Title: The Crying Idol
Issue No: 1764
Story: Georges Bess
Art: Claes Reimerthi
Publisher: Frew Publications
Editor: Dudley Hogarth
Pages: 34 Pages in B & W
Price: Aus $3.50
Date: 26 September 2016
For those who came in late, Frew is the longest running comics magazine publisher in Australia. Started in 1948 by four gentlemen whose first letters formed the brand imprint, Frew is now owned by the fantastic pair of Rene White and Glenn Ford. The publishing editor is the redoubtable Dudley Hogarth who pens all the required details about the story and the creators behind every story in the editorial section of the book. There are certain books / stories which look good only in colour. But, The Phantom is such a comics series which surpasses the medium. Frew publishes 36 paged regular magazines twice in a month to go along with the occasional special editions.
As for Phantom, he is the first ever masked hero of comics, having been in circulation since 1936. He is a nemesis for the evil and wrong doers. A true hero who resides in the deep woods of Bengalla. Phantom is distributed by King Features syndicated with Daily and Sunday strips getting published across the world by various newspapers. Currently, the Phantom is published regularly (in English) by The Frew publication in Australia and Comics Revue in USA.
Here’s the synopsis of the comic:
An Archeological expedition near Morristown results in unearthing an old Chumar Idol which has possessive powers. The Archeologist himself is now become a victim & Can the Ghost who walks fight the evil powered idol?
One Line: The Phantom Fights a Centuries Old Evil Force.
Story: Doctor T’uande leads an archaeological expedition near Morristown, the imaginary town in the Phantom’s story arc. They unearth a centuries old statue which is believed to be cursed by the sorcerer Chumar. On that fateful night, a dramatic attempt is made by a thief to steal the statue and unforeseen events lead to chaos and uncertainty in the camp. The soldiers from the Jungle patrol (Police squad formed by the Phantom with him being the unknown commander) report this to their head office.
Doctor T’uande showcases the statue in the Museum and suddenly the lights go off and darkness prevails, both literally and really. Fortunately, the Phantom is present in the museum and he faces one of the toughest battles against a force that is quite tough to understand, let alone battle. What happens next forms the rest of the story.
Analysis: Claes Reimerthi is a veteran in writing The Phantom stories, Having written more than 100 such stories for the Swedish publisher. The recent story arc published by Frew is an example for his class. However, this story, penned in Nov 1985 and is average in terms of story and narration. The average story is saved by the brilliant pencilling by the talented Frenchman Georges Bess, who was spotted and initiated into the world of Phantom by none other than Lee Falk, the creator of Phantom himself.
Verdict: Recommended, 3/6.
(These are purely personal views of Comics Historian & Writer, King Viswa and AnimationXpress.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views)
