As you may have noticed, the subscription button to the DFC website has been removed from the blog, the sad news is that the comic will end at issue 43. The current financial situation hits everybody, even big publishers like Random House. I'm sad but not completely surprised, it's always a big risk trying something new and different, and starting up a new children's comic in the UK is not an easy path especially if you avoid the shiny plastic toy with free comic TV tie-in mentality that is all pervasive in children's comics these days.
I'm sad that the Dead Pets won't get to appear in the comic itself, I was looking forward to being in there along with all my fellow DFC buddies. On the positive side, I was lucky enough to get to write and draw my own twenty-four page comic strip, have it published in the Guardian and get paid for it! I'm very lucky to have had that opportunity.
I think that everybody involved should be proud to have put out a weekly comic, with no ads and all original material for the best part of a year. Anybody that's ever been involved with something like that will know how much work it involves and how difficult it is to do. There's a lot of juggling and planning and dealing with artistic temperaments involved for the editorial team. I'd like to thank David Fickling for making it happen, Ben Sharpe, my editor, who was been an absolute joy to work with, he was incredibly patient and helpful even when I'm sure I pushed him to hair-pulling frustration at times. I don't know if he's aware of this but he is known as 'Lovely Ben' to me and many others. Thanks to Will Fickling and all the other people in the office that worked so hard on making the DFC what it was.
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13 comments:
Like I said on Twitter, aw shit.
Not Twittering today as I'm not at home. Yeah, it's a real shame. You know as well as anybody how these things go. Doesn't make it any less sad though.
Just realised I'd missed typing the full title of the post! Changed it now, that's better.
Sorry to hear it. A great venture. Lots of talent! Good luck to all and congrats on making kid comic history...just not for as long as its devoted readers hoped!
Thanks Chris, and thank you for being one of the devoted readers and supporting the comic. If only there were more of you fine folk out there!
That's terrible news, a great shame. It's been great and will surely be back in print in no time.
Hi Warwick, that'd be great if it happened. I know that Random House have offered up the DFC for sale but I'm doubtful, given the economic downturn (I resist the urge to put little finger quotes around that), that anybody will be rushing to buy it.
I don't know what plans David Fickling may for the future in terms of putting out comics but I get the impression he might have some ideas, guess we'll have to wait and see.
Looking at my blog stats - I've never had so many visitors that weren't coming from Google image searches. A comic coming to an end provides more visitors than having something published, it's a crazy old world!
Hallo everyone!
Yup it's an arse, but they never really thought through the whole financial structure from the get go. They should have sold it in limited independent newsagents (forget WHSmiths) and into comic shops (sell to the main customer's kids). I know Megan is pissed off. Faz, will you be finishing Dead Pets in the Guardian? She wants to read the end of the story as she's really enjoying it!
Ciao for now gang!
Hey Tim! Dead Pets did run and finish in the Guardian, there were 8 episodes in all. I've got a pdf of the whole story I can send you or if you just need an episode let me know which one(s) and I'll mail you the jpgs.
Lovely to hear that Megan was enjoying it and I'm sorry it didn't last and that she's sad about it. There's a fair few people feeling a little glum right now.
As for the distibution side of things I don't know much about that but I do know that the whole idea was about bypassing that on the shelves model. As for selling in comic shops I'm not sure that would net a larger audience either, not in my experience of the kind of material in comic shops. You can't even get the Beano or Dandy in those places! Children are not really catered for in many of them. There was a whole bunch of factors involved in terms of obtaining a readership for the DFC and I'm not really up on all the information so I don't think I'm qualified to talk about it with any authority.
save the DFC!
Oh this is a right bugger isn't it. Real bad times for all.
Really do hope David F has more ideas up his sleeve - him and his family, and all the wonderful people who worked at the DFC are so very talented and it'd be a shame for something else not to happen.
Yes, I hope so too, Perri.
I had a chat with Will Kane in Gosh!, the comic shop, the other day and he was saying the recession hasn't really hit them at all. Admittedly, they're not selling to kids in comic shops, primarily it's adults. So that's good news for the medium in general, I suppose.
Perhaps periodicals aren't the way to go, graphic novels and dedicated books are what's selling best.
Sad sad times. Loved Dead Pets. Can't believe I won't get to read another Good Dog, Bad Dog adventure.
Economic poo seems not to mean survival of the fittest but survival of the richest. Can't believe we have multiple High School Musical magazines on the shelves and yet no DFC. Would much prefer to have had that on the shelves of Tesco even if it had meant it had to be printed on thinner paper.
Hope something else happens in the future.
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