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- The Hostages
- Script: Lee Falk
- Art: Sy Barry
- 146th daily newspaper story; 6 Apr - 4 Jul 1981.
- Previous Frew appearance: #974 (1991).
- The Forest Giants
- Script: Lee Falk
- Art: Sy Barry
- 124th Sunday newspaper story; 16 Jun 1985 - 5 Jan 1986.
- Previous Frew appearances: #863A (1986), #1356 (2003).
- The Bride of Xali
- Script: Lee Falk
- Art: Sy Barry
- 131st Sunday newspaper story; 17 Apr - 17 Jul 1988.
- Previous Frew appearances: #978 (1991).
- Captain Amazon - Pirate Queen
- Script: Lee Falk
- Art: Sy Barry
- 134th Sunday newspaper story; 30 Jul 1989 - 7 Jan 1990.
- Previous Frew appearances: #958 (1990).
- Message from the Publisher:
Once again, we are proud to present our traditional Christmas Special edition.
The past 12 months have been as demanding as ever, as all at Frew performed the odd miracle to ensure our 31 editions appeared on time. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed the efforts of a truly dedicated staff.
If there was one highlight which stood out above the rest, it was the production of our special edition to celebrate 70 years of The Phantom and the accompanying issue which paid tribute to Lee Falk, the creator of both The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician. The tribute issue received lots of critical acclaim in many parts of the world, was reprinted in Sweden and quoted at length in newspaper and magazine feature articles.
To end the year on a high note, we have put together four old Lee Falk adventures, all of which have been out of print for 16 to 20 years. [Comment from Guran: Jim has apparently forgotten that he reprinted one of these stories only three years ago!]
Settle back and enjoy The Bride of Xali, The Forest Giants, Captain Amazon - Pirate Queen and The Hostages, all illustrated by the incomparable Sy Barry in the period 1981-1989. The splash pages for each story will give you more detail on these four gems, but there are some interesting things you may be able to spot. For example, when you read The Hostages, look for the Good Mark ring worn on the wrong finger - and four strange changes in the spelling of the characters Goga, Gobba and Totu! In The Forest Giants, see if you can find the moment when Kit and Heloise meet 'Toma', Rex's friend in the Deep Woods. It should, of course, be either Tom or Tomm! Then, in The Bride of Xali, look for the curious misspellings of the characters Roga and Tragos. Finally, in Captain Amazon - Pirate Queen, there is a quite curious error. The time of the 5th Phantom is stated as being 1740. It should be at least 1640! For serious Phantom historians, however, this story is a veritable goldmine of historical information.
Our first edition for 2007 will be Frew #1466 - a quite dramatic story entitled Murder in the Eyes written by Tony De Paul and illustrated by Kari Leppänen. It deals with a deranged man dressed as Santa Claus who goes on a shooting and killing spree in New York City in the countdown to Christmas Eve. For a number of reasons, it didn't seem appropriate to include in this year's Christmas Special. I decided it would be better held over until the New Year. While the story is new to Frew editions, it was published in Scandinavia in 1994, well prior to that fateful morning of 11 September 2001 and in one scene, the doomed Twin Towers are clearly visible. Because we prefer to be as accurate as possible with the publishing of overseas-created Phantom adventures, the scene has been retained. Murder in the Eyes will be on sale on 5 January 2007. It will be followed on 12 January by our 2007 Annual Special which will showcase a spectacular line-up of Lee Falk classic stories - plus, a replica of Frew #16 from 1949, which features the wonderful thriller, Adventure in Algiers with art by the brilliant Raymond Moore. That issue will be big enough, but the BIG ONE, our 1500th Edition, is also not far away!
I'd like to thank the Frew staff and all our contributors for their sterling efforts during 2006. As usual, it's been a big team effort. And finally - to Phantom enthusiasts everywhere, a very Merry Christmas, Health, Happiness and Good Fortune in the New Year!
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