Interpresse – Historien om et forlag (which translates to Interpresse – The Story of a Publishing House), with the tagline “Interpresses venner præsenterer” (The Friends of Interpresse Present) is a book published by Fantask A/S in Denmark in October 2004. Marking a monumental milestone, the project was conceived exactly one year prior, in October 2003, when a group of former employees formed a circle called “Interpresses venner” to organize a grand celebration and document the historic 50-year anniversary of the founding of the legendary Scandinavian publishing house.

The 116 black and white page book was heavily put together and written by prominent former editors and comic industry veterans Michael G. Nielsen and Per Sanderhage, alongside extensive first-hand accounts directly from the original founder of Interpresse, Arne Stenby. Rather than being written from a detached, third-person biographical perspective, the book acts as an oral and collective history. It weaves together interviews, nostalgic anecdotes, and essays contributed by various editorial staff members who shaped the cultural landscape of Danish and Scandinavian comics over several decades.

Fundamentally, the book serves as a definitive retrospective biography of Interpresse, a powerhouse Danish comic book publisher founded in 1954 by Arne Stenby and Armas Morby. Interpresse went from a small independent operation to a mythical publication giant that dominated the Nordic market. The book chronicles the company’s entire journey: its rise during the Cold War era, its survival strategies using discounted street cart sales, its aggressive acquisition of competing publishers, and its eventual corporate acquisition and absorption into Egmont in the late 1990s.

Interpresse – Historien om et forlag is structured into distinct chapters that combine text, archival photography, and a complete comprehensive history of the publishing firm. It includes a heavily detailed index of every single comic book title and magazine series published under the Interpresse banner. The layout features unique insights into the daily workings of the creative editorial offices, structural breakdowns of how massive hit series like Basserne (Beetle Bailey), Valhalla, and Garfield were translated or produced, and deep-dives into the company’s printing facilities via Stenby Tryk.

Crucially, the book details Interpresse’s massive relationship with Lee Falk’s famous character, The Phantom, known locally in Denmark as Fantomet. The book highlights how Interpresse launched the dedicated monthly Fantomet comic book magazine in 1971, adapting and editing the highly successful material coming out of Sweden’s Fantomen series. This title became an absolute cornerstone of Interpresse’s action-adventure lineup for more than two decades, culminating in a massive run of 358 individual issues published under their banner before the license changed hands.

Beyond the main monthly series, the retrospective covers how Interpresse aggressively expanded the Ghost Who Walks across multiple formats in the Danish market. This included publishing high-demand collector items such as the Fantomet SUPER-album, the Fantomet Pockets, historical chronicles like Fantomets Krøniker, and high-quality standalone graphic novels like Fantomet Album Nr. 4: Historien om Junglepatruljen edited by Henning Kure. Ultimately, the book details how Fantomet wasn’t just another licensed character, but a foundational pillar that helped cement Interpresse’s legendary status in comic book history.

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