Phantom Fan Clubs & Fanzines - Scandinavia

Sweden

Fantomenklubben

(The Phantom Club)

This Swedish Phantom Club was started in the 3rd issue of Fantomen magazine in 1950, and currently has over 365,000 members. With those statistics, it is probably the oldest and largest Phantom Fan Club. The Club is heavily based around the Swedish Fantomen comic book, and is run by the Semic publishers. Each issue of Fantomen contains an 8 page liftout section of Phantom Club. This mainly consists of letters from Club members and answers from "Chefen" ie. The Boss, who happens to be Brian Jensen. Some Phantom artwork from the readers is also published. Questions and answers are not only limited to The Phantom, since this comic book also runs stories about other characters -- about half to two-thirds of the pages in each issue contain Phantom stories. The Club does not issue a separate newsletter, and all correspondence is via the Fantomen comic.

The Swedish Club has a grading system for rating the Phantom knowledge of it's members. There are 6 different ranks from Novice to Grand Champion. Lifetime membership to the Club costs 50 Swedish Kronor (about Aus$9 or US$6). You receive the following items:

You also get a discount on Fantomen subscriptions and all Phantom items sold by Egmont. Members can also participate in lotteries where you can win various Phantom items. There is no reason why foreigners shouldn't join the club. The people at Egmont in Sweden think it's great that you'd be interested in their comic. Egmont won't charge anything for postage, as long as someone in Sweden pays for your membership!!! Enquiries about the Club can be made to the following places:

Fantomen-Klubben
Box 70272
107 22 Stockholm
SWEDEN
Ph. +46-8519 384 00
email: fantomen@shmj.egmont.com

Djungelpatrullen

(The Jungle Patrol)

A second Phantom Club in Sweden started in 1996, called Djungelpatrullen (The Jungle Patrol). As part of the Phantom's 60th anniversary celebrations, Semic (now Egmont) launched a new Phantom magazine (their third title after Fantomen and Fantomen-Krönika), that was called Fantomen-Den Vandrande Vålnaden (The Phantom-The Ghost Who Walks). The magazine contained Sy Barry's dailies published chronologically, and Mandrake Sundays from the 1950s. The new Phantom Club started in the first issue. Unfortunately, the magazine didn't sell very well, and only nine issues were published. Still, it was popular enough for Egmont to continue publishing Sy Barry's dailies and Mandrake Sundays in the Fantomen magazine. The Jungle Patrol also "moved" to the Fantomen magazine, but I believe it was dropped sometime in 1999. The cost for a lifetime membership in The Jungle Patrol was 30 Swedish kronor (about Aus$5 or US$4), and that entitled you to:

The Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club
Scandinavian Chapter

The Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club is an informal group of Australian Phantom Phans who meet regularly to share the memory of Lee Falk and his famous creation, aided by good food, good wine, and a guest speaker. Amongst the members are a number of international Phans ... including two Swedes named Brian Jensen and Torbjörn Onegård. During a daytrip to the Phantom Theme park in Eskilstuna on 17 June 2000, Brian and Torbjörn decided to ask permission to start their own local branch of the Club. Shortly thereafter they where given permission to form the Scandinavian Chapter. The membership number grew slowly and on 16 September they held their first small dinner coinciding with the comics fair in Gothenburg. Ulf Granberg, editor in chief of Fantomen magazine, was at the fair and graciously accepted to be the Chapter Patron. Further details on the Club can be found at the Club Website.

Norway

Fantomet-Klubben

(The Phantom Club)

Fantomet-Klubben in Norway is aimed at readers of the Norwegian Fantomet magazine published fortnightly by Egmont. Each issue of Fantomet contains an 8-page lift-out section of Fantomet-Klubben consisting mainly of letters and drawings from Club members, with answers from "Sjefen" (The Boss), Kjell Steen. Correspondence is not only limited to The Phantom, since this comic book also runs stories about other characters -- roughly two thirds of the pages in each issue are Phantom-related. The club pages also include a section called "Sjefen Svarer" (The Boss Answers), features curly questions of Phantom Lore posed by hard-core enthusiasts with responses from Kjell. Occasionally a third editorial column is also published, entitled "Fantomet Synspunkt" (The Phantom Viewpoint), where the facts behind various confusing pieces of Phantom lore are thrashed out, and an "official" (and often controversial) interpretation is presented. It is also worth noting that Egmont publish three other Norwegian Fantomet magazines: 6 issues per year of Fantomet Krønike (The Phantom Chronicles), 2 issues per year of Fantomet Spesial (Special Phantom Books), and 2 issues per year of Fantomet Seriepocket (The Phantom Pocket Books). Fantomet-Klubben does not issue a separate newsletter, and all correspondence is via the Fantomet comic.

Membership to Fantomet-Klubben costs 55 Kroner (about Aus$11 or US$7) for Norwegian residents and that is for LIFE membership. Very inexpensive! The editor of Fantomet does not recommend foreigners join the club, mainly because of the high cost of postage and the fact that the club only publishes in Norwegian. There is also a grading system connected to the membership. You may send in answers about Phantom questions, and receive a sticker to put on the membership diploma. This will be difficult for foreigners since many questions are based on stories and viewpoints published only in Norwegian Fantomet magazines.

New members will receive the following items (depending on stocks):

For membership enquiries by Norwegian residents, contact:
Fantomet-Klubben
0055 Oslo
NORWAY
Ph. +47-22 88 36 00
Fax. +47-22 88 36 01

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Bryan Shedden / guran@deepwoods.org
Last updated 5 July 2004