One of the most asked questions we get from phans from around the world is "Will Frew release their comics in digital format?". In a great announcement sent to their email list 12 days before Christmas 2023, Frew has released their 2022 catalogue in digital format. As of January 2024, they have also released digital comics from their catalogue back to 2018 with plans of even more.
We believe this is a great concept and could be a great service for the many international fans who want to digest Phantom comics from Frew.
As a rough guide for the digital comics:
36 or 44 page regular comic is $3.00Au
60 page full colour comic is $4.50Au
100 page special comic is $6.50Au
200+ page Annual comic is $8.75AU
If you are looking at a comic on the Frew shop you will see a window at the bottom that says "Material", where you have an option of "Paper Comic" or "Digital Comic" so all you need to do is select Digital Comic and you will receive a download link.
When testing the service, the CC team found it extraordinarily simple to use, with almost instantaneous access to the download link. The link remains usable for seven days but as noted, buyers can download and begin reading immediately.
The comic comes in PDF form so is readable on your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer without needing to acquire or familiarise yourself with any new software. One interesting point to note is that the PDF file is then completely printable or, importantly, transferable via any digital means - the file could be easily shared or posted wherever the buyer likes.
Each page of the PDF does get labeled with the buyer's details, including their name and email address, so this may encourage people not to have "their" copy leaked or freely available online. We are sure that Frew is also confident in the integrity of Phantom readers and phans.
This may also explain the decision to have only the 2022 catalogue available at this time, providing space between the printed hard copy hitting stores and the digital copy being downloadable.
Will you be buying digital comics? We would love to hear from you if you do consume your comics this way.
We certainly hope that it becomes popular with existing phans who may find this a more affordable way to purchase their Phantom (no postage required), and possibly even encourage new phans. Anything that supplies an extra revenue stream for Frew is welcome!
