By Various 
Publisher: David Fickling Books
ISBN: 9781788450560
Rather than another stand-alone collection David Fickling Books have opted to compile a humungous treasury of Phoenix goodies into one tremendous tome. There’s even more of the brilliantly daft Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart, plus his random, surreal cat Looshkin. You can get the next instalment in the Troy Trailblazer saga and another healthy dose of Evil Emperor Penguin. But there’s more. Jess Bradley’s Squid Bits is included here, breaking up the sections with its ultra-cute oddness, Chris Riddell contributes several gloriously illustrated panels for his cartoon ‘Elsewhere…’ and then there’s the slightly nutty but rather endearing Squid Squad about a group of tentacled heroes that borrows from Japanese sci-fi in the most bizarre and amusing way. Finally there’s the completely off-the-wall Doug Slugman, PI from Joe List, a madly concocted single page strip about a slug, with legs, who is a PI, and yet just seems to solve problems rather than crimes. And he was a different origin story each strip. Insanely inventive and possibly my new favourite.
At over 200 pages this is an astounding value collection at just £9.99, covering humour to sci-fi action, and an excellent showcase of the diverse content of The Phoenix. Whether you’ve picked up a Phoenix before or are completely new to it, there’s so much in here you’re going to be entertained, and what could be better for rocking back with than this, along with a nice cold drink, on this extraordinary hot summer. And did I mention it’s under a tenner? Bargain!
And if you liked that: Volume 2 is teased within the pages
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