Issue 1584 - Fortnightly, 2010

• "Gold Fever Climax" - story by Michael Tierres and art by Jaime Vallve.

Presenting the second and final part of Gold Fever, an adventure which first appeared in a Scandinavian edition of The Phantom comic book, way back in 1984.

Written by ‘Michael Tierres’ (Claes Reimerthi) and illustrated by Jaime Vallve, it is a perfect example of the typically frantic adventures from that period, but a story nonetheless, which has stood the test of time.

Gold Fever has obviously been enjoyed by the vast bulk of Frew’s loyal readers and running through all the comments is a common thread….how well The Phantom has always fitted into an American ‛cowboy’ or ‘western’ environment!

It’s a fair enough comment!

The Phantom, even in Lee Falk’s time, sometimes rode the range….check out The Phantom Cowboy (1994) and a number of adventures linked to The Phantom’s desert hideaway in the New Mexico desert.

Then reflect on the number of times The Phantom has been thrust into a wild west setting by various creators for Scandinavian Phantom comic books!

Gold Fever is not strictly a wild west adventure, but in this second part of the story, The Phantom spends a fair amount of time in saloons (never once with a glass in hand!), dresses in frontier clothing and sports a cowboy-style gunbelt.

Despite the fact that his early years included basic jungle survival skills, jungle weapon training and a British University education, he somehow carries the air of somebody who was born and raised in the American wild west!

I occasionally suggest readers go back to a previous issue to refresh their memory about a serialised story.

This is another occasion!