All the series creators are Fantomen fans, at least according to Mikael Bergkvist. In his home in Gullänget, comic books spread out over an entire table. There have been around 30 over the years.
He has previously both created his own comic books as Agent Marc Saunders, but also worked in the US with Neal Adams, known for his work with Batman, Green Lantern and The Flash.
Screenwriter instead of cartoonist
When Bergkvist came back to Sweden, he worked for a period with Andreas Eriksson, who later became editor of Fantomen.
– He propagated that they should take me in as a cartoonist, but they thought no, does his style really fit? So they tested me for the script instead and it went better, he says.
Fantasy adventure – but reflect reality
Instead, the task fell to Argentine champion Gerardo Canelo. Among the colorful pages you can see images from, among other things, an Egyptian museum that not only exists in real life – but is depicted from reality.
– Even though it is a fantasy adventure, you try to be as accurate as possible, just like there is actually a jade statue like this that is part of the script, says Bergkvist.
There may be more issues from the Phantom Artist
The issue is described as a mix between Die Hard and Indiana Jones, which is slightly more action-packed than the Phantom’s usual format.
– There are rumors that I will be able to draw and write Phantom in the future as well. If that’s the case, I think I’ll be the first Swedish artist to do it, says Bergkvist.