Disclaimer: We were given a Phoenix Comic Book subscription to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine.
My children are getting older (as tends to happen with the passage of time) and particularly my seven year old is getting more into technology than the must-have plastic toys. On the one hand this is a relief as I am getting a little bit sick of the plastic but it also makes present buying a lot harder.
One thing that we had been considering for my smallest was a comic book subscription as it’s something he’s got into recently, with lots of encouragement from his dad who is a huge comic book nerd.
The Phoenix comic book subscription had come up time and time again on our sponsored Facebook ads and we were poised, ready to do a trial (where you get six issues for just £1) when I was asked if I’d like to try it for free and write about it and egged on enthusiastically by my husband, I said I’d give it a whirl.
What is the Phoenix?
The Phoenix is a weekly 32-page comic book subscription for children aged 7-14. which arrives each week through the door in an exciting envelope covered in bright illustrations.
The comic book is filled with different styles of comic strips, drawn by different artists, so there is something to appeal to everyone.
My smallest is, at five and a half, a little bit on the young side for some of the strips but still has his firm favourite in ‘Bunny and Monkey‘, meanwhile my oldest who is seven enjoys the short strips with the ghost/skeleton duo ‘Clatters and Bump’ guaranteed to make her laugh.
What did we think of The Phoenix?
My husband is the comic book aficionado of the family, so I have left the drawing of opinions to him; he has really positive things to say about The Phoenix:
- It doesn’t just do comedy/humorous cartoon-style strips, although those are the ones that appeal to the kids at the moment. Once they get a little older there is plenty more for them to explore.
- The action/drama stories are nicely written and don’t feel too intimidating to jump into at whichever issue you start reading. You don’t need an encyclopaedic knowledge of what’s gone before which can be a problem with comics from Marvel or DC.
- There are some educational strips (such as ‘Corpse Talk’) which our oldest found really interesting. She’d learned some things covered in school and we were able to talk about some other bits mentioned in the comic.
- They are a lot better than many of the magazines and comics available in newsagents. There’s no plastic tat attached to the front and there are far fewer adverts. Those ads that are there seem to tie in to other Phoenix products or spin-off books.
- As well as comic strips, there is an the ‘Skills Hub’ to teach kids how to draw their own comics, a page for kids to send their own letters and artwork and have it featured, and the Ministry of Mistakes where they encourage readers to send in errors they’ve spotted to be corrected which we liked a lot.
- I had no idea it had been running as long as it has (since 2012), so props to their current marketing team because it’s been all over the place this year!
- It’s really nicely drawn in a variety of styles across all the strips so each issue feels quite fresh and different to the one that came before it.
In summary, we really liked it, the kids really liked it, and we would definitely recommend it, even for children at the younger end of the reader spectrum.
How much does a subscription to Phoenix comics cost?
The Phoenix is available in WH Smith, Waitrose and independent bookstores and costs £3.25 per issue, however you can also take out six-month and twelve-month subscriptions for £59.99 or £99.99 respectively which makes each issue a lot cheaper.
A half yearly or annual subscription would, in our opinion, make a brilliant Christmas present as it gives a new gift every week.
Find out more on their website, or check out subscription options including a very tempting introductory offer of six issues for just £1 (and £9.99 per month thereafter) here.