27 TCU Presents . . . 02: New Comics Intro - Euro Books – Phantom Daily Strips–24 Books வேதாளன்-முகமூடி வீரர் மாயாவி

Dear ComiRades,

Welcome back to TCU. Let us shuffle our memory cards and get back to the Chennai Book Fair 2011 post in TCU. At that time itself TCU has mentioned about the brand new Commando Comics and though it was well known to us, we kept the trade secret of the Phantom comics in waiting. Yes, TCU knew in 1st hand that Euro Books are about to publish the Phantom series in India with stories which were never ever published (in a book format, in colour). Since then, every time TCU paid a visit to the book shops (Which happens to be twice in a week), the only look was to know about the availability of Phantom series from Euro Books. Though we know that once they are packed, they will be sent to us, even before they reach the book shops. Still, TCU was waiting eagerly. And then, last fortnight, Yours truly received a call right in the middle of a meeting. As it was a call much awaited, Yours truly excused from the meeting and attended the call and got the news.

let’s get straight to the point – Phantom is back in India. Yes, Phantom is now available in New Comics Books in India and across the world. Thanks to Mr Om Prakash of Euro Books, TCU has got hold of the latest set of 24 books even before they reached the shops in Tamil Nadu. Old timers may recall that when the news about the Drona comics was known, it was Mr Om who delivered the book to us even before it reached the bookshops such as Landmark, Odyssey, etc. Even now, we have received a full set from him much earlier than they have reached the shops (Only this week the shops are showcasing these books).

Each one of the book is a compilation from the Daily strips and they are in multi colour and packaged amazingly with very good paper quality. They are also priced rightly. Initially they were priced at INR 55 per book. Later on, They revised the pricing and got it rounded off to INR 50 per book. This price is very much acceptable for a multi colour book in B-5 Size with a an average Page count of 84 (12 Books are 96 Pagers and the remaining 12 are 72 pagers). Here are the scans of Book 1 from this series which is the only one penned by Lee Falk before his demise. The 1st page of the story and the last page of the story are also provided to have a clear view of the printing quality.

Euro Books Book No 1 The Dakk Pirates	Euro Books Book No 1 The Dakk Pirates 1st Page	Euro Books Phantom Series Back Cover

Though these books are dated as 2010 in the credits page, They were made to available for sales only from April 2011. Here is the complete index of all the stories and the creators info. Thanks to Steve Cottle and his wonderful Site, we have got the complete index. Here is the Link to Steve’s Site: I Love Comix

The Complete Index of the Euro Books – The Phantom Daily Strips series – Euro Books Dated 2010 – On Stands April 2011

Note: There are certain books which end before the total number of pages mentioned in the index. For Example, the last book has a total number of pages of 96. However, the story ends in page 81 itself. To maintain the continuity with the number of pages, the publishers have included the preview of other phantom stories as fillers for the remaining pages. Hence in the last book, we have the preview of The locus God (8 Pages) and the Secret Temple of Eden (7 Pages).

Behold, here is the complete cover gallery of all the 24 Euro books in the Phantom series. Those residing in Tamil Nadu, here is the contact Number of Mr Om Prakash (Mobile:09383588878 & Mail id: ompra_73@yahoo.com). Those in India, Kindly click on the Contact page to get the contact details of Euro Books to buy this wonderful set.

Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 1 The Dakk Pirates Cover	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 2 The Ghost Wall Cover	Euro Books Phantom Series Book 3 The Treasure Hunters Cover
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 4 The Secret City Cover	Euro Books Phantom Series Book 5 The Valley of Gorilla Man	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 6 Ghost Quest Cover
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 7 Ghost Pirates	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 8 The Animal Collector	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 9 The Immortal Man
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 10 Jungle Mystery	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 11 The Hit Men	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 12 The Connoisseurs
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 13 The Viper God	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 14 The Locust God	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 15 Stripes
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 16 U Boat Mystery	Euro Books Phantom Series Book  17 Secret Temple of Eden	Euro Books Phantom SerieBook No 18 The Crime Apprentices
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 19 The Challenge	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 20 The Return of Chatu	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 21 The Doorman
Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 22 The Jungle Gang	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 23 Ordeal At Sea	Euro Books Phantom Series Book No 24 Graffitti

As in the case of the regular posts, here are the details of the creator details of these stories. Some of these creators’ photos are not available online considering the fact that Phantom happens to be the most well known comic character across the globe.

Photo
Description	Author – Phantom Daily Strips	Author – Phantom Daily Strips	Artist (Penciller) for Phantom Strips	Artist (Inker) for Phantom Strips	Artist (Penciller & Inker) for Phantom Strips
Pseudonym/Sign	De Paul	Reimerthi	Olesen	Williams	Ryan
Full Name	Tony De Paul	Claes Reimerthi	George Olesen	Keith Williams	Paul C Ryan
Nationality	American	Swedish	American	American	American
Age	57	56 (D.O.B: 12th Jan 1955)	87 (Dec 1924)	54 (D.O.B: 16th Sep 1957)	61 (D.O.B: 23rd Sep 1949)
Info Links	Wiki Page Phantom Wiki Interview Total Story Index	Wiki Page Swedish Wiki Home Page Interview Total Story Index	Wiki Page Phantom Wiki Lambiek	Wiki Page Link Phantom Wiki Total Story Index	Wiki Link for Ryan King Features Link Lambiek Link Home Page Daily Ink Link

News for the Tamil Comics Fans: There is a good news waiting in the wings for the Tamil Comirades. Very Soon (In fact, very, very soon) we are going to read these absolutely wonderful stories in our own Language – Tamil. Yes sir, that is going to happen. A Well known Publisher (An old friend of Yours truly) has recently acquired the rights to publish these in Tamil and this is the 1st time that he is venturing into Comics/Graphic Novels. As this involves lots of trade risk, TCU is holding the name of the publisher for the time being. However, you’ll get to know that news officially very soon and that will also be posted in TCU as well. Remember, you read it first here.

Well, that's all for the time being. As usual, post your comments in the comments section. For those who want to Pen their thoughts in Tamil, Kindly Use the Option Provided in the Widget in the Blog.

Thanks & Regards,

King Viswa.

29 Kollaikara Car – (Mini Lion Comics) A Tribute To S Vijayan’s Visionary Selection

Dear ComiRades,

Republic Day Wishes to One and all on the day in Which Mother India Celebrates Her adaptation from British Dominion to a Republic of her Own in 1950. After a Long and Strenuous Week, Yours truly got one more Holiday as this happens to be one among the three national Holidays in India. TCU Wishes all the readers from Australia on their National Day, even though they have lost yet another series to South Africa today. Hopefully a Series against New Zeland will make them feel better to gain confidence.

TCU received information from reliable sources that those who do not do a Comi-Post on Pongal Day will be called as “Non-Tamilians” and those who do Not post on Republic Day will be branded as “Anti-National Elements”. Just to escape from the accusations like this, TCU Made this post in a Hurry, In Spite of the fact that TCU’s System got crashed twice in Last week. Here is The Post which i should have done at least 10 days back.

When we Talk about Prakash Publishers, We Have to mention the fact that they are the pioneers in introducing many wonderful characters to Tamil Language for the first time. The Fact that They Launched a Comics Series Just for Laughter Element (Mini Lion Comics) is a Proof that they have much more than a mere profit element in mind. Hats Off to Them & just Like Josh, i will buy another Hat. Jokes apart, The Sad part is that Mini Lion Comics Couldn’t continue after 40 Wonderful issues, in spite of the fact that they had an array of Comic Super Stars like Lucky Luke, Chick Bill, Suskey + Wiskey, Uncle Scrooge, Ali Baba + Mustafa, Col. Clifton, Herlock Sholmes etc. Does it Reflect on the readers or the publishers? Reply Through Comment, As TCU is eager to know.

However, there are occasions in which One-Stop Stories have appeared in Mini Lion Comics. Even though, the reception was good, The Publishers Didn’t continue them for reasons known to themselves. One of the Gems among such stories was “Kollaikara Car - கொள்ளைகார கார் – The Car That Steals”. When we rate the entire 40 Books from Mini Lion Comics, TCU believes that This one will be in the top 5 Stories to be published under the Mini Lion Comics Banner.

Yours Truly has fond memories of this Book As this was the 1st Mini Lion Comics That he bought in News Paper Stand in 1991. At that Time Yours Truly was in 7th Standard and Had to travel for more than One Hour to reach School. Those were the days in which the new editions of Lion/Muthu/Mini Lion were bought when we visit to our Home Town. On the ides of July, Yours Truly had to Buy a Graph Note Book before the scjool starts and visited the New Shop near Bus Stand in a Hurry and Voila…Mini Lion Comics in News Stand. Yours Truly had no other option other than Buying this Book and the detention that i received on that morning was happily spent reading This wonderful Story which still holds a Special Place in TCU’s Memorabilia. The Story is set in Liverpool, U.K. Our Hero Chutty becomes frustrated with the noise pollution around him (Just Like TCU) and plans to buy a Peaceful Home in a Village far from the maddening crowd and the Noise Pollution that is happening in and around The City. Are we looking at similarities Between our own Comics Doctor here? After making the decision, they plan to visit a Real Estate Promoter who has a Wonderfully Edited comics Name – Savadaal Johnson சவடால் ஜான்சன்.In the Original Version he has a equally Funny comic name as well – Ernie Easy Money. Mini Lion Issue 25 Kollaikara Car Starter Disturbed By Noise Pollution – Hero Chutty Planning to Move From Noise Pollution-Village The Real Estate Promoter Gives them various options and after finding out that none of them fits into Chutty’s Budget, He Cons them by selling a Village House which goes by the name HardNut Hall. The truth in this case is, HardNut Hall is Suggested to Demolition by the previous Owner, Savadaal Johnson Dupes Chutty into Buying it. He Plays around the details he informs that the House has a Swimming Pool as well. When the Dynamic Duo Visits the Village, everyone is surprised by the fact that someone has ACTUALLY bought that house. When they enter the house, there was a Monumental Construction inside the Gate. Nutty Discovers what it is and couldn’t stop from Laughing it out and then explains that that construction is actually the “Swimming Pool” that they were supposed to have it in the house. This particular piece of Dialogue, (எண்டா, பல்லு சுளுக்கிகிற மாதிரி சிரிக்கிற?) has become the part and parcel of TCU’s Vocabulary since then. Nutty Meeting Realtor Savadaal Johnson Savadaal Johnson Cheating Chutty + Nutty Pal Sukukkum Comedy – ‘BIG’ Swimming Pool Mysterious Staircase Without Steps Forgetting Step-Less Staircase & Falling Inside the Home, they find out many Amazing things: One such being the staircase without Steps. and the Fact that Chutty Keeps on forgetting that simple thing: that this particular staircase has no steps at all and falls many-a-times. One Such Discovery being a “Food-ordering” System which fetches all the requirements, A La Cornucopia. After That, they find out that the Car Shed is Occupied by a Car and by Logic, they Come to the Conclusion that as the home belongs to them, so is the vehicle as well. Then they get on it and then Flow – Starting to Flow On It’s (His) Own Nutty Searching for Break in Flow-Funny discover that something is fundamentally wrong as they are no longer in control of the vehicle. The Car (Named as Flow) then moves towards the nearby town making his own travel path. Upon reaching the town, they soon discover the fact that the professor who lives opposite to HardNut Hall has fixed an Electronic Brain in the vehicle which enables The Car – Flow- To think on it’s own. Flow Filled With Low Quality Petrol Flow Chasing Traffic Police Man in Market Flow Stopping to Show ‘Car’umanity-Humanity Without realising the thinking capacity of Flow, Chutty orders to fill the tank with Low Quality Gas against the advice of the Gas Station Staff Only to be out-thought by Flow. He also cautions them not to confront the traffic policeman who once booked Flow for violation of Traffic Rule. The Incidents that follow on meeting the Traffic Police man Andrew is really funny. The Next scenario is when they return back to their new Home in their new Vehicle Flow. Suddenly Flow stops and the reason is Amazing: To save a snail which is crossing the Path. When Yours Truly first met The Visionary Author Ayyampalayam Venki Sir, the first set of dialogues mentioned during the discussion were this.ஆஹா, என்ன ஒரு மனிதாபிமானம். இல்லை, இல்லை காராபிமானம். It shows that these dialogues are not mere “Ulta” of the originals and this is where The Editor scores over the rest of the comics Publications – The Usage of Language in a Flowing style. Professor’s Cat Starting Flow Accidentally & Moving Professor Telling Chutty About Dismantling Flow After the Dynamic Duo reach their new House, they are captured by the Professor who lives in the opposite House. On regaining consciousness, they get to know the truth behind HardNut Hall and the Mystery behind Flow, the wonder car which was designed to Rob a Car without any Human Assistance. Chutty and Nutty are Shocked to know about the intentions of the Professor. While Telling other facts, Professor reveals that he has, in fact, removed the Electronic Brain from Flow and fixed it in his Modified Vehicle. Upon hearing this, Chutty’s anger Waxes to the limit and he quarrels with the Evil Professor. He is Joined by Nutty in the fight with Professor. The Professor’s Able Allies, Ted and Set join in the Big Fight and nobody exactly knows who is hitting whom. When the fight reaches the climax, the Evil professor’s Cat Looks for safety and jumps in the Modified Car with the brain and starts a journey of it’s own. Hilarious Fight Among the Lead Characters The Professor’s Car reaches the town causing Havoc in the way. To avoid the damages, The professor agrees to Install another Electronic Brain in the Body of Flow. Chutty and Nutty get on Flow and chase the Professor’s Car. The climax is really a nice piece of Comics History and those who read it wouls definitely agree with TCU. The scans of these pages are not included in the post considering the fact TCU will not violate Any Copy right violation. Kindly Beg / Borrow / Steal (From The Big Collection of The Comics Doctor) this Mini Lion Comics and read it first, if you have not done it earlier. Those who have it, kindly read it again to understand the subtle Comedy and other visionary things such as Noise pollution for which Yours Truly is a Vehement supporter. The Corresponding Scans of the Original issues are Posted here along with other relevant scans. This particular character is called as Whac and Mac in English and Starter in the creators language. This Particular Story Appeared Champion Magazine in U.K. (Courtesy:The Great Editor Steve Holland) from 11th June 1966 as per the data available in Comics UK. Champion Magazine First Page Comparison Champion Magazine 2nd Page Comparison Spirou Magazine Featuring Whacker in Cover The Concept of Starter was a Novel Idea.He was originally developed as a character to explain the nuances of the Cars in the Mid 60’s. As his popularity grew, He began to appear on the covers of Spirou Magazine as well. Later on, a series of stories featuring Starter alone came to limelight. Starter Promoting + Educating Readers Starter Explaining Car Details to Readers The Artwork for this wonderful book that appeared in a Single story in Mini Lion is by Jideham, the Belgian Comics Artist of the “Marcinelle School” Tradition of artwork. For those who want a piece of History, The term "Marcinelle school" (in French, École de Marcinelle) refers to a group of Belgian cartoonists formed by Joseph Gillain (Jijé) following World War II. Marcinelle school cartoonists were all associated with the weekly magazine, Spirou, whose offices in the 1940s were located in the town of Marcinelle, near Charleroi in Belgium. Stylistically, the Marcinelle school is a mix of cartoonish and realist. It is often cited in books in opposition to Hergé's ligne claire style. Though both styles have much in common, Marcinelle school is all about conveying the impression of movement, while ligne claire tends to be more schematic. From Now Onwards, TCU will Try to find out the origins of the comic Books that are reviewed over here and the first step on that is to let the readers know about the creators behind this masterpiece: Photo No Free Image Available Description Artist – Sketch Maker Story Writer Pseudonym Jideham Vicq Full Name Jean De Mesmaeker Antoine Raymond Nationality Belgian Belgian Age 73 (21-12-1935) 73 (01-01-1936) Info Links Wiki Link, BD Link BD Link Famous For Collaboration with Franquin on Spirou and Fantasio and Gaston La Gaffe as Co-Author Collaboration with Jideham on Starter Creator of Author of Starter, Sophie One Shot Work for Lucky Luke As usual, post your comments in the comments section. For those who want to Pen their thoughts in Tamil, Kindly Use the Option Provided in the Widget in the sidebar. Thanks & Regards, King Viswa.