Staff Picks (November): The Phantom — The Complete Series: The Charlton Years Vol. 5 HC

There is a theme to this as The Phantom was probably the first costumed hero I read.  The Phantom's didn't show his eyes, lending even more mystery to The Ghost Who Walks, whether in the jungles of Africa or the concrete ones of a city. The comic strips held a unique fascination, and his daily exploits made sure I learned to read for myself.

Comic books gave me new stories and new artists to appreciate but, being spoiled by DC and Marvel, nothing compared to their books. Batman has always been by favorite DC superhero, regardless of story and art; though Dick Sprang was my favorite as a kid, later on Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, and Don Newton became my favorite artists. Then, Charlton’s Action Line began and, as an offshoot of that, we got Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, and The Phantom. To me, the best of The Phantom books were those illustrated by Jim Aparo and Don Newton.

The Phantom is where most comic fans were introduced to the artwork of Don Newton. Don’s art had strong anatomy with clean storytelling, and you felt the love he had for The Phantom. In this, the last volume of Hermes Press' The Phantom: The Charlton Years, we get Don Newton’s Phantom, making it truly his own. If you are familiar with the printing “quality” of those old Charlton comics then you will want this digitally remastered edition that looks so much better than the original books.

Hermes Press has a history of doing The Phantom right and this is only the latest book by them that a true fan of the Phantom must have and is a great start going into the 80th anniversary of The Ghost Who Walks.

—Steve Leaf

Publisher: Hermes Press Item Code: NOV151454 Release Date: 02/03/16 SRP: $60.00