You mean like "do balrogs have wings" - "do the Aliens have arms"?
Well, since the fishing rod seems just floating in the air, then...
And yeah - I think the cartoon seems to be getting more popular, but nah, I don't think it would be so bad that it'd press the newspaper itself away...
P.S. Hookbill, you said the Phantom seems happy... does the eyeal expression (something like facial expression, but since all we can see from his face are the eyes...) somehow indicate his mood? So far I noticed the three grimases... er... eyemasses
These are: OO or DD or OD
if you catch my meaning (he has the second one on the pic with Mrs.Alien)