The Phoenix is Oxford publisher David Fickling’s exciting venture into the world of comics. Acclaimed by Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen, the adventure strips burst with action and humour that will appeal to reluctant readers and those who have succumbed to the easy allure of fast and furious computer games.

These easy-to-read stories, with rapid-fire dialogue, up-to-the-minute artwork and twisty plots, are blessed with time-honoured goodies and baddies, here coping with robots, monsters and aliens. Each issue has a continuing story like Pirates of Pangaea, in which our two heroes outwit the aggressive pirate hiding behind a volcano. There are also ongoing tales like The Fox and the Hedgehog and interactive pages on How to Draw.

Some of the stories have been collected into graphic novels (£9.99), including Mo-Bot High by ex-Cherwell School student Neill Cameron, and The Spider Moon by Kate Brown.

The latter, also a local artist, has produced a gentle, tense eco-tale in which the feisty heroine saves her threatened homeland from being “crushed by the falling sky”. The delicate illustrations plunge down under water and up to a ‘floating isle’; the book also includes an outline of characters, a map and an explanation on how “a cover image from start to finish” is made.

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, (David Fickling £10.99), Dave Shelton’s debut novel, is written in a simple, direct style with affectionate drawings.

Two unlikely characters set off on an eventful trip “to the other side” under the captainship of a bear, whose has occasional bright ideas but a reluctance to plan ahead. With a sandwich, tea-making equipment, a suitcase, comic book and a ukulele, they cope with ‘unforeseen anomalies’ like sea monsters, horrific storms and spooky ships. It’s a whimsical journey that is truly about life, friendship, and self-discovery.