[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-david-fickling-books-the-phoenix-comic-a-peek-into-2-oxford-publishing-houses":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/neill_cameron-ed0f714fec.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut first... here's a picture I drew yesterday in Oxford with \u003Ci>Mo-Bot High\u003C/i> creator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.neillcameron.com/\">Neill Cameron\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.scribblehound.com\">David O'Connell\u003C/a>! \u003Ca href=\"http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/jabberworks/uploads_dec2010/neilldavesarah.jpg\">Click here\u003C/a> if you'd like a slightly larger version for you or someone you know to colour in. (See if you can guess who drew which part!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/jabberworks/uploads_dec2010/neilldavesarah.jpg\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/neilldavesarah_dino-ba57c20499.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nDave and I went up to Oxford for another meeting with our publisher David Fickling about the picture book we're co-writing and co-illustrating. But before our meeting, we stopped by the new offices of the \u003Ca href=\"http://thephoenixcomic.co.uk/\">Phoenix Comic\u003C/a>, set to launch in six months. (I was so curious!) Here's Dave at the front door:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_7-38eed3c158.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://thephoenixcomic.co.uk/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/phoenix-4d169eeb0e.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nThe Phoenix Comic blazes the same amazing comics trail as the earlier \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_DFC\">DFC magazine\u003C/a>, with much of the same editorial team, but this time set up as its own business and a three-year guaranteed run. Here I am with \u003Cb>Ben Sharpe\u003C/b>, my lovely editor who worked with me on \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thedfc.co.uk/davidficklingbooks.asp?ean=9780385619073\">\u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>\u003C/a>. He gave me wonderful amounts of freedom with the weekly strip, mostly just giving me encouragement and telling me to go ahead with it. I really miss working with Ben, and I'm so glad he's back!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_8-62af106d80.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more pics under the cut!-->\\r\n\\r\nYou can tell The Phoenix just moved in, here's what you see at a series of front doors:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_10-ee591eafcc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_13-edd6985ff8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBen showed us some amazing comics stuff, but we have to keep it under wraps, just for now. But you can see him hard at work at his desk. (Spot the \u003Ci>Mo-bot High\u003C/i> sticker on his Mac...)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_2-e6dcc7c49e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cb>The Phoenix are looking for high-quality comics! Do you make them?\u003C/b> \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/blog/?page_id=6\">Have a look at the submission guidelines here.\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/blog/?page_id=6\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_4-a6c797c2ae.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAfter a cup of tea and rather lovely biscuits with Ben, we waved goodbye and went two doors down the road to the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thedfc.co.uk/davidficklingbooks.asp?ean=9780385619073\">David Fickling Books\u003C/a> office, where we had our meeting. Here's a little painting in the front hall that someone's done of the logo:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_6-7225cac36d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd fabulous \u003Cb>Tilda Johnson\u003C/b>, the first person you see when you walk in and the person who tells David off when he's been e-mailing too long or needs to go to a meeting. She's loads of fun and super organised.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_1-bda097d290.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Dave at the big table in the middle of the office with \u003Cb>David Fickling\u003C/b> and our new editor, \u003Cb>Kirsten Amstrong\u003C/b> (who's taken over from Hannah Featherstone, who just had a baby. Which is something that happens to people in children's books \u003Ci>a lot\u003C/i>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_5-a852bf2863.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI can't show you stuff from the picture book we're working on just yet, but here's a peek at one of the books we're looking at here, while discussing big landscape scenes: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thedfc.co.uk/davidficklingbooks.asp?ean=9780385605069&ref=search\">\u003Ci>Sadie, the Air Mail Pilot\u003C/i>\u003C/a> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sadiethepilot.com/\">Kellie Strom\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_11-3f81530faa.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_12-cd573dd424.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe peeked downstairs, where the old DFC offices used to be, and found editor \u003Ca href=\"http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/archive/2011/05/26/Books+%28ot_books%29/9049994._My_family_s_quite_normal_/\">Simon Mason\u003C/a>. Here's him doing a 'I'm focusing very hard' expression.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_3-62b83eb936.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe met up with Neill Cameron after the meeting, and here's Dave doing his part of our drawing.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dfb_9-09295a65d0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd finally, here's a sketch I made of Dave on the train ride back to London.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/dave_oconnell-32570b929a.jpg\">","2011-06-22T12:15:00.000Z","david-fickling-books-the-phoenix-comic-a-peek-into-2-oxford-publishing-houses",[],"david fickling books & the phoenix comic: a peek into 2 oxford publishing houses",1776628720395]