 Crossgen's recruitment of Ryan and other notable talent led DC Comics to consider that upstart publisher a significant threat in the comic book market.Ryan's involvement with "The Phantom" began when a fan bidding on one of Ryan's eBay auctions in 2001 contacted him, and asked if he had ever considered working for a comics company outside the U.S.This fan had been an intern at Egmont Publishing, which produces "The Phantom" ("Fantomen") comic in Sweden.