Animal Planet cancelled in Thomson cutbacks

No doubt you've heard the news that D.C. Thomson announced massive cutbacks yesterday with 300 redundancies and several magazines being cancelled. 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/feb/09/beano-stylist-dc-thomson-cut-staff

One of the titles ending is the superb Animal Planet magazine, which just goes to prove that quality is no guarantee of success. Animal Planet (recently retitled Animal Planet Kids) was a fun magazine about animals and the environment that was presented with more depth than most kids' mags. Its free gifts were also of a higher quality, created especially for the magazine and made of card or paper, not plastic, to reflect the magazine's respect for the environment. On the occasions where it was "bagged", even the bag was paper, not plastic.

I was an occasional contributor to Animal Planet, with the Bad Pets strip which was written by Nigel Auchterlounie. It'd rotate with other strips so it didn't appear every month but it was always a pleasure to contribute. There are still two unpublished strips; one featuring a moose (panel shown at the top of this post) and another featuring an octopus. I've no idea where or even if they'll ever be used but thank you to DCT editor Claire Bartlett for commissioning me for the gig. (Claire also works on the Beano.)

A far bigger blow of course is for the 300 staff who are about to lose their jobs. These are terrible times for publishing, or in most industries really, and my thoughts are with them.

With rising bills and less work it's hard to see any positive future in publishing. I wish I could end this post on a more upbeat note but I hope you'll enjoy these two examples of the Bad Pets strip that were so enjoyable to draw...

 

 

Another BAD PETS strip this month

I'm happy to say that there's another Bad Pets strip I've drawn in the latest issue of Animal Planet Kids magazine (No.25). Written by Nigel Aucterlounie and illustrated by me, the strip only appears now and then as it alternates with other strips but it's always fun to do. 

The magazine itself is a great educational publication for children, teaching them about animals of the world and their environment in a fun way. One of the best kids' mags on the market.

Animal Planet Kids No.25 is out now from newsagents and supermarkets.

https://www.animalplanetmagazine.com/

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Another BAD PETS strip this month

There's a new Bad Pets mini-strip by me and writer Nigel Auchterlounie in the latest issue of Animal Planet Kids (No.23) which is in shops today.

It's not a magazine I contribute to every month. I'm commissioned to draw a strip now and then but it's always a mag I enjoy being in. Animal Planet Kids is a fun educational mag about animals and their environment and is a more substantial read than some kids' mags around today. 

You'll find it in newsagents and supermarkets across the UK.  

https://www.animalplanetmagazine.com/subscribe/

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Bad Pets is back this month!

As I've mentioned before, I'm occasionally asked to contribute to D.C. Thomson's ANIMAL PLANET magazine and there's a new one out today that I drew a strip for. Writer Nigel Auchterlounie and I have done another Bad Pets mini-strip for issue 17, in shops now including WH Smith, Sainsburys, Asda, and other supermarkets. 

Comic fans might assume that Animal Planet is set in a future where animals rule the Earth (and would that be a bad thing?) but, no, it's a splendid 68 page mag featuring articles and photos about the animals we share our world with and the environment they live in. 

Official site:

https://www.animalplanetmagazine.com/

You can also buy the digital version from PocketMags:

https://pocketmags.com/animal-planet-magazine

BAD PETS return in today's ANIMAL PLANET Magazine

Every now and then I'm asked to draw a mini-strip called Bad Pets, written by brilliant Nigel Auchterlounie, for D.C. Thomson's ANIMAL PLANET magazine. Very proud to contribute to this as it's a superb kids' mag about animals and the environment. I'm in the latest issue which is out today from all good newsagents and supermarkets.

The publishers have another two Bad Pets strips to use but I'm not sure when it'll be published as that space in the mag is usually given to another strip. Hopefully there'll be more work at some point but I've only been in four issues over the past twelve months so I have to see it as just a nice occassional addition to my portfolio rather than regular work. It's a good mag though and well worth buying for your kids!

 

 

BAD PETS return

Occasionally I'm asked to contribute to Animal Planet Magazine which I enjoy very much as it's a mag educating kids about animals and the environment, - in a fun way of course. Issue 11, out today, features another Bad Pets mini strip written by Nigel Auchterlounie and drawn by me. The issue has something of a winter/snow theme to it so I couldn't resist putting a Christmas tree into the strip. 

Animal Planet Magazine No.11 has 68 packed pages and is out now in all good newsagents and supermarkets, or you can subscribe online...

https://www.animalplanetmagazine.com/

https://pocketmags.com/animal-planet-magazine 

Animal Planet!

Occassionally I contribute to Animal Planet magazine with a comic strip called Bad Pets, written by Nigel Auchterlounie and drawn by me. Two have appeared so far, in issues 4 and 6. (The one from issue 6 is shown above.) They have two more in stock and I've been commissioned to draw another two this week for future issues.

Strips by other artists appear in the issues I'm not in. Sometimes they're mis-credited to me unfortunately but you'd probably spot the difference in styles. (Plus I always sign my strips, so if there isn't my signature on it those aren't by me.)

Animal Planet is an excellent mag, with 68 pages each issue educating kids about the environment and the animals we share our world with. Very proud to be a contributor. I'll let you know when my work appears in it again.

 

 

Bad Pets!

A while back I drew a mini-strip called Bad Pets (written by the Beano's brilliant Nigel Auchterlounie) for the new ANIMAL PLANET magazine, and it's in print today in issue No.4.

Our contribution is just a one off so far but I really hope there'll be more in the future as it was fun to do. Animal Planet is a great kids' mag, themed around (you guessed it) animals and the environment. In shops now. A bargain at 64 pages for £3.99.

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