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The 2025 Frew annual deserves a stand alone review and we spend a good 70 minutes dissecting it. The theme for this years annual is a monster theme with 8 stories with a mixture of colour & black and white over 220+ pages. What do we like, what do we not like and what rating do we give it? Listen and or watch and find out. Do not remember to let us know what you agree and or disagree with. Annuals are nothing new from around the world with British comics publishing them in hardcover albums during the 1950's to the 1980's as well as other countries publishing them. Frew published their first annual in 1991 and it was an instant hit. Frew published their first one in 1991 and it was an instant hit. Rumours are that it sold out overnight and many collectors bought dozens as investments. Ever since, Frew has released an annual. Bar the odd year (3?), a replica edition of the Frew comics have been released. Loved by some and loathed by others but they are a staple along with the annual.Since the Frew Crew has stood in the gap left by Jim Shepherd, they have released themed annuals with War, artists, Girl Phantom, Cowboy Phantoms, Animals of Edan and now its The Phantom vs The Monsters.For those who want to cherry pick there way through the podcast, we have listed what we disscused and the time stamps. We would however suggest you listen / watch to the whole podcast ;)History & background of the Frew annuals: 2 MinutesOverall thoughts on the annual: 4 Minutes & 30 SecondsStories"The Ghost and the Wolves" by Andrew Constant and Jason Paulos: 17 Minutes & 30 Seconds"Nema" by Andrew Constant and Jason Paulos: 24 Minutes"Looking Back" by Andrew Constant and Giancarlo Caracuzzo: 29 Minutes"Golem" by Johan L. Borgnes and Hans Lindahl: 36 Minutes"Kuma the Creature" by Felmang: 40 Minutes & 30 Seconds"The Mummy's Curse" by Janne Lundström and Jaime Vallvé: 50 Minutes"The Vampire in Carpatia" by Ulf Granberg and Jaime Vallvé: 54 Minutes & 30 Seconds"Creature from the Black" by Dean Rankine and Marcelo Baez: 1 HourOur score of the annual: 1 Hour, 4 Minutes & 30 SecondsWe love comments and feedback from the Phantom phans from around the world. You can either email us, leave your comments at our YouTube Channel, and or leave them at our social media platforms in 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
Because so much has happened in the Phantom world within the last 4-6 weeks, we have split our June review podcast into two. Join Stephen East, Jermayn Parker, Dan Fraser, Mikael Lyck, Seuj Abir and Christian Moller as together we review 12 Phantom comics from from Australia, Sweden, India and Germany.Please subscribe to our podcast channel, website and or our social media platforms in Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. 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) Phantom ComicsFrew #1971: 3 Minutes & 30 SecondsFrew #1972: 7 MinutesFrew #1973: 46 MinutesGiant Size #29: 1 Hour, 1 Minute and 30 SecondsSweden Phantom Comics: 1 Hour and 12 MinutesFantomen 8/2024Fantomen 9/2024Fantomen 10-11/2024Fantomen 12/2024Fantomen 13/2024German Phantom Comics: 1 Hour, 12 Minutes and 30 SecondsWick #7Zauberstern #13Indian Phantom Comics: 1 Hour and 27 MinutesRegal #36V Comics #13You can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com 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 one of the phans who enjoy the Frew Replica series?What do you think of Frew's 2000th issue?Do you agree we should be comparing the 2000th issue against the 972 number or the 75th Anniversary special instead?Do you like sequel stories tied with classic Lee Falk stories or would you prefer your own stand alone stories?Do you like seeing reprint classic Lee Falk stories reprinted in colour?Would you like to pay money to be featured in a Frew created story?Did you enjoy "Of Man and Beast, Part 3" by Andrew Constant and Jason Paulos?Is Frew #330 released in the 2019 Annual Special issue mean Frew #1971 is the real 2000th issue?Did you like “The Devil in Stockholm” By Mikael Sol and Jan Bielecki? Did you like it dealing with the problem of depression and suicide? Would you like to see more of it?Are you enjoying all the Lee Falk threads that Shane Foley is tying together?What would you write into Frew and say or comment on? His email is dudley@frewpublications.com.auHave you managed to buy any of the Wick comics?Do you collect and read Phantom comics published from another country than the one you live in?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.
My interview with Rob Norman, the creator and writer behind the graphic novel, The Future Favors The Bold now live on Kickstarter until October 27th. Original theme music The City above composed by Tim Roven on www.tabletopaudio.com. All rights reserved to Rob Norman, CJ Camba, Natalia Nesterenko, Fabi Marques, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Rob Jones, Ty Templeton, Charlie Gillespie, Jason Paulos, Reno Maniquis, and Riccardo Faccini. - The Future Favors The Bold Kickstarter: http://kck.st/3PJivHZ - Rob Norman Socials: Ig & X: @robthenorman - Collaborators Socials: CJ Camba – Art - IG & X: @cj_camba Natalia Nesterenko - Color - X: @varavarus Fabi Marques – Colors - IG: @porrafabi_ // X: @porrafabizinha Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou – Letters - X: @HassanOE Rob Jones – Letters Ty Templeton - Cover Art - IG: @templeton.ty // X: @tytempleton Charlie Gillespie - Cover Art - X: @CGillespieUK Jason Paulos, Reno Maniquis, Riccardo Faccini (IG - @renomansa) - Additional Pages - *ko-fi.com/solonerdbird0640* Enjoy the content from the Solo Nerd Bird Podcast? If so, please consider supporting the show so we can continue conducting interviews in and out of the studio. - - - Socials: IG: solonerdbirdpodcast Threads: solonerdbirdpodcast X: solonerdbirdpod FB: solonerdbirdpod Tumblr: solonerdbird YouTube: Solo Nerd Bird Twitch: solo_nerd_bird Email: solonerdbird@gmail.com
Jermayn Parker and Dan Fraser do their best (& fail) to review this 180 page full colour Frew special comic inside an hour. They go down various rabbit holes and get caught up loving this comic which we both label is a hands down winner of the best Frew comic of the year and likely all time.They discuss the overall package of the comic with the paper quality, the cover, the historic article written by Kevin Patrick and each story in full detail - the writing, the drawings and even the colouring and how it presented on the paper.This review will contain spoilers. You can buy your copy at the Frew website.If your one of the phans who can only listen to some parts of the podcast, below is a timeline of the stories that we discussed.Overall Comments of the issue plus phan reactions: 2 Minutes 30 SecondsThe Stories"The Slavers, The Women and the Bogey Man" written & drawn by Shane Foley and coloured by Ivan Pedersen. 22 Minutes"The Singh Raiders" written by Andreas Eriksson, drawn by Ivan Rodriguez and coloured by Daniel Jnr. 29 Minutes 30 Seconds"Ghost of Ships Past, pt 1" written by Andrew Constant and drawn/coloured by Jason Paulos. 42 Minutes 30 Seconds"Undergrowth" written by Dean Rankine, drawn by Ivan Rodriguez and coloured by Tarella Pablo. 51 Minutes 30 Seconds"The Kiss of the Devil, pt 1" written by Pidde Andersson, drawn by Giancarlo Caracuzzo and coloured by Flavia Caracuzzo. 56 Minutes 30 Seconds"And our Friends are all Aboard" written, drawn and coloured by Paul Mason. 1 Hour 5 Minutes "To Wrack and Ruin at Gravelines" written by Tony DePaul and drawn by Mike Manley. 1 Hour 10 Minutes"The Box" written by Dean Rankine, drawn by Jeremy MacPherson and coloured by Tom Mason. 1 Hour 18 MinutesKevin Patrick's Article. 1 Hour 23 MinutesYou can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com 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 like the fact that we only got new stories in this issue?Would you have liked to see reprint stories?What is your favourite story out of these 8?Do you like colour in your Phantom comics?Is the "The Singh Raiders" story a good template for the 22nd Phantom stories?Do you like short 2-6 page stories?Did you get caught with the Flick on page 82 looking like another word?Do you like having the current Daily stories published regular or would you like to see them collected together when it ends?Would you like to see a podcast with Tony DePaul to discuss this arc with us?Do not forget that we are holding a competition for our YouTube viewers that if you comment in the next week, you will be in the running for a Phantom shirt posted to you for Free.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 Dan Fraser, Jermayn Parker and Stephen East are all together as they attempt to go through almost two and a half months of comic reviews and news. As you can all probably assume, they failed so much, this podcast has been split into two. The first podcast will be the Frew comics which consist of four comics and 14 stories. The second part of the podcast will be out soon. The second part of the podcast will consist all the news, ongoing discussions on the Daily and Sunday stories as well as reviews from Fantomen, Regal, Shatki and Lion-Muthu by Mikael Lyck, Ankit Mitra and Seuj Abir. Until then, here are our reviews of the Frew comics so far for 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 Publications Comics ReviewFrew #1935: 2 Minutes 30 Seconds"Pirates of the Abbey" by Pidde Andersson and Giancarlo Caracuzzo"Hello the Himalayas" by Tony DePaul and Mike ManleyFrew #1936: 25 Minutes"Woduro's Secret" by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan"The Lion's Head Tamarine" by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan"The War Mongers" by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan"The Briefcase" by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan"The Snake Goddess's Island" by Claes Reimerthi and Graham Nolan"Terror in Mawitaan" by Tony DePaul and Graham Nolan"The Sinbad Stone" by Graham NolanFrew #1937: 1 Hour 17 Minutes"The Seahorse part 1" by Lee Falk and Ray Moore"Queen Sansamor and the Sixth Man" by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy"The Slave Traders" by Lee Falk and Ray MooreFrew #1938: 1 Hour 24 Minutes“The Ibis Mystery part 5” by Andrew Constant and Rafael Dantas“The Strange Day of the Witchmen pt1” by Shane FoleyYou can email us at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. Would love some feedback on what we discussed on the podcast and on the following topics:Did any of your comics have smudging with the new quality paper?Did you notice the quality change of the paper?Did you like the new Ibis Mystery sequel?Would you like to see Shane Foley explore the 9th Phantom problem with him married to Vhatta and Flame?Did you enjoy the Graham Nolan stories and the annual? Would you like to see Frew release Volume two next year?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
Stephen East and Jermayn Parker join forces to chat with Pidde Andersson who is a Swede writing stories for the Australian Frew magazine. He is also currently the most prolific story writer for Frew.We discuss many interesting topics including how he got the job, the joys he received seeing his own stories intended for the English audience find its way to be published by the Fantomen magazine. His career plus interesting tropes on artists he has created stories for including: Shane Foley, Rafael Dantas, Joan Boix, Jason Paulos, Anthony Spay and others.We dissect his love for the Phantom drinking milk, editing his own stories to fit in a Frew comic and then translating them back into Swedish for the Fantomen magazine.This is an easy listen and good phun as you get into the brain on a creator who gets and understands the Phantom. Please get in touch with us if you have any feedback, questions you wished we asked plus anything else. You can contact us via email at chroniclechamber@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles with your feedback at Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram. We also love comments, likes, shares and discussions on our social media so please let us know your thoughts.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
Jason Paulos, is one of the most prolific Frew creators and we have not had him on since 2016 in X-Band: The Phantom Podcast #65 when we where introduced to the Phantom by Gaslight series.We learn all about Jason including his history of comic creation including great stories of receiving a photocopy of art from Glenn Lumsden (Glenns Podcast Interview) as a kid and photocopying his first comics while stuck in an office job.One of the interesting parts was when Jason showed us an A3 folder full of unpublished Phantom stories. Some of the other topics we talk about during the 95 minute podcast are:His love for black and white comicsHow to draw not to rely on colourHow he grew up on horror and DC comics in suburban BrisbaneHis relationship with Glenn Ford and Glenn LumsdenHow Jason returned a story back to FrewHis views on story telling His views on the American v European panels on page argumentHow comics should be an escapism Jason Paulos' process on drawing, lettering and colouring his comicsAbout The Gray Malkin Gaslight storyOne other topic is that Jason is after feedback from phans on his Frew #1883 "The Poor People's Plague" story. If you would like to purchase artwork from him you can go to his website and or Facebook and contact him which page your after.We would love to hear from you on what you think of what we discussed with Jason Paulos. You can email us at chroniclechamebr@gmail.com or chat with us via our social media profiles with your ideas: 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. Please note that the video (hosted on YouTube) is not the best quality as Jason was having some technical difficulties and maybe not for delicate ears with a few F and S Bombs dropped occasionally. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chroniclechamber)
We manage to get the podcast under two hours as we review 6 weeks of comics from Frew Publications and Fantomen by regulars Jermayn Parker, Dan Fraser and Stephen East with input by Mikael Lyck and Ankit Mitra. plus all the latest Phantom news from around the world across five continents with new comics from around the world, items to buy for Christmas, a new kickstarter campaign to follow plus much more.Stephen East goes on a long run up to digest the three part saga of the "The Secret Theatre" saga. Did you enjoy the saga?Make sure you listen / watch all the way to the end to hear Jason Paulos' song and do not forget to get that music video created.Please make sure you share, like and leave a comment on our social media profiles: Facebook, Twitter and or Instagram as well as our YouTube Channel. If you only want to listen to specific reviews of the comics and or news, we have included a timeline for you to follow. Enjoy!Frew PublicationsFrew 1899, 1900 & 1901 (1 Minute 30 Seconds)"The Secret Theatre, Part 1: The Man with the Silver Nose" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen"The Secret Theatre, Part 2: Shakespeare in Venice" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen"The Secret Theatre, Part 3: The Final Performance" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen"The Riddle of the Grey Malkin, Part 1, 2 & 3" by Glenn Lumsden and Jason Paulos (23 Minutes)Kid Phantom #10 (30 Minutes)"Love Letter" by Andrew Constant and Paul Mason"Muiran" by E.J. Holden and Wellington DiazFantomenFantomen 18 & 19/2021 (45 Minutes 30 Seconds) "Gränsfloden" ("?") by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen"Grodmanspiraterna" ("The Toad Men") by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy"Juvelkuppen" ("The Shoplifters") by Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy"Dimmornas barn" ("Children of the Fog") by Dai Darell and Georges BessDaily & Sunday Story ProgressSunday: "The Visitor" by Tony DePaul and Jeff Weigel (48 Minutes 30 Seconds)Daily: "To Wrack and Ruin at Gravelines" by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley (56 Minutes)The Latest Phantom NewsNews from Frew (link) (1 Hour 6 Minutes)Regal and Shakti Situation (Including video from Ankit Mitra) (1 Hour 12 Minutes)Phantom Card Game Extension Pack (Including video from Mikael Lyck) (link) (1 Hour 20 Minutes 30 Seconds)Hermes Press printing The Mandrake newspaper stories (link) (1 Hour 24 Minutes)New Comic Kingdom Products (link ) (1 Hour 25 Minutes 30 Seconds)Editions Dante Publishing a Regular Series (Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chroniclechamber)
In the second X-Band Podcast this week (!), Jermayn and Dan are joined by Jon Cookson to discuss their plans for the biggest day on an Australian phans calendar: Saturday at Sydney Supanova and the Lee Falk Memorial Bengalla Explorers Club (LFMBEC) Dinner! As the new-comer, Dan quizzes the experienced Germ and the veteran Jon about the origins and traditions of the day, getting a few tips for new players and advice about gear needed and dress codes applicable. Of course, a hot topic is Frew's plans for Supanova, including all the merch that we know will be available. When their attention turns to the Dinner, we're privileged to hear a few behind-the-scenes stories and an insight into the goings on at this auspicious annual gathering. We finish the podcast with another special guest, Philip Vincent, who will be cosplaying as The Phantom at Supanova!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chroniclechamber)
Introducing the creative team behind Frew's newest creation - Phantom by Gaslight !! On the X-Band this week, Jermayn and Dan welcome author Christopher Sequeira and artist Jason Paulos into the wonderful world of Phantom phandom. The boys quiz the creative team about their professional histories, the Gaslight genre, and how the Phantom fits into that world. We also find out a little about their creative processes, their philosophical approach, and the reasoning behind some of their creative decisions. Most excitingly, Christopher and Jason share some important details about the series: How many chapters are there? What is the deal with episode #0? Which characters might we expect to appear? With no spoilers but heaps of teasers, we know you will enjoy this prequel to Frew's Supanova special, issue #1785, the launch of Phantom by Gaslight !Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/chroniclechamber)
Skottie Young throws down with us on Adam Hughes, Daniel Warren Johnson, Mahmud Asrar, commissions, Art Adams, Jim Cheung, dust jackets, I Hate Fairyland, Image-O-Rama: God Country #2 by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, and Jason Wordie, Deadly Class, The Belfry one-shot by Gabriel Hardman, and The Old Guard #1 by Greg Rucka, Leandro Fernandez, and Daniela Miwa, Ryan Browne, tangents, Dark Horse-O-Rama: Jeff Lemire and Black Hammer and Heart in a Box by Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren, Riley Rossmo, Jerome Opena, The Kamandi Challenge #2 by Peter J. Tomasi, Neal Adams, and Hi-Fi, Jim Mahfood, Jason Latour, Chris Bachalo, Ed the Happy Clown by Chester Brown from Drawn and Quarterly, David Rubin, Stuart Immonen, Neil Gaiman, Aesop Rock, Rick Remender, Stephen King, Ryan Stegman, Rocket Raccoon, Wizard of Oz, The Creeps #9 and Jason Paulos from Warrant Publishing, Doctor Strange by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo, Spidey by Robbie Thompson and Nate Stockman, Eric Powell's Hillbilly from Albatross, and a whole mess more!
Happy New Year! In order to maintain our unbroken string of episodes, David and I throw down a quick and dirty episode on Artifacts #3 from Top Cow, Vampirella from Dynamite, Stepan Sejic, Previews, Halcyon from Image Comics, The Comics Journal #301 from Fantagraphics, Bookman and Arcreader, Major Bummer, EEEK! from Jason Paulos and Asylum Press, and a whole mess more! Plus, witness the triumphant return of the 11 O'Clock Hotline! YEE!