Pullman joins new weekly British comic

Britain will see the launch of a brand new comic in May, which will include a weekly strip by award-winning author Philip Pullman.

DFC, the new weekly comic for boys and girls is the brainchild of David Fickling, publisher of the eponymous and highly successful imprint, David Fickling Books, at Random House.

DFC's content will be created by world-class contributors, including Philip Pullman, well known for his enthusiasm for comics. He's currently working on a weekly strip entitled The Adventures of John Blake, illustrated by John Aggs, one of the contributors to RapidFire.

The details of Philip's work are a closely guarded secret – only to be revealed when the first comic is delivered into homes by the Royal Mail on Friday 30th May.

Launch season strips in the DFC also Charlie Jefferson and the Tomb of Nazaleod by Garen Ewing, creator of the highly acclaimed Rainbow Orchid; Mobot High by Neill Cameron, creator of Thumpculture; The Boss by Patrice Aggs; and Good Dog, Bad Dog by Dave Shelton (pictured right) and Monkey Nuts by The Etherington Brothers, creators of Malcolm Magic – both featured in the Saturday Guardian.

"I still remember the heart pounding excitement of receiving my very own comic on the doormat every week and now the DFC can bring that to every child in the land," enthuses David Flickling. "But this isn't a revival. For today's children it is almost a brand new form of entertainment. Only completely original material will be published in the DFC. No advertising, just 100% storytelling delight. Joy in an envelope."

"I've always loved comics, and when I first heard about the DFC, I leapt at the chance of being involved" said Philip Pullman. "The chance to work in this wonderfully fluid and exciting form was too good to miss. I've had a lot of fun with the story of John Blake, and I hope readers will enjoy it as well as all the other great things in the DFC."

The full colour DFC will be supported by the innovative DFC website - www.thedfc.co.uk. Currently a holding page, the website will open to reveal an exciting world of interactivity (including a creative comic maker), fascinating background material and new editorial content.

"I'm a book editor but I reckon a lot of my story sensibility came from reading comics," adds Fickling. "They are great story carriers. And you want to read, you don't even think of it as reading, it's far too much fun. I've always wanted to publish comics, or at least books like Tintin or Asterix. This is a truly international product, anyone wherever they are in the world can receive the DFC, with just a simple click on the website".

Needless to say this is very exciting news for British comics fans - launching an adventure comic in today's tough market is no easy task but the creative line up looks terrific and we look forward to seeing the first issue in May.