Australian Frew Phantom comics

[shadroch]

Not really sure where to put this as they seem to encompass the various ages.

Are they color interiors and are they original stories?

Are the stories self-contained or do they run multiple issues story arcs?

I've never actually seen a copy.

[AJD]

Black and white interiors.

 

These days they mostly contain original stories. Earlier issues (there's over 1,400 of them now) they also had reprints of newspaper strip stories.

 

Mostly self-contained, although I seem to recall a stroy or two being spread over two or three issues. Nothing like Marvel/DC type arcs.

 

Read all about 'em!

[shadroch]

Thanks. Are they good reads? Thinking about buying a few 100 pagers off eBay.

[AJD]

I've enjoyed them from time to time, but have never collected. There's a certain charm to them, especially the Lee Falk originals. Later ones (I just discovered) reprint Scandanavian originated stories, which are a bit hit and miss. Here's the two I have, bought for a buck each at a garage sale:

 

 

 

The first one is probably a good place to start trying them out - 308 pages, with stories from the whole history of The Ghost Who Walks, including strip reprints and new stories. Thes econd one was published just after Falk's death, and it's 100 page. (Regular issues are 32)

 

HTH.

[shadroch]

One last question- are they digest sized or comic sized?

[Duffman_Comics]

Comic sized. Don't think I've ever seen a digest sized one.

[JazzMan]

Oddly enough I picked one of these up the other day at a Half Priced Books. Nice mix of old, strips, and new story.

[shadroch]

Comic sized. Don't think I've ever seen a digest sized one.

 

The early ones are a very odd shaped. Not sure of the dimensions. They are wider than they are tall.

[AJD]

They're just landscape format. Not unusual for Aussie books of that time. They are just a little under normal comic size. The replica issues that came out with the huge specials from the 1990s on were the same size as the originals and I think they were about Marvel modern size. (I don't have one here to measure.)

[shadroch]

'the huge specials'.

Are these regular sized comics that contain extra pages or are they closer to Treasury size?

I have a hard time picturing 324 page Marvel Comics.

[JazzMan]

I don't know about the huge one but the 100 pagers are just slightly wider than Bronze Age books.

 

[Duffman_Comics]

Regular sized, just REALLY thick - I don't think CGC can slab them.

 

 

[JazzMan]

When I was a kid I used to read digest sized El Fantasma from Mexico. They were in color and had awesome stories.

[JazzMan]

Regular sized, just REALLY thick - I don't think CGC can slab them.

 

 

There is one slabbed 316 pager in the census. Wish I had a picture of the slab.

 

Title

Phantom Annual

Issue No. 1187

Issue Date 1998

Year 1998

Publisher Frew Publication

Country Australia

 

[Beige]

Hey Shadroch - try here:

 

http://www.gumtree.com.au

 

Always people selling Frew Phantoms on there - usually very cheap and no fees at all.

I believe all Phantom comics are now printed in Australia, god knows why.

Good luck mate!

[AJD]

I'm happy to act as mailman if you want to pick up a few cheapies to try them.