''The DFC'' was a weekly British children's

anthology comic A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication t ...

, published by

David Fickling Books David Fickling Books Ltd (DFB) became an independent publishing house in July 2013 following 12 years with Scholastic and then Random House. They have published several prize-winning and bestselling books including ''Lyra's Oxford'' (from the ...

(an imprint of

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

). The first issue was published at the end of May

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. The title stood for "David Fickling Comic". Its successor, '' The Phoenix'', launched on 7 January 2012. Unlike the vast majority of comics in the current market, ''The DFC'' was funded entirely by subscriptions, without any commercial advertising. It was fully coloured on all 36 pages.

Publication history

David Fickling David Fickling is an English children's book editor and publisher based in Oxford. Fickling runs David Fickling Books, which became an independent publishing house in July 2013. He has published books by authors including Philip Pullman, Mark Had ...

announced the comic two and a half years before the launch and at the time was quoted as saying, "I'm not really interested in reviving comics, I'm much more interested in restoring them to where they should be."Interview with David Fickling, saviour of the great British comic
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 10 May 2008 Some stories were previewed in, and formed the main part of, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

Comic''. The comic, part of the Saturday Guardian's "family" section, premiered strips on a rotating basis that were later featured in ''The DFC'' itself. It folded with issue 43, when Random House decided that "economic conditions ... were too tough for a slow build". At the 2009

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...

, David Fickling Books announced a new imprint, The DFC Library, to publish collected editions of strips from ''The DFC''. The first titles published were

Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the ...

's '' Spider Moon'',

Dave Shelton Dave Shelton is a retired American soccer player who played four seasons in the North American Soccer League. Shelton attended the Indiana University where he played on the men's soccer team from 1975 to 1977. He was the 1976 NCAA Most Outstan ...

's ''

Good Dog, Bad Dog ''Good Dog, Bad Dog'' is the fourth studio album by Over the Rhine. It was released independently in 1996 and reissued with a slightly altered track listing by Virgin/Backporch in 2000. Track listing 1996 independent release #"Latter Days" - 5:3 ...

'', and Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank's '' Mezolith'' in Spring 2010.

Neill Cameron Neill Cameron is a British cartoonist. Biography Cameron started out in British small press comics, most notably drawing ''Bulldog Empire'', which also appeared in the small press section of ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' and was reprinted in the fi ...

's '' Mo-Bot High'',

The Etherington Brothers Robin and Lorenzo Etherington are British comic, book and film creators who work together as The Etherington Brothers. They are the creators of the world's most successful art book of all time on Kickstarter, and the UK's most successful book of a ...

' '' Monkey Nuts: The Diamond Egg of Wonders'' and

Sarah McIntyre Sarah McIntyre is a British-American illustrator and writer of children's books and comics. She graduated in 1999 from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Russian and a minor degree in History of Art and earned her Master's Degree in Illustration ...

's ''

Vern and Lettuce Vern is a masculine given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Vernon, Lavern or other names. People named Vern include: * Vernon Vern Bakalich (1929–2015), New Zealand rugby league player * Verdi Vern Barberis (1928–2005), Australian w ...

'' followed in Winter 2010, with

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and

Patrice Aggs Patrice is a given name meaning ''noble'' or ''patrician'', related to the names Patrick and Patricia. In English, Patrice is often a feminine first name. In French, it is used as a masculine first name. Popularity In the United States, the popul ...

' '' The Boss'', James Turner's ''

Super Animal Adventure Squad Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butt ...

'', and The Etherington Brothers ''

Baggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip ...

'', an original graphic novel that had not previously been serialised in ''The DFC'', completing the lineup in 2011.

Creators

''The DFC'' drew its creators from across the British comics field, from mainstream to

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

s to

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, as well as people from outside the field, including authors,

concept art Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire the ...

ists and illustrators. The big name in the initial line-up was novelist

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''The ...

. Pullman's story, ''The Adventures of John Blake'', was illustrated by John Aggs,John Aggs' site
/ref> who won the UK and Ireland

Rising Stars of Manga ''Rising Stars of Manga'' (RSoM) was an English-language comic anthology published by TOKYOPOP from 2002 to 2008, and a contest held by the same company. It was originally semi-annual, but switched to annual beginning with the 6th volume. Each vo ...

and writes and draws another DFC strip, ''Robot Girl'' and another with his mother, Patrice. Other creators included

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

who has worked at

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

, DC and '' 2000 AD'' and recently won awards for his graphic novel ''

Laika Laika (russian: link=no, Лайка; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecra ...

''. International comics writer

Tony Lee Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

, best known for his

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

comics for IDW teamed up with '' Hope Falls'' and '' The Gloom'' collaborator

Dan Boultwood Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

to create the weekly strip ''The Prince Of Baghdad''. Another graphic novelist was

Simone Lia Simone Lia is an English cartoonist and author. Early life and education Born to Maltese parents, Lia grew up in Haverhill, Suffolk. She studied art in Ipswich, illustration at the University of Brighton, and did an MA in communication in ar ...

, known for her previous project '' Fluffy''. With them were writers and artists who are known from the

arena, like

Garen Ewing Garen Ewing (born 1969, England) is an illustrator, designer and most notably a comic creator, being the writer and illustrator of '' The Adventures of Julius Chancer - The Rainbow Orchid''. As an aside, Ewing is a part-time researcher and write ...

and

. From outside the comics field there were Ben Haggarty (an oral storyteller), Adam Brockbank (

ist), Paul Stewart (children's author), Dave Morris (game designer) and

Chris Riddell Chris Riddell ( ) (born 13 April 1962) is a South African-born British illustrator and occasional writer of children's books and a political cartoonist for the ''Observer''. He has won three Kate Greenaway Medals - the British librarians' ann ...

(illustrator).

Name

The initialism "DFC" was never explained inside the actual comic, and readers were encouraged to send in amusing phrases formed from the three letters, which were then displayed on the front cover. Examples of this are: "Dirty Fingernail Contest", "Delighted Football Crowd", "Dachshund Flips Coin", et cetera.

Titles

Strips appearing in the DFC included: * '' The Adventures of John Blake'' (by

and John Aggs) * '' Mezolith'' (by Ben Haggarty and Adam Brockbank) * '' Mirabilis'' (by Dave Morris and

Leo Hartas Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * '' Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts a ...

) * ''

'' (by James Turner) * ''The Boss'' (by

John Aggs John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

) * '' Monkey Nuts'' (by

) * '' Vern & Lettuce'' (by Sarah McIntyre) * '' The Spider Moon'' (by

) * '' Mo-Bot High'' (by

) * ''

'' (by

) * '' Robot Girl'' (by John Aggs) * '' That's a Horse of a Different Colour''(by

Woodrow Phoenix Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...

) * '' Sausage and Carrots'' (by

) * '' Crab Lane Crew''(by Jim Medway)Jim Medway's site
/ref> * ''

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

'' (by

Emma Vieceli Emma Vieceli is a British comic book artist and writer. After being a hobbyist at Sweatdrop Studios, she began freelancing professionally as an artist on SelfMadeHero's ''Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet'' adaptation in 2007. Her subsequent artist wor ...

) * ''Little Cutie'' (by Gary Northfield) * '' Bodkin and the Bear'' (by

Wilbur Dawbarn Wilbur Dawbarn is a British cartoonist based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. He has drawn cartoons for publications such as ''Punch'', ''The Times'', '' Private Eye'', ''The Spectator'', and comic strips, such as The Beano's Billy Whizz (2012-2 ...

) * ''The Prince Of Baghdad'' (by

and

) * '' Fish-head Steve'' (by

Jamie Smart Jamie Smart (born 21 July 1978) is a British comic artist and author best known for his 10-issue comic series '' Bear''. The Phoenix He is known for his children's cartoon series '' Bunny VS. Monkey'', running in The Phoenix, created original ...

) * '' Donny Digits'' (by

) * ''Frontier'' (by Jason Cobley and

Andrew Wildman Andrew Wildman (sometimes credited as Andy Wildman) is a British artist, best known for his work in comics, mainly for Marvel Comics. Wildman worked on numerous Marvel UK's titles in the late 1980s, including '' Galaxy Rangers'', '' Thundercats ...

) * ''The Strange, Strange World of Weird'' (by Robin Etherington and Zak Simmonds-Hurn) Strips that were announced (or those that ran initially in The Guardian, and were scheduled to appear in the DFC) include: * ''Charlie Jefferson and the Tomb of Nazaleod'' (by

) * ''Cora's Breakfast'' (by

Nick Abadzis Nick Abadzis ( el, Νικ Αμπατζής; born 1965)
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2020. i ...

) * ''The Ridiculous Adventures of Toxic Toad and Sheep Dip'' (By Gary Boller) * ''Dead Pets' Society'' (by Faz Choudhury)

Availability

Since the announcement by Random House that the DFC was to close, subscriptions are no longer available. The DFC was available from

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

.co.uk, as
month's subscription

Notes

External links

*
downthetubes interview: David Fickling, Publisher of the DFC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dfc Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom 2008 comics debuts 2009 comics endings Magazines established in 2008 Magazines disestablished in 2009 British humour comics David Fickling Books books