The Sunday Spotlight — The ‘Set The Stage For The New Bat-Hombre’ Edition

An oasis of momentary calm in the world of craziness, it’s time for another mini trip round a few bits of news. Yes, it’s Sunday Spotlight time once more. Well, it is Sunday, after all.

THE PHOENIX COMIC GETS TO ISSUE 700..

700 weekly issues of a kids comic, that’s something to celebrate. The Phoenix Comic has made it, against all odds, and it’s looking forward to many more issues of great comics.

It’s given us so much since it started back in 2011 with the zero issue, or 2012 for the proper first issue. We’ve had Bunny Versus Monkey from Jamie Smart taking over the whole world and becoming a global sensation. We;ve had Neill Cameron‘s Mega-Robo Bros giving us a series of wonderful comedy and great depth, we’ve had Jess Bradley‘s Squid Bits being so wondrously silly, we’ve had strips from the likes of Phillip Pullman, James TurnerPatrice Aggs,The Etherington Brothers,Adam Murphy,Chris Riddell, Gary Northfield, Simone Lia, Kate Brown, Garen Ewing, Dave Shelton, Paul Duffield, Rob Deas, and so many more.

The success of The Phoenix, a proper kids comic, is something we should all be celebrating. When those naysayers tell you that kids don’t read comics anymore, you know where to point them.

So, happy 700th to The Phoenix, congratulations on making it this far, and may we be celebrating many more anniversaries to come. Go subscribe, whether you’re a parent who wants your kids to read more, whether you’re a school librarian who wants your kids to get the best out of your library, whether you’re anyone with an interest in the way kids comics are going – go subscribe.

Here’s the cover to issue 700 by Robert Deas…

AND WHILE WE’RE TALKING GREAT KIDS COMICS – GO GET A FREE DIGITAL BEANO…

Whilst The Phoenix might be hitting issue 700, The Beano just keeps on going, always changing with the times, always giving us fun and silliness and great reading for kids of all ages.

And if you want to get an idea of what The Beano is like right now (I still can’t call it Beano, singular, it’s just ingrained in me to call it The Beano), you can claim your free digital Beano special by signing up to their newsletter here, and get a Beano special edition for free.

A1 & DEADLINE TO RETURN????…

There was a recent announcement at MCM in London about the return of two rather classic names in comics – A1 and Deadline. At their mailing list here you get this announcement…

‘A1 and Deadline return as one great comics magazine, with a stacked lineup of visionary talent who pushed the edge of comics forward. Inside, you’ll find the groundbreaking artwork and stories from legends the world just wasn’t ready for, but maybe the world is ready now! Talents like Steve Pugh, Mark Nelson, Bill Sienkiewicz, Rufus Dayglo, Ron Marz, Shakey Kane, Rhoald Marcellius, Toby Cypress, and Kevin Eastman – each bringing their unique magic to the page. And this is just the beginning!’

Now, for those of you who don’t know, an there will be some of you, seeing as both A1 and Deadline were comics children of the ’80s and ’90s. A1 was a graphic novel anthology masterminded by Garry Leach and Dave Elliott, that gave us some incredible works. Deadline was a Steve Dillon and Brett Ewins creation that gave us Tank Girl, Wired World, Hugo Tate, and so much more. The idea that they’re coming back in some form fills this old man’s heart with… well, not so much joy, but at least a hope that they’ll be able to catch at least some of the creative fire both titles did back in the day.

LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL BRINGS YOU BETWEEN THE LINES #5…

Aside from putting on a great convention/festival and really doing great things with supporting the promotion of comics, especially UK comics, LICAF also puts out a regular PDF magazine, Between The Lines. Sure, it’s promoting the festival by featuring the guests coming to the Lakes in September 2025, but that doesn’t mean it’s not packed with things you’ll want to read.

Here’s what they’re saying about issue 5…

‘Philip and Shelly Bond in the Spotlight in Between the Lines #5 – The fifth issue of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival’s Between the Lines online magazine, available now, edited by John McShane, includes an interview with comic creators Philip and Shelly Bond, guests at this year’s Festival in September. Find out more about Geezer, a terrific new series about a rock star who hasn’t quite made it yet. 

‘Also, Finn Miles explores the connections between author Ayn Rand her influence on Steve (Spider-Man) Ditko and other comics and film creators; explore the story behind the Festival’s latest book, Safaa and the Tent; cartoonist Martin Rowson talks about moving his work online. after “cancellation” by various elements of the media; the dedicated work of Avery Hill Publishing is put under the spotlight; and John McShane picks out his favourite comics, incldung the 1963 Beezer Annual and Judge Dredd America, to take with him to a desert island.’

You can read it on Issuu – or download a PDF using the link below

 

You can get hold of it here.

CAPE GRAPHIC NOVELS MINI-CON WITH ALISON BECHDEL & MORE – 21 JUNE, LONDON…

Foyles Charing Cross London and Cape Books present a whole day of graphic novel events and chat with Alison Bechdel, Becky Barnicoat, Matthew Dooley, Simone Lia, Dominique Duong, Isabel Greenberg, Anna Trench, & Miriam Gold.

Events run from 1pm, with subjects including life writing, feminist storytelling, and getting published, and end with an evening of conversation with Alison Bechdel, discussing her career and her new graphic novel, Spent.

A day ticket gets you entry to the events, with the Bechdel event separately ticketed. The day ticket events include Observational humour and life writing: Becky Barnicoat, Matthew Dooley & Simone Lia; Storyboarding workshop with Dominique Duong, whose debut GN is published by Cape in 2027; Getting published: An industry panel with the Cape team offering you a behind-the-scenes guide to getting your graphic novel published led by the publishing team at Jonathan Cape, plus agent James Spackman and graphic novelist Isabel Greenberg.; Writing Women & Hidden Histories with Anna Trench & Miriam Gold.

Finally, at 7-8pm, and evening with Bechdel, in a UK-exclusive event to talk about her life and career, including details of her brand-new book, Spent, published on 22 May.

Details and ticket info here.

 

DOCTOR WHO – NO SPOILERS AND A TRAILER FOR THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA…

So, we’re a week gone now from the Doctor Who finale of season two of the Russell T Davies and Ncuti Gatwa Disney/BBC co-production. What did you think of the ending?

Hopefully you managed to watch it with no spoilers. No such luck for me. I made the mistake of looking at social media and had the ending spoiled for me in the bloody title of a thing I read. Seriously, when will people stop doing this? If you’re running a spoiler, just do it beneath the bloody headline, please? Anyway, I hope you didn’t get the ending spoiled/spoilered the way I did.

Now, we’re left with uncertainty over the future. Who knows whether the Disney/BBC deal has been successful enough to mean they’re going ahead with another series of a co-production, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing the BBC forge ahead with a new series whatever happens. But right now, there’s no plans for anything more in 2025 for Who, and maybe we’ll get something in 2026.

Still, there is the spin-off series to look forward to… The War Between the Land and the Sea, coming sometime this year, with UNIT looking to stop a global war thanks to the return of the Sea Devils. We saw the first teaser trailer this week…