The Phantom Gladiator, Part 1

The Phantom Gladiator, Part 1
Produced for:	Fantomen 7/2009
# of pgs:	32
Writer:	Claes Reimerthi
Artist:	Kari Leppänen
Original colorist:	Reprostugan
Producer:	Egmont Kärnan

"The Phantom Gladiator, Part 1" is a 2009 Team Fantomen story, written by Claes Reimerthi, with art by Kari Leppänen.

Plot synopsis

At an archaelogical dig in France, Minerva Brooks has found documents from the first century who tells the story of a young Iceni warrior who was captured by the Romans and taken to Rome to be trained as a gladiator. Before his capture he was elected as the ceremonial husband of queen Bodicca and allowed to wear a skull ring as a token that he was to be sacrificed to the Celtic gods within a year.

Appearances

Recurring characters

• Cernwulf the Walker
• The 21st Phantom
• Minerva Brooks
• Guran
• Fraka
• Sandal Singh (mentioned)
• Christophe d'Errant (mentioned)

One-time characters

• Kai, Druid cult's high priest
• Gallus Caecena
• Valpurgia (Gallus Caecena's mother)
• Tigris, owner of the gladiator school
• Pugnax, instructor
• Maximus, gladiator
• Diodonus, gladiator
• Senator Publius Crustinus
• Clodia, his daughter

Real-life characters

• Empereor Nero
• Boadicca
• Gaius Suetonius Paulinus

Locations

• Bengali
  • Morristown
    • Local Post office
  • Deep Woods
    • The Skull Cave
      • The Radio Control Room
• France
• Britain
  • Island Mona (Anglesey)
• Italy
  • Rome
• Palestine (mentioned)

Tribes

• Iceni

Related stories

Followed by

• "The Phantom Gladiator, Part 2" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen
• "The Phantom Gladiator, Part 3" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen

Refers to

• "The Phantom Crusader, Part 1" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen
• "The Phantom Crusader, Part 2" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen
• "The Phantom Crusader, Part 3" by Claes Reimerthi and Kari Leppänen

Reprints

This story has been published in the following publications:

Australia

• "The Phantom Gladiator, Part 1", The Phantom #1545 (2009)

Finland

• "Rooman legendat 1: Gladiaattori", Mustanaamio 7/2009

Norway

• "Romerske legender 1: Gladiatoren", Fantomet 6/2009

Sweden

• "Romerska legender 1: Gladiatorn", Fantomen 7/2009
• "Gladiatorn", Den hemliga krönikan (2023)

Awards

• Best story (Sweden) 2009

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Best Story Winners
Finland
1985: "The Prisoner at Capitolium" | 1986: "The Moor of Death"
Norway
1979: "The Heirs" | 1983: "Tale of Rex" | 1984: "Hero" | 1985: "Pirates of the Yellow Snake" | 1986: "The Beanstalk" & "Race Against Death" (tie) | 1987: "Devil's Adventure" | 1988: "Eden" | 1989: "The Last Unicorn" | 1990: "The Last Emperor" | 1991: "Death of a Patrolman, Part 2: Tracking the Killers" | 1992: "The Wolf is Coming" | 1993: "Aron" | 1994: "The Commander is Dead" | 1995: "The Demon's Image" | 1996: "Johnny Hotwire" | 1997: "The Ghost Who Died Twice" | 1998: "The Last Phantom, Part 1: The Eighth Circle" | 1999: "Devil's Story" | 2000: "The Phantom vs Singh 2050" | 2001: "The Invisible Phantom" | 2002: "In A Strange Land, Part 2" | 2003: "My Darling Pirate" | 2004: "Son of the Pirate Queen" | 2005: "The King of Norway" | 2006: "The Singh Brotherhood" | 2007: "Dogai - The Road to Power" & "The Commander is Dead" (best reprint) | 2008: "The Devil of Ravenscar" & "Kingdom of the Amazons" (best reprint) | 2009: "Duel at Deadman's Gulch" | 2010: "The Cabin Boy and the Princess" | 2011: "The Gulf of Aden Pirates" | 2012: "The Pirates' Prisoner" | 2013: "The Slave Ship Zong" | 2014: "Death of a Pirate Queen" | 2015: "A Plague in Venice" | 2016: "John X" & "Patrolman X" | 2017: "The Karabasan League"
Sweden
1978: "The Avenger from the Sea" & "Phantom Wedding" (tie) | 1979: "Devil's Story" | 1980: "The Treasure from Rhodes" | 1981: "The Legend of the Swords, Part 1: Excalibur" | 1982: "The Stone Carving People" | 1983: "The Water of Life" | 1984: "The First Phantom" | 1985: "The Beanstalk" | 1986: "The Battle on Malta" & "Devil's Story" (best reprint) | 1987: "The King is Dead" | 1988: "Eden" | 1989: "The Last Unicorn" | 1990: "The Cathedral Mystery" | 1991: "Devil's Story" | 1992: "Hoogan's Revenge" | 1993: "The Test" | 1994: "The Commander is Dead" | 1995: "The Set Up, Part 1" & Part 2 | 1996: "The Last Viking" | 1997: "The Ghost Who Died Twice" | 1998: "Return of the Zombies" | 1999: "Devil's Story" | 2000: "The Phantom vs Singh 2050" | 2001: "The Prodigal Son" | 2002: "The Long Bow of Little John" | 2003: "My Darling Pirate" | 2004: "Son of the Pirate Queen" | 2005: "The Battle on Malta" | 2006: "The Singh Brotherhood" | 2007: "The Phantom Crusader, Part 1" & "The Commander is Dead" (best reprint) | 2008: "The Castaways" & "Kingdom of the Amazons" (best reprint)" | 2009: "The  Phantom Gladiator, Part 1" | 2010: "The Cabin Boy and the Princess" & "The Dragon Throne" (tie) | 2011: "The Sons of Captain Walker" | 2012: "The Pirates' Prisoner" | 2013: "Year 1349" | 2014: "Death of a Pirate Queen" | 2015: "A Plague in Venice" | 2016: "Nat Turner's Spirit, Part 6: The King of Louisiana" | 2017: "Farewell to the Deep Woods" | 2018: "The Ghost at Gallows' Inn" | 2019: "The Devil in Stockholm" | 2020: "A Reckoning with the Nomad" | 2021: "Devil's Story" | 2022: "Saga of the Vultures Chapter One: The Haunted Castle" | 2023: "Ku Klux Klan"