At this point, I’m only a few issues into my digital subscription to The Phoenix, and I’m already convinced that it is the best comic on the stands for kids at the moment. I’ll get into more of the specifics in a future feature post, but for now, I wanted to shine a spotlight on a particularly intriguing section of the anthology entitled Corpse Talk.

art and words by Adam Murphy

Written, drawn and hosted by Adam Murphy, the Corpse Talk section digs up long dead historical figures and plots through their true history in the span of two scant pages. Because of the tight amount of space, subjects don’t get much more than a brief overview, but Murphy more than makes up for the lack of in depth coverage with brilliants bits of specificity that alternatively charm and inform. In the first strip I read, (issue 110 for those interested) Murphy did a wonderful two pages on Julaluddin Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, theologian and Sufi mystic, bringing in concepts of philosophy and religion to the fore in a way that was easy to breeze through. He also did it without talking down to his audience even slightly. This continued through to his next strip where his subject was Christopher Columbus, who he took glee in tearing to pieces when the corpse in question attempted to propagate his own myths. In the process, I learned a great deal about both figures in ways that are still sticking in the folds of my brain weeks later.

art and words by Adam Murphy

This kind of brilliant content in a comic meant for a younger audience is huge, and it’s indicative of the kinds of whip-smart stories, puzzles and brain teasers that are littered through each issue of The Pheonix. If you have access to physical copies in the UK, drop £3 and check it out - but if you’re like me and live far too away from ol’ blighty to obtain physical copies in a fiscally viable manner, you can grab issues for a scant $2.99 on their digital iTunes app.