New@FREW



Frew #1449
by the photocopier
#1449
(this edition is the 1477th actually issued)

Release Date: 30 June 2006

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

Fantomen Nr.12/2006
by Bob McLeod

  • The Plunderers of Kinloch Island
    • Script: Claes Reimerthi
    • Art: Rod Whigham & Bob McLeod
    • First published in Fantomen Nr.12/2006 by Egmont, Scandinavia. Original cover shown on the left, thanks to Ulf Granberg.

  • Message from the Publisher:
    If you are a serious Phantom enthusiast, you will quickly spot at least two familiar themes in our new adventure, The Plunderers of Kinloch Isand! Firstly, the plot involves a bunch of nasty thieves who use a false beacon light to lure passing ships onto the rocks of a Scottish island. The same theme was first used by Lee Falk in his 2000 adventure, The Shipwreckers which appeared in our 2001 Annual Special (Frew #1280). Lee, you may remember, had his bunch of shipwreck looters based on the coast of Cornwall in south-west England.
    [Comment from Guran: Jim has apparently forgotten that Lee Falk died in 1999 and had no part in writing The Shipwreckers (S152). The story was adapted by Claes Reimerthi from an original story by Donne Avenell and Kari Leppänen, which was originally published by Egmont in Fantomen (Sweden) and Fantomet (Norway) Nr.3/1996, and then an English translation by Frew in #1138 (The Sea Jackals). Another story with the same theme was produced many years earlier by Norman Worker and Jaime Vallvé in Nr.15/1977 (Sweden), Nr.24/1977 (Norway), and Frew #765.]
    Secondly, the two jealous young ladies who star in this new story are at least partly based on two similar characters who first appeared in a much earlier Lee Falk story, Castle in the Clouds which dates way back to 1942-43. The original characters were the Marshall Sisters, Greta and Lana, who were both unwanted suitors for The Phantom's affections and who were so popular with readers, they went on to appear in four more stories, the last of which was The Marshall Sisters which ran as a Sunday story in 1947-48. The big difference between the Marshall sisters and the two females, who appear in this latest story, is that the Marshall girls were both spoiled, but loads of fun. The two young ladies in The Plunderers of Kinloch Island are poles apart. One is embittered and evil and the other a really gentle soul at heart.
    [Comment from Guran: Apart from the fact that this story includes two female lead characters, it otherwise bears absolutely no resemblance to Falk's Marshall Sisters.]
    Our next issue will go on sale on 14 July and you can look forward to a 100-page special featuring four stories. Two are new - The Skull Mark and The Wolf Monster - and two are classics which are overdue for reprinting. We'll bring back two of Lee Falk's great adventures, The Master of Eden from 1990 with art by Sy Barry and The Iron Dragon from 1961 with art by Wilson McCoy.
    [Comment from Guran: The Iron Dragon was last printed by Frew only 5 years ago, which hardly makes it "overdue for printing"! What about the following stories which Frew last published over 16 years ago: The League of Lost Men (S1), Romance and the Vesta Pirates (D30), and Captain Amazon - Pirate Queen (S134). Surely it would be better to publish these stories rather than those printed more recently?]

Jim Shepherd
Publisher


Future issues planned as of 9th July 2006 (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.


More Frew stuff ...



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Bryan Shedden / guran@deepwoods.org
Last updated 9 July 2006