Everyone would just accuse you of Moonstone ass-kissing if you said you liked it, so what's the point?
Dougy, don't be so defeatist. I have not read this yet, but when I do I am sure I will like it.:unsure:
iarann wrote:
Wrong board. Here there seems to be a much nicer balance of things.
Yes, we are all pro-Moonstone! 
As for a review, I am setting up a blog just for Phantom reviews, I should have a link to post in a day or two. Law of the Jungle will be one of the first three I do.
Looking forward to that! 
I didn't like the artwork. The story was okay.
I didn't like the artwork. The story was okay.
I agree. The art looked OK on some spreads. On others it just looks weird.
Otherwise I found it unusual and interesting, but wow do you have to set the pre-1999 Phantom lore and feel to one side when you read it.
Pip
My copy finally arrived this week.
Overally, I did like it. There are nitpicks, but I did enjoy it. My biggest gripe with the story is that too many pages are spend on fight-scenes. They could have been used on developing the character of "Richard" a bit more.
I really like the book's dark, mysterious atmosphere. It is exactly how I would have imagined the Deep Woods being at night time.
Paul Guinan's art is stunning. Nuff said.
The story reminds me very much about Ben Raab's The Invisible Phantom and Lennart Moberg's The Psycopath. The psychological aspect is cleverly done, and it is quite cool to see the Phantom from the eyes of a disturbed person.
As for the people who claims this t is not the Phantom, they have every right to have that opinion. However, I think we should keep in mind that this is told from the perspective of a madman; a psychopathic, sad person who is willing to kill every man in the jungle to get a grip on the Ghost Who Walks. Therefore, we see the Phantom as this guy BELIEVES the Man Who Cannot Die is, and of course, his lack of logical thinking and pure hate for Mr. Walker can clutter his mind at times.
Also, the Phantom should appear menacing, threatening and overally as frightening as you would believe a real ghost should, at least when the protagonist is as crazy and merciless and this. The Phantom's legend and reputation is built upon him being The Man Who Cannot Die, the Ghost Who Walks, and the Nemesis of Evil. You don't get such a reputation for winking at the bad guys.
However, this doesn't mean I want the Phantom to turn into a Batman-clone. He should still be a nice guy, as we all probably like to see him. On the other hand, I would not mind if today's publishers returned to the character's roots and made him as mysterious, frightening, and sporadically dark as he was in the early Ray Moore stories.
On the other hand, I would not mind if today's publishers returned to the character's roots and made him as mysterious, frightening, and sporadically dark as he was in the early Ray Moore stories.
Neither would I.
But do you think that what Ben Raab et al has gifted us with so far equals 'early Moore'?
Pip
I don't understand the question. Ben Raab is a writer. Ray Moore was the artist.
^Besides, whether people like Ben's writing or not is irrelevant, since he has left the Phantom now.
However, this doesn't mean I want the Phantom to turn into a Batman-clone
This is anotehr thing that gets me. Why, whenever the Phantom appears slightly darker than usualy, do beope think the writers are trying to turn him into Batman?
However, this doesn't mean I want the Phantom to turn into a Batman-clone
This is anotehr thing that gets me. Why, whenever the Phantom appears slightly darker than usualy, do beope think the writers are trying to turn him into Batman?
Man! Now I hav to cross all these things off my to do list:
1) Give Phantom a Butler
2) Give Phantom teenage sidekick he saved from the Circus
3) Create Phantom-mobile, Phantom-Cave, Phantom-a-rangs and Phantom Utility Belt
4) Bring in daughter of local Police Commissiner and name her Phantom-Girl
5) Have Adam West play Phantom in corny TV show.
This is anotehr thing that gets me. Why, whenever the Phantom appears slightly darker than usualy, do beope think the writers are trying to turn him into Batman?
Because the two character are strikingly similiar on CERTAIN fields: Both originated because of murdered parents; both have no superpowers, both uses scary images (the mark of the skull and the mark of a bat) to get a psychological upper hand on the bad guys...
The list could probably go on. It would be fair to say that Bob Kane and Bill Finger were inspired by the Phantom in many ways when they created Batman. 
Then again, I NEVER said that anyone HAS tried to make the Phantom into a Batman-clone, just that I would not accept it if it happened. Today's Batman do nothing for me, because he is a so-called "hero" who behaves like an @ss, even against his friends.
To see how cool a darker Phantom can be without doing an imitation of many of today's angry, moody comic book characters, check out Verheiden's DC stories. Amazing stuff, as I have said on many occasions, which should be read by anyone with the slightest interest for the character.
And Dougy, read my post a bit more carefully and you'll notice I also said this:
On the other hand, I would not mind if today's publishers returned to the character's roots and made him as mysterious, frightening, and sporadically dark as he was in the early Ray Moore stories.
Mike:
2) Give Phantom teenage sidekick he saved from the Circus
Guran wearing bright yellow/green tights and a domino mask would be kinda cool. :mrgreen: ;p