Phans (link): 56 Minutes 30 Minutes
• Frew Release New Products: 1 Hour 1 Minute 30 Seconds
• Face masks (link)
• Prints signed by Sal Velluto, Luca Erbetta & Keith Williams (link)
• Ikon Collectables 10” Bust (link): 1 Hour 8 Minutes
• Greek comics (link): 1 Hour 13 Minutes
• New French TPB (link): 1 Hour 17 Minutes
• Perth Mint Coins: 1 Hour 19 Minutes
• 2oz released. New design (link)
• UK company Gold Gilded the 1oz design (link)
• Missing Videos: 1 Hour 24 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Patreon Winter Draw: 1 Hour 26 Minutes 30 Seconds

You can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. We would love some feedback on what we discussed on the podcast and on the following topics:

• Have you brought all the Perth Mint Coins? Did you like them?
• Which T Shirt design do you like best?
• Is the new Phantom style design growing on you? Do you like it? Do you like how companies are mixing the old with the new?
• Are you going to an Australian comic convention this year? If yes, please let us know.
• Did you vote in the Fantomen best of story poll? 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

Who is excited about Sydnova 2023? 

For Those Who Have Come in Late a lot of Phantom phans from around Australia and the world gather in Sydney for a bunch of phan gatherings and Sydney Supanova. To help increase excitement, Jermayn Parker is joined by several Phantom creators and phans to preview the upcoming weekend. If you want to learn more about the event read our Phantom Sydnova 2023 preview.

Make sure you listen or watch as we have giveaways to pass onto you but you need to give us the secret keyword.

Australian Phantom creators in Jamie Johnson, Lauren Marshall, Duncan Munro, Matt Kyme, Jeremy MacPherson and Shane Foley all join us to discuss the event. We are also joined by phans Jon Cookson and Sean Bassett who join me to discuss why this event is indeed the pinnacle of Phantom collecting in Australia.

The confirmed guests with a Phantom Influence are:

• Freddie Williams II (own booth)
• Daniel Picciotto (own booth)
• Alex Trpcevski (own booth)
• Jamie Johnson (own booth)
• Lauren Marshall (own booth)
• Matt Kyme (own booth)
• Christopher Sequeira (own booth)
• Chewie Chan (own booth)
• Paul Mason (Frew booth)
• Shane Foley (Frew booth)
• Jeremy Macpherson (Frew booth)
• Duncan Munro (Frew booth) 
• Antonio Lemos (Frew booth)
• Marcelo Baez (Frew booth)
• Jason Paulos (Frew booth)

If you are going to Sydney Supanova and would like to join us for one of the phan meet ups or discuss this podcast, you can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

Recently Art of Play Games released some new in game screenshots on the Phantom Video Game and the phan community was very excited so we thought it is best to catch up with him. Join Jermayn Parker and Stephen East as they go through the screenshots and ask all the questions to Ashley Nicholls.

Some of the questions we asked Ashley Nicholls are below. These questions were asked by phans that were sent to us or asked on the various social media accounts:

• Is July 2024 still the targeted release date?
• Any luck with Billy Zane? 
• Trailer of the story / video game coming out soon?
• Any plans for downloadable content?
• Any plans for alternative slipcovers?
• For those non gamers, what ‘collectable’ element would there be for us? 
• Will there be other collectable's to collect besides the actual video game?
• Will there be a crowd funding option?
• How do you plan to deal with the characters' relative obscurity outside selective countries like Australia, India and Scandinavia? Some parts of Europe and USA not exactly huge phans
• Will there be any codes or even cheat codes?
• Will there be print codes like on AFL cards or sister related products like the Fortnight comic?
• Playability in India and South America who do not use consoles?
• Is there room for a sequel or more Phantom video games?

Some key dates are July 2023 with the game trailer to be released. August / September 2023 for a crowd fund campaign for the collectable set. July 2024 for the release of the game. (Please note: Dates subject to change with possible delays)

If you would like to contact us or discuss this podcast, you can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

Jermayn Parker is joined with David and Sy Barry as they introduce a charity art auction to raise funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. The auction will be held at the new website www.DrawForLife.org between the dates July 1st to July 8th 2023.

We talk about the genesis of the event. Why Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund are important and the choice of the charity. We also go through the meaning behind Sy Barry's piece.

We mention the names involved which include Sy Barry, Alex Saviuk, Joe and Frank Giella, Sal Velluto, Jeff Weigel, Keith Williams, Chris Nye, Antonio Lemos, Bunny Hoest, Lou Manna, Anthony Spay, Joe Vissichelli and many others. We also go through some of the artwork to be donated.

If you would like to submit your own art for the auction, please contact David Barry at either their website www.DrawForLife.org, email at [email protected] or their social media Instagram page. 

If you would like to contact us, you can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

The team Jermayn Parker and Dan Fraser together get to know Frew cover artist Alex Trip.

In this podcast we can talk about many subjects including how geometry and Fibonacci spirals take place on many Phantom covers by Alex Trip. This part of the discussion will be best viewed on YouTube while listening - you can follow the conversation at the 19 minute mark of this podcast.

There are plenty of other interesting topics including potential Frew releases at the 2023 Sydney Supanova event and what Alex Trip is working on at the moment.

If you have not meet Alex before, you will be happy to know that he will be attending the following comic conventions in 2023:

• Adelaide Comic Con 3-4 June
• Melbourne Comic Son 10-11 June
• Sydney Supanova 17-18 June
• Perth Supanova 24-25 June

You can follow Alex Trip at his social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) and his website. If you would like to contact us, you can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. 

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show

The team Jermayn Parker, Dan Fraser and Stephen East are all together as they attempt to go through April's comic reviews and news from around the world under two hours. Even in a quiet month, they still find a lot to talk about. we would love to hear your opinions as well.

If your one of the phans who can only listen to some parts of the podcast, below is a timeline of what we discussed.

Frew Publications Comics Review

• 22nd Phantoms Saga stories: 
• “In the Claw of the Vultures” (Frew #1941) by Claes Reimerthi and Janusz Ordon 3 Minutes
• “The Flooded City” (Frew #1942) by Claes Reimerthi and Janusz Ordon 16 Minutes & 30 Seconds
• For Those Who Came In Late Video on this series (link)
  
  
• Back up stories: 
• “Crippled Jake” (Frew #1941) by Shane Foley 38 Minutes
• “Paint it Black” (Frew #1942) by Paul Mason 42 Minutes

Fantomen Magazine Comics Review

• Fantomen 8/2023: 50 Minutes
• "I skräckens skugga" ("The Shadow of Fear") by Jörgen Karlsson and Carlos Pedrazzini

Zauberstern Comics Review

• Zauberstern #6: 54 Minutes
• "Götterdämmerung, Teil 2" ("Godfall, Part 2") by Mike Bullock and Silvestre Szilagyi
• "Götterdämmerung, Teil 3" ("Godfall, Part 3") by Mike Bullock and Silvestre Szilagyi
• "Götterdämmerung, Teil 4" ("Godfall, Part 4") by Mike Bullock and Silvestre Szilagyi
• "Götterdämmerung, Teil 5" ("Godfall, Part 5") by Mike Bullock and Silvestre Szilagyi

Daily / Sunday Newspaper Stories Progress

• Daily 263: "Dungeons Undone": 57 Minutes
• Sunday 193: "Return of the Temple of the Gods": 1 Hour & 5 Minutes

Phantom News From Around the World

• New screenshots of the Phantom Video Game (link): 1 Hour 12 Minutes
• Review of the comparison between the two Perth Mint Coins (link): 1 Hour 18 Minutes
• SydNova (link): 1 Hour 20 Minutes
• New Frew creators: 1 Hour 24 Minutes 30 Seconds
• Hermes re releasing a softcover album of past Gold Key album: 1 Hour 31 Minutes 30 Seconds
  • EDIT: We mentioned it was a softcover album, More details has arrived and it is a Hardcover and priced at a higher price than original.
• Exclusive Art Auction: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

You can email us at [email protected] or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. We would love some feedback on what we discussed on the podcast and on the following topics:

• Are you enjoying the 22nd Phantom saga?
• Are you enjoying the newspaper stories?
• Would you like to see Hermes release their hardcover editions as softcovers?
• Are you going to Sydney Supanova in June 2023?

Make sure you stay with us and do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on our podcast and or our YouTube Channel. 

Support the show