Çizgi Roman Arşiv Dizisi (which translates to ‘Comics Archive Series’) was published by Marsik Publishing in Istanbul, Turkey in 2009. The series contains three softcover books and features a different comic book character in each edition, with Detective Nik and Butler Desmond found in edition number 1, Mandrake the Magician in edition number 2 and the Phantom in edition number 3.
Marsık Yayıncılık (Marsik Publishing) is an established Turkish independent publishing house founded in 2003 by Tanay Burcu Ural Kopan. Based in Istanbul, the company has dedicated over two decades to shaping the landscape of Turkish children’s literature, young adult fiction, and educational materials. Rather than chasing fleeting commercial trends, Marsık has focused on high-quality storytelling that broadens children’s imaginations and aids personality formation, featuring an extensive catalog of tales, poetry, novels, educational activity books, and translated world classics like Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist.
The publishing house maintains a strong connection to prominent Turkish literary figures, notably featuring the work of acclaimed children’s author and poet Yalvaç Ural. Through titles like Müzik Satan Çocuklar (Children Who Sell Music) and the poetry collection Kulağımdaki Küçük Çan (The Little Bell in My Ear), Marsık has helped cement these modern Turkish children’s classics for a new generation. Additionally, the publisher frequently collaborates with international creators, translating emotionally resonant contemporary works like Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings series and Roberto Totaro’s humorous Italian comic strips, Bay Filin Orman Günlüğü (Elephant’s Forest Diary).
While primarily recognized for its youth catalog, Marsık Yayıncılık holds a fascinating and highly specific place in Turkish sequential art history due to a brief collector-oriented venture in 2009. Under the unique label “Horoz Şekerli Çizgi Romanlar” (Rooster Candy Comic Books), they published a sleek, nostalgic retrospective titled Çizgi Roman Arşiv Dizisi (Comics Archive Series). This three-volume softcover initiative preserved foundational adventure strips for modern collectors, dedicating individual volumes to classic international heroes: Detective Nik and Butler Desmond in the first, Mandrake the Magician in the second, and a massive 273-page black-and-white volume dedicated to The Phantom (Kızılmaske). This crossover into vintage pulp comic archiving beautifully demonstrated Marsık’s broad editorial commitment to preserving both literary and graphic heritage.
The Phantom edition contains the title ‘Kızılmaske’ as he’s known in Turkey, published on 273 black and white pages and measures 16.5cm x 23.3cm. We also see the ‘Rooster Candy Comic Books’ logo/label on the front and back cover.
The comic book starts with several pages introducing the Phantom, followed by five Phantom comic strip stories, The Dakk Pirates, The Albee, Terror at the Opera, The Ghost Wall and The Halloween Kidnappers.
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