{"id":36948,"date":"2026-11-15T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-15T09:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=36948"},"modified":"2026-11-14T19:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T19:02:21","slug":"the-phantom-the-complete-series-the-charlton-years-volume-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/11\/15\/the-phantom-the-complete-series-the-charlton-years-volume-five\/","title":{"rendered":"The Phantom \u2013 The Complete Series: The Charlton Years volume five"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Don Newton<\/strong>, Joe Gill<\/strong>, Bill Pearson<\/strong>, Nicola Cuti<\/strong>, John Clark<\/strong>, Frank Bolle<\/strong>, Don Sherwood<\/strong>, Recreo Studio<\/strong> & various (Hermes Press)
\nISBN: 978-1-61345-099-4 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times. This book also includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> included for dramatic and literary effect.<\/em><\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Because Ghosts are for Everywhere and All Times\u2026 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 17th<\/sup> century a British sailor survived an attack by pirates. Washed ashore on the African coast, he 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> still fights crime and injustice from a base deep in the jungles of Bengali<\/em>, and throughout the continents is known as the \u201cGhost Who Walks\u201d. His unchanging appearance and unceasing war on injustice led to his being considered an immortal avenger by the desperate, the credulous and especially 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 Avenger at the request of his syndicate employers who were already making history, public headway and loads of money with his initial action strip sensation Mandrake the Magician<\/strong>, and although technically not the first ever costumed hero in comics, The Phantom<\/strong>\u2019s astounding popularity wearing later demi-compulsory skintight bodystocking and mask with opaque eye-slits made him the prototype costumed comics paladin.<\/p>\n

The immortal hero debuted on February 17th<\/sup> 1936 (Yep! Ninety nonstop years!!<\/em>) in an extended sequence pitting him against global pirate confederation the Singh Brotherhood<\/em>. Falk wrote and drew the daily strip for the first two weeks before handing over illustration to artist Ray Moore. A hugely successful Sunday feature began in May 1939. However, for such a long-lived, influential series, in terms of compendia or graphic 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

Numerous companies have released books of 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. Even if only of historical value (or just printed for Australians), surely enigmatic Mr.<\/em> Kit Walker<\/em> is worthy of a definitive chronological compendium series? Happily, and perhaps because of the tights and mask, his comic book adventures have fared slightly better. 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 (Popeye<\/strong>, Blondie<\/strong>, Flash Gordon<\/strong>, Mandrake <\/strong>and The Phantom<\/strong>) between 1966-1967. When they gave up the ghost (Tee. Hee.), plucky dependable, cheap \u2018n\u2019 cheerful Charlton Comics were there to pick up the slack.<\/p>\n

Since then the jungle judge has been tackled by DC, Marvel, Moonstone, Dynamite in the USA and so many, many others across the Earth have extended the mythology. One day we\u2019ll have covered them all… especially as the character is currently in pre-production for a live action TV series produced and directed by Reginald (Black Panther<\/strong>, Milestone Media<\/strong>) Hudlin.<\/p>\n

The Phantom<\/strong> is no stranger to funnybooks, commanding his own title all over the world. In the US he has appeared since the Golden Age in titles including Feature Book<\/strong> and Harvey Hits<\/strong>, albeit only as reformatted newspaper strip reprints. Gold Key\u2019s efforts were tailored to a big page and a young readership, a model King Features maintained for their own run, but which was tweaked when Charlton acquired the license.<\/p>\n

This fifth & final compilation gathers the contents of The Phantom<\/strong> #65-74 (cover-dated June 1975 to January 1977) and opens with another fact-&-picture-packed Introduction by Daniel Herman. In \u2018Don Newton\u2019s Phantom\u2019, <\/em>amidst a wealth of cover paintings and original art pages, we meet an enthusiastic and visionary young artist who revolutionised the comic book iteration, but could not save it from the vagaries of changing tastes.<\/p>\n

The volume is mostly illustrated by supremely gifted, gone-far-too-soon Don Newton. Born on November 12th<\/sup> 1934 in St Charles, Virginia his family moved to Arizona and Newton would remain there for most of his life. He came up through a burgeoning fan press in 1960s & 1970s, honing his skills on legendary fanzines like The Collector<\/strong> and Rockets Blast ComiCollector<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Newton was an assistant to comic genius CC. Beck, and in his too-short career, distinguished himself on Infinity Inc.<\/strong>, The Avengers<\/strong>, The New Gods<\/strong>, Star Hunters<\/strong>, Aquaman<\/strong> and especially Batman<\/strong>, but was at his happiest with DC\u2019s Captain Marvel Family<\/strong> (now forevermore grouped under the electrical umbrella of Shazam!<\/strong>), but also had an unparalleled fondness for the prototype of all grim masked avengers…<\/p>\n

His breakthrough advent at the end of The Phantom<\/strong>\u2019s Charlton run generated tales that rivalled – and even surpassed – Jim Aparo\u2019s earlier stint, but it\u2019s only fair to remind readers that other creators were involved, namely new writers Bill Pearson and Nichola Cuti, and artists Don Sherwood, Frank Bolle and sadly anonymous (presumably Italian) illustrators as used in International syndicated tales of the Ghost who walks far and wide…
\n\"\"
\nWe resume with veterans Joe Gill & Frank Bolle still crafting jungle tales as The Phantom<\/strong> #65 opens with \u2018The Web of Fear\u2019<\/em> wherein world-threatening super-criminal and people-trafficker Helmar Thorssen<\/em> declares war on the hero. Of course, all that villain\u2019s vast and lethal resources are no match for The Phantom\u2019s determination and ingenuity, especially after the \u201cSpider of Crime\u201d stupidly kidnaps Kit Walker\u2019s fianc\u00e9e Diana Palmer<\/em>… and underestimates her own resolute capabilities…<\/p>\n

The spectacle is supplemented by \u2018Night Killer\u2019<\/em>: Gill & Bolle\u2019s fact feature on leopards, before Don Sherwood limns Gill\u2019s epic fable \u2018Goldbeard the Pirate\u2019<\/em> (#66, August 1975) as World\u2019s Richest Man Dionysus Papazakis<\/em> channels his (classical and freebooting) ancestors. Abducting Diana to force the Bandar tribes to sell the mineral rights to all Bengali lands, his private army and cadre of specialised killers proves no match for the deadly \u201cLittle People\u201d and their masked general…<\/p>\n

The issue\u2019s letter page Monkey Mail<\/em> is also reproduced for your entertainment as are others in their own good time…<\/p>\n

Behind a stunning painted cover, The Phantom<\/strong> #67 heralds a \u2018Triumph of Evil!\u2019<\/em> as Newton debuts with a classic Gill thriller, revisiting the origins and 400-year history of the Ghosts Who Walk whilst revealing how the current incarnation took up the mantle. It all began when nazi war criminal Voerster<\/em> resurfaced planning to seize Bengali\u2019s untapped uranium deposits and – if possible – kill another masked hero like he had during the war…
\n\"\"
\nThat scheme fails catastrophically and, after another Monkey Mail moment, #68 sees Nicola Cute scribe \u2018The Beasts of Madame Kahn\u2019 <\/em>for Newton to demonstrate his facility with weird monsters, seductive sirens and noir trappings. The pursuit of a seeming circus-performer-turned-wereleopard unveils double jeopardy and a cruel, cunning plot to revive a deadly killer cat cult in Africa\u2019s Deep Woods. However, thanks to advisor Guran<\/em>\u2019s wise counsel the Ghost judiciously steps in to dismantle the deadly deception, simultaneously scotching a personal plot against his family that stretches back generations.<\/p>\n

Then all that remains is to repel a crazed cult army and stop the horrific ravages of monstrous Pantherman<\/em>, Leopardman<\/em> and Lionman<\/em>…
\n\"\"
\nGill scripts what I suspect is a European-generated exploit credited to \u201cRecreo studio\u201d for #69 as \u2018The Shining City\u2019<\/em> sees beautiful greedy billionairess Athena Siossi<\/em> invade Bengali with a legion of mercenaries equipped to handle The Phantom in her insatiable quest to possess a lost outpost of classical Hellenic culture. Sadly, the Ghost soon shows her the difference between taking and keeping…<\/p>\n

The saga is balanced by a short (uncredited but probably Gill) prose tale as The Phantom sees off a wicked witchdoctor claiming to be \u2018The Immortal Ghost of Bengali\u2019<\/em>, before #70 (dated April but on sale from 20th<\/sup> January 1976) delivers sheer delight for older fans and film buffs. Written by Bill Pearson for Newton to display his talent for likenesses on, \u2018The Mystery of the Mali Ibex\u2019<\/em> devilishly spoofs Casablanca<\/strong>, The Maltese Falcon<\/strong>, The African Queen<\/strong> and other cinema classics, as the current Phantom solves a mystery spanning thousands of years, but which first involved his own line in 1756 when it was stolen by pirates.<\/p>\n

Another Phantom donated the golden artefact to the Cairo Museum in 1882, and – between 1930 and 1938 – yet another Ghost failed to stop thieves walking off with it from there, or even determine who of a veritable host of unusual suspects might have got away with it….
\n\"\"
\nThe hunt for the Ibex proved fruitless until 1976 when…<\/p>\n

Packed with fabulous character cameos including Bogart, Bergman, Peter Lorre, Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Greenstreet and so many more, this romp brims with glorious pulp standbys and delivers delights Indiana Jones<\/strong> could only dream of…<\/p>\n

Preceded by more Monkey Mail, #71 offers more traditional fare as \u2018The Phantom Battles the Monster of Zandar\u2019<\/em> (by John Clark & Newton) wherein the hero and two Jungle Patrol officers climb an unscalable mountain to rescue a stranded scientist. The task was made far harder by the savage tribesmen and the deadly gigantic beast-god they worshipped, but in the end they triumphed…<\/p>\n

\u2018Witchman\u2019s Revenge\u2019 <\/em>– another uncredited prose vignette but illustrated by Newton – rounds out the issue prior to Gill & Sherwood stepping in for #72 where \u2018Man in the Shadows\u2019<\/em> sees the hero and all he loves targeted by an obsessive stalker determined to destroy him. However, even immense resources and an army of doubles is not enough to secure the maniac\u2019s \u2018Nyte of Revenge\u2019<\/em>…
\n\"\"
\nTense drama and relentless action are the watchwords of penultimate epic \u2018The Torch\u2019<\/em> (The Phantom<\/strong> #73, October 1976) with Pearson – as \u201cBen S. Parillo\u201d – & Newton detailing a clash between rival mad scientists Raven<\/em> and Doctor Never<\/em> embroiling an arsonist hitman and the Ghost Who Walks on an island lair bursting with mercs, deathtraps, twisted technicians and electronically altered zombies…<\/p>\n

The eventual triumph of Good is accompanied by another prose tale as \u2018Invaders of Bengali!\u2019<\/em> discover what the Phantom\u2019s Justice means to poachers…<\/p>\n

Going out with a spectacular and timely bang, final issue #74 (cover-dated January 1977 and on sale from October 7th<\/sup> 1976) gloriously showcases \u2018The Phantom of 1776\u2019<\/em> as the Jungle peacekeeper pursues slavers from Africa to a British colony at war. His mission is to rescue Tsu-Mok<\/em>, heir of the U-Thongii tribe, and in fact return all those taken from Africa, and that he has failed to protect. The lengthy pursuit inexorably entwines him in the birth of a nation and augurs future conflicts with the land of dreams built on human bondage. Crucially, after visiting old friend Benjamin Franklin and witnessing the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the immortal hero learns the nature of realpolitik and must accept that some battles will take many years to win…
\n\"\"
\nThe comics wonders end there, with one last letter column – Phantom Mail <\/em>– revealing the why of the series folding…<\/p>\n

With Africa all over contemporary news and \u201cemerging nations\u201d commanding headlines everywhere, politics was paramount and old standbys of rawhide and grass-kilted natives had largely vanished on the pages of the world\u2019s most popular strips jungle strips (even Tarzan<\/strong>!). However, action, drama and mystery never go out of style and these yarns prove the glamour and appeal of The Phantom<\/strong> is self-sustaining and ever-renewing.<\/p>\n

This last riotous rip-roaring, nostalgia-drenched delight deals out those stripped-down, nonstop action-adventures and compelling mysteries that have always been staples of comics fiction. If that sounds like a good time to you, this is traditional taletelling you must not miss.
\nThe Phantom\u00ae \u00a9 1975-1977 and 2016 King Features Syndicate, Inc. \u00ae Hearst Holdings, Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Don Newton, Joe Gill, Bill Pearson, Nicola Cuti, John Clark, Frank Bolle, Don Sherwood, Recreo Studio & various (Hermes Press) ISBN: 978-1-61345-099-4 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. This book also includes Discriminatory Content included for dramatic and literary effect. Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Because Ghosts are for … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Phantom \u2013 The Complete Series: The Charlton Years volume five”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[191,280,351,75,239,102,122,66,430,108,242,385,169,251,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-animal-antics","category-apes-monkeys","category-crime-comics","category-drama","category-fantasy","category-historical","category-horror-stories","category-jungle-comics","category-miscellaneous-superhero","category-pirates","category-sea-stories","category-spy-stories","category-the-phantom","category-war-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9BW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36948","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=36948"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36956,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36948\/revisions\/36956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}