Fantoom is the title of a comic book series published by ULF in Estonia from 1993 thru till 1994. The series contains 3 editions, featuring artwork and stories previously published in Sweden by Semic Press in their Fantomen comic book series.
Operating during the chaotic, highly experimental post-Soviet transition period of the early 1990s, the elusive Estonian publisher ULF left behind a tiny but historically fascinating footprint. Rather than focusing solely on mainstream comic books, ULF was an eclectic boutique publisher that specialized in translating Western pop culture and pioneering local tabletop gaming concepts. They are only recorded as having released three distinct projects before closing their doors: a brief, three-issue run of Fantoom (The Phantom) in 1993, a translation of Bud Grace’s American comic strip Ernie in 1994, and Isanda Vari (The Shadow of the Master), which was proudly marketed as the very first original Estonian adventure gamebook.
Despite its flash-in-the-pan existence, ULF served as an important early playground for creative minds who would later shape the Estonian art scene. Notably, Asko Künnap, who co-created their landmark magazine-style adventure gamebook, went on to become a highly celebrated Estonian designer, board game creator, and award-winning poet. Like many independent publishers of the Baltic 1990s, ULF likely folded due to the harsh economic realities of the newly opened market, leaving behind a legacy of incredibly distinct and highly sought-after collectible rarities.
Fantoom comic books were released in a softcover format, comprising 36 black and white pages per edition, with dimensions of 17cm x 26cm. The first edition in the series was published in 1993 numbered 1, with the other two editions published in 1994 numbered 1 and 2. The front covers of all 3 editions of Fantom comic books can be seen below.
The Fantoom front covers showcase a distinct evolution in design, layout, and pricing structure over their brief publication run. While all three issues feature the unified, stylized “Fantoom” title across the top, only the first two editions contain the black-and-white geometric “ULF” logo in the footer margin.
The first edition published in 1993 features a clean cover design, in contrast, the second cover (dated 1994) leans heavily into text promotions, incorporating a yellow parchment box advertising a “monster car” contest, a prominent story title (“Cape Codi Saladus”), and an official ISSN barcode number in the upper right corner. The third cover (labeled “No 2 • 1994”) changes formatting entirely by explicitly adding the issue number and a price tag of “6:00” in the top right, while introducing bold yellow promotional text blocks (“SAATAN” and “UUED VINGED AUHINNAD!”) integrated directly into a dynamic, action-oriented combat scene between the Phantom and an adversary.
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