iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Neill Cameron @neillcameron.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This Saturday! Taking a break from tearing around the country to do a Local Event For Local People. I’ll be at the very fun and cool sounding Oxford Canal Festival, along with a load of great storytellers and music and cool CANAL RELATED STUFF www.oxfordcanalheritage.org/oxford-canal...

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Chris Wildgoose @chriswildgoose.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This Saturday (19th September) You can find me signing and sketching at @cecomicsuk.bsky.social 12-4PM Free sketches for kids!

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Neill Cameron @neillcameron.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

…which is basically #1, if you don’t count the Gruffalo. 🤷

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Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

💪💪💪

the graphic-novel surge in bookshops that has been developing over the past decade and in particular since the pandemic. In 2025, adult and kids' comics categories through NielsenIQ BookScan's Total Consumer Market combined to deliver £77.2m for UK booksellers, by far a record year. This will be absolutely obliterated by 2026's end as sales are up a massive 25% for the sector year on year; with a little following wind - heck, maybe just a light breeze - graphic novels could eclipse £100m in a calendar year for the first time in

The report goes on to say that "comics, manga and graphic novels are no longer a niche interest within public libraries. They are increasingly considered a core part of a modern library collection, helping libraries reach audiences who may not be drawn to more traditional

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Matías Bergara @matiasbergara.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Col. Kusanagi (loving the new show - Ghost in the Shell)

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Austin Wood @woodwould.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

He's only gone and written 2,500 more words about how game devs feel about generative AI. Latest piece quotes around two dozen different people with an indie background. When asked how they feel about gen AI, not one, but two devs responded, "Fuck that shit." www.gamesradar.com/games/it-cre...

gamesradar.com

"It creates lesser games": Indie game studios are supposed to love generative AI, so why do the 25 devs I spoke to avoid it?

"So it may be slightly faster, and a lot worse, but it's also more expensive? Neat"

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

I'm on my way to London for my first book signing tour! It feels very surreal, I still have to pinch myself when I remember that I have a book in the world. If you're in London and fancy a signed copy of Legacy, hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to find one after today! 🤞

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Matthew Smith @teamsmithy.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I picked up @monstrouscomics.bsky.social new book, you should to (I completely understand if you were waiting for volume 3).

A copy of Legacy: The Shadow Rises available in all good book stores.

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James Stayte @jamesstayte.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Pick up Legacy volume 1 now! Epic adventure stories by some awesome people!!

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Neill Cameron @neillcameron.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Zak is an absolutely stunning artist, I recommend this HUGELY! 👇

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Phil Tite @philtite.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Out today. My class are already loving this! @monstrouscomics.bsky.social @dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social

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Dave Bulmer @demontomatodave.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Get this, it's off that Phoenix I'm always banging on about, it's by a friend-of / guest-on-the-podcast from way back, and it's dead good

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Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Genuinely, GENUINELY, a brilliant comic 🤩

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

It's publication day of Legacy: The Shadow Rises! If any of you pick up a copy, I really hope you enjoy it! 🙂

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

youtu.be/wKuqzR-iMas?... I'm playing through the remake at the moment, but this battle theme from the original is so good. This is my current fave bit of music to draw Legacy to!

youtu.be

Sora no Kiseki Zanmai - Sophisticated Fight (EXTENDED)

YouTube video by Ronny273

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

In case anyone who follows me here is interested, I'll be at Bedford Library and Close Encounters Bedford this Saturday. It will be the first time outside of Phoenix Fest to pick up my new book (out next week!) 🙂

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

I'm delighted to see how much everyone seems to be enjoying the latest issue of The Phoenix with our April fool's soup edition! Here's my little contribution, which I enjoyed drawing far more than I expected to be possible. Stats and words by @soupgh0st.bsky.social

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Steve Morris @stevewmorris.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Greatest comic book cover of the year so far

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The Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Can confirm this absolutely destroyed in our house. My son handed it to me with a shit-eating grin and I confess that, yes, I did MOMENTARILY think it was some sort of genuine mix-up before realising it was a beautifully executed prank. 10/10. Subscribe to thephoenixcomic.co.uk

thephoenixcomic.co.uk

Home Page - The Phoenix comic

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Loremipsumia @loremipsumia.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

SOUP-erb edition of @the-phoenix-comic.bsky.social this week (in disguise for April 1st). An absolute joy.

An april fools copy of The Phoenix comic with a wraparound but very believably fake cover to make it look like it's a copy of 'Soups' magazine.

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Ned Hartley @nedhartley.com · 11/03/2026

Hello and welcome to my unboxing video

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Ed Newton-Rex @ednewtonrex.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

The House of Lords Digital & Communications Committee just published their report on AI, copyright & the creative industries, and their conclusions could not be clearer. 🧵 1/5

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Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

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 🤩

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Sarah McIntyre @sarahmcintyre.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Eek! Less than one hour to go…!⏰😅

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Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

This style of light doesn't really appear in animation anymore. You know it when you see it -- it's bright, hot and almost dangerous. Our new issue explores the tricks behind it, and how one artist has revived the look for the digital age: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/dangerous-...

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Abby Bulmer @abbybulmer.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Today tickets go on sale for Phoenix Fest! www.phoenixfest.co.uk

Advert for PhoenixFest in Oxford, tickets on sale today at 10:00.

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The Firelight Isle ⭐Kickstarter Open!⭐ @paulduffield.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Me and Kate (co-author on The Firelight Isle) both love playing with unconventional panel layouts, so here are a few from across the story! Finally collecting all three volumes in print right now! www.kickstarter.com/projects/pau...

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

I have an advance copy of my upcoming book, Legacy! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have my first book in my hands at last!

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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

We don’t need AI training sponsored by the tech firms selling it. We need AI education to help people understand what it can’t do, and what dangers lie ahead if you entrust your life to it

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Does anyone have any albums or playlists that are their go-to 'Work Faster' music? I just realised today that when I need to pick up my drawing pace I play the Ridge Racer Type 4 soundtrack and my output increases. I'd listen to it every day, but I worry that it would lose it's power if I did 😂

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Nah, I'd rather sit on a bear trap, thanks.

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Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

This is a fantastic article with a lot of simple explanations in it of everyday counterintuitive bullshit, just as you’d expect from Cory Doctorow. Yeah AI is a bubble. But what sort of bubble? Who puffed it up? And what do we do? www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

theguardian.com

AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage | Cory Doctorow

AI is asbestos in the walls of our tech society, stuffed there by monopolists run amok. A serious fight against it must strike at its roots

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Dave Cook @davecook.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Get 10% off everything on my comic store with code GIMME10 - including all physical comics, digital editions, tees, hoodies and stickers. Check it out while stocks last! davecookcomics.bigcartel.com

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Steve Lieber @stevelieberart.bsky.social · 09/01/2024

Every artist wishes they could go back in time to deliver a swat to the back of their own head and say, “Don't do that!” None of this is universal, but here is a protips thread of some things I (and many of my peers) would try to stop ourselves from doing.

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The Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

In what's now become an annual tradition, I've written another piece for The Gist about how and why I hate A.I. On a bubble about to burst, a future rotted to its core, and the limits of the Mrs Doyle Theory of artificial intelligence. www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2...

thegist.ie

Guest Gist: 2026, Our Already Rotting Future

Seamus O'Reilly warns of AI maximum bubbledrive this year.

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ToonHive @toonhive.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy 51st birthday to the talented ‘One Piece’ creator Eiichiro Oda.

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I was digging through old sketchbooks the other day and realised that there was a point, years ago, when all my drawings in them were really tight and clean. That time has very much passed, my sketches are random and messy now. I'm not sure when that changed though?

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I've finished work for Christmas! Very excited to chill out for a couple of weeks now, it's been a busy year!

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Fraser Campbell @fraserc69.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

"AI presents a threat to UK comic creators, but it can be harnessed too, and businesses exploring that from within the industry need support." Yeesh. Yes, it does. No, it can't and no, they do not.

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Today is the two-year anniversary of the day I found out I was going to be a father! Otherwise known as the anniversary of the day that my girlfriend unexpectedly thrust the positive pregnancy test in front of my face to hear me gormlessly respond "Whu-?? Covid??"

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Zak Simmonds-Hurn @monstrouscomics.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I don't know what it is about this panel, but I'm so happy with how it turned out! From Legacy in The Phoenix. Absolutely beautiful colours as always by @fiverarts.bsky.social And background assists by the awesome @teamsmithy.bsky.social ! Written by Tom and Will Fickling, lettering by Kate Brown.

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Dave Bulmer @demontomatodave.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Looks like you've got just a few days left to pick up a fantastic game that you know you were going to play eventually, the ludicrous action-melodrama that Shenmue evolved into, before they ruin it and increase the price from less than a tenner to fifty quid. Here's how they'll be ruining it:

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Rick Lane @ricklane.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

I've seen the McDonalds ad and of course it's hideous. An uncanny, misanthropic, artless nightmare. Also extremely funny to see its generators (I refuse to call them creators because they didn't create shit) cry about slaving away for three measly weeks. Whoa, take a break Michelangelo!

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