1001 Roman – Özel Sayi (which translates to ‘1001 Novel – Special Issue’) was published by Türkiye Yayinevi in Turkey from the 3rd of January, 1940 thru till 1946. 75 editions are found in the series, with a mix of comic book characters found in the series, including the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Tim Tyler’s Luck, The Lone Ranger, Tarzan and Secret Agent X-9 plus locally created characters.
Türkiye Yayınevi stands as one of the most monumental and foundational pillars in the history of Turkish publishing and popular culture. Established in Istanbul in 1925 by the influential educator, writer, and entrepreneur Tahsin Demiray, the company dominated the mid-20th-century media landscape. Operating from the late 1920s through the 1960s, it transformed how the Turkish public consumed literature, history, and sequential art. Rather than relying solely on highbrow literary texts, Demiray built a vast media empire by focusing on mass-market appeal, pioneering high-circulation illustrated magazines, historical multi-volume encyclopedias, and serialized fiction.
For historians of sequential art, Türkiye Yayınevi is most revered as the true birthplace of the Turkish comic book industry (çizgi roman), largely due to its groundbreaking anthology magazine, 1001 Roman (Thousand and One Novels), launched in 1939. Under the technical and editorial guidance of Burhan Bilbaşar, this weekly publication introduced generations of Turkish readers to legendary American newspaper adventure strips. It was within the pages of 1001 Roman and its dedicated monthly Özel Sayı (Special Issues) that iconic pulp heroes like The Phantom (initially popularized under names like Kızıl Maske or Ölümsüz Ruh), Mandrake the Magician, Flash Gordon, Tarzan, and Secret Agent X-9 made their historic Turkish debuts. The high production values, coupled with expressive translations, turned these characters into immediate cultural phenomena.
Beyond imports, the publishing house acted as a crucial incubator for legendary local talent, shaping the careers of legendary Turkish illustrators and comic creators like Suat Yalaz, Samim Utkun, and Shahap Ayhan. In the 1960s, the company cemented its local legacy by publishing early weekly serialized runs of Yalaz’s masterpiece, Karaoğlan, a historical adventure comic that captured the national imagination. Additionally, Türkiye Yayınevi excelled in educational and mainstream print, producing iconic children’s magazines like Yavrutürk, foundational reference books, and deeply researched historical literature. By bridging the gap between American pulp syndication and authentic Turkish graphic storytelling, Türkiye Yayınevi laid the structural blueprint for all Turkish comic book publishing that followed.
Editions number 1 and 2 in the Özel Sayi series can be seen below, with edition number 1 featuring Mandrake the Magician and edition number 2 featuring The Lone Ranger. The title ‘1001 Roman’ is found at the top of all covers in the series, with the wording ‘Özel Sayi’ found in a circle which also contains the edition number. All editions are published with black and white internal pages in Turkish language.
The Phantom was published in 7 editions in the series.
Özel Sayi No. 3
Published on the 3rd of March 1940, the comic contains 52 pages and measures 14.5cm x 22cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic story, ‘War in the Jungle’ Part 1.
Özel Sayi No. 8
Published in 1940, the comic contains 42 pages and measures 14.5cm x 22cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic stories, ‘War in the Jungle’ Part 2 and ‘Little Toma’ Part 1.
Özel Sayi No. 15
Published on the 3rd of March 1941, the comic contains 42 pages and measures 14.5cm x 22cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic story, ‘The Sky Band’ Part 2.
Özel Sayi No. 26
Published on the 3rd of February 1942, the comic contains 42 pages and measures 15cm x 23cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic story, ‘Mysterious Protector’.
Özel Sayi No. 30
Published on the 3rd of June 1942, measuring 15cm x 23cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic story, ‘The Singh Brotherhood’ Part 1.
Özel Sayi No. 39
Published in March 1943, measuring 15cm x 23cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic story, ‘The Singh Brotherhood’ Part 2.
Özel Sayi No. 52
Published on the 3rd of April 1944, the comic contains 42 pages and measures 15cm x 23cm. It contains the Lee Falk and Ray Moore classic stories, ‘The Singh Brotherhood’ Part 1 & ‘The Sky Band’ Part 1.
A sample of internal pages found in Özel Sayi edition number 52 can be seen below.
11 albums containing from 4 to 6 random editions were also produced, bound in a hardcover format. A copy of the front and back cover of one of these editions can be seen below.
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