#183 - Frew Crew 5 Year Retrospect

X-Band: The Phantom Podcast

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FREW CREW!!!

Tuesday 23 February we celebrated 5 years of the Frew Crew releasing their first comic and we discussed what they have done throughout the years. Plus we will try and play Nostradamus on what we think they will do in the future.

Tale of the tape

After Jim Shepherd's death in April 2013, Judith and their son Stephen stepped in and kept the title alive. Stephen introduced a number of initiatives, such as the Frew website, purchased a license for the posters and brought in the infamous Replica Series. Stephen also started the process of improving the covers.

In 2014 Dudley Hogarth came in to replace Stephen. Then in December 2015 Judith signed off and after almost two months of no Frew comics, Frew issue 1745 was released on 23 February 2016. It has been often described, particularly by members of Chronical chamber, as a Frew-naissance ever since.

The Frew Crew are:

• Glenn Ford: Co-Director
• Rene White: Co-Director
• Dudley Hogarth: Publisher
• Sha Hua: Production Coordinator
• Frank Schultz: Production Manager

Issues per Year Frew released are:

• 2016: 28
• 2017: 36
• 2018: 42
• 2019: 38
• 2020: 34

Key milestones of each year

2016
Colour (1748), first of heaps of Spada comics (1753), kiwi covers, 80th anniversary (1763), christmas album colour/theme (1772), Signature Series, Supanova stall and accompanying Supanova jam cover (1755) and posters Pholio series, Frew Crew badges

2017
Kid Phantom, Phantom’s World stand alone, Gaslight, Giant Size, first TPB, first themed annual (1774), Triptych cover (1792-4) and then poster, Phantom Universe cards and folder, Phile cards and folder (1775), sketch cover
2018
Frew 70th (1820), sequel/prequel stories to classics (Sin 1813) and Frew 70th, TPB 2, Kid Phantom Kollection

2019
War annual (1830), 1850 (Matt Kyme), 1852 (colour daily and BZ on cover), Frew trading cards, Jam story printed (1855), first graphic novel, Frew games boardgame kickstarter, Phantom Adventures Collection and door poster

2020
Kid Phantom & PW cancelled, TPB #3 out, Comixology

2021 (so far)
Frew Games boardgame released, TPB #4 out,

We then asked a heap of questions:

• What has been the THREE best things they have done
• What has been the THREE worst things they have done
• If Frew Crew were to end tomorrow, what would be their lasting legacy?
• Which has been your top THREE moments with Frew?
• What’s been your favourite Frew product?
• What’s been your favourite Frew comic/tpb?
• Looking into the future. What is the next step for Frew?
• If you were to join Frew, what would you do?
• What's your Best Frew year?

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