Phantom Finale!

The final volume of The Phantom comic book reprints has finally arrived. It's been a zesty five year wait to get these delightful Silver Age and Bronze Age comics onto my shelves, but I'm an exceedingly happy camper to have them at long last. There are eight volumes overall and five dedicated to just Charlton Comics. The Charlton run finished up with some of the most impressive comics I've ever seen by the hand of the late and decidedly great Don Newton. Newton brought a lush mystery to the world of The Phantom, a character he loved. With this volume we at long last have these vital and actually rather significant comics more widely available. Now perhaps more can see the greatness. The Hermes edition is not ideal, the reprints being somewhat muddy, but something beats nothing every time.

The Phantom at Charlton was handled by some of their best with the likes of Jim Aparo and Newton both making such significant impressions that they went on to DC and handled their version of the mysterious character created by Lee Falk so many decades ago, The Batman. Pat Boyette's rendition is not so roundly celebrated, but I rather like it as I rather like all of Boyette's distinctive work. Other talents hands an issue here and there such as Frank Bolle and Don Sherwood among others, but when I think of the Charlton Phantom it's either Aparo or Boyette or more likely Newton I first remember.

These Charlton volumes along with the ones dedicated to Gold Key and King Comics are simply treasures. 

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