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More and more librarians are discovering this to be SO TRUE:



One of the reasons we need well-trained librarians is to help kids find the right comics for them! Comics are an obvious choice for any library: kids will snatch them up and devour them, even those who would never normally pick up a book. But I remember as a kid, not liking superhero comics. And when I ran out of Archie comics and newspaper comics to read, I didn't know what else was out there. A lot of people think comics is a genre (they might lump them together as funnies, or superhero stories) but it wasn't until I was an grownup that I realised there could be comics about absolutely anything; it's a medium, just like books or television or plays. I can find cowboy comics, romantic comics, murder mystery comics, comics about art theory, recipe comics, science comics, political comics, you name it.


One of the comics in the spotlight today is The Dandy, which is transitioning from the print version to a digital-only version tonight at midnight. The amazing Jamie Smart designed the last cover for the print comic, and blogged about his experiences at The Dandy here.



Jamie's optimistic about the future of comics, and I am, too! And one of the reasons is because of another comic that's only run for 47 issues so far, but has some of the best quality comics I've ever seen in a weekly magazine. But I'm not sure so many librarians know about this yet; a friend was speaking to a room full of librarians in Devon and asked if anyone had heard of The Phoenix Comic...

...and not a single librarian raised a hand.

WHAT...???!!

LIBRARIANS, PLEASE LISTEN UP! There's a fabulous new comic out, and it's called The Phoenix!


Matilda Johnson, publisher David Fickling, designer Matt Baxter, writer Dan Hartwell launching The Phoenix at Oxford's Story Museum

And guess what? One of the most regular contributors is that same Jamie Smart who draws Desperate Dan for The Dandy and in this one, he draws the wildly exciting Bunny vs Monkey, which is not to be missed! Here's a little peek at his strip:



I've only had a four-page comic in one issue, this one I made with Philip Reeve. We had loads of fun experimenting with it! Philip usually writes, but we wrote it together, he drew it, and I coloured it. You'll get surprises like this from loads of Britain's top writers and illustrators! Names you might recognise from The Phoenix and its earlier incarnation, The DFC, include Chris Riddell, Philip Pullman, Adam Brockbank (who designed monsters in the Harry Potter films), Garen Ewing (of The Rainbow Orchid)and Dave Shelton (A Boy and a Bear in a Boat).



Here's my fab studio mate Gary Northfield's regular Phoenix strip, Gary's Garden, full of madcap animal adventures.



Wouldn't you like to have a weekly comics magazine in your library? It's 32 pages of full-colour comics, aimed at kids (and adults) aged eight and older. It's a mix of self-contained strips and ongoing stories. But what if you only want complete, self-contained stories in one cover? Well, then you have the books of collected strips, The DFC Library! Full-length books, chock-full of amazing comics. Here's one of my favourites, Super Animal Adventure Squad by James Turner:



It's SO FUNNY!


But the DFC Library books are not all funny! Mezolith by Adam Brockbank and Ben Haggarty is quite dark and spooky. Something for everyone. Here's Baggage by the marvelous Etherington Brothers. Have you ever Bob and Lorenzo Etherington do a workshop? They're incredible.



In fact, almost all The Phoenix creators do workshops! How about bringing them into your school? You can either look them up directly on their websites and e-mail them, or contact The Phoenix to ask them to put you in touch. Yes, you will need to pay them, as you would any visiting author, but you'll get your money's worth, I am absolutely certain of this.


Adam Murphy, Kate Brown, Jamie Littler, Jamie Smart, me, Neill Cameron, John Aggs, Lorenzo Etherington, Gary Northfield

Neill Cameron (creator of DFC Library book Mo-bot High runs a frequent strip in The Phoenix, How to Make AWESOME Comics. Which highlights one of the truly awesome things about comics: when kids read them, they almost always want to make them, too!



Here are just a few of the awesome things about kids making comics:

* Appreciation: Kids who makes their own reading material will care more about other things out there that are waiting to be read. Think about it. Someone who puts a lot of effort into cooking will take more interest in a fine meal at a restaurant, sussing out which herbs were used, trying to second-guess the sauce ingredients. Its' the same with comics; a kid who makes comics will study other people's comics to get ideas. They're learn how stories work, page layouts, sentence structures, pacing, characterisation, etc.

* Skill building: If kids (or adults) are having a hard time with either writing or drawing, they can use the other skill to compensate in the story, pulling along the skill that's weaker. If they can't draw something, they can write it; if they can't write it, they can draw it. And by, doing this, it will help improve both skills. And by stealth, it teaches lots of other skills, too: design, typography, entrepreneurship, even geometry, in the way a page is broken up into segments.



* Cultural accessibility: Kids don't need to speak English to make comics in the classroom; there are incredible wordless comics out there, such as Shaun Tan's The Arrival and Bob Graham's How to Heal a Broken Wing. So if you have kids in your school who don't speak English, they can get stuck into making comics right away, and sound effects (BAM! BOP! ARRRR! Mmm...) are a great place to start learning basic sounds and letters.

* Active participation: Sometimes the so-called 'reluctant readers' are reluctant because they don't like passively listening to stuff being fed to them. They want to do it THEMSELVES. Maybe be a bit silly. And comics enable them to do just that; take control and MAKE the comics.

* Inclusivity: Comics appeal to all ages and cross the reading gender gap. (That said, generally I find that it's difficult to run comic workshops for children under the age of 8. But they can do great character development workshops, getting them ready to make comics when they're a bit older and can put together a story better.)

... And that's just the start of a list that could go on for pages and pages (let me know if you want me to blog more about this!).



So that's my tip for the day, go subscribe to The Phoenix Comic, or at least have a good look at their website. Please tell everyone about it! The Phoenix doesn't have a massive publicity department, and they're putting most of their budget into making the comics top-notch. So let's spread the word, so we get more awesome comics like theses.



And also have a browse of the DFC Library, really high quality comic books that will make your library shine.



For people who are thinking about getting themselves or friends a subscription for Christmas, you can buy a special Phoenix Gift Box:



Neill Cameron has blogged about them here. I don't have a financial stake in The Phoenix succeeding, I just love it, and really, really want it to gallop forward. It needs your support and for people to know about it! You can follow The Phoenix on Twitter at @PhoenixComicUK. There's also a digital version of The Phoenix coming soon, which will make it accessible more globally, so keep an eye on their website and Twitter feed!

If you want to read more of my musings about the futures I envision for comics, I've suggested that every school could have its own comics festival and put out a plea for a database reviews of kid-friendly comics, linked up with a database of its creators. The discussions continue... Read the rest of this post

I have so much to blog about from yesterday that I hardly know where to start, but I'll begin at the end of the day, when I went to Tales on Moon Lane bookshop in south London for the launch of James Turner's brilliantly funny comic Super Animal Adventure Squad. It's the latest installment if the magnificent DFC Library (of which my Vern and Lettuce book is part!) and not to be missed. A perfect Christmas prezzie for kids, say, 7 years up to 99 years. Not just for kids, adult will love this book, too. (Book details here)



James spent much of yesterday baking! And he didn't do your standard iced cupcake, oh no, that is not James. He made his cake out of BROCCOLI. Yes, he did. And funnily enough, they were very tasty, with the added frisson of biting into unexpected clumps of hot pepper.




Here's our publisher, David Fickling, proclaiming the glories of Rex, Agent K, Bearbot, Irwin and Beesley.



Here are Phoenix comic publicist Ross Fraser, David's wife Caro Fickling, John Aggs and David admiring the quirky, fun artwork. (Just checking, have you subscribed to The Phoenix yet? The first issue's not far away! And John Aggs and his mother Patrice Aggs are hosting a party to launch their DFC Library book, The Boss on Thursday! Details here...)



If you get James to sign your comic but don't tell him which character, he will most likely draw Beesley, because he is the easiest to draw. In fact, there's even a How-to-draw-Beesley guide in the back of the book.



These two lovely ladies are James's partner, Akanksha Awal, and store manager George Hanratty.



Thanks so much to Tales on Moon Lane for hosting the party! It's an amazing bookshop, and here's a video from their website if you'd like a peek at it.

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Hey, don't let all my NELSON comic goings-on distract you from possibly the most AMAZING COMICS OF THE YEAR, which is launching next Tuesday, the 6th, at beautiful Herne Hill bookshop Tales on Moon Lane, in south London. Are you going to be there?



James Turner is possibly the funniest writer I know, and his characterful artwork complements it wonderfully. You'll remember his comics strip from The DFC, Super Animal Adventure Squad and now the book is coming out, as part of the DFC Library! (If you liked my Vern and Lettuce, also in the DFC Library, you will LOVE James's family-friendly, all ages comic.)



Don't just take my word for it! Go read a review on the FPI blog by Ryan, in Year 6, another review by Lewis, Year 4, and a third review by adult reviewer Richard Bruton. You can buy it at Tales on Moon Lane, all good comics bookshops, FPI, etc.

In fact, our DFC colleague Woodrow Phoenix and I were such fans that we took two of his characters out for lunch one day:



And James is doing another comic strip, soon to launch in The Phoenix Comic. Don't miss the very first issues, sign up for the first copies now, over on their website. (And you can also catch a glimpse of the new strip by my fab studio mate Gary Northfield!)



James is eruditebaboon on Twitter and Gary is gnorthfield, be sure you're following them!.

Aaahh, what are those marvelous goodies in the window of Daunt Books???



It's BAGGAGE, the Etherington Brothers' brand-new addition to the DFC Library series of AMAZING comics for kids, adults, aliens, cowboys, whoever craves pages full of lush story goodness. Here's writer Bob Etherington, our fab publisher David Fickling, and artist Lorenzo Etherington at their madcap launch on Thursday night in London.



Lookie, lookie, isn't it lovely? And at the party, we had not only The Brothers, but two other creators from about-to-be-launched DFC Library books! From the left, here's James Turner, David, John Aggs and The Bros.



So let's have a little peek, shall we? (Am I allowed? Heh heh... apologies, these are merely snapshots, you can probably get *proper* scans from the publicists or artists themselves.) But a little peek, just for yoooou....




The back cover reads: Meet Randall, a happy-go-lucky but disaster-prone lost property officer with an impossible task. In order to save the job he loves he must locate the owner of the oldest item stored in his immense warehouse... in just one day!

So begins an adventurous journey through a wonderous city. Clues are uncovered when Randall leasts expects them, and help arrives from the strangest of quarters.

But whereever Randall goes, trouble is sure to follow. And even if he succeeds in his mission, just how much of the city will be left standing?

Oh, and would'ya look at this title page?! Beeyootiful.



Okay, and a sneaky little peek at the action-packed, highly caffeinated world inside those Etherington Brothers' heads.



Warning: book includes MASS DESTRUCTION.



Moving on to another of Thursday's party's very special guests! Here is the magnificent James Turner with his journalist partner Akanksha Awal.



I've been waiting SO LONG for this book to come out. Do you remember these wacky little guys? They ran at the same time as my Vern and Lettuce in The Guardian, and I am a huge fan. James is possibly the funniest writer I know, and his drawings perfectly capture the spirit of the characters' banter.



Every book needs an exploding pirate ship.



A cunning escape ruse... involving... pumice? Whaaa...? Ha ha ha...



And our next very special guest, John Aggs! Here is is with one of our fab DFC editors, Will Fickling, who currently is commissioning work for the Phoenix Comic. (Comic creators and readers, if you don't know about the Phoenix Comic yet - which launches in January -

Last night my new book Vern and Lettuce was well and truly LAUNCHED! Yay!!!!



This is the first published book I've both written and illustrated myself (in the past I've illustrated books), so for me it was a very big deal! I realised Vern and Lettuce go to several parties in the story, so I've included some footage among the other photos:


I know just what Lettuce felt like, my dress was a bit hitchy, too. Thanks, Philipa Dickinson, the very enthusiastic MD of Random House for coming along to show your support of the DFC Library series! It's great to know Random House is going nuts about comics. Hurrah!

Yours truly and Random House MD Philippa Dickinson

A big thanks to the book's editor (and editor of Morris the Mankiest Monster) Hannah Featherstone. (My other two comics editors, while the strip ran weekly in the DFC magazine, were Ben Sharpe and Will Fickling). And thanks to best-ever publisher David Fickling!

Editor Hannah Featherstone and publisher David Fickling

My super-talented, super-organised studio mate Lauren O'Farrell co-hosted the evening with me, as it was part book launch, part Stitch London craft event. So people sat down to tables full of craft supplies and MADE SHEEP! Best thing ever. Thanks, Stitch London people, for all your goodwill and support! Here's the DFC Library's Spider Moon creator Kate Brown, and her husband Paul Duffield (who also makes comics).


Kate Brown, Paul Duffield and Sarah (GingerKnits on Twitter) from The Bothered Owl crafts team

In that photo, you can also glimpse a menu of the Stamford Arms, who not only do excellent food and drink, but they were incredibly helpful and generous hosts. The manager, Conor, is the loveliest guy you'll ever meet and the two illustration students who worked the bar really looked after us. If you're ever in need of a party venue that's warm, comfortable and conveniently near Waterloo Station, the Stamford Arms is your best bet. (The knitters have known this for a long time already.)

Here's the poster image I made (which I never actually got around to printing up, so here it is!)


And look! Lots of lovely handmade sheep! I didn't manage to get any photos during the award ceremony, but Lauren took some, so I'll post those later. Congratulations to everyone who came away with their own sheep! They were great.

Stitch a Sheep results (one h