Amid the discussions about how to get kids reading, I am remembering how many comics and other periodicals I read as a kid - The Funday Times, Oink, The Puffin Post, Private Eye (I was a precocious little shit), The Beano, 2000AD etc etc. Reading in tiny little bits can be v appealing.

So much great stuff in the Funday Times! @jamiesmart.bsky.social! @louiestowell.bsky.social! @rashmiwriting.bsky.social! @jessbradley.bsky.social! @monstrouscomics.bsky.social! AND MANY MORE. They should do this every week, right? Ok good we are all agreed, they should do this every week.

Just a reminder to grab The Sunday Times tomorrow for their free comic supplement! I think it might be a one off, but maybe if we all buy it they’ll consider doing comics more often 🙏

My son is growing a Venus Fly Trap that needs rainwater and we're keeping some in the fridge. I made sure to label it. Yes, that's what my son has called the plant.

THIS SUNDAY, The Sunday Times has brought back The Funday Times as part of their reading campaign and The Phoenix is involved! The Funday Times was a weekly comic supplement, all big and newspapery, an absolute joy to read and an instrumental part of a lot of our childhoods 🤩

Got my son a laser tag kit for Xmas for £10 and it's the most fun thing ever. Just spent 20 mins chasing each other around downstairs shrieking.

Week two as the bestselling book in the country! Thank you everyone who bought our special WBD book Bunny Vs Monkey: Total Chaos, either with tokens or for the low price of £1/1.50€ 🥳🥳🥳

These films were a sleepover staple when I was a teen. Part 6 will forever be my favourite just because of the in-jokes with friends growing up.

you dont see that every day ---------------------------- patreon.com/nhoj

Half-term is trying to work but stopping to have a 10 minute laser tag melee with my son every so often.

I went on a bit of a hiatus with drawing my weekly Phoenix comic in the summer just so I could concentrate on the Squid Bits book and finish some other bits. I can't believe I started working on this in 2014 and am now drawing the 460th Squid Bits comic!

Get 25% off when you pre-order Meet the Invisibles! It's a very cool science book about tiny things! Written by Mike Barfield and illustrated by me!

I made some graffiti for my mid 40s.

Yes Reform, people who can't have kids and have suffered from everything that entails have had it far too easy. Utter fucking scum.

Join me for a digital workshop this Saturday where we will draw characters, comics and a lot of silly things! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/squid-bits...

It's real!! I'm so proud to finally have a book collecting some of my 11 years worth of work on the Phoenix Comic! Out in June and available to preorder now!

It's real!! I'm so proud to finally have a book collecting some of my 11 years worth of work on the Phoenix Comic! Out in June and available to preorder now!

My son has his first ever chess tournament with another school today, so last night we practiced an opening move for him to try out. Can't wait to see how he does!

My son was upset this afternoon so I asked him if he wanted to help me make smash burgers and squash out his bad feelings a bit. Thus was born Beef Sadness. That made him laugh a lot so I say that's a parenting win.

Watching my son play Pang on the SNES in expert mode and he is determined to beat it. This happens a lot - he picks a random game for yucks and then quickly becomes slightly obsessed and plays until he completes it.

Squid Bits: That's a Nice Hat will be out in June and I'm very excited! This collects a whole bunch of SB comics from the last ten years as well as a whole new story featuring the Doodles!

Here’s A Comic About Elon Musk & His Infinite Possibilities

Being in your 40s is working a version of your favourite seasoning into a book you're drawing.

Do YOU like Donuts? But also supporting child literacy, AND independent bookshops, AT THE SAME TIME? Well all February, 10% of ALL Children’s books on uk.bookshop.org will go to @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social! OFFER INCLUDES DONUTS uk.bookshop.org/a/275/978178... #ReadItForward

Son has now decided to draw all of the levels from Doom 2 from memory and I have to grade them. Already scarily impressed with his level 1 effort. Glad to see he's inherited my level of obsession over the things he likes.

This is old but I am still feeling this way up to this day.

My two big books for 2026 are: Johnny Boo on the Go www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/814572... Green Eggs and Ham Go Next Door www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724753...

some bits of wisdom from tunglr

Lil' comic about hope and longing 💗

Hex Enduction Hour collage made from 1960s wallpaper, beauty magazines & Ladybird books, paint, acrylic marker & felt tip

THE PHOENIX has been an absolute joy to read every week since I started subscribing a year or two ago. Absolutely adore this comic and all the very clever things it does with the language of comic.

Congratulations to THE PHOENIX @the-phoenix-comic.bsky.social (and everyone who works on it in whatever capacity) winner of the Best Periodical Series category in the 2025 Broken Frontier Awards! www.brokenfrontier.com/broken-front...

Time to crack out this bad boy again. I've had this book since I was 12 and read it daily for years!

New thing that half annoys my son, half makes him crack up: Singing the E.T main theme with increasing volume and getting more off key.

Saturday night living it up: Playing on the 3DS and watching Dario Argento's Phenomena.

Reading King Sorrow by Joe Hill at the moment and it's very good; kind of fantasy, kind of horror and highly enjoyable. I fancied doodling the chap himself.

Don't listen to him.

Son has been building the Doom map I loosely designed for him. Of course he's making it 100 times more bonkers.

Son has been building the Doom map I loosely designed for him. Of course he's making it 100 times more bonkers.

Not long now!

Cannot wait for this! Phoenix Fest really is amazing; we get to hang out as a creative team and also spend a lot of time with the fans of the comic and do all kinds of fun workshops. Check out the Phoenix's website for all the details!

I'll be at Phoenix Fest 2026 in Oxford on Saturday 24th April - Sunday 25th April 2026! Tickets will go on sale on the following dates: Saturday event tickets - 10th February, 10am GMT Sunday event tickets - 19th February, 12pm GMT Head to phoenixfest.co.uk for all the exciting information!

Tickets for Phoenixfest 2026, the comic-making extravaganza, go on sale in a few weeks. But the website is now LIVE, so you can see who’s on where, and plan your trip if you fancy coming. It’s going to be a huge event across multiple venues, so plenty of chance to join in! 🚀 phoenixfest.co.uk

THIS SATURDAY! Any young artists and / or donut aficionados can join me online for a Phoenix Digital Workshop where we will MAKE EXPLOSIVE DONUT SQUAD COMICS TOGETHER! 🍩💥 thephoenixcomic.co.uk/event/?event...

babybel implies the existence of scarybel, sportybel, gingerbel and poshbel

This is my Doom level I drew for my son to create in Doom Builder 2 (he can embellish). He called it a troll level and seemed suitably impressed with my effort. I represented the Cyberdemon as a bum because that chap has not skipped glute day.

My son asked me to design a Doom map for him to make in Doom Builder. Cannot wait to see that finished level!

Made myself a 90s music playlist to work to this week and I still have some visceral reactions to certain songs that I listened to as a teen. It's taken me years to listen The Bends by Radiohead again without certain teen memories making me want to implode with cringe.

Little shout-out for this extremely fun book I edited, which is out on 29th Jan. Create Your Own Comics was written by @nedhartley.com and illustrated by Alex Lopez, and is packed with drawing tips, character inspiration and story ideas. As a big comic fan it was a real joy to work on this project.