‘3 reasons Why You need to Read…‘ is broken Frontier’s semi-regular spotlight on a given serial comic that we think ought to be on your pull list. Whether it’s because of its thematic explorations, its craft and presentation, or if it’s something altogether much more frivolous, we’ll offer you with a trio of tips as to why you ought to be checking each chosen book out…
Seven years ago UK children’s anthology The Phoenix rose from the ashes of the subscription-only comic The DFC. Back in 2012 its market looked long dead and buried. But The Phoenix joined that terrific British survivor The Beano as a consistently entertaining regular dose of comics fun for a younger audience, and acted as a pointer that there’s life for weekly anthology comics for kids yet in terms of both content and method of delivery. Here’s just three reasons to check the comic out!
#1 – Upholding the terrific tradition of UK weekly Children’s Serial Comics
For those of us who can remember an era when UK newsagents’ shelves were bursting with comics covering multiple genres there’s a profound sadness that print weeklies for kids are now pretty much confined to The Beano and The Phoenix (it’s been a long time because 2000 ad was aimed at a juvenile market!). And The Phoenix has survived and creatively flourished at a point in time when it seemed like their publishing model would be forever consigned to nostalgic reminiscences of yesteryear.
Aimed at the 6-12-year-old demographic it differs from The Beano in offering a mix of both serialised multi-genre stories and complete humour strips. given that six year gap is actually a very significant one in terms of the evolving tastes of its readership it does a remarkably good job of pitching each strip at as broad an age range as possible. and it’s beautiful to think of there’s a whole new generation of kids eagerly awaiting their weekly comics fix every Friday!
#2 – A wonderful Line-Up of artists who know Their Audience
The list of contributors to have appeared in the pages of The Phoenix over the last seven years reads like a Who’s who of contemporary UK kids comics. Gary Northfield, the Etherington Brothers, Sarah McIntyre, Jim Medway, Kate Brown, Garen Ewing, Jamie smart and Jess Bradley are just a tiny number of those who have been featured in the weekly in that time. They’re all creators who intuitively understand their audiences and create for them without ever patronising them. Material has ranged from the educational-with-a-twist like Corpse Talk wherein Adam and Lisa Murphy analyze the life of historical figures through an undead commentary through to the slapstick fun of Jamie Smart’s Bunny Vs. Monkey which despite its fast-paced, mischievously cartoonish antics can occasionally have moments of practically existential charm (see the strip below left!).
Current standouts include the topical social commentary of the outstanding No country by Joe Brady and Patrice Aggs wherein a dictatorial Prime minister abandons the electoral process and uses the army to maintain power, tapping into the “kids versus authority” motif that was such a recurring theme in UK comics of the past. also quickly memorable from the recent crop of featured strips – some long-running, some newer – are the ever reputable Neill Cameron’s Mega Robo Bros starring two brothers who also happen to be the most powerful robots on the planet, the wacky craziness of James Turner’s very animal adventure Squad (first covered way back here at BF) and the science fiction epic of Robert Deas’ Trailblazers.
A recent example of jamie Smart’s Bunny Vs. Monkey and The Etherington Bros’ long Gone Don, one of the earliest strips
#3 – Collections Aplenty to bring in new Readers
If serial comics aren’t your preferred younger reader’s reading experience of choice then there’s also an comprehensive library of books collecting individual strips and serials in their own volumes, implying audiences with much more focused interests can concentrate on the characters that many appeal to them; adventure stories for the top end of The Phoenix age range possibly or the much more overtly comedic strips for the younger readers. The Phoenix remains a noteworthy entry point to the medium for new readers at a time when such formats are few and far between and has been a vitally essential presence in building an early interest in comics over the last few years. It is worthy of our support!
For much more on The Phoenix check out the site here and the online store here. You can also follow The Phoenix on Twitter here.