New@FREW



Frew #1433
by the photocopier
#1433
(this edition is the 1461st actually printed)

Release Date: 2 Dec 2005

  • Pages: 36
  • Price: $2.50 inc. GST
  • Cover: the photocopier
  • No Phantom Forum in this issue

Fantomen Nr.25/2005
by Rolf Gohs

  • Jonathon Wild Pt.1 King of Thieves
    • Script: Claes Reimerthi
    • Art: Kari Leppänen
    • First published in Fantomen Nr.25/2005 by Egmont, Scandinavia. Original cover shown on the left, thanks to Ulf Granberg.

  • Message from the Publisher:
    In this issue we introduce a truly fascinating character. Jonathon Wild is the name and organizing robberies is his game. Wild is the star of King of Thieves, the first part in a short series in which an earlier Phantom is placed in London in 1725. The historic city had been partially rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and many of the old slum areas razed and redeveloped. However, amid the emerging grandeur there were still many large areas where people lived in poverty and squalor. Robbery was commonplace as the poor struggled to survive and the rich were easy targets.
    The story you are about to read is largely based on fact. Organized crime was rife. Jonathon Wild is, of course, a fictitious character, but his type would have been typical of the many clever criminals who encouraged gangs of desperate petty thieves to work for them. The Phantom meets up with Wild quite early in this story, but it will not be their last meeting. The saga of The Phantom v Jonathon Wild will continue from early in the New Year.
    Our next edition will be the 2005 Christmas Special which will be on sale on 16 December, which, of course, is well ahead of time to slip into Christmas stockings! The Special will be a 100-page edition featuring three new stories, The Prince Rex Conspiracy, The Secret Temple on Eden and The White Slave Trade. Rex, found as a baby by The Phantom and raised by Diana and The Ghost Who Walks, long ago became ruler of the fabled kingdom of Baronkhan and at the age of 12, the richest and most powerful youngster in the world. His old adversaries - those villains who are determined to take control of the kingdom - are back in force and this time with a really fiendish plan in mind. You will really enjoy that adventure, as you will the highly mysterious Secret Temple on Eden saga. Artist Paul Ryan has created many quite scary scenes as The Phantom ventures into the unknown labyrinth which had only ever been recorded in almost code form in the Chronicles. The White Slave Trade is not quite as shocking as it may sound! This adventure is set in modern times in Europe and The Phantom sets out to rescue two young girls who have fallen into the hands of some Middle Eastern desperates. Along the way, he has a curious meeting with a doctor who once worked in deepest Africa and actually saved the life of a badly injured Phantom. He doesn't recognise The Ghost Who Walks in street clothes, but as the story progresses, realisation begins to dawn!
    We have another new adventure going on sale on January 6 and then the BIG ONE! The 2006 Annual Special goes on sale on 20 January and will be, as usual, accompanied by a bonus replica issue from 1949. The Annual is a collector's special, with seven complete classic stories illustrated by Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy and Sy Barry! All have been out of print for at least 15 years and some have not appeared for an even longer period of time. Some of the classics are Diana Aviatrix Lost (1940-41), The Game of Alvar (1940), The Scarlet Sorceress (1946), The Phantom's Treasure (1941-42) and Castle in the Clouds (1942-43). We're going on a wonderful trip back in time!

Jim Shepherd
Publisher


Future issues planned as of 20 Nov 2005 (subject to change without notice):

Check the New@Egmont and The Missing Semic Stories pages for details of other upcoming stories.

My thanks to the staff of Frew Publications for providing this information.


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Bryan Shedden / guran@deepwoods.org
Last updated 2 December 2005