The Phoenix Comic is Five Years Old Today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (David Fickling)

The weekly British children’s comic, The Phoenix, is celebrating its fifth birthday on Saturday 7th January 2017


Having launched in 2012, The Phoenix was rated ‘the second best comic in the world’ by Time Magazine. And in 2015 it became the first independent comic in the country to reach Issue 200 since 1969. Now in 2017, The Phoenix is celebrating its fifth birthday.


For five years The Phoenix has been enjoyed by thousands of families across the nation and received celebrity endorsements from some of Britain’s best-loved personalities and children’s writers, including Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo, Lauren Laverne, Chris Addison and Jacqueline Wilson. 


The Phoenix has been bringing award-winning stories to children every Friday for five years. To celebrate, The Phoenix have published a fifth birthday issue with a special cover signed by all the contributors who have been involved in making The Phoenix what is it today, including author Philip Pullman and young comic superstars Jordan Vigay and Jonny Toons, who have both had their work published in The Phoenix.


More and more research shows that comics are great for getting children reading and increasing their literacy levels. The Phoenix comic and The Phoenix Presents book series, in association with David Fickling Books, are leading the charge to get comics into the classroom and to get children reading at home.

The Phoenix Comic Achievements

General

• The Phoenix is the first independent comic in the country to reach 200 issues since 1969.

2013

• The Phoenix was quoted by Time magazine to be the “2^nd best comic in the world”.

2014

• David Fickling Books, the sister company to The Phoenix, started publishing bind-ups of comic content from The Phoenix to create the award-winning Phoenix Presents series.

• Von Doogan and the Curse of the Golden Monkey by Lorenzo Etherington was picked for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge.

• Bunny vs Monkey: Book 1 by Jamie Smart was picked for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge.

2015

• Pirates of Pangaea by Neill Cameron was picked for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge.

• Corpse Talk: Book 1 by Adam Murphy was the first ever comic to make the Blue Peter Best Non-Fiction Award shortlist.

• Gary’s Garden by Gary Northfield was nominated for the British Young People’s Comic Award.

• Star Cat by James Turner won the British Young People’s Comic Award.

2016

• Mega Robo Bros by Neill Cameron was nominated for the British Young People’s Comic Award.

• Tamsin and the Deep by Neill Cameron and Kate brown were nominated for the British Young People Comic award.

• Lost Tales by Adam Murphy won the British Young People’s Comic Award.

• Evil Emperor Penguin by Laura Ellen Anderson was picked for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge.

2017 

• In 2017, Lost Tales by Adam Murphy has already become the first ever comic to make the Blue Peter Best Story Award shortlist.