Frew Publications

Last updated
Frew Publications Pty. Ltd.
Founded 1948
FounderRon Forsyth, Jim Richardson, Jack Eisen, Peter Watson
Country of origin Australia
Headquarters locationUnit 13, 77-79 Bourke Road Alexandria, New South Wales
Key peopleGlenn Ford and Rene White [1]
Dudley Hogarth (Publisher)
Publication types Comics
Fiction genres Adventure
Official website https://www.phantomcomic.com.au/

Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's The Phantom . Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation Mandrake the Magician .

Contents

History

Frew Publications was founded in 1948 by Ron Forsyth, Lawford 'Jim' Richardson, Jack Eisen, and Peter Watson, with each contributing 500 Australian pounds to establish the publisher. The name "Frew" is an acronym made from the surnames of the four founders, Forsyth, Richardson, Eisen, and Watson. Eisen and Watson withdrew from the company before the first publication was issued.

Forsyth and Richardson approached Yaffa Syndicate the Australian representative of King Features Syndicate about producing an Australian comic book issue of The Phantom. The agreement was conditional that Frew could not print any stories that was currently running in other publications, nor any story soon after it had appeared in the Australian Woman's Mirror . The first edition of The Phantom, "The Slave Traders", published by Frew debuted on 9 September 1948. The first two issues were not numbered and printed in a landscape format, with the staples were on the short edge of the cover. The third issue, "Mr Hog", was the first to be numbered and reverted to the traditional portrait format.

Between 1949 and 1958 Frew also published comics including Popeye , The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow (an Australian creation not to be confused with the American version of The Shadow ), Sir Falcon, Catman and Super Yank Comics, peaking to a total of thirty titles in the mid 1950s. One of its local titles, which apparently lasted only one issue, was The Suicide Squad , which predated the DC Comics group by seven years (which its creator Robert Kanigher had stole the title). [2] In the early 1960s due to the influx of imported American titles Frew reduced their publications to a single title, The Phantom.

In November 1978 Frew published its first Swedish Phantom adventure entitled "The Ghost" (Issue #730), although it was not until January 1983 that another Swedish story appeared, "The Tiger from Rangoon" (Issue #763).

In 1987 Forsyth and Richardson engaged Jim Shepherd as a consultant, the following year he was employed as its managing director. Shepherd and Forsyth's son, Peter subsequently bought all the shares in the company. In 1995 Shepherd purchased Forsyth's shareholdings, becoming the sole owner of Frew Publications. [3]

In 1990 Frew published the first ever Australian created Phantom adventure, "Rumble in the Jungle" (Issue #951A), with art by Keith Chatto and the story by Jim Shepherd. Chatto and Shepherd produced another two Phantom stories "Return of the Singh Brotherhood" (Issue #962) and "The Kings Cross Connection" (Issue #1000). Shepherd also wrote another story "The Search for Byron", published March 1996 (Issue #1131), which was illustrated by Glenn Ford.

On the 15 April 2013 Shepherd died of a heart attack at his Sydney home, at age eighty. He is survived by his wife Judith, who was also the senior editor at Frew Publications and son, Stephen. In 2016, the company and licence was purchased by Glenn Ford and Rene White [1]

Frew has a tradition of using their own cover art, created specially for the publisher. Cover artists have included Tommy Hughes, Keith Chatto, Terry Welsby (credited as "Tessa"), Glenn Ford, Antonio Lemos, Meg Coates, Terry Lee, Paul Agnew, Jason Frazer, Jeremy MacPherson, Wai-Chew Chan, and Shane Foley Jamie Johnson.

In 2017, some of the classic Frew characters were revived in new adventures in a new series of Giantsize Phantom. Stories include: [4]

The Phantom publishing chronology

The following section is a publishing chronology for the years when Frew used original titles. The first edition of The Phantom was issued in Australia in 1948 and it has today reached an estimated circulation of 25000 units.[ citation needed ] As of 2007, Frew sales figures place The Phantom's distribution above all other contemporary comic books sold in Australia. [5] It also places first in duration of publication: in 2006 Frew celebrated 70 years of continuity, longer than any other Australian comics syndicate. [5]

1948

Edition NumberProduction CodeOfficial TitleFrew Working TitleWriterArtist
1D9The Slave TradersEnter the PhantomLee FalkRaymond Moore
2D28Queen Asta of TrondeleyIn the Tiger's LairLee FalkWilson McCoy
3D29Mister HogSmashing the Crime RingLee FalkWilson McCoy
4D30Romance Pt 2The Phantom versus the Jewel ThievesLee FalkWilson McCoy
5D15The Phantom's TreasureThe Phantom's Treasure StolenLee FalkRaymond Moore

1949

Edition NumberProduction CodeOfficial TitleFrew Working TitleWriterArtist
6D1The Singh Brotherhood Pt 2The Phantom's RevengeLee FalkLee Falk, Raymond Moore
7D13The Game of Alvar Pt 2The Phantom versus the Gun RunnersLee FalkRaymond Moore
8D2The Sky Band Pt 2Death to the Sky BandLee FalkRaymond Moore
9D8Fishers of PearlsThe Pearl PiratesLee FalkRaymond Moore
10D12The Seahorse Pt 1The Phantom versus the Spy RingLee FalkRaymond Moore
11D12The Seahorse Pt 2On Bleak IslandLee FalkRaymond Moore
12D7The Shark's NestThe Shark's NestLee FalkRaymond Moore
13D11The Golden Circle Pt 1The Phantom's DilemmaLee FalkRaymond Moore
14D11The Golden Circle Pt 2Golden Circle Pt 2Lee FalkRaymond Moore
15D11The Golden Circle Pt 3The Poison Gas ChamberLee FalkRaymond Moore
16D6Adventure in AlgiersAdventure in AlgiersLee FalkRaymond Moore
17D10The Mysterious Girl Pt 1Kidnapped in EgyptLee FalkRaymond Moore

1950

Edition NumberProduction CodeOfficial TitleFrew Working TitleWriterArtist
18D10The Mysterious Girl Part 2Trapped Under the SeaLee FalkRaymond Moore
19S12The Golden PrincessThe Golden PrincessLee FalkWilson McCoy
20S8Castle in the Clouds Pt 2The Phantom versus the Old Man of the MountainsLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
20S9The Ismani CannibalsThe Ismani CannibalsLee FalkWilson McCoy
21D5The Prisoner of the Himalayas Pt 1The Kidnapped BrideLee FalkRaymond Moore
22D5The Prisoner of the Himalayas Pt 2Sentenced to DeathLee FalkRaymond Moore
23D14Diana Aviatrix Lost Pt 1Jungle VictoryLee FalkRaymond Moore
24D14Diana Aviatrix Lost Pt 2The Phantom's TriumphLee FalkRaymond Moore
25D22The Maharajah's Daughter Pt 1The Kidnapped MaharajahLee FalkWilson McCoy
26D22The Maharajah's Daughter Pt 2The Royal PrisonerLee FalkWilson McCoy
27D16The Phantom Goes to War Pt 1The Phantom Goes to WarLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
28D16The Phantom Goes to War Pt 2The Red InvadersLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy

1951

Edition NumberProduction CodeOfficial TitleFrew Working TitleWriterArtist
29D16The Phantom Goes to War Pt 3Death to the InvadersLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
30D16The Phantom Goes to War Pt 4The Hero of OolanLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
31S10Hamid the Terrible Pt 1Hamid the TerribleLee FalkWilson McCoy
32S10Hamid the Terrible Pt 2The Sultan's PrisonerLee FalkWilson McCoy
33D17Bent Beak BroderBent Beak and the Phantom MarkLee FalkWilson McCoy
34D18The Phantom's EngagementThe Phantom's EngagementLee FalkWilson McCoy
35S11The Young Phantom,
The Childhood of the Phantom
The Young PhantomLee FalkWilson McCoy
36S15King of BeastsKing of BeastsLee FalkRaymond Moore
37S16The Scarlett SorceressThe Kidnapped PrincessLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
38S14Queen Pera the PerfectThe Reluctant BridegroomLee FalkRaymond Moore
39S18The Dragon GodThe Dragon GodLee FalkRaymond Moore
40S13The Strange FishermanThe Strange FishermanLee FalkWilson McCoy

1952

Edition NumberProduction CodeOfficial TitleFrew Working TitleWriterArtist
41D24Lago the Lake GodUnderwater DoomLee FalkWilson McCoy
42D25The Wild GirlThe Lion WomanLee FalkWilson McCoy
43S1The League of Lost MenThe League of Lost MenLee FalkRaymond Moore
44S4The BeachcomberThe BeachcomberLee FalkRaymond Moore
45S2The Precious Cargo of Colonel WinnThe Precious Cargo of Colonel WinnLee FalkRaymond Moore
46D41Whirlpool ChannelWhirlpool ChannelLee FalkWilson McCoy
47D27Princess Valerie Pt 1Princess Valerie Pt 1Lee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
48D27Princess Valerie Pt 2The Phantom versus the Hairy TwinsLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
49S21The Haunted CastleThe Haunted CastleLee FalkRaymond Moore, Wilson McCoy
50D42The Tiger GirlThe Tiger GirlLee FalkWilson McCoy
51S3The Fire GoddessThe Fire GoddessLee FalkRaymond Moore
52D39The White MonkeyThe White MonkeyLee FalkWilson McCoy
53D32The Lady Luck Part 1The Lady Luck Part 1Lee FalkWilson McCoy

Notes

Unnumbered editions

The following Frew editions were without edition numbers when issued. For ease of reference, official Frew archivists have assigned them either an 'A' or a 'B' as per their publishing date:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 65A
  • 76A
  • 76B
  • 817A
  • 825A
  • 840A
  • 858A

Untitled editions

In editions 43-47, 49-821 and 823-828 no story title appeared on the front cover. Frew did not alter the official titles, which in most instances appeared at the start of the story.

Missing edition

Due to an accident in production, edition number 330 was never issued. Edition number 331 was substituted in its place. A retro "replica" #330 was later issued together with the 2019 Annual Special (#1830). [6]

Exclusions

List is restricted to pure Phantom comic books; supplementary Frew editions and associated publications have been excluded.

Related Research Articles

Disney Comics is currently a label of Disney Publishing Worldwide and was a comic book publishing company operated by The Walt Disney Company from 1990 to 1993. It was connected with W. D. Publications, Inc., which was a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company that published Disney comics during that time span. W. D. Publications, Inc. created Disney Comics in 1990 so that The Walt Disney Company would not have to rely on outside publishers such as Gladstone Publishing. In the US, Disney only licensed Disney comic books to other publishers prior to 1990.

<i>The Phantom</i> Comic strip

The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The character has been adapted for television, film and video games.

Notable events of 1939 in comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Baker (artist)</span> American artist (1921–1959)

Clarence Matthew Baker was an American comic book artist and illustrator, best known for drawing early comics heroines such as the costumed crimefighter Phantom Lady, and romance comics. Active in the 1940s and 1950s Golden Age of comic books, he is one of the first known African-American artists to find success in the comic-book industry. He also penciled St. John Publications' digest-sized "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust (1950), the first graphic novel despite that term not having been coined at the time.

Notable events of 1938 in comics.

Lloyd Piper was an Australian cartoonist and art teacher, best known as the third artist to take on the iconic Australian comic strip, Ginger Meggs, which he drew from 1973 until his death in 1983.

Ace Comics was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, following the successful formula of a mix of adventure and humor strips introduced by McKay in their King Comics title in April 1936; some of the strips were transferred from King Comics and continued in Ace Comics from issue #1. Ace Comics #11, the first appearance of The Phantom, is regarded by many to be a key issue in the history of comics, as it introduced to the comics format one of the first of the costumed heroes, leading to the Golden Age of superheroes in comics.

<i>The Phantom</i> (serial) 1943 film by B. Reeves Eason

The Phantom is a 1943 15-chapter cliffhanger superhero serial, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed B. Reeves Eason, and starring Tom Tyler in the title role. It is based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom, first syndicated to newspapers in 1936 by King Features Syndicate. The serial also features Jeanne Bates as the Phantom's girlfriend Diana Palmer, and Ace the Wonder Dog as the Phantom's trusty German shepherd Devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comics in Australia</span>

Australian comics have been published since 1908 and Australian comics creators have gone to produce influential work in the global comics industry,

Paul Ryan was an American comic artist. Ryan worked extensively for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on a number of super-hero comic book titles. He is best known for his 1991 to 1996 run as penciler on Fantastic Four, which represents his longest association with an individual comic book series. From 2005 until his death in 2016, Ryan penciled and inked the daily newspaper comic strip The Phantom for King Features Syndicate.

<i>Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors</i>

Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors was an Australian comic strip created by John Dixon. The strip began publication on 30 May 1959, premiering in the Saturday issue of Perth's Weekend Mail. It was subsequently published by other Australian Sunday newspapers, Sydney's The Sun-Herald, Brisbane's The Sunday Mail and Adelaide's Sunday Mail. In May 1963, 'Air Hawk' also became a daily strip and unlike most US adventure strips, the Sunday and daily continuity on 'Air Hawk' were separate stories with Dixon writing them both. By 1967 the strip was appearing not only in every Australian state, but also in Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, France, and both North and South America. Dixon continued the strip until 1986. Dixon was assisted over the years by Mike Tabrett, Hart Amos, and Keith Chatto (1977-onwards). Chatto had previously ghosted the daily strip for a short period in 1972 before he took over drawing the Sunday version of the strip in the middle of 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Chaloner</span> Australian comic book artist and writer

Gary Chaloner is an Australian comic book artist, writer and publisher. He is known for his creations The Jackaroo, Flash Damingo, Red Kelso and The Undertaker Morton Stone, as well as his work on Will Eisner's John Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom (character)</span> Fictional character from The Phantom comic strip

The Phantom is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional country of Bangalla originally Bengali. The character was created by Lee Falk for the adventure comic strip The Phantom, which debuted in newspapers on February 17, 1936.

Farrell Publications is the name of a series of American comic book publishing companies founded and operated by Robert W. Farrell in the 1940s and 1950s, including Elliot Publishing Company, Farrell Comic Group, and Excellent Publications. Farrell is particularly known for its pre-Comics Code horror comics, mostly produced by the S. M. Iger Studio. Farrell also published romance, Western, adventure, superhero, and talking animal comics. Farrell acted as editor throughout. In addition to packaging art for Farrell from the beginning, Jerry Iger was the company's art director from 1955–1957.

John Dixon was an Australian comic book artist and writer, best known for his comic strip creation, Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors.

Ronald Keith Chatto was an Australian comic book artist and writer. He was the first Australian illustrator to draw a full-length episode of The Phantom comic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlas Publications</span> Australian book publishing company

Atlas Publications was an Australian publishing company which operated from 1948 until 1958 and was based in Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne. It published magazines and popular fiction, and the genre for which it was best known, adventure comics. It had no relation to the American company Atlas Comics which was active in the same period.

Peter Chapman was an Australian comic book writer and illustrator. His most notable works were The Phantom Ranger, The Shadow and Sir Falcon.

The Australian Shadow comic book was first published in May 1950 by Frew Publications and ran for two series in Australia. The final issue in the second series was #168, which makes The Shadow the second longest-running comic title in Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 "ChronicleChamber ¦ Phantom Comic News". Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  2. "AusReprints - the Suicide Squad (Frew Publications Pty Limited, 1952 series)".
  3. Hope, Steffan. "Jim Shepherd interview". Fantomet.org. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  4. "Giantsize Phantom".
  5. 1 2 "Héros – MAROCOMICS". Archived from the original on 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  6. "Issue 1830 - Annual Special, 2019".

Sources