Writer – Mark Verheiden
Artist – Luke McDonnell
Colours – Anthony Tollin
Letters – Bob Pinaha

In the second part of the story which started in the previous book and the final tale to take place in this title as this is the last issue of its run, Mark Verheiden and Luke McDonnell do what they do best and pack it full drama and excitement to send it off in style. Two things are happening nearly simultaneously as The Phantom sits in jail, charged with crimes he did not commit while Diana waits back at the cave, looking to get married and worried that it may not happen now. Diana aims to do something about it and is not fooling around, getting herself in-country, to the prison and slipping The Phantom a lock-pick which surely would have landed her in hot water should she have been caught. Thankfully, she gets away as does Kit Walker, better known as The Phantom and it is not long before he starts to figure out who is behind the plot to get rid of him. Intrigue abounds as Verheiden weaves his tale and he sets a heavy tone as The Phantom goes about his business. Soon enough there is a decent bit of action where McDonnell continues to prove his prowess as a top-notch artist, the perfect fit for a title such as this. Throughout the series, he has only improved, and each book is more exciting because of it. Suffice it to say though, the art would be nothing without the story so it is a good thing that Verheiden would craft such compelling works. This issue would send The Phantom off in style, much like how it all began with The Ghost Who Walks exacting justice and righting wrongs. In past books, Verheiden would tackle issues like hunger, slavery and so forth yet in this final arc, he would look at the war within, the feud between local governments ruled by fear. Fear of the present, of the future, of losing power and doing everything possible to hold onto that power no matter the cost. Peace, in some men’s minds, attains nothing, gains nothing and it is unthinkable that some would seemingly give up everything to appease outside forces. Everything about this story is interesting but of course, it is The Phantom that the audience looks to in this story and he does not disappoint. Being the final outing for the character, at least as far as this title is concerned, there is a happy ending for how could there not be? Kit Walker and Diana get married and it is assumed that the long, unbroken line of The Phantom will continue long after Kit and everyone he knows is gone. Great stuff from all involved and a truly incredible series that should be collected so it might sit on everyone’s shelf.

4 out of 5