Frew 2003 Annual Special

Frew in 2002: The Year in Review



Frew #1343
by Antonio Lemos
#1343
(this edition is the 1371st actually printed)

Release Date: 10 January 2003

  • Pages: 276 (plus 24 page replica of #12)
  • Price: $11.00 inc. GST
  • Cover: Antonio Lemos
  • No Phantom Forum in this issue
  • Did You Know? (p.46)
  • Frew 2002 Publishing Chronology and Statistics (p.266-8)
  • Resurrection of Three Classics (p.269)

Frew #12

  • The Fire Goddess
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Ray Moore
    • 3rd Sunday newspaper story; 17 Mar - 21 Jul 1940.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #51 (1952), #1032 (1993).

  • The Beachcomber
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Ray Moore
    • 4th Sunday newspaper story; 28 Jul - 29 Dec 1940.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #44 (1952), #222 (1962), #1032 (1993).

  • The Saboteurs
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Ray Moore
    • 5th Sunday newspaper story; 5 Jan - 23 Feb 1941.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #235 (1963), #366 (1968), #1032 (1993).

  • Prince Hali and the White Stallion
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 92nd daily newspaper story; 2 Aug 1965 - 1 Jan 1966.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #314/5 (1966), #467/8 (1972), #641/2 (1978), #851/2 (1986).

  • The Dolphins
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 79th Sunday newspaper story; 5 Apr - 14 Jun 1970.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #462 (1971), #636 (1978), #845 (1986).

  • The Beach (The Gold Prospectors)
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 80th Sunday newspaper story; 21 Jun - 13 Sep 1970.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #463 (1971), #637 (1978), #846 (1986).

  • The Stolen Ring
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 100th Sunday newspaper story; 5 Sep - 19 Dec 1976.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #620 (1977), #830 (1985).

  • The Kimberly Diamonds
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 154th daily newspaper story; 28 May - 8 Sep 1984.
    • Previous Frew appearance: #824 (1985).

  • Alexander's Diamond Cup
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 122nd Sunday newspaper story; 26 Aug 1984 - 17 Feb 1985.
    • Previous Frew appearance: #829 (1985).

  • The Presidents
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 156th daily newspaper story; 24 Dec 1984 - 1 Jun 1985.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #834/5 (1985).

  • The Whispering Grove
    • Script: Lee Falk
    • Art: Sy Barry
    • 123rd Sunday newspaper story; 24 Feb - 9 Jun 1985.
    • Previous Frew appearances: #835 (1985).

  • The Slave's Railway
    • Script: Norman Worker
    • Art: Hans Lindahl
    • First published in Fantomen by Semic, Scandinavia in Nr.26/1986.
    • This story is reprinted from Frew #916 in 1986.

  • Message from the Publisher:
    Frew is proud to bring you our 2003 Annual Special, a 276-page collection of some of the most famous Phantom adventures.
    As usual, we have included a bonus offering - a replica - Frew's No 12 edition from 1949, which contains an abridged version of The Shark's Nest illustrated by Ray Moore.
    The highlights of this year's Annual Special are the first-ever complete presentations of the 1940-41 Lee Falk classics, The Fire Goddess, The Beachcomber and The Saboteurs. An editorial feature on page 269 gives you a lot of background on the three stories and in part, at least, reveals how the team at Frew managed to restore art repros which are now more than 60 years old! It was a true Mission Impossible challenge! Very special thanks are extended to King Features archivist Mark Johnson for his help in assisting Frew to reassemble these old stories.
    There are thanks also due to a great many people who helped Frew in so many different ways during 2002 in our constant search for old stories and historical data. In no special order ... Robert Griffin, Pete Klaus, Howard Gesbeck and Ed Rhoades in the United States and Barry Stubbersfield, Ian Dale and Julian Lewis in Australia.
    A million thanks are also due to Judith Shepherd and Ruth Le Brun, in Frew's Sydney office, who once again kept the good ship Frew on course as they battled daily production, distribution and translation problems and somehow succeeded in keeping the boss in check!
    Dramas aside, 2002 was another exciting time for Frew. We managed to bring you more complete presentations of Lee Falk stories. We achieved a scoop of sorts by being the first publishing house in Australia and New Zealand to present the world's first full-length The Phantom and Mandrake crossover adventure. We also startled more than a few enthusiasts with the release of two stories which explored what would have happened if the first Phantom had been washed ashore in Japan and dived into the archives of the Egmont publishing house in Scandinavia to unearth the first of what will be a continuing series of old and unpublished Phantom adventures stretching back to the seventies.
    During 2003, as Frew edges closer to its 55th year of publishing The Phantom comic book (and I near my 16th year as Publisher) we will strive to maintain the standards. It is a surprisingly demanding business to operate. Rewarding, but stressful, with 31 editions and 50-odd stories to be whipped into shape, translations from Swedish to English, re-lettering, cover artwork to be commissioned, ancient artwork to be tracked down (and invariably, to be restored) and underpinning the whole operation, constant research.
    The enthusiasm of so many people who help and especially the support of our readers, makes it all worthwhile, I always look forward to attending formal and informal gatherings of the Friends of The Phantom organisation in the United States and the Bengali Explorers Club in Australia. They are always entertaining - and you never know who you may run into. The great and genial Sy Barry himself, for example, in New York in May last year!

Jim Shepherd
Publisher


Future issues planned as of 7 January (subject to change without notice):

Check the New@Egmont and Frew Reprint Schedule 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 7 January 2003