The Forbidden Planet International Blog

Okay, we’re up to issue 13 of the Phoenix and I’m pleased that it’s got a Neill Cameron Pirates Of Pangaea cover, as it’s been an absolute highlight of The Phoenix so far.

Daniel Hartwell’s story and script hits the perfect balance of exposition, dialogue and action, and Neill Cameron’s art just works so well to get over the epic scale and utterly cool imagery involved when you have a story mixing dinosaurs and pirates. I was going to scan in a double page spread by Cameron, a stunning piece of the pirate’s ship strapped onto the long-neck’s back before Sophie has to take a precarious walk up to the beast’s head to deliver food and water to the lookout. Sadly, it was just too big to scan, so here’s something slightly less impressive, still lovely though:

(Pirates Of Pangaea by Daniel Hartwell and Neill Cameron)

And after that bloody lovely start we’re almost straight into Jamie Smart and the (nearly) ever brilliant Bunny Vs Monkey. This week it’s an explosion of pink, spring blossoms, stupid animals, and a monkey with a steamroller….. and as usual a first few panels that had me spluttering coffee:

(Bunny Vs Monkey by Jamie Smart)

The Phoenix is full of some absolute top quality strips. Some hitting the target for me, some not so much, but such has to be the way with any good anthology.

Cogg & Sprokit by Jamie Littler is fun, nice to look at, but hasn’t really found it’s feet yet. It’s not out and out funny, not moving forward enough to be a great adventure… it’s sitting uncomfortably between the two right now. Kate Brown’s The Lost Boy continues to look gorgeous, with a colour palette that’s so beautifully rich. But in all honesty I’ve stopped reading it. I’ll revisit when it’s on the last episode. Sorry, but two pages at this pace just isn’t working and never has. Gary Northfield returns with Gary’s Garden, and a high paced, manic squirrel in the latest of his great strips, whilst Adam Murphy’s Corpse Talk is one that’s won me over, the last couple have been really good, and this week it’s Marie Antoinette’s turn to return from the grave:

(Corpse Talk by Adam Murphy)

But the big news this week is the return of Dave Shelton and the great cast of Good Dog, Bad Dog. The first set of adventures were just great (reviewed here), and I’ve high hopes for this latest story; Double Identity.

Lots of noir references, starting with the title, and keeping going even to the font choice, the typewriter style could be lost on the children, but it looks great and gives the story the feel of a Chandler-esque noir comedy. This time round detectives McBoo and Bergman are called in over threatening letters to a famous film star, but first Bergman needs to pick up McBoo from the cinema….

(The brilliant Good Dog, Bad Dog by Dave Shelton)

Molly meanwhile is loving the Patrice Aggs’ Blimpville What Will Happen Next? middle pages of chaotic guesswork, and she’s usually found, last thing Friday night deciphering the latest Von Doogan puzzle by the Etherington Brothers.

One thing that is really taking shape now is the editorial side of things, with the cast of animal characters responsible for putting the comic together having their own adventures throughout the comic. It gives the whole comic a voice, and it’s been really well done, especially over the last few weeks culminating in the comic’s takeover by a time-travelling Owl of evil:

(Phoenix editorial art by Matt Baxter)

Great stuff, and just the sort of thing to energise the readership, get the children reading the comic really involved in the comic.

The Phoenix is doing so much right. You can, and should subscribe for a weekly delivery of a great, great children’s comic at The Phoenix website.