Jamie Smart’s brand new comic book series Megalomaniacs, coloured by John Cullen, was announced on the cover of The Bookseller this week.
Book One is being released in April next year, with more on the way.
“Don’t worry, I’m still doing tons of Bunny Vs Monkey,” says Jamie, “this is something as well as!”
(Jamie’s Bunny vs Monkey: Intergalatic Monkey Business is published next month, and available to order direct from The Phoenix here)
Megalomaniacs originally featured as a creator-owned strip, “Mega-Lo-Maniacs” in The Dandy back in 2012, and made their daft debut in The Phoenix No. 448, back in 2021. The strip centres on very tiny aliens trying to take over Earth, and failing endlessly.
“With loads of different weird, gross and creepy alien types, everyone will hopefully have their favourite!” says Jamie, who’s a guest Phoenix Fest at the end of this month.
The invasion of Earth begins next year! Hooray!
Jamie Smart draws cute characters and then sets them free into ridiculous colourful worlds. His comics have delighted children for over 15 years, in the pages of national institutions such as The Dandy, BEANO, The DFC and The Phoenix. His long running weekly strip, “Bunny Vs Monkey”, is still going strong in The Phoenix after many years, collected into an ongoing series of best-selling books.
In 2015 he launched Superhero Bunny League into the world through two OUP books, and his character Find Chaffy continues to explore new mediums (from the Scholastic books, to toys, to viral memes).
Aside from his own creations, Jamie has also been given the reins on Doctor Who (creating over 50 enormous picture searches for both the Doctor Who magazines, also collected into their own book), was the full time writer and artist on “Desperate Dan” for five years fir The Dandy, and also created and edits the free annual children’s comic Moose Kid Comics, a love letter to the medium, and a call to arms for new talent.
Super Duper Bunny League, based on Jamie’s Superhero Bunny League books, featuring five superhero bunnies out to thwart a variety of weirdo meanies, is available to view on Nick Jr in the UK. If you have Sky Kids or Now TV or Paramount+ you should also be able to watch it there.
Available now, too, is the brand new card game Hero Slam, exclusively through Waterstones (online and in store) and The Phoenix Comic online store. A game for 1-4 players, ages 8 and up, each game takes about 20 minutes. To play the game, you must journey through the enchanted woods gathering a variety of weird and wonderful heroes, who you’ll be using to vanquish the evil villain lying in wait. But beware! Along the way you’re likely to lose many of your heroes to recklessly dangerous sidequests, magical power-ups, or even fighting amongst themselves! What adventures will unfold? What legends will they tell of you?
• Jamie Smart is online at fumboo.com
• John Cullen is online at nellucnhoj.com
• Bunny vs Monkey: Intergalatic Monkey Business is published next month, and available to order direct from The Phoenix here
Book 11 in the bestselling Bunny vs Monkey series
There’s a new mischief-maker in The Woods – Little Monkey! A smaller, cuter, and even stranger Monkey than our beloved chaos-causer. But as Bunny and friends try to work out his motives, they are led far from the woods… into outer space.
And on Planet Monkey, the laughs are positively intergalactic!
• Check out more books and merchandise from Bunny vs Monkey and discover The World of Jamie Smart
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
downthetubes News Round Up: new SHIFT, Commando vs Zombies, and more 
2000AD Jump On Board Exclusive Preview: Brass Sun 
In the Works: Brian Bolland’s The Actress and the Bishop – The Deluxe Colour Edition 
Crowdfunding Spotlight: Time Bomb Comics latest Quantum anthology campaign launched