The Kings Cross Connection

The Kings Cross Connection
Produced for:	The Phantom #1000
# of pgs:	28
Writer:	Jim Shepherd
Artist:	Keith Chatto
Original colorist:	N/A
Producer:	Frew Publications

"The Kings Cross Connection" from 1992 is the third story to be produced by Frew. It is written by Jim Shepherd, and drawn by Keith Chatto.

Plot synopsis

The Phantom receives a letter from an old friend, Dr. Jack Warburton, who once saved The Phantom's life after a showdown with French weapon smuggler Bluebeard in Morristown. Dr. Warburton, living in Sydney, writes that Bluebeard has been seen in Australia, and The Phantom decides to head over to Sydney to investigate.

After having paid Dr. Warburton a visit, The Phantom breaks into an art gallery owned by Bluebeard, and finds out that he is up to his old tricks - illegal weapon trading. Tracking down the origin of the weapons, The Phantom finds himself in the Australian outback, and is finally able to find the weapon import station. With the help of his friends in the Wuluti tribe he has Bluebeard's henchmen arrested.

Back in Sydney The Phantom finally get face-to-face with Bluebeard, and arrange for him to be arrested. In a private meting with the Australian prime minister, The Phantom hands over evidence of the largest weapon smuggling in the western world, and is finally able to return to Morristown after a successful mission.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• the 21st Phantom
• Devil
• Guran
• Hero
• the Monkey Mail
• Lamanda Luaga

One-time characters

• Dr. Jack Warburton
• Bluebeard
• Mrs. Warburton
• Dr. Victor Chang (mentioned)
• Pete
• Bert

Real-life characters

• Bob Hawke

Locations

• Bengali
  • Morristown
• Australia
  • Sydney
    • Sydney International Airport
    • Kings Cross
    • Penny Lane
    • Woolloomooloo Bay
  • Canberra

Tribes

• Bandar
• Waluti

Organizations

• Bengali Airlines

Old jungle sayings

• "When Phantom moves, lightning stands still..."
• "The Phantom moves faster than jungle cat..."

Trivia

• With an all-Australian creative team, "The Kings Cross Connection" features several well known Australian locations and sightings.
• The Australian prime minister appears unnamed. However - his appearance clearly identify him as Bob Hawke, the longtime Australian prime minister who took office in March 1983 and remained there until he resigned in December 1991, one month prior to the original release of "The Kings Cross Connection".
• Although other Frew stories refers to the homecountry of the Phantom as Bangalla, this story has the Phantom traveling with Bengali Airlines.
• The Wuluti tribe, originally appearing in the two-part Team Fantomen story "Wuluti's Secret" and "The Black Fire", reappears in this story, but their name is misspelled "Waluti".
• "The Kings Cross Connection" was Keith Chatto's final Phantom story. He died in October 1992, nine months after its release. At the time, he was working on a follow-up story entitled "The Revenge of Kharmi", but only having completed six pages, it remains unfinished.

Related stories

Refers to

• "Wuluti's Secret" by Norman Worker and Carlos Cruz
• "The Black Fire" by Norman Worker and Carlos Cruz

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• The Phantom #1000 (1992)
• The Phantom #1219 (1999)
• The Phantom #1763 (2016)