Belle Époque
"Belle Époque" is a 7-part Frew story arc detailing the honeymoon of the 19th Phantom and his wife Jane in Paris during the "Beautiful Era".
Concept
The stories all take place in Paris during the honeymoon in 1912, but are relatively free standing. Each story is a resolved adventure of its own, with few recurring characters between them.
Behind the scenes
The stories were first published by Frew in Australia in black/white. The original six parts appeared in a short time span during 2022, and a short epilogue appeared in 2023.
Egmont in Sweden published the whole series during 2023, colored by Reprostugan.
Writer Pidde Andersson has created several stories about the 19th Phantom and Jane, detailing their life together before and after the honeymoon. These have been produced both by Frew and Egmont.
Preceding stories
"The Outlaws" by Pidde Andersson and Rafael Dantas has an epilogue that takes place in Paris when the Phantom and Jane arrive in Paris on the same honeymoon trip as in the "Belle Époque" stories.
Following stories
The end of the "Belle Époque" story arc leads directly into the story "The Prisoner in Marrakech" by Janne Lundström and Jaime Vallvé. This Team Fantomen story was published in 1975, and begins with The Phantom and Jane departing France after the honeymoon. It was this story that inspired Pidde Andersson to write a multipart serial that takes place during the Paris honeymoon.
In 2026, the 3-part story arc "The 5th Season" featuring Belle Époque villains was published.
Episodes
| # | Title | Writer | Artist | First publication | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Phantom Goes to Hell" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1912 (2022) | ||
| "On the Roofs of Paris" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1913 (2022) | ||
| "Beneath the Streets of Paris" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1917 (2022) | ||
| "Balloon for the Moon" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1919 (2022) | ||
| "Murder at Maxim's" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1922 (2022) | ||
| "The Gargoyle of Notre Dame" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1923 (2022) | ||
| "Jane Saves the President" | Andersson | Ochoa | The Phantom #1950 (2023) |