So, the exciting news about a new weekly British comic has come to fruition, and the first issue arrived on my doorstep on Friday morning. Sadly I wasn't there to get it right then, as I was off visiting friends, but an early act on Friday evening (in between eating and getting ready to go out to a gig) was to rip apart the natty stripey envelope and devour the contents of The DFC.
It's substantial, I'll tell you that right away. 36 full-colour pages, jam-packed with no fillers like adverts or letters pages or horoscopes. Much of this is down to the subscription-only nature of its sales - no need for adverts - though I wonder if they will bring in things like letters pages (an important communication link with readers, especially younger ones, though both young and old love to see their names in print).
So, in detail. There are seven stories in this issue, by a good wide variety of creators, though mostly of a younger generation than otherwise. (Including four female creators - very good to see.)
* Philip Pullman is the big lead name (you may have seen some details out on the internet describing how Nick Abadzis was given the task of helping him learn more about how to write comics, specifically - an enviable task!). John Aggs draws the story, 'The Adventures of John Blake', in high-adventure manga style - a suitably big splash page to start the first issue off (with a huge squid no less - yay!). There's a lot of drama in this initial episode, from the camera angles to the eerie implications sketched out in the sightings of a mysterious schooner with a solitary boy manning it (very Flying Dutchman). Having said that, over these six pages you only feel like it's a taster so far - a promise of a substantial read to follow, hopefully.
* Following this is a humorous one-pager, the 'Super Animal Adventure Squad', by James Turner. Any strip that includes the words 'This is a level 6 cake emergency!' cannot fail to win, of course - and it is indeed an immediate winner. (My seven-year-old nephew mentioned this strip specifically in his initial look through the comic - he hadn't had time to read it all but this one was definitely a standout.) All the cakes are disappearing! A number of superheroic animals and robots must prevent... The Teatime of Doom! It's silly and spot-on and will be enjoyed by young and old alike.
I'm also pleased to see that, unlike the traditional British comic, the humour strip is not necessarily done as one-off complete stories each time - this week's episode ends with the promise of more (as well as a good throwaway joke).
* Another long strip follows - 'The Boss', written by John Aggs and, in an unusual combination, drawn by his mother, Patrice Aggs. As with the Pullman/Aggs strip, this five-page starter doesn't get very far yet, just setting the scene - but if anything, it does better at sketching the characters and scenario in that taster episode. (Admittedly this is made easier by its realistic school setting.)
* 'Monkey Nuts' by the Etherington Brothers is another short one - two pages, humorous, to be continued, as per the 'Super Animal Adventure Squad'. It's got good lines and good art, and I like the fact the main character seems to be the villain (Eric, or rather "I've told you a hundred times, I'm Lord Terra now! Eric is a rubbish name for an evil mastermind!"). It didn't grab me quite as immediately as some of the other strips though.
* Did I say seven new stories in this issue? That's what they said on the contents page, but actually if you count them there's eight. This must be because my favourite strip, 'Vern and Lettuce' by Sarah McIntyre, is not a continued story. However, it's a lovely little strip, beautifully drawn with movement and fun, and engaging characters and ideas even in this short outing. I definitely look forward to seeing more of this.
* 'The Spider Moon' is also one I am already very much looking forward to more of. Written and drawn by Kate Brown, it's got a fantasy-manga feel combined with a down-to-earth heroine - and all drawn beautifully, too. This is another six pager; I'd definitely class this as my favourite longer story in the comic. (I seem to recall that this might have been also published in the Guardian's comic section, but I only saw one or two episodes there so am not sure.)
* Four pages from the excellent Neill Cameron - 'Mo-Bot High'. Again, a winning concept - girl going to new school, needs to make new friends and find her way around - that is, just as soon as she finds out why it is that there are 'two giant robots having a scrap behind the bike sheds?' Why, indeed!
* Finally, four pager 'Good Dog, Bad Dog' by Dave Shelton - again, excited my nephew's interest enough for him to give it a mention in his initial thank-you for the subscription I gave. (Bribery for a link to real-life market research of course!) Another humorous animal comic, very nicely judged slapstick pacing.
Phew! and as if that wasn't enough, there are also a couple of three- or four-panel gag cartoons on the back page (by Jim Medway and Simone Lia respectively), some puzzles and gags on the inside front cover (Nick Sharratt and Woodrow Phoenix) and centre-page "doodlit" feature (complete it - colour it - collect it - an activity page for the reader) by Ted Dewan.
All told, this is guaranteed to keep a kid coming back to it over the week until the next issue arrives. There is plenty and more than plenty to read and re-read with anticipation, for kids of all ages.
For the older readers who perhaps are buying this remembering their own weekly comic, there are noticeable differences. It's not gendered or particularly age-streamed - so it's not a typical boys or girls comic of yore, and it certainly isn't likely to fall into the formulaic stories of war or wee slaveys. The pace is rather more generous than the white-heat of the seventies, where commercial needs meant constant and even ridiculous cliffhangers. This gives the vibe of being proper, well-developed, even writerly stories, suitable for being collected together afterwards. A good vibe to have, even if those of us with that nostalgia for the madness of those seventies comics may come to the end of the issue feeling both excited with the quality of the stories and slightly sorry not to see that extra weirdness.
More reviews here, by:
Forbidden Planet
Paul Gravett
Lew Stringer
John Freeman, Down The Tubes
It's substantial, I'll tell you that right away. 36 full-colour pages, jam-packed with no fillers like adverts or letters pages or horoscopes. Much of this is down to the subscription-only nature of its sales - no need for adverts - though I wonder if they will bring in things like letters pages (an important communication link with readers, especially younger ones, though both young and old love to see their names in print).
So, in detail. There are seven stories in this issue, by a good wide variety of creators, though mostly of a younger generation than otherwise. (Including four female creators - very good to see.)
* Philip Pullman is the big lead name (you may have seen some details out on the internet describing how Nick Abadzis was given the task of helping him learn more about how to write comics, specifically - an enviable task!). John Aggs draws the story, 'The Adventures of John Blake', in high-adventure manga style - a suitably big splash page to start the first issue off (with a huge squid no less - yay!). There's a lot of drama in this initial episode, from the camera angles to the eerie implications sketched out in the sightings of a mysterious schooner with a solitary boy manning it (very Flying Dutchman). Having said that, over these six pages you only feel like it's a taster so far - a promise of a substantial read to follow, hopefully.
* Following this is a humorous one-pager, the 'Super Animal Adventure Squad', by James Turner. Any strip that includes the words 'This is a level 6 cake emergency!' cannot fail to win, of course - and it is indeed an immediate winner. (My seven-year-old nephew mentioned this strip specifically in his initial look through the comic - he hadn't had time to read it all but this one was definitely a standout.) All the cakes are disappearing! A number of superheroic animals and robots must prevent... The Teatime of Doom! It's silly and spot-on and will be enjoyed by young and old alike.
I'm also pleased to see that, unlike the traditional British comic, the humour strip is not necessarily done as one-off complete stories each time - this week's episode ends with the promise of more (as well as a good throwaway joke).
* Another long strip follows - 'The Boss', written by John Aggs and, in an unusual combination, drawn by his mother, Patrice Aggs. As with the Pullman/Aggs strip, this five-page starter doesn't get very far yet, just setting the scene - but if anything, it does better at sketching the characters and scenario in that taster episode. (Admittedly this is made easier by its realistic school setting.)
* 'Monkey Nuts' by the Etherington Brothers is another short one - two pages, humorous, to be continued, as per the 'Super Animal Adventure Squad'. It's got good lines and good art, and I like the fact the main character seems to be the villain (Eric, or rather "I've told you a hundred times, I'm Lord Terra now! Eric is a rubbish name for an evil mastermind!"). It didn't grab me quite as immediately as some of the other strips though.
* Did I say seven new stories in this issue? That's what they said on the contents page, but actually if you count them there's eight. This must be because my favourite strip, 'Vern and Lettuce' by Sarah McIntyre, is not a continued story. However, it's a lovely little strip, beautifully drawn with movement and fun, and engaging characters and ideas even in this short outing. I definitely look forward to seeing more of this.
* 'The Spider Moon' is also one I am already very much looking forward to more of. Written and drawn by Kate Brown, it's got a fantasy-manga feel combined with a down-to-earth heroine - and all drawn beautifully, too. This is another six pager; I'd definitely class this as my favourite longer story in the comic. (I seem to recall that this might have been also published in the Guardian's comic section, but I only saw one or two episodes there so am not sure.)
* Four pages from the excellent Neill Cameron - 'Mo-Bot High'. Again, a winning concept - girl going to new school, needs to make new friends and find her way around - that is, just as soon as she finds out why it is that there are 'two giant robots having a scrap behind the bike sheds?' Why, indeed!
* Finally, four pager 'Good Dog, Bad Dog' by Dave Shelton - again, excited my nephew's interest enough for him to give it a mention in his initial thank-you for the subscription I gave. (Bribery for a link to real-life market research of course!) Another humorous animal comic, very nicely judged slapstick pacing.
Phew! and as if that wasn't enough, there are also a couple of three- or four-panel gag cartoons on the back page (by Jim Medway and Simone Lia respectively), some puzzles and gags on the inside front cover (Nick Sharratt and Woodrow Phoenix) and centre-page "doodlit" feature (complete it - colour it - collect it - an activity page for the reader) by Ted Dewan.
All told, this is guaranteed to keep a kid coming back to it over the week until the next issue arrives. There is plenty and more than plenty to read and re-read with anticipation, for kids of all ages.
For the older readers who perhaps are buying this remembering their own weekly comic, there are noticeable differences. It's not gendered or particularly age-streamed - so it's not a typical boys or girls comic of yore, and it certainly isn't likely to fall into the formulaic stories of war or wee slaveys. The pace is rather more generous than the white-heat of the seventies, where commercial needs meant constant and even ridiculous cliffhangers. This gives the vibe of being proper, well-developed, even writerly stories, suitable for being collected together afterwards. A good vibe to have, even if those of us with that nostalgia for the madness of those seventies comics may come to the end of the issue feeling both excited with the quality of the stories and slightly sorry not to see that extra weirdness.
More reviews here, by:
Forbidden Planet
Paul Gravett
Lew Stringer
John Freeman, Down The Tubes
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Comments
I'm not sure the weekly/subscription-only model is going to work, though, especially since subscribing now means you start with issue 2, and there doesn't seem any way of getting number 1. It's not like I'm a serious collector - I'd get it for my son, but it'd be good to start with the first issue so you get the stories from the start.
I don't know why I'm complaining to you as if it's your fault!
The idea is to reprint stories later on as collected editions, so even if you don't get the start of a story you will be able to get it later on. It might seem like cold comfort, but in comparison to the good old days of British comics it's no worse and slightly better - in the seventies you would never have been able to get back issues of British comics!
(In fact I always used to have the comic delivered by the newsagents so I didn't pick thru the racks for the British comics - though later on for the US comics I certainly did.)
Sarah x
They don't tell us nuffink! (Which is fair enough, mind).
I guess the big bit of feedback they'll get is the number of subscriptions that continue beyond the free four issues...