Writer – Peter David
Artist – Joe Orlando
Inker – Dennis Janke
Colours – Anthony Tolin
Letters – Todd Klein

The book begins with the thirteenth Phantom in a whole mess of trouble and it likewise finds the current Phantom, the twenty-first as it were, also in the worst of places. Author Peter David continues to tell dual stories in this second issue and it makes for a most interesting tale as it moves along, the reader engrossed in every panel on every page. Suffice it to say, the current Phantom manages to get himself out of the bind he was in and even gleans a little information on the villain who is behind it all. As for the Phantom of the past, he does not fare so well, the man getting on in years and coming to the end of his time carrying the mantle. Be that as it may and as beaten down as he might be, he is not down for the count though he fails to escape his captors. For the rest of the book, David shows this particular Phantom biding his time, saving his strength as little as it might be, for when the right moment comes along, he will get away and when that happens, he will take his revenge upon those who have seen his face and taken what does not belong to them. The book cuts back to the present with David and illustrator Joe Orlando taking the Phantom to New York City, the home of the man named Chessman and it is there that he hopes to get some answers. As it is, he gets a couple but also discovers more trouble than he bargained for when the man he is looking for is not only a friend of the woman he sometimes calls upon but is waiting for him when he arrives. Things take a bit of an interesting turn when the book ends with the current-day Phantom realizing that he might be in a bit of trouble while the thirteenth Phantom is about to drown as the slave ship he is on has been attacked and is currently taking on water. David continues to do an excellent job in chronicling this outing featuring one of the biggest adventure heroes of all time while Orlando does a bang-up job with the artwork. It still remains to be seen how David is going to tie the events of the past to those of the present but he is heading towards that destination so it only remains to wait until it arrives and when it does, it should be worth the wait. Altogether, a very fun issue that continues to hit all the right notes.

4 out of 5