ReadItDaddy's Comic of the Week - Week Ending 7th September 2018: "Corpse Talk: Queens and Kings" by Adam and Lisa Murphy (David Fickling Books)

Far from summoning a zombie army to do his very bidding, comic chat show host Adam Murphy has a different mission in mind...
Along with his missus Lisa, they're determined to bring you the most colourful characters in history. The greatest statesmen and women of their age, the high achievers - and a thoroughly rotten bunch of backstabbers and ne'er do-wells too. More evident than ever in the fantastic Comic Book of the Week this week, "Corpse Talk: Queens and Kings (and other royal rotters)".

Far from exhibiting regal behaviour, this lot are a nefarious bunch and you'll read tales of dictatorial rule, of hapless slaves being buried with their masters, of intense paranoia from many of the incumbents of this latest fantastic tome - fearing that their people will rise against them and do them in (actually, that seemed to happen a fair bit but with their behaviour, it's hardly surprising).

Lining up in this magnificent edition of the popular series we have Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile who resorted to a whole plethora of underhand tricks in order to establish her long and successful stint as Pharaoah, ensnaring Roman Emperors and Generals as well as offing quite a few of her siblings to retain power. What a lovely lass!

Then there's Emperor Qin Shi Huang, China's first Grand Emperor. A guy who completely convinced he'd be assassinated that he built a whole ton of different palaces, and moved between them so that a would-be assassin couldn't figure out where he slept. In death, as magnificently extravagant as in life, he had a whole army built from terracotta, buried with him to protect him in the afterlife.

Adam digs 'em all up and puts them under the spotlight, and a huge huge part of the success of this series is in his utterly brilliant comic takes on these puffed up and self-important characters, as their legacy is revealed to them.

It's another winning collection culled from the pages of the fabulous Phoenix Comic, and the sort of comic we've been banging on about lately - one that kids can genuinely learn something from (as well as having a good few belly laughs into the bargain while they do).

Fan-flipping-tastic!

C's best bit: Learning all about Cleopatra's sneaky way of entering Caesar's palace (no not the casino, the actual Caesar!)

Daddy's favourite bit: A brilliant collection of miscreants and misfits, royal but royally rotten. I did smile a little though at the story of King Harold, who actually could've been an amazing leader if it wasn't for that durned arrow!

"Corpse Talk: Queens and Kings (and other royal rotters)" is out now, published by David Fickling Books (kindly supplied for review).