{"id":35025,"date":"2026-03-01T15:06:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T15:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35025"},"modified":"2026-03-01T15:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T15:06:34","slug":"the-phantom-the-complete-series-the-charlton-years-volume-one-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/03\/01\/the-phantom-the-complete-series-the-charlton-years-volume-one-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Phantom – The Complete Series: The Charlton Years volume one"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Dick Wood<\/strong>, Steve Skeates<\/strong>, Bill Harris<\/strong>, D. J. Arneson<\/strong>, Jim Aparo<\/strong>, Frank McLaughlin<\/strong>, Pat Boyette<\/strong>, Bill Lignante<\/strong>, Nick Alascia<\/strong> & various (Hermes Press)
\nISBN: 978-1-61345-006-2 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the 17th<\/sup> century a British sailor survived an attack by pirates, and, washing ashore on the African coast, swore on the skull of his murdered father to dedicate his life and that of all his descendants to destroying all pirates and criminals. The Phantom<\/strong> fights crime and injustice from a base deep in the jungles of Bengali<\/em>, and throughout Africa is known as the \u201cGhost Who Walks\u201d…<\/p>\n

His unchanging appearance and unswerving war against injustice have led to him being considered an immortal avenger by the credulous and the wicked. Down the decades one hero after another has fought and died in an unbroken family line, and the latest wearer of the mask, indistinguishable from the first, continues the never-ending battle.<\/p>\n

Lee Falk created the Jungle Justice dealer at the request of his syndicate employers who were already making history, public headway and loads of money with his first strip sensation Mandrake the Magician<\/strong>, and although technically not the first ever costumed hero in comics, The Phantom<\/strong>\u2019s astounding popularity made him the prototype paladin: wearing the later demi-compulsory skintight bodystocking and mask with opaque eye-slits.<\/p>\n

He debuted on February 17th<\/sup> 1936 in an extended sequence pitting him against a global confederation of pirates called the Singh Brotherhood<\/em>. Falk wrote and drew the daily strip for the first two weeks before handing over the illustration side to artist Ray Moore. A hugely successful Sunday feature began in May 1939. However, for such a long-lived and influential series, in terms of compendia or graphic novel collections, The Phantom <\/strong>has been very poorly served by the English language market (except in Australia where he has always been accorded the status of a pop culture god).<\/p>\n

Various companies have tried to collect the strips – one of the longest continually running adventure serials in publishing history – but in no systematic or chronological order and never with any sustained success. But, even if only of historical value (or just printed for Australians), surely Kit Walker<\/em> is worthy of a definitive chronological compendium series?<\/p>\n

Happily, his comic book adventures have fared slightly better – at least in recent times…<\/p>\n

From November 1962 through July 1966 all new adventures were published by West Coast giant Gold Key Comics after which King Features Syndicate dabbled with a comic book line of their biggest stars – including Popeye<\/strong>, Blondie<\/strong>, Flash Gordon<\/strong>, Mandrake<\/strong> and The Phantom<\/strong> – between 1966 and 1967. When they gave up the ghost (see what I did there?), plucky dependable, cheap Charlton Comics were there to pick up the slack…<\/p>\n

The Phantom<\/strong> was no stranger to funnybooks, having appeared since the Golden Age in titles like Feature Book<\/strong> and Harvey Hits<\/strong>, but only as reformatted newspaper strip reprints. The Gold Key exploits were tailored to a big page and a young readership, a model King maintained for their own run but which was tweaked when Charlton took on the license.<\/p>\n

This splendid full-colour hardcover and\/or eBook gathers the contents of The Phantom<\/strong> #30-38 (originally released between February 1969 and June 1970) and opens with an erudite Introduction from Christopher Irving relating all you need to know about \u2018The Phantom and Charlton Comics\u2019<\/em>, compellingly augmented by the first of many pages of original art by Jim Aparo.<\/p>\n

As with previous publishers, the majority of the stories are scripted by Dick Wood (with some contributions from Bill Harris and Charlton mainstay Steve Skeates) but the big attraction here is a large body of illustration by then up-&-coming superstar Jim Aparo in his last work for CC before moving to DC.
\n\"\"
\nOpening the Charlton archive are a brace of thrilling escapades by Dick Wood & Frank McLaughlin (with possibly some inking assistance from Sal Trapani?) beginning with \u2018The Secret of the Golden Ransom\u2019<\/em> as Julie<\/em> – sister of the Ghost Who Walks – again dons purple long johns to secretly save her brother from a devilish trap, after which the \u2018The Living Legend\u2019<\/em> sees the jungle juggernaut put the fear of god into a western-educated tribesman who no longer believes in ghosts…<\/p>\n

Issue #31 sees an epic full-length tale by Wood & Aparo as \u2018The Phantom of Shang-Ri-La\u2019<\/em> finds the hero on a rescue mission to the fabled Valley of the Sun to save his best friend from devious crooks masquerading as benevolent immortals. After more original art, #32\u2019s \u2018The Pharaoh Phantom\u2019<\/em> takes the masked marvel to Egypt and an impossible confrontation with a freshly-revived mummy who claims to be the original and genuine Ghost Who Walks.
\n\"\"
\nPat Boyette & Nick Alascia limn Wood\u2019s lead story in The Phantom<\/strong> #33 as \u2018The Curse of Kallai\u2019<\/em> exposes an ancient mystery wherein an Indian death cult returns to plunder Africa, claiming an earlier Phantom was their bound and sworn ally, after which Steve Skeates & Aparo detail how a young native boy is pivotal in reversing \u2018The Phantom\u2019s Death\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Using the nom de plume Norm Dipluhm, D. J. Arneson scripts a brace of tales for Aparo in #34 beginning with \u2018The Cliff Kingdom\u2019<\/em> as the Phantom destroys a tribe hunting low flying aircraft before going on to defeat far-from supernatural menace \u2018The Giant Ape of Tawth\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Veteran team Bill Harris & Bill Lignante return in #35 to reveal the sinister secret of \u2018The Ghost Tribe\u2019<\/em> plundering and slave-taking in Bengali, but not before the Phantom infiltrates the marauders\u2019 inner circle and is \u2018Trapped\u2019<\/em> in an almost inescapable situation. Almost…<\/p>\n

Dipluhm & Aparo open #36 with \u2018The River That Never Ends\u2019<\/em> as the Phantom is drawn into \u00a0a subterranean underworld whilst battling merciless modern pirates, and close with a pithy smuggling yarn as the spectral avenger intercepts some \u2018Very Special Timber\u2019<\/em> to punish a very ingenious evildoer…
\n\"\"
\nIn #37 the format changes to shorter stories beginning with \u2018Bandar Betrayers\u2019<\/em> as a strange blossom warps the minds of the Phantom\u2019s greatest friends and allies whilst \u2018Skyjack\u2019<\/em> sees him undercover as Kit Walker<\/em>, flying to America when his plane is attacked by a fanatic, and a last exploit sees him back in Africa as a new commander for the private jungle police force is almost compelled to \u2018Disband the Patrol\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Wrapping up these volatile verdant voyages, #38 starts on \u2018The Dying Ground\u2019<\/em> as rogue hunters trap the hero in hopes of learning the location of the fable Elephant\u2019s Graveyard before a crisis of conscience and capability is countered by uncanny natural phenomena in \u2018The Phantom\u2019s New Faith\u2019<\/em> after which Jungle Patrol intel allows The Phantom to save his ever-so-patient intended bride Diana Palmer<\/em> from murderous art-thieves setting \u2018The Trap\u2019<\/em>…
\n\"\"
\nPacked with original art by Aparo, this is another riveting, nostalgia-drenched triumph: straightforward, captivating rollicking action-adventure that has always been the staple of comics fiction.<\/p>\n

If that sounds like a good time to you, this is a traditional action-fest you must not miss…
\nThe Phantom\u00ae \u00a9 1969-1970 and 2012 King Features Syndicate, Inc. \u00ae Hearst Holdings, Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Today in 1922, comics visionary Bill Gaines<\/strong> (EC Comics<\/strong>, Mad<\/strong>) was born, followed two years later by master scripter\/screenwriter Arnold<\/strong> (Deadman<\/strong>, Doom Patrol<\/strong>, Guardians of the Galaxy<\/strong>) Drake<\/strong>. Writer\/editor\/documentarian Joyce<\/strong> (Brought to Light<\/strong>, Real War Stories<\/strong>, American Splendor<\/strong>) Braner<\/strong> came long in 1952, letterer Tom Orzechowski<\/strong> in 1953 and Uruguayan artist Eduardo Barreto<\/strong> (AKA Luis Eduardo Barreto Ferreyra<\/em><\/strong> and illustrator of everything from Steel Sterling<\/strong> to Superman<\/strong>) in 1954, with Ed<\/strong> (Deadpool<\/strong>) McGuinness<\/strong> arriving in 1974.<\/p>\n

In 1980 we lost the astoundingly diligent Dick Dillin<\/strong> (Blackhawk<\/strong>, Justice League of America<\/strong>, Superman<\/strong>, World\u2019s Finest<\/strong>) and in 1998 the forever-irreplaceable Archie Goodwin<\/strong>. In 2024 Dragon Ball<\/strong> creator Akira Toriyama<\/strong> died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dick Wood, Steve Skeates, Bill Harris, D. J. Arneson, Jim Aparo, Frank McLaughlin, Pat Boyette, Bill Lignante, Nick Alascia & various (Hermes Press) ISBN: 978-1-61345-006-2 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. In the 17th century a British sailor survived an attack by pirates, and, washing ashore on the … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Phantom – The Complete Series: The Charlton Years volume one”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[351,78,75,239,66,108,127,242,251],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apes-monkeys","category-comic-strip-classics","category-crime-comics","category-drama","category-horror-stories","category-miscellaneous-superhero","category-nostalgia","category-pirates","category-the-phantom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-96V","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35031,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35025\/revisions\/35031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}