Image via Paramount Pictures
Published Jan 30, 2026, 11:00 AM EST
CBR senior staff writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for over fifteen years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed). He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post, Vulture and Gizmodo. He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed and other pop culture features at Pop Culture References. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you'd like to see featured at brianc@cbr.com!
While he is perhaps best known among modern audiences for his cult classic 1996 film starring Billy Zane, the Phantom is one of the most influential superheroes in the history of comics. Introduced in 1936 by Lee Falk, The Phantom comic strip is still running to this day, 90 years later. While he was very popular in the United States right from the start in the 1930s, The Phantom is one of those characters that has gained a particular amount of fame around the world, with the character probably more famous in countries like Sweden, India, and Australia than he is even here in the United States, where he began his journey as a character (there was even a "Phantom Land" at a zoo in Sweden for a number of decades!).
Now, CBR can exclusively reveal the Phantom's next major adventure, which is an over-sized one-shot set to be released by Mad Cave Studios in April (released in conjunction with King Features Syndicates) called The Phantom vs. The Sky Band by writer Ray Fawkes, artist Federico Sabbatini, colorist JUANCHO!, and letterer Taylor Esposito. This follows up on Fawkes' acclaimed storyline in Mad Cave's new The Phantom comic book series, which was launched last year.
What is the solicitation for this new story?
Mad Cave Studios and King Features Syndicate released the following solicitation for the one-shot:
Written by Ray Fawkes (Batman: Eternal, Constantine) with art by Federico Sabbatini (Star Wars, Predator), colors by JUANCHO!, and letters by the award-winning Taylor Esposito, this one-shot follows the trail laid in The Phantom #1-5 with a new story perfect for fans of the series and brand-new readers. The Phantom vs. The Sky Band pits The Ghost Who Walks against a ruthless band of mercenaries who believed technology and altitude made them untouchable. They were wrong.
The Sky Band entered the Phantom’s domain when they took blood money to carry the Singh Brotherhood into Bangalla. They thought their helicopters would make them untraceable, immune. Now the mercenaries-for-hire will face the Phantom’s wrath. Those who survive…will be irreparably MARKED.
Cover A by Federico Sabbatini, and Cover B by Freddie Williams II and Andrew Dalhouse.
What does the creative team have to say about the new comic?
In a press release, Fawkes explained how excited he is about this new one-shot, “We got to bring the Sky Band into the first story in The Phantom series for a short appearance, and now I’m happy we can present a complete story, turning the focus on these mercenary pilots, a really fun and really different kind of challenge for The Phantom to tackle! They’re wily, they’re tough, and they’re full of surprises—he’s really going to have his hands full in this adventure!”
Sabbatini added, "Working on The Phantom was a real honor: he is an iconic character in American comics, who is also very famous in Europe. This story is full of action, twists and turns, and excitement. I had a lot of fun, and I hope that comes across in the pages I drew. I'm sure it will attract the attention of old and new readers alike!”
The Phantom vs. The Sky Band #1 is set to be released on April 22, 2026,
Source: Mad Cave Studio and King Features Syndicate
English (US) · 