We are living in golden times my friends, even though it may not seem like it. In fact, as far as kid-friendly comics go, we truly are right smack bang in the middle of a golden age where 'grown ups' have finally realised that A) Comics are a really good thing and B) Comics for kids don't have to be as dumb as a box of rocks.

We've spoken many times of the ability for kids to completely soak up and accept surreality in all its forms, and there's none more surreal than the worlds that Jim Benton cooks up. Marvellous, original and inventive story worlds inhabited by completely kooky characters.

Such as the hero of "Attack of the Stuff: The Life and Times of Bill Waddler".

Bill is a duck destined for extraordinary things, though his life (from an observer's perspective) really sucks. You see, Bill has an ability - a super-power if you will - the power to know what ordinary everyday inanimate objects want and desire.

Bill's toilet, for example (whose name is Latoylat - never forget it!) wants to be a hollywood star, and definitely wants a hat. She's none too keen on all that 'toilet' business which forces Bill out into the big wide world every day to run his hay stall.

The problem with Bill's ability is that he just cannot switch it off. In fact soon Bill realises that there's only one course of action - to go and live as a wild man, embracing all that nature can offer.

That, of course, comes with its own pitfalls and hazards (Snakes for example). But soon Bill becomes a pivotal character in a worldwide drama - when the internet stops working, he may be the only person on the planet who knows what's wrong with it - and what it truly desires...

At times this graphic novel reminded me quite heavily of the excellent "Louis" series from two of our favourite creatives, Metaphrog. A guy stuck in a fairly thankless existence, a whole bunch of eclectic surreal characters (the orange juice salesman was hilarious - just make sure you specify WHAT SIZE JUICE YOU WANT!) and we loved the concept of the internet dying, and the fallout across the world when folk can no longer blither on over social media or...hah...blogs.

Sum this book up in a sentence: Absolutely brilliant stuff from Jim, inventive, charming and entertaining with the sort of message that kids will giggle and laugh at, but adults will knowingly nod and find themselves agreeing with.

"Attack of the Stuff: The Life and Times of Bill Waddler" by Jim Benton is out now, published by Papercutz (kindly supplied for review). 

Once again we're completely dazzled by the sheer talent behind this week's Comic / Graphic Novel of the Week, a supercool creative team who are definitely no strangers to our Book of the Week slot, and who have been a colossal part of the reason C has grown up as a comic fan.

John and Sandra - AKA Metaphrog - are back once again with another beautifully realised tale that instantly immerses you in a dark and mysterious bookworld with so much atmosphere you'll swear that a thin layer of frost has developed on your window as you read.

"Bluebeard: A Feminist Fairy Tale" begins with a grey haired lady recalling the summer of the year she turned 18, and what life was like under the shadow of a sinister and mysterious castle that dominated the landscape around where she lived - the gigantic imposing castle of Bluebeard.



Bluebeard's reputation was fearsome and villagers knew to stay well away from the castle, and the dark twisted forests that surrounded it, where rumours of wolves and other nefarious creatures were rife.

The girl's family life was simple and there were hardships, but one winter she and her family and the villagers find themselves desperate for food and warmth and left with no choice when a mysterious invitation to spend 8 days of luxury as Bluebeard's guests arrives - an invitation that would bring the young girl into direct contact with the scoundrel Bluebeard and his deep dark secret.


I'm writing up this review after one of the worst night's sleep I've had in ages, where fever-dreams stalked me, and delerium almost felt inspirational and it makes me wonder if John and Sandra have mastered the art of bringing dreams like those into their work, rendering them on the page with the same amazing clarity and depth of meaning.

There's a love story here too, as the young girl Eve and her beloved Tom find themselves wrenched apart by Bluebeard's evil desires. Will they ever be reuinted? Remember this is not a tale where the dashing hero rescues the girl, so you'll have to read this utterly mesmerising tale to find out what happens to Eve yourself.

To give you a taste of the book, here's John and Sandra, two of the coolest people you'll ever hope to witness, performing a reading from Bluebeard to celebrate the launch:


Fans of their work have been waiting for this one for a while and we're absolutely in love with this book. This talented duo have a knack for producing amazing and original takes on classic fairytakes, not shying away from the darker side of those stories and this is no exception, a thoroughly original and modern tale very much as intoxicating and immersive as their previous works.

Sum this book up in a sentence: A mighty girl, a powerful secretive antagonist and a tale that feels relevant and bang up to date yet steeped in the oral storytelling tradition of amazing folk tales with a visual style to die for.

"Bluebeard: A Feminist Fairy Tale" by Metaphrog is out now, published by Papercutz (very kindly sent for review).

I just knew C would demand that this became one of our "Comic of the Week" winners the moment she laid eyes on it...

Once again, our Book of the Week slot sees the supremely talented creative duo Metaphrog grace us with a fantastic mesmeric reworking of a fabulous fairy tale. It's the turn of "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen...