{"id":33739,"date":"2025-09-03T13:51:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T13:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33739"},"modified":"2025-09-03T13:51:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T13:51:30","slug":"toby-and-the-pixies-volume-3-pixie-pandemonium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/09\/03\/toby-and-the-pixies-volume-3-pixie-pandemonium\/","title":{"rendered":"Toby and the Pixies: volume 3: Pixie Pandemonium!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy James Turner & Andreas Schuster<\/strong> (David Fickling Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-78845-355-4 (TPB)<\/p>\n

Way back in January 2012, Oxford-based David Fickling Books made a rather radical move by launching a traditional anthology comics weekly aimed at under-12s. It revelled in reviving the good old days of picture-story entertainment intent whilst embracing the full force of modernity in style and content.<\/p>\n

To this day each issue features humour, adventure, quizzes, puzzles and educational material in a joyous parade of cartoon fun and fantasy. The Phoenix<\/strong> has successfully established itself as a potent source of children\u2019s entertainment because, like Beano<\/strong> and Dandy<\/strong>, it is equally at home to boys and girls, and HAS mastered the magical trick of mixing amazingly action-packed adventure series with hilarious humour strip serials such as this one. Most of the strips have also become graphic collections; just like this one\u2026<\/p>\n

Crafted by the exceedingly clever James Turner (Star Cat<\/strong>, Super Animal Adventure Squad<\/strong>, Mameshiba<\/strong>, The Unfeasible Adventures of Beaver and Steve<\/strong>) and Canadian cartoonist\/designer\/animator Andreas Schuster (KLARA AND ANTON<\/strong> in PRIMAX<\/strong> Magazine), Toby and the Pixies<\/strong> began in January 2020 as I Hate Pixies<\/strong> and, once out of the compost bag of creative wonders, just wouldn\u2019t stop. Those first forays were remastered and released as Toby and the Pixies: Worst King Ever!<\/strong> and follow-up fun folio Best Frenemies<\/strong> charting the course of a nerdy boy at a nice school – until it all goes wrong…<\/p>\n

Unappreciated, anxious 12-year-old Toby Cauldwell<\/em> was resigned to and content with his meagre, second-rate friends, dedicated personal bullies, negative charisma levels and functional classroom invisibility at Suburbiton High School, but began rapidly shedding his appallingly uncool reputation the day after his electric-toaster-obsessed Dad ordered him to sort out their unruly, out-of-control back garden\u2026<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Toby discovered that wild, jungle-like urban wilderness was – unbeknownst to any mortal – the camouflaging screen for a fabulous fey realm. The ethereal, moist and rather mucky enclave had endured unseen in the green shambles of the Cauldwell backyard for countless ages. Now – thanks to an inept and inadvertent act of emancipation triggered by Toby kicking an unfortunately placed plaster garden gnome – the status quo forever altered. A tool of fate, the reluctant lad was instantly elevated to the position of supreme overlord, by dint of accidently yet totally obliterating the sitting tyrant. It was only for a hidden kingdom of magical morons, but they were really happy to be shot of their previous mad, mean, magical master….<\/p>\n

As interpreted by the former King\u2019s advisors – Royal Druid Mouldwarp<\/em>, wise(ish) Lore Keeper\/Potion Master Gatherwool<\/em> and Toadflax<\/em> (she eats stuff) – deliberate or otherwise, despatching King Thornpickle<\/em> made Toby new absolute monarch. Pixie law also stated said ruler could do anything they wanted\u2026 a prospect so laden with responsibility that it made Toby weep with terror\u2026<\/p>\n

Just coming to terms with MAGIC actually existing, and that the ever-present freaky, anarchic imps can do it whilst still being absolute idiots and morons was awful enough, without also still having to survive school\u2019s normal horrors. Thankfully, as the little odds and sods increasingly impinged and impacted on Toby\u2019s life, education and prospects, they also turned school upside on a daily basis, and Toby\u2019s fellow outcast Mo <\/em>soon discovered the shocking secret of their existence. And he thought it was BRILLIANT!<\/p>\n

In the short term, it actually made things worse but now, apart from constant teasing and perpetual whining pleas to visit the magic kingdom, there is a fellow human King Toby can moan at. Two actually, as snarky bully Steph <\/em>also soon discovered the secret and has since proved to not be quite as awful as she might be…<\/p>\n

That\u2019s good because knowledge is a dangerous, trouble-causing thing, particularly as the Pixies are now everywhere and Toby\u2019s succession triggered many problems: especially when magic-slime wielding Princess Sugarsnap<\/em> – daughter of Thornpickle and rightful heir to a job Toby really, really doesn\u2019t want – started a war to take back the throne Toby absolutely doesn\u2019t want\u2026<\/p>\n

This third fondly foetid foofaraw opens with a chance to get reacquainted with key regulars Toby, Mo, Steph, Toadflax, Gatherwool & Mouldwarp in a comprehensive double page intro. Then it\u2019s back to school and off the deep end (or is it?) in \u2018Chapter 1:<\/em> Off Sick\u2019<\/em> as Toby is confined to bed with a cold. Typically, his loyal subjects think magic is the answer, but they couldn\u2019t be more wrong… or destructive…<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapter 2:<\/em> On Holiday\u2019<\/em> finds Mr. Cauldwell attending a seaside toaster convention and \u201cthoughtfully\u201d leaving his son and Mo on the beach all day. The King thought he was going to have a pixie-free rest but his Royal Champion (that\u2019s Mo. Keep up!) has kindly brought the Advisors along. They\u2019ve never seen the sea before but think there must be sea pixies they can declare war on if they find them. That ends in frustration but they do discover the narcotic rush power of limitless sugar as delivered by candyfloss…
\n\"\" \"\"
\nA systemic examination of each Advisor begins with \u2018Chapter 3:<\/em> Toadflax Day\u2019<\/em> as the luckless little omnivore tries to celebrate her birthday in peace and with a minimum of injury, but still falls victim to cruel prankish fate, after which \u2018Chapter 4:<\/em> The Dentist\u2019<\/em> finds Toby trapped in the dreaded gob-surgery with his extremely curious courtiers aware of his anxiety but not sure how magic can help. It doesn\u2019t stop them trying though, with terrifying results…<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapter 5:<\/em> Mouldwarp\u2019s Day\u2019<\/em> unearths the pocket Druid\u2019s secret desire to be a mighty – and adored – hero of the Realm, but his dreams are crushed in Gatherwool\u2019s agenda to celebrate King Toby\u2019s 100th<\/sup> visit to the Kingdom and gift the human with the nation\u2019s most dangerous and deadly arcane artefacts. What could possibly go wrong?<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s not just royal duties that stress Toby out. Ordinary school interactions are also a nightmare, which is why, after saying something really stupid he truly wished he hadn\u2019t, the junior Cauldwell accepts the use of a pixie enchantment to erase that embarrassing moment. \u2018Chapter 6: Time Cape\u2019<\/em> only serves to remind him that no matter how bad a situation seems, it can always be amplified to near-cosmic armageddon by a little mucky mud magic…<\/p>\n

In \u2018Chapter 7:<\/em> Bixenjammer\u2019<\/em> Toby, despite all his past experiences, allows the Advisors to distract him from his homework with tales of the pixies\u2019 ultimate nemesis. Happily his subsequent search for it turns up nothing, after which \u2018Chapter 8:<\/em> Talking to Vegetables\u2019<\/em> sees the King foolishly accept the power to communicate with beasts only to find Gatherwool has confused the Fruit of Animal Communication with the equivalent Vegetable version. Barracked and besieged by the contents of fridge and fruit bowl, it takes mere moments to spark a retaliatory war with outraged groceries and only sheer luck saves Toby and the rest of meat world…<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapter 9:<\/em> Gatherwool\u2019s Day\u2019 <\/em>reveals the depths of the Lore Keeping Potion Master\u2019s devotion as he undertakes enlarging his beloved monarch to colossal proportions, despite every effort of everyone else to convince him he should check or at least ask first, before Romance fills the air in \u2018Chapter 10:<\/em> Crushed\u2019<\/em> after Toby becomes besotted by French foreign exchange student Josephine<\/em>. The milestone occurs just as the pixies are undertaking similar outreach by inviting demonic Boggart exchange student Grax\u2019norx\u2019ng\u2019kk<\/em> to observe their way of life. Everyone loves Love and is eager to help, but Toby – and Toadflax – really should have refused all offers to help…<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapter 11:<\/em> Logically Speaking\u2019<\/em> finds Mo and his liege lord asked to advise on a trade logistics problem involving transport of grain, chickens and foxes – with predictably disastrous results – and then joining the school newspaper staff. When the pixies are introduced to the concept of journalism, \u2018Chapter 12:<\/em> No News\u2019<\/em> proves their version, utilising a Magic Parchment of Truth to alter reality to match what\u2019s been written, is far more tempting and satisfactory. Thankfully, Steph keeps her wits as Toby succumbs to his unleashed dark side and the status quo is restored before the universe ends…<\/p>\n

Somehow, unconfident Toby lands a major part in a school theatrical production, and foolishly accepts aid from Gatherwool to calm his stage fright in \u2018Chapter 13:<\/em> Play Time\u2019<\/em>. Of course the resultant chaos only adds to the performance but \u2018Chapter 14:<\/em> It\u2019s Snow Joke\u2019<\/em> has far more serious repercussions after the Advisors animate the snowmen built by gleeful innocent kids – and Toby & Mo. Apparently, even happy chilly manmade ice folk can dream of world conquest…<\/p>\n

The story portion pauses on an early seasonal saga as the pixies share their own Christmas traditions in \u2018Chapter 15:<\/em> A Blimpmas Carol\u2019 <\/em>whilst test-traumatised Toby humbugs all and sundry in his nervous flurry of revision. When Mo introduces the Advisors to a certain classic book, the stage is set for some life- and attitude-changing ghost action and time travel, but these are the pixies in the pilot seat and you know it won\u2019t go as planned…<\/p>\n

Wrapping up the fungal fun and mucky madness is a bunch of pages of related activities: a swathe of features offered under the aegis of the Phoenix Comics Club<\/strong>. Bring paper, pencils and you to a compact online course in all aspects of comic strip creation supervised by Andreas Schuster who helms an activity section that includes \u2018Let\u2019s Draw a Pixie!\u2019<\/em>, \u2018A Square Pixie!\u2019 \u2018A Circle Pixie!\u2019 \u2018An Oval Pixie!\u2019 \u2018Expressions!\u2019 \u2018Noses!\u2019 \u2018Glasses!\u2019 \u2018Hair!\u2019 Ideas for Hats!\u2019 \u2018Yoghurt Pots!\u2019 \u2018A Broken Cup!\u2019 \u2018Foam Darts!\u2019 \u2018Leaves!\u2019 \u2018Pinecones!\u2019 \u2018Raccoons!\u2019 \u2018Snow Pixies!\u2019 \u2018Desert Pixies!\u2019 <\/em>and \u2018Jungle Pixies!\u2019 <\/em>which ends on an extensive plug for the Phoenix Comics Club <\/strong>website complete with instant access via a QR code.<\/p>\n

Toby and the Pixies<\/strong> is a joyous concatenation of nonsense no lover of laughs and lunacy should deprive themselves of and a feast of yuckky yoks all kids will gleefully consume. What are we all waiting for?
\nText and illustrations \u00a9 The Phoenix Comic 2025. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Toby and the Pixies: volume 3: Pixie Pandemonium!<\/strong> is published on 11th<\/sup> September 2025 and available for preorder now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By James Turner & Andreas Schuster (David Fickling Books) ISBN: 978-1-78845-355-4 (TPB) Way back in January 2012, Oxford-based David Fickling Books made a rather radical move by launching a traditional anthology comics weekly aimed at under-12s. It revelled in reviving the good old days of picture-story entertainment intent whilst embracing the full force of modernity … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Toby and the Pixies: volume 3: Pixie Pandemonium!”<\/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":[291,42,113,102,125,97,225,254],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activity-book","category-best-of-british","category-comedy","category-fantasy","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-mystery","category-young-adult"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8Mb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33739","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=33739"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33743,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33739\/revisions\/33743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}