New@FREW

Release Date: 27 June 2003

• Pages: 36
• Price: $2.20 inc. GST
• Cover: Antonio Lemos
• No Phantom Forum in this issue

• The Bank Robbers
  • Script: Claes Reimerthi
  • Art: Romano Felmang
  • First published in Fantomen Nr.13/2003 by Egmont, Scandinavia, with the alternate title The Robber Gang. Original cover shown on the left, thanks to Brian Jensen.

• Message from the Publisher:
  Another new adventure in this edition - The Bank Robbers, written by Claes Reimerthi, illustrated by Romano Felmang with covers by Antonio Lemos.
  It is, as you will soon discover, a story containing a fresh new look at The Phantom's personality. The Ghost Who Walks has always been tough, almost ruthless, in his pursuit of roughnecks. In this story, he blames himself for a paralysing injury suffered by one - and blames himself again for saving the life of another, only for the villain to escape from prison to continue his evil ways and in the process, kill an innocent policeman. So distraught is The Phantom about these happenings that it is only the advice of Old Man Mozz which prevents him embarking on full-scale revenge.
  The idea of studying other facets of The Phantom's unique personality has not often been pursued, even by creator Lee Falk. In this adventure, Claes Reimerthi handles the challenge brilliantly! There are just so many sides to The Phantom's character and this adventure puts a new, or at least never before analysed one, under the spotlight.
  Our next edition (Frew #1358, which goes on sale on 4 July), will feature yet another new story, the quite controversial Giovanna, written by Ingebjørg Berg Holm with art by the great American illustrator Dick Giordano. It is, as you will discover, an historical piece set in an old Italian monastery. However, that description reeks of over-simplification!
  Giovanna is a flashback story about the fourth Phantom which will doubtless startle many enthusiasts. I thought for some time about the merits of running this one, because it involves a love affair between the fourth Phantom and a beautiful woman who spends a lot of the story masquerading as a man. For a time, even The Phantom is taken in by the masquerade! That there are the heaviest possible religious links will, doubtless, upset many readers, and will strike you early in the story. That's only one of the worries I had about publishing Giovanna! The writer has also extended accepted Lee Falk/Phantom history to the point where all historians will be rushing to point out a lot of contradictions! Without wishing to give too much away and thus spoil all the surprises, the ending contains a happening which no writer has ever dared bring into the open. I'll guarantee you will be amazed!
  So much, for the time being, about Giovanna. There are more surprises coming in Frew #1359, a 100-page special which will contain two new stories, one of which is entitled Flame, another Scandinavian classic, by Norman Worker.

Jim Shepherd
Publisher