New information is coming in regarding the brand new British comic, The Phoenix, which launches next year. There's the official mast head above, and the release date is now set for Saturday January 7th 2012.
Every issue will feature seven strips. Presumably this means that each strip will be longer than the traditional single or double pager. At last! This is a move that has been long needed in order to give humour-adventure strips the same depth and luxury that most European comic strips have enjoyed for decades.
Strips will include The Pie Thief, an adventure set in Victorian London by Faz Choudhury, Ghost Ant by Dave Shelton, and Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart.
It all sounds good so far! For more details visit The Phoenix blog here:
http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/blog/
now THIS sounds like a real comic. a thompson replacement for the Dandy?
ReplyDeleteIt's not published by DC Thomson, and The Dandy is still being published.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds a lot like DFC having humour and adventure stories and seven stories over all. Sounds very good. I was a big fan of the DFC so am sure I'll love the Phoenix!
ReplyDeleteWill you be contributing any time soon Lew?
I haven't had time to submit anything yet Harry, but it is a comic I'd like to contribute to at some stage, if they're interested of course. It might be that they're deliberately avoiding any artists who they think can only draw in the "Beano" style. I believe this was the case with The DFC, which didn't use any Beano/Dandy artists except for relative newcomers such as the brilliant Laura Howell and the equally fantastic Jamie Smart.
ReplyDeleteThe Phoenix sounds very old fashioned! "Story comic"? All comics tell stories don't they?
ReplyDeleteDespite my reservations I wish it well but it sounds too young for me.
Again, in light of the circulation figures discussion, it's going to be tough for the comic to capture the public's imagination. I'll be interested to see how they attempt to do this... hope they manage it!
ReplyDeletei'm really looking forward to this,
ReplyDeleteit should be really good if the logo is anything to go by, its got a very nice feel to it.
the choice of colours and typfaces is very well thought out.
(and a strong list of contributors
too by the sound of it!)
Lew, do you know if it will be available in the shops or by subscription only?
thanks
Peter
No idea yet Peter, but I doubt they'll make the same mistake of it being subs only again.
ReplyDeleteThat's a hard call. Subscriptions at least mean they've got a guaranteed income up front. On the other hand, they need a high street presence to grow the customer base via casual buyers.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about supporting this regardless of whether I'm the target demographic (obviously I'm not). As I've got older I've appreciated the art side of the comic biz more than the writing.
Back to the business model and distribution, I've thought about subscribing to The Dandy (because it's much cheaper) but resisted because I think buying from WHS creates awareness of the product - especially as my wife picks up my copy and relishes a fight with a sales assistant if she can't find it easily.
Their website says it's be subscription and "on the shelves". Whether that just means limited distribution or the full works I don't know. They're still being secretive about it at present.
ReplyDelete