PRESS RELEASE
NOVA Entertainment launches a new docu-series podcast on the most famous superhero…you’ve never heard of
We’re living in a world of superhero blockbusters. Yet while comic crusaders like Batman, Spider-Man and Wonder Woman get all the glory, the original spandex-clad hero goes unnoticed. Why is it the masked vigilante who started it all isn’t a household name?
Launched on 15 February, Nova’s latest podcast The Phantom Never Dies is hosted by author, screenwriter, and pop culture expert Maria Lewis, and explores the untold story of the world’s very first superhero.
Over six episodes, Maria will take the audience on a deep dive into the mysteriously forgotten comic book hero, from his origins as the archetype ‘white saviour’ to a character that came to represent duty, morality and all that was good in humankind.
Maria said, “From undermining the Nazis during World War II to the character’s connection with Indigenous communities globally, The Phantom’s history off the page is just as fascinating as what’s on it. Whether it’s through my work as a creator or curator, I’ve always believed pop culture has the power to change the world. With The Phantom Never Dies, we’re able to prove exactly that. The geek space can often feel exclusionary for those outside of it and over the course of the series, hopefully we’re able to bring newcomers – and hardcore Phans – into one of the most interesting, baffling and (at times) bat-shit insane stories never told.”
The Phantom Never Dies features interviews with Hollywood directors, comic book historians, Oscar-nominated Australian actors famous for playing superheroes and super villains, family members of original Phantom creators, legendary comic book artists, Hollywood production and costume designers, and many, many more.
Maria Lewis is a best-selling author, screenwriter and film curator. Getting her start as a police reporter, her work on pop culture has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, Empire Magazine, New York Post, Penthouse, Huffington Post, The Daily and Sunday Telegraph, i09 and many more. The author of eight internationally published novels, including the Aurealis Award-winning The Witch Who Courted Death, she was also behind the critically acclaimed audio documentary Josie and the Podcast about the 2001 cult film. As a screenwriter across film and television, she has worked on projects for SBS, Stan, DC Comics, Ubisoft, Netflix, AMC and several others.
Rachel Corbett, NOVA Entertainment’s Head of Podcasts and Digital Content said, “Superheroes are such a huge part of popular culture but the story of The Phantom and his incredible influence on the modern-day genre is largely unknown. We wanted to bring this story to life in podcast form with the fabulous Maria Lewis at the helm. Maria isn’t just a podcast host, she’s a bona fide super ‘Phan’ with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the character’s history, incredible relationships with anyone who’s anyone in the Phantom world and a Phantom merch collection that says, “this is not a phase”. Her passion and knowledge, combined with interviews with Phantom experts and people who had a front row seat to the character’s history, makes for a fascinating journey into the story behind the world’s first superhero.”
The NOVA Entertainment Podcast Network (NEPN) hosts the best Australian and international podcasts in investigative journalism, love, dating, comedy, entertainment, business and technology, health and lifestyle including Two Girls, One Pod with Angie Kent and Yvie Jones, The Space with Casey Donovan, Decoding Crypto and many more.
The Phantom Never Dies is an original Nova Podcast launched on Tuesday 15 February, with a new episode available on Tuesdays at 12am AEDT. The podcast is available here, on the Nova Player or wherever you access your podcasts.
Thank you Aleisha Gearside, Publicist – Nova Entertainment, for providing the above Press Release.
The Phantom 