About a month ago, we reported that longtime Phantom phan Kelby Wooldridge was in the design stage of a new Phantom comic storage box.
Kelby is still working hard on getting the design off the ground, although his efforts have been slowed a little as overseas manufacturers closed to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It could be another month before a prototype is available.
However, Kelby has certainly listened to phan feedback, "I'm changing the appearance to be like an encyclopedia [or] old book with an area to put content details on the spine."
He is also looking into the possibility of a kickstarter campaign to help fund the production costs.
As you can see from the initial designs (below), the plan is for a hard cardboard storage box that will sit on the bookshelf like a normal book. It is intended to hold 13 comics plus an annual special. “There will be an area on the front and back to put information or sticker of artwork,” says Kelby, “Each box will have like a frame around the front and back … in different colours.”
Buyers will be able to decorate the cover with whatever artwork they choose.
“[The boxes] will fit Phantom, Marvel and DC comics in them. Also later down the track I want to get plastic sleeves and backing boards for the comics. The boxes are deep enough to hold the comics with these.”
Tentative costs will be around $15-$20 each, depending on phan interest (postage not included).
With quite a large minimum order required to start producing these, Kelby is keen to share costs with the wider community and to keep these down as much as possible, hence the kickstarter idea. “I myself am a collector so this would be helpful to me … postage could be minimised by sending them to one location per state as a bulk order.”
Anyone who would be interested in purchasing these to store their collection, or perhaps even assist with distribution as a state representative, should contact Kelby by email.
