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FCBD Interview: Daniel Herman Talks About the 80th Anniversary of The Phantom

Free Comic Book Day is helping celebrate the 80th anniversary of the original masked hero. 

Published by Hermes Press, The Phantom is a classic crime fighter who was made to be embraced by all ages!  

We talked with publisher Daniel Herman about the history of this iconic hero and why fans should pick up a copy of the book on FCBD ! 


 

Free Comic Book Day: For those who might be new to your comic book, give us a quick rundown of the story. 

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Daniel Herman: Firstly, this comic book is to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Phantom. The Phantom, as many know, was created in 1936 by Lee Falk and is one of the longest running newspaper comic strips in history. It has also gone through a number of comic book incarnations including our current series, featuring scripts by Peter David and art by Sal Velluto. We will shortly be announcing that we have a new 6 book arc - this time written by Ron Goulart and we will shortly be announcing the new artist on that book. The current Free Comic Book Day 80th anniversary book celebrates one of the best artists to work during Charlton Comics Phantom years, Jim Aparo. Jim Aparo is very well known to a number of fans for exciting and outstanding work on Batman but it is safe to say that he got one of his first big breaks on The Phantom. The stories in our Free Comic Book Day are classic tales reprinted from Aparo's run on the book. Without giving too much away, there are several shorter stories each which has an excellent plot, are well-paced, and have surprise endings which are truly memorable.     

Free Comic Book Day: What has been your favorite part of the book or character to tackle?

Daniel Herman: With Phantom comic books, the Phantom has a cast of characters, and they are all fun to work with. In the stories presented in Hermes Press' Phantom Free Comic Book Day, the Phantom interacts with his soon to be wife, Diana Palmer, his horse Hero, and of course, his always faithful wolf devil.

Free Comic Book Day: What initially got you interested in comics?

Daniel Herman: Hermes Press has been involved, in one way or the other, in the Comic Book World for over sixteen years. We began publishing art books about famous comic artists such as Gil Kane, Bill Sienkievicz, and Joe Chiodo, and then produced comic strip, pulp, and comic book histories noted by author Ron Goulart. We then went on in the early 2000's and started reproducing classic comic strips and then later archival editions of comic books. During that time we also began producing original comic books. Hermes Press now publishes Indie comic books and graphic novels, together with classic characters such as The Phantom.

Free Comic Book Day: What other titles would you compare to yours? “If a comic reader likes _______ , they should pick up my title"?

Daniel Herman: Any comic fan who loves great adventure and mystery, which is consistent with any of the great characters from DC and Marvel would love The Phantom. In fact, in the late 80s and 90s, DC and Marvel both did their own versions of Phantom comic books so it should come as no surprise that fans of the classic hero books of DC and Marvel would also love The Phantom as well. 

Free Comic Book Day: Tell fans why they should pick your book first on Free Comic Book Day!

Daniel Herman: The Phantom is the first, original, and most classic masked hero. Before Superman, before Batman, before Captain America, before the Marvel Universe, there was The Phantom. The Phantom continues to be one of the mainstays of the comic strip and comic book world. Why not then pick up a Free Comic Book Day book that embraces the first masked hero, sometimes referred to as the granddaddy of all masked heroes, The Phantom, the Ghost Who Walks - the man who never dies?

Free Comic Book Day: What is your favorite part about Free Comic Book Day?

Daniel Herman: Free Comic Book Day gives Hermes Press an opportunity to give kids a look at one of the great masked heroes of all time, and hopefully will introduce a whole new generation of readers to this iconic character.

Find a comic shop near you to celebrate Free Comic Book Day 2016!
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