Mark Bradley

Another collection of vintage ghost stories for Christmas If you’ve seen all of the BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas, and want more of the same, I’ve got good news for you. Last year I put together a list of films, short films and TV episodes that seemed t…

BLOG POST: Another batch of spooky stories, mostly made for TV, that I think capture something of the vibe of the Lawrence Gordon Clark era of BBC ghost stories for Christmas.

precastreinforced.co.uk/2025/12/11/a...

It’s adorable! It sits alongside things like Narwhal & Jelly - a really early young reader. Love it!

If someone can advise how you weigh up Do Admit! against Narwhal & Jelly: Narwhal’s Sweet Tooth against Mansect against Absolute Wonder Woman against Pandora in Puzzlevale, I’d appreciate it.

Book of the Year The Book of the Year categories for The British Book Awards

Crucially, as graphic novels now have their own award, they aren’t eligible in any other category. Criteria specifying this can be found on the page:

www.thebookseller.com/british-book...

Whilst I welcome any recognition of comics, this is an incredibly boneheaded decision.

*sigh*

So @louiestowell.bsky.social jut brought this to my attention - The Nibbies have created a graphic novel award. Which is great news, right?

However *pinches bridge of nose* they have decided the category won’t be separated into children’s & adult’s categories, as they do for prose.

And:
Amelia Cheeseheart: Mummy Mayhem by Cat Weldon & Nene Lonegran
Pets Tell Tales by Rik Worth & Jordan Collver

My 6 favourite of the year!
Badge Question by Guy Kopsombut
Max & Chaffy: What A Delicious Discovery by Jamie Smart
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson & Dan Santat
Cabin Head & Tree Head by Scott Campbell

Oh god, I’ve just seen a video with young people talking about the novelty of photo booths like they are Neolithic technology, and just put my ancient decaying bones in the ground now, please.

Folks, if you’re going to get pious about naming creators behind the comic runs inspiring big studio movies (which, to be clear, you should absolutely be pious about), at least friggin name the colourists and letterers too.

I mean, who would’ve guessed that the privatisation of Royal Mail would turn out badly?

Awesome, Jordan! We’re lucky to have you, and it’s good to see that our stupid country as least has a scintilla of good sense on this one thing.

Dear Phoenix/Beano,
Please bring in a first class post option for subscriptions, because Royal Mail is has been getting worse & worse. The delivery times and amount of missing issues is getting beyond a joke now.

Oh hell yes to this thread!
I love, love, LOVE these 2 panels in particular!

Yup.

Anyway, feeling a little bittersweet about this, whilst celebrating the person it took to get there. One more piece of childhood magic burns into embers.

However, I also find it unfair. I don’t generally see the emotional landscape of parenthood depicted well. It’s a process of constant adjustment & grieving. The person you love is forever in flux, and you constantly have to move with them, whilst missing what’s left behind.

I’ve read a few interviews with Pullman, where he talks about his anger at Lewis for not letting some characters grow up. It’s always struck me as both fair and unfair. Part of the deal & joy of parenthood is seeing this person you brought into the world change and adapt to their age.

Oh god - I think that we’ve finally had the moment with my son & Christmas :(

I know that would take actual effort, which is a lot less attractive to the execs & shareholders instead of just buying something, but you could actually build something?

The thing that I can’t get around with all this is that all the bidders could just spend those $70-$110 billion on new programming? Like they could buy the entire catalogue of black list scripts, every big name creator’s dream project, make them all, and just attract people?

I presume this is heading in a cosmic horror direction. And, as always: Please make more cosmic horror audiodramas.

Listening to Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature and I like it a *lot*.

My blood pressure is not going to survive many more interactions with anyone in the building trade.

The best characters in Lord of the Rings are:
1. That fox in Three is Company
2. Tom Bombadil
3 Bill the Pony
4. The Barrow-wights

Relistening to Lord of the Rings, and I fundamentally cannot get along with anyone who doesn’t like Tom Bombadil.

Can I just buy Looney Tunes for, like, £50? It’s not like they’re using them.

I know that every artist out there knows about these already, but I can’t count the number of times these books have save my ass when I’m drawing at 3am in deadline month.

You have til midnight TONIGHT to bid on #Creatives4Sudan - your chance to help raise funds for Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan and bag some incredible Christmas presents (including for yourself)

app.galabid.com/creatives4su...

I just found out that they are making a Mr Men movie, and this has annoyed me as they haven’t hired me.

A comics page in 30 (ok, technically 33) panels - arranged five wide by six tall. We see the birth of the solar system unfold - beginning with a gas cloud in space, which is then shocked into collapse by a supernova explosion far off. The gas collapses on itself and begins to swirl. We see it gather material into its center, which heats up - and a thin disk spreading outward - with rock close to it and ice and gas and rock spread farther out. (this was the first two tiers of panels). Third tier - we see bits of dust and rock and ice stick together, then get to bigger pieces and collide, and eventually turn into planetesimals. Next row, a bigger one of these collects tons of gas and ice to itself and becomes the first planet (Jupiter) and we see the others (and some that are no longer around) form. Fifth row - these planets clear remaining dust and rock from their orbital lanes, but still pretty chaotic. a panel split into four - showing in half the collision that turned Uranus on its side, and the other showing the collision that stripped Mercury of its outer layer. We also see diagrammatically how Jupiter and Saturn moved in closer to sun at some point and then moved back outward - which among other things caused Neptune and Uranus to switch orbits, and then for row 6 - trigged the late heavy bombardment where rocks and ice and gas are flung inward at the inner planets - devastating them - but also bringing gases included water. Finally, the planets reach the more or less current configuration. I drew Saturn with a ring, which it probably didn't have - but only so people knew what it was. I drew earth with one giant continent as it might've been - but you can't really tell anyhow, the drawing is too tiny. I would've put water on Mars but I felt that would confuse everyone.

The birth of our solar system - at last, closing up the penultimate page of this mammoth chapter exploring the origin of the universe in all its swirls of different sorts... It's been a long trip. And there is, to be sure, a lot going on on this page :)
Onward!
#Nostos #Unflattening 2