A couple of weeks ago the excitement levels in our house hit the roof as an envelope containing Issue Zero of The Phoenix arrived through the letterbox.
As my six-year-old lad was drawn away by the powers of Lego, my daughter settled down to read the comic from cover to cover. Here is her review.
The Phoenix Comic – Issue zero
Reviewed by Niamh, aged 9
It has a nice front cover, good title, and it would probably stand out in a shop. It’s obviously for kids and makes me want to find out more.
The comic.
In the Welcome page, I really liked the names of the characters on The Phoenix team and the ‘Phoenix fact’.
The first story is ‘The Pirates of Pangaea’, beginning with a map that I really liked. I enjoyed the way the characters speak with their ‘pirate talk’.
‘What will Happen Next’ (a puzzle page) – it looked strange at first, but once I looked online at Part 1 I loved looking for all the things that happened.
‘Tale Feathers’ (featuring an extract from a new book) – I loved this too, I really want to read the book now.
‘Star Cat’ – Quite good, funny and sci-fi.
‘How to Make Awesome Comics’ – I really liked this, good advice! I want to draw my own now. (Niamh filled this in straight away.)
‘The Apprentice’ – I like this story, the setting and the illustrations.
‘Corpse talk ‘– it was very funny and full of facts.
‘Bunny vs Monkey’ – quite good. I like the way it was set in the Jungle with talking animals. Funny too.
I also like the look of some of the stories that are advertised in this issue that will begin in Issue 1. In general.
Nice illustrations. I really like the notes from the editors, Tabs and Chops, throughout the comic and I’m looking forward to reading the stories. Can’t wait for Issue 1!
Niamh did love it, and has since re-read it a number of times. It now lives at the bottom of her bed along with her copies of The Dandy, Mo-Bot High and various other comics and books – she reads a lot!
From a parents point of view, The Phoenix looks really promising and the artwork is wonderful. It’s great to see a comic for children full of stories and I wish it every success.
Bring Back Bunty 
Yay! Great to read one of the first Phoenix reviews!
Hi! I’ve just found your site and I’m loving it. I’ve always been a big fan of comics and graphic novels, and read 2000AD and bunty etc. as a kid, and still read ‘adult’ comics fare today. I now have a two year old daughter who although not into comics yet, it’s something I’d love to share with her in the future. I’m glad to have found your site and I’ll follow it with interest! My little girl already loves books and stories, so it’s great to find out what good comics are out there for when she’s ready.
Hi Jules, thanks for your comments! Fingers-crossed there will be some quality kids comics for your daughter to read in the coming years… 🙂
What a cool blog! Very enjoyable reading…my little girl Odessa is only three and her dad can’t wait to start reading comics with her.