#301 - Frew 2025 Annual Review

X-Band: The Phantom Podcast

The 2025 Frew annual deserves a stand alone review and we spend a good 70 minutes dissecting it. The theme for this years annual is a monster theme with 8 stories with a mixture of colour & black and white over 220+ pages. What do we like, what do we not like and what rating do we give it? Listen and or watch and find out. Do not remember to let us know what you agree and or disagree with.

Annuals are nothing new from around the world with British comics publishing them in hardcover albums during the 1950’s to the 1980’s as well as other countries publishing them. Frew published their first annual in 1991 and it was an instant hit.

Frew published their first one in 1991 and it was an instant hit. Rumours are that it sold out overnight and many collectors bought dozens as investments. Ever since, Frew has released an annual. Bar the odd year (3?), a replica edition of the Frew comics have been released. Loved by some and loathed by others but they are a staple along with the annual.

Since the Frew Crew has stood in the gap left by Jim Shepherd, they have released themed annuals with War, artists, Girl Phantom, Cowboy Phantoms, Animals of Edan and now its The Phantom vs The Monsters.

For those who want to cherry pick there way through the podcast, we have listed what we disscused and the time stamps. We would however suggest you listen / watch to the whole podcast ;)

• History & background of the Frew annuals: 2 Minutes
• Overall thoughts on the annual: 4 Minutes & 30 Seconds
• Stories
  • "The Ghost and the Wolves" by Andrew Constant and Jason Paulos: 17 Minutes & 30 Seconds
  • "Nema" by Andrew Constant and Jason Paulos: 24 Minutes
  • "Looking Back" by Andrew Constant and Giancarlo Caracuzzo: 29 Minutes
  • "Golem" by Johan L. Borgnes and Hans Lindahl: 36 Minutes
  • "Kuma the Creature" by Felmang: 40 Minutes & 30 Seconds
  • "The Mummy's Curse" by Janne Lundström and Jaime Vallvé: 50 Minutes
  • "The Vampire in Carpatia" by Ulf Granberg and Jaime Vallvé: 54 Minutes & 30 Seconds
  • "Creature from the Black" by Dean Rankine and Marcelo Baez: 1 Hour
• Our score of the annual: 1 Hour, 4 Minutes & 30 Seconds

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