Rather than my usual flashback to a bygone New Year comic I thought this year I'd look into the crystal ball to highlight a few of the comics we can expect to see in 2012.
Next Saturday, January 7th, sees the launch of The Phoenix, the brand new weekly comic for children. Judging by the free Issue Zero that was released recently (and is now out of stock) this is going to be an impressive collection of some of the finest UK talent available. https://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/
The third issue of Strip Magazine is due later in January, with a new series, The Devil's Heritage, starting in that issue. There'll also be the continuing adventure strips Age of Heroes, Hook Jaw, a look back to the fondly remembered Star Lord comic, and much more. http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/
Hardware is another brand new British comic anthology scheduled for 2012. More details on this exciting new venture over the coming months!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hardware/275349482490630
Tim Perkins' eagerly awaited Worlds End graphic novel has recently been printed and should be available soon. A review of the book will appear on my blog shortly. http://www.wizards-keep.com/
Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons have revealed the title of their collaboration, - The Secret Service. Coming in February from comic specialist shops!
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34999
CLiNT comic continues into 2012, defying the cynics and proving its worth. Here's the cover to issue 14, out in February. http://titanmagazines.com/t/clint/
Panini UK will soon be ending their Fantastic Four Adventures comic with issue No.28 but March sees the launch of The Incredible Hulks No.1 (yes, for better or worse there's a team of Hulks now). The 100 page debut issue will be on sale in newsagents for £2.95. Issue 1 reprints the American issues #612 to 614.
Bryan Talbot's new graphic novel Dotter of her Father's Eyes, written by Bryan's wife Mary Talbot, will be published soon from Jonathan Cape in the UK and Dark Horse in the USA. (Bryan showed me a preview of this and it's a stunning piece of work. Definitely one to look forward to.) Bryan is also working on his third Grandville graphic novel. Another must-buy. http://www.bryan-talbot.com/
Another graphic novel to look forward to next year is the new The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen title Century:2009. The latest book in the saga by comic gods Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.
Hairy Steve should be bounding your way soon, courtesy of Jamie Smart and Steve Bright. The titanic twosome have been uploading pages as they're completed but personally I'm waiting until the comic is published to appreciate it in one sitting.
http://hairysteve.com/
Classical Comics will be continuing to expand their range of excellent graphic novels in 2012 with adaptations of Sweeny Todd, An Inspector Calls, The Importance of Being Earnest and perhaps more. http://www.classicalcomics.com/index.html
2012 is also the year of three comic anniversaries. 2000AD celebrates 35 years of publication in February, Toxic reaches 10 years in September, and The Dandy notches up a record-breaking 75 years next December. Expect some celebratory treats throughout the year including the return of some classic favourites in The Dandy Annual on sale in the second half of the year.
...and if I ever find enough spare time, I intend to collect the Brickman pages I did for Elephantmen comic into a one-off Brickman Returns full colour comic I'll publish myself. Here's a taster, but as yet I've no idea when the comic will be published. Hopefully before next Christmas!
These are just a few of the comics coming your way in 2012 and there'll be many other surprises as the year unfolds. No doubt that it'll be another mixed year of stumbles and triumphs (as is everyone's year) but the important thing is that the British comics industry is far from dead. Let's hope it's a very Happy New Year for creators and readers alike as we forge ahead into 2012!
The Phoenix has arrived, and it's looking good.
Considered by many to be the reincarnation of, or successor to, The DFC, the new weekly comic will be a welcome sight for those who were saddened when The DFC folded. In my view The Phoenix is a considerable improvement on The DFC, at least from the evidence of this preview issue.
My main problem with The DFC was that its content was aimed at too wide an age group, with younger-readers strips sitting uncomfortably alongside material for older readers. In my experience (as we learned with Oink! in 1986) this divides and alienates the audience from certain strips that are either too young or too old for them. With The Phoenix, this isn't a problem. The tone of the material is even and the result makes for a better comic.
Perhaps comparisons to The DFC are unfair, so with that out of the way how does The Phoenix hold up on its own merits? Extremely well. All of the material is of a very high standard indeed and the design of the comic is clutter-free and easy on the eye. With high quality printing and good paper stock this really looks the business.
In the tradition of children's comics of old, The Phoenix has a fictitious editorial team (the characters seen on Matt Baxter's cover) and this will no doubt serve as a good way to welcome young readers. Indeed, the comic is unashamedly and firmly aimed at children, but the high standard and variety of the creators involved should make it an appealing purchase for adult comic fans and pros as well.
The comic kicks off with a four page prelude to The Pirates of Pangaea by Daniel Harwell and Neil Cameron. The strip begins at the start of a voyage into unknown territory, and, for many young readers, that will no doubt mirror their experience of reading The Phoenix as their first comic. Set in 1717 and with a female hero, it's an intriguing opening chapter.
A regular feature of The Phoenix will be an extract from a children's book. In this instance it's To Be a Cat by Pete Williamson. It's good to see a text story in a comic again, and it reflects the editorial attitude of The Phoenix being influenced more by children's books than comics. This is a positive thing as it gives The Phoenix its own identity.
My favourite strip in the issue was James Turner's Star Cat. Fantastically daft and very amusing, as his Super Animal Adventure Squad had been for The DFC.
There's a two page article in strip form explaining the basics of How to Make Funny Comics. Now this is the sort of activity page I like; encouraging kids to make comics! There's another activity page at the back called The Dangerous Adventures of Von Doogan by Lorenzo Etherington. It's a puzzle page, but, again, in strip form. An excellent use of comics.
Corpse Talk by Alan Murphy is a strange strip. Strange in a good way though. It seems that in every issue a dead historical figure will be dug up and interviewed, wherein the corpse explains his/her history and achievements. This issue it's Amelia Earhart. Next time it's Nikola Tesla. This has to be the most bizarre educational strip idea ever seen in a childrens' comic. Brilliant.
Every issue of The Phoenix will feature a complete, one-off story. Issue Zero features The Apprentice written by Ben Haggarty with dark cartoony artwork by John Welding telling a tale of demons being summoned. Very nice work.
Fans of Jamie Smart will be pleased to hear that he's on board with a new strip, Bunny vs Monkey. The usual Jamie bonkersness and sure to be another hit.
As a free preview issue this is a very impressive debut for all concerned and it bodes very well for the regular weekly when it arrives on January 7th. I've always maintained that if a comic wants to succeed it must be unique, as Comic Cuts, The Dandy, Eagle, 2000AD, and Viz were when they launched. In that regard The Phoenix definitely has its own identity and, if it can spark an interest in those elusive, indifferent readers of today, I'm sure it'll be a success.
https://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/
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/
Here's the logo for The Phoenix, the brand new British comic coming out next year. They have a date too, - January 2012. The months will either fly by or we'll be spitting feathers in anticipation of drinking in the comic's goodness. (Don't worry. I'm sure the comic itself won't have bird puns that bad.)
The Phoenix blog has been updated with the info, so keep an eye on http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/blog/ over the coming months for all the news. A brand new weekly comic! Exciting innit?
Breaking news over at bleedingcool.com is that The DFC is allegedly returning under a new name, appropriately titled Phoenix.
Full information is still under wraps at present but it sounds like the same contributors will be involved, such as Emma Vieceli, Philip Pullman, Tony Lee... and surely with a comic title like that Woodrow Phoenix has to be on board again as well?
Hopefully Phoenix will have the long-term success that the previous comic deserved. Currently there's no news on whether it will be subscription only like The DFC was, or whether it'll be available on the High Street... or perhaps if it'll be a digital comic. Time will tell!
UPDATE: According to John Freeman's Down the Tubes blog, Phoenix (or rather, The Phoenix apparently) is not a revival of The DFC. "The Phoenix isn't affiliated to David Fickling Books or any other publisher" said Ben Sharpe, former DFC editor.
So, a new comic with the same editor as The DFC which held a party to announce the new comic, attended by many ex-DFC contributors, and allegedly also involving Will Fickling who was previously involved with The DFC. Other than that, not a revival of The DFC.
Confused? I think I've lost the will to blog. ;-)
Rather than my usual flashback to a bygone New Year comic I thought this year I'd look into the crystal ball to highlight a few of the comics we can expect to see in 2012.
The third issue of Strip Magazine is due later in January, with a new series, The Devil's Heritage, starting in that issue. There'll also be the continuing adventure strips Age of Heroes, Hook Jaw, a look back to the fondly remembered Star Lord comic, and much more. http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/
Tim Perkins' eagerly awaited Worlds End graphic novel has recently been printed and should be available soon. A review of the book will appear on my blog shortly. http://www.wizards-keep.com/
These are just a few of the comics coming your way in 2012 and there'll be many other surprises as the year unfolds. No doubt that it'll be another mixed year of stumbles and triumphs (as is everyone's year) but the important thing is that the British comics industry is far from dead. Let's hope it's a very Happy New Year for creators and readers alike as we forge ahead into 2012!
