{"id":32756,"date":"2025-05-02T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T08:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=32756"},"modified":"2025-05-01T07:27:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T07:27:39","slug":"neill-camerons-donut-squad-take-over-the-world-book-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/05\/02\/neill-camerons-donut-squad-take-over-the-world-book-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Neill Cameron\u2019s Donut Squad: Take Over the World (Book 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Neill Cameron<\/strong> & various (David Fickling Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-78845-340-0 (Digest TPB)<\/p>\n

Do You Like Donuts?<\/p>\n

Only you can truly answer that question, but if you\u2019re undecided, and dangerously unaware of the ramifications of indecision, rabid raconteur and art fiend Neill Cameron has many arguments you might want to consider before deciding, all jam-packed into a manic new compendium of strips, activities and artificially-sweetened exploits starring a bargain box of comics champions cherrypicked from modern British periodical treasure trove The Phoenix<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Since debuting in 2012 and just like The<\/strong> Beano<\/strong>, Dandy<\/strong> and other perennial childhood treasures, the wonderful weekly has masterfully mixed hilarious comedy with enthralling adventure serials… and frequently in the same scintillating strip. Everybody strapped in? Got your snacks? Then let\u2019s go…<\/p>\n

Crafted by Cameron (Mega Robo Bros<\/strong>, Freddy<\/strong>, Tamsin of the Deep<\/strong>, How to Make Awesome Comics<\/strong>, Pirates of Pangea<\/strong>), a unique team of toothsome adventurers convene here as \u2018Meet the Squad!!\u2019 <\/em>cuts down confectionary crusaders dark horse Sprinkles<\/em>, accident prone Jammyboi<\/em>, Chalky <\/em>(the ghost of a murdered Victorian Donut), violent vigilante Justice Donut<\/em>, nerve-wracked Anxiety Donut<\/em>, piratical Caramel Jack! <\/em>(he\u2019s a little bit salty!), Dadnut & Li\u2019l Timmy<\/em>, and utterly unknowable Spronky!<\/em> who each individually regale us with short adventures liberally seasoned with lashings of ads for Donut Squad merch like T-shirts, mugs and orbital death-rays. Also probably not really available are fancy dress costumes, hats and giant pants, but you never know…
\n\"\"
\nAlthough ruggedly individualistic, the assorted vignette stars all seem to work towards a communal conclusion as we explore many \u2018Donut Mysteries\u2019<\/em>, examine \u2018Rejected Donut Flavours\u2019<\/em> and question the verities of existence in repeated \u2018Ask your Father with Dadnut & Li\u2019l Timmy\u2019<\/em> episodes. Certainty of a greater world to come is verified via exploits of spectral phenomenon \u2018The Cursed Donut\u2019<\/em> whilst a reason for living is offered in \u2018Meet the Donut Squad Babies! Basically the same but cuter!!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Life is short and full of surprises so sometimes old friends simply don\u2019t hang around. When Jammyboi shockingly makes his exit, the prospect of cleaner hands and unstained furnishings evaporates with the introduction of much messier messroom treat Choccy-plops<\/em> – a revelation just crying out for more mirthful merch announcements. Oooh! Tea towels!<\/p>\n

With the addition of \u2018Sweetum! The Sweetest Donut of all!\u2019<\/em> a narrative undercurrent starts carrying all later vignettes in the same direction, starting with \u2018New Season! New Donut Flavours\u2019<\/em> before Sprinkles details a tasty masterplan at the \u2018Secret Donut Squad Meeting!\u2019<\/em> outlining his efforts to enlist human converts and enrol them in the \u2018Donut Squad Legion of Enthusiasm!\u2019<\/em> The program is supplemented by all the latest \u2018Conspiracy Theories!\u2019<\/em> and the DSLoE \u2018Code of Conduct\u2019<\/em>…
\n\"\"
\nBriefings on \u2018Rare Donut Varieties\u2019<\/em> are interrupted by an incursion by secret archfoes\/sworn enemies the \u2018Bagel Battalion\u2019 <\/em>(Private Plainbagel<\/em>, Sergeant Sesameseed<\/em> and Platoon Commander Poppyseed<\/em>), but before everything gets too heavy we pause to peruse the wonders of \u2018Donut Park\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Sadly, such commercial distractions lead to more subversive assaults by the relentless foe, offering \u2018New Bagel Flavours\u2019<\/em> and prompting an arms race resulting in retaliatory experiments with \u2018New Cheesier Donuts\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

The carb-shot cold war hots up with a wave of \u2018Bagel Battalion merchandise\u2019<\/em> including ads for themed thermal vests, ties and protractor & compass sets garnishing counterintelligence sallies such as \u2018Ask your Bagel father\u2019<\/em>. Initially wrongfooted, the sweet & sugary contingent can only resort to more theme park ads, even as \u2018How to draw donuts\u2019<\/em> features are swiftly counterbalanced by \u2018How to draw bagels\u2019<\/em> until all consumer confidence is shattered…<\/p>\n

A public backlash begins, leading to a breaking of the doughy fourth law and some gutter crawling – and sniping – as \u2018Anxiety Donut Has to Go on an Adventure!\u2019<\/em>, circumventing more mesmerising ads, and inadvertently spying on the Bagels before reporting back on their \u2018Battle readiness\u2019<\/em>…
\n\"\"
\nInevitably war boils over between the baked goods factions. The horrors culminate in the creation of an horrific \u2018Bagel Battalion Metabomb\u2019<\/em> and, after the deployment of all comestibles, tanks, skateboards and battle dinosaurs, the opposing forces calamitously clash. Cosmic destruction is only narrowly averted and when the powdered sugar settles we learn \u2018Hooray! The Donut Squad is Victorious!\u2019<\/em> and are not really surprised by a follow-up press release confirming \u2018Hooray! The Donut Squad Have Taken Over the World!\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Smart, witty, laugh out loud weird and utterly bonkers, this seemingly piecemeal treat cunningly connects a whole bunch of stuff kids love without knowing why, but which totally bewilder us oldsters and keeps us in our place. Breezy eccentric and captivating, the sugar rush is counterpointed with a selection of Donut related artistic activities extracted from \u2018The Phoenix Comic Club\u2019<\/em>, including drawing \u2018Basic Shapes!\u2019<\/em>, adding \u2018Flavour!\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Personality!\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Expression!\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Poses\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Extras!\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Characters!\u2019<\/em> and all aspects of \u2018Storytelling!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

This manic missive then closes with a welcome extract from Cameron\u2019s Mega Robo Bros<\/strong> just in case your kid is the only one who hasn\u2019t read it yet. And don\u2019t let anyone read it whilst eating…<\/p>\n

Moreover, as all the best books and movies say: DONUT SQUAD WILL RETURN…
\nText and illustrations \u00a9 Neill Cameron 2025. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Neill Cameron\u2019s Donut Squad: Take Over the World! <\/strong>is scheduled for UK release on May 8th<\/sup> 2025 and is available for pre-order now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Neill Cameron & various (David Fickling Books) ISBN: 978-1-78845-340-0 (Digest TPB) Do You Like Donuts? Only you can truly answer that question, but if you\u2019re undecided, and dangerously unaware of the ramifications of indecision, rabid raconteur and art fiend Neill Cameron has many arguments you might want to consider before deciding, all jam-packed into … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Neill Cameron\u2019s Donut Squad: Take Over the World (Book 1)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[109,191,42,113,290,102,125,97,242,107,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-books","category-adventure","category-best-of-british","category-comedy","category-dinosaurs","category-fantasy","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-pirates","category-science-fiction","category-war-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8wk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32761,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32756\/revisions\/32761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}