The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

I emailed a few people to talk to them about the return of the DFC and thought it would be interesting to let you see a little of what they came back with. Over to them…..

Dave Shelton, author Good Dog, Bad Dog - The very first release from the DFC Library and reviewed here.

“I am incredibly proud to have Good Dog, Bad Dog be the first of the DFC Library titles to appear. Looking at it again in book form now I, of course, see all the mistakes I made and the iffy bits of drawing and the dodgy bits of dialogue. But I also see, in the best of it, a freshness that, I think, stems from the speed and panic of the strips’ production. The whole idea for GDBD came together, by necessity, very quickly. I hope at some point I’ll have the chance to draw some new stories with them (there’s an idea festering in my brain now with the working title There Will Be Bones). My hopes for the DFC Library as an imprint are that, as much as anything, it’ll draw attention to what an achievement the DFC was, despite its short life, and what a loss its cancellation was. And that it will bring the stories to a new audience who, sadly, weren’t even aware of the DFC’s existence at the time.“

The Etherington Brothers – authors Monkey Nuts: The Diamond Egg Of Wonders, to be released in The DFC Library Sept 2010.

“It was a huge privilege to be involved with the DFC comic. From its passionate inception to its premature conclusion the comic radiated immense creativity and imagination.  Each week held new sequential delights, from the dramatic to the comedic to the whimsical. Now, with the rebirth of the brand in collected album form, the DFC is looking better than ever.  Our design for the series was always to create bande dessinée length stand-alone tales, and during the course of the comic’s run we completed the first two books (although the last 14 pages of our second story never saw print).  In the short term therefore, we’re both hoping the Library does well enough to allow volume two, The Big City Underground, to grace the shelves.  We’ve a wealth of additional escapades planned for our daring simian/robot duo so, fingers crossed, the series will continue to grow.”

Dave Morris, writer of Mirabilis: The Year Of Wonders – Currently looking at a spring 2011 publication for the first of a proposed 4 volume story. No idea whether this is an official DFC Library thing or whether the creators have done a deal elsewhere.

“We only really squeezed into the last few issues of The DFC, so I’d feel presumptuous listing our strip alongside the stalwarts that really defined it. The book I most wanted to see collected is Mezolith, so that’s one wish granted already. And, no reflection on the other DFC strips, but Mezolith for my money is going to be a true classic of literature that will be around for generations to come. I’d put it in the top ten kids’ books (whether GNs or prose novels) of all time.“

Adam Brockbank, artist on MeZolith – released from the DFC Library on April 1st and reviewed here.

“My hopes for the DFC Library are twofold. That with its confident, large, hardback BD format it will help to incubate a new assessment of the childrens comic similar to the French model; that is no longer seen as a poor cousin of ‘ real ‘ literature, but as an art form with it’s own unique mode of storytelling, its own unique possibilities.
Secondly, that its success will herald the return of a weekly childrens comic, whether that be in a new form, or some kind of ressurgence. Failing that, that the Library itself is sufficiently successful that it allows the publishers to commission new works and it can build into something wonderful. As for the future, our great hope is that we can continue Poika’s journey, with a second volume of tales, but that rather depends on the success of Book 1. We have other projects in embryo, some more adult, some for a younger readership. Crucially we like very much working together ( Ben Haggarty and I ) and hope to carry on doing just that!”