Klub Der Bastei Freunde (which translates to The Bastei Friends Club) was established in Germany in 2002. The club publishes 4 magazine per year containing topics centered around the German based publishing house, Bastei Verlag.

The magazines published by Klub Der Bastei Freunde which are titled ‘Bastei Freunde’ (which translates to ‘Bastei Friends’) contain a mix of contents, including publication checklists, details reference articles about published series, short story comic strips, and interviews with writers, illustrators and editors.

Bastei Freunde magazines initially contained 24 pages, however as research and interest grew in the publication, it now contains 36 pages. The magazines commenced print in black and white in 2002, however in 2015, from edition number 40, the magazine was published in full color on high quality paper, through to this day.

The Phantom makes an appearance in the Bastei Freunde magazine series in a variety of editions in feature articles and checklists. He features on the front covers of 2 editions out of the 55 editions published to date, number 26 and 50.

Edition Number 26

Edition number 26 was published in August 2009 containing 32 black and white pages measuring 21cm x 30cm. The edition contains historical information about the Phantom as published by Bastei Verlag in Germany, an article titled ‘Phantom, The Ghost Who Walks In The House of Bastei’ written by Martin Hilland.

This edition was released with 2 variant covers, however contained the same contents. It contains varying image, one printed in color which was an exclusive release to members, and the second in black and white released for general public purchase. These 2 variant cover editions can be seen below.

Edition Number 50

Edition number 50 was published in June 2020 containing 52 color pages measuring 21cm x 30cm. The edition contains historical information about the Phantom as published by Bastei Verlag in Germany, an article titled ‘In memoriam Werner Geismar’. It also contains a Phantom story titled ‘The Slave’ written by Peter Mennigen and illustrated by José María Ortiz Tafalla.

The front and back covers of Bastei Freunde edition number 50 can be seen below, with cover art by Rafael López Espí.

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