Whatever happened to Phantom?

I had been busy with work and other stuff(mainly laziness) which delayed this post somewhat. Today morning, I was rejoicing the fact that I had obtained a lot of Hellblazer comics when I was reminded of a childhood hero of mine. The Phantom. You remember him dont you? The Ghost who walks? If you had a childhood anything like mine, you will have fond memories of him. The worlds first costumed superhero was a daily staple for the Indian comics scene and still can be seen in some newspapers. If you ask me what it was about the Phantom that was so cool, I wont have any great revelations for you. Its just one of those days when nostalgia hits you hard and it brings you down on your knees. I remember losing a bunch of superman batman and phantom comics in the train... and crying a whole lot because of it.

Surprisingly, the internet shows that The Phantom is still in publication...even in India. But where do I find him? He is certainly not available online, or I would know. He is most certainly not available in the bookstores. I miss those big A4 size double splash pages, where Phantom leaves his mark on some bad guy's jaw and that was his calling card. It's odd isnt it? You would think that comics classics like the Phantom would be easier to get. Where is Hero, Devil, Diana and the Phantom's cave? Damn, its easier to get stupid Frank Miller but we dont get one new issue of Phantom? I dont know about you, but I certainly miss those days...maybe its time I went hunting in the second hand bookstores...you never know what you might get there.