{"id":34921,"date":"2026-02-10T17:12:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=34921"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:12:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:12:02","slug":"toby-and-the-pixies-volume-4-how-to-be-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/02\/10\/toby-and-the-pixies-volume-4-how-to-be-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"Toby and the Pixies volume 4 How to Be Cool!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy James Turner & Andreas Schuster<\/strong>, with Emily Kimball<\/strong> & Leanne Daphne<\/strong> (David Fickling Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-788453-77-6 (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 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 fester forays Best Frenemies<\/strong> & Pixie Pandemonium!<\/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) – deliberately or otherwise, despatching King Thornpickle<\/em> made Toby new absolute monarch. Pixie law also stated said ruler could do anything they wanted… 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\u2026<\/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
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\nThis fourth folio of foolishly foetid foofaraw opens with a fresh chance to get reacquainted with musty regulars Toby, Mo, Steph, Sugarsnap, Toadflax, Gatherwool & Mouldwarp in a comprehensive triple page intro. Then it\u2019s back to school and off the deep end (or is it?) in \u2018Chapter 1:<\/em> T Train\u2019<\/em> as Toby – under the Advisors\u2019 suggestions and fed up with his old nickname (\u201cTrousers\u201d) – decides to reboot his image. Sadly, using magic to remove everyone\u2019s memories of old Toby to make room for supercool \u201cT-Train\u201d is a complete disaster… as usual.<\/p>\n

\u2018Chapter 2:<\/em> Pet Project\u2019<\/em> sees the rickety ruler granted extra responsibility – looking after the class goldfish – before disaster immediately strikes when it dies. No appreciable use (as usual!) the pixies take away the wrong message from Toby\u2019s humiliating tragedy and over-explore the fascinating human notion of \u201cpets\u201d by concentrating on \u201ccan anybody be one…?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pixies are willing, compliant slaves to their King, so only chaos can result from Steph finally making overburdened Mouldwarp understand the concepts of consent and refusal in \u2018Chapter 3:<\/em> The More You \u201cNo\u201d\u2019<\/em>. Rebellion can be an ugly thing to witness…<\/p>\n

Social horror blends with the squishy icky kind in \u2018Chapter 4: Spot On\u2019<\/em> when Toby allows his advisors to \u201ctreat\u201d the unsightly blemish on his forehead. Soon, the unsightly pimple is not only bigger than his original head, but far smarter and more erudite, too. Of course, it cannot last…<\/p>\n

The young king hates grooming and his much-deferred barber appointments finally come home to roost in \u2018Chapter 5:<\/em> Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow\u2019<\/em>, paying dank, dandruffy dividends after the Advisors\u2019 first suggestion (hungry goat) is superseded by manic tonsorial magic and grows well beyond anyone\u2019s control. Sadly, that catastrophe is rapidly eclipsed in \u2018Chapter 6:<\/em> Penguin Peril\u2019<\/em> when an impending appearance on TV show \u201cThat\u2019s Sciency\u201d becomes just the latest way his Advisors cannot help. Here an ecology project involving papier mache penguins and global climate crises suddenly becomes a disaster of cosmic proportions when the pixies soup it up. Now, only devious Princess Sugarsnap seems able to assist… and only for a most outrageous price…<\/p>\n

In \u2018Chapter 7:<\/em> Lore Unto Themselves\u2019 <\/em>a dose of school library cleaning results in the fetid fey folk experiencing sugar-stoked culture shock after seeing in something called \u201ca book\u201d what proper Pixies are…<\/p>\n

After realising the King is constantly being saved by his loyal Champion Mo, Sugarsnap bounces back with her most wicked plan yet in \u2018Chapter 8:<\/em> Getting the Hump\u2019<\/em>. To succeed, all she has to do is break up their friendship, and what better way than by exploiting their shared passion for video games? And THAT<\/em> is best accomplished by entering the game itself via magic, yes? Well, no, actually…<\/p>\n

Writing is hard even if you have great ideas like scholastic King Toby, but if you let your Advisors remove the Self Doubt Critter in your head via a Magical Brain Beret, all manner of plots, schemes and characters are able to unstoppably manifest. Thus, in \u2018Chapter 9:<\/em> Critical Thinking\u2019 <\/em>as Toby generates a torrent of unwanted essay pages, his freedom of thought increasingly and dangerously impacts on his actions. The solution is to put the SDC back in the king\u2019s head, but it\u2019s perfectly happy squatting in Mouldwarp\u2019s bonce and not keen on being evicted, so it\u2019s a happy thing that when it goes on a rampage Toby has few ideas…<\/p>\n

When Toadflax discovers advertising and psychology it soon spawns sheer anarchic trouble in \u2018Chapter 10:<\/em> Choco Crisis\u2019<\/em> as the Advisors\u2019 addiction to sugar leads them to magically manifest idols and monsters only a hasty human ad campaign can counter…<\/p>\n

Echoes of that encounter reverberate as Christmas rolls around again and \u2018Chapter 11:<\/em> Advent Adventure\u2019<\/em> finds Mo, Steph and Toby confronting the Pixies\u2019 newfound love of doors that open onto presents and the ultimate terror that leads to…
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\nThe storytelling terminates with one more trial as Sugarsnap returns with her ultimate gambit: suing Toby for the Kingdom of Pixies. However, nobody can win when the law is such an ass that it allows Gatherwool to be judge and book-eating Toadflax and Mouldwarp to be defence counsel. As chaos mounts in \u2018Chapter 12:<\/em> Court Out\u2019<\/em>, Toby has never been more happy to have Stepha and Mo acting as his behind the scenes advocates…<\/p>\n

Ordinary school interactions can be a nightmare, but with the reading done for now, keen types can learn useful stuff from pages of related activities grouped under the banner of the Phoenix Comics Club<\/strong>. Bring paper, pencils and you to a selection of items from the compact online course detailing all aspects of comic strip creation supervised by Andreas Schuster.<\/p>\n

Here that includes \u2018Let\u2019s Draw a Pixie! Castle\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Pixie Magic!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Character class: Ducks!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Duckification!\u2019<\/em> and \u2018By the Power of Art, COMBINE!\u2019 <\/em>backed up by an extensive peek at other Fickling books and treats plus a 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 fabulous fabrication of festery fun and nonsense no lover of laughs and lunacy should deprive themselves and which all kids will gleefully consume. What are we all waiting for?
\nText and illustrations \u00a9 The Phoenix Comic 2026. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Toby and the Pixies: volume 4: How to Be Cool!<\/strong> is published on 12th<\/sup> February 2026 and available for preorder now.<\/p>\n

Today in 1898 the previous Frank Miller<\/strong> (who produced aviation strip Barney Baxter in the Air<\/strong>) was born, as was eternal letterer Irv Watanabe<\/strong> in 1919. In 1957 Leonard Starr<\/strong>\u2019s Mary Perkins on Stage<\/strong> opened, but strips lost to us on this day include DC\u2019s The World\u2019s Greatest Superheroes<\/strong> in 1985 and Secret Agent X-9<\/strong> in 1996.<\/p>\n

Crucially and painfully, in 1987 Diabolik<\/strong> co-creator Angela Giussani<\/strong> died, as did the uniquely irreplaceable Steve Gerber<\/strong> in 2008.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By James Turner & Andreas Schuster, with Emily Kimball & Leanne Daphne (David Fickling Books) ISBN: 978-1-788453-77-6 (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 … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Toby and the Pixies volume 4 How to Be Cool!”<\/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":[291,42,113,102,125,97,225,296,254],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34921","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-school-stories","category-young-adult"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-95f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34921","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=34921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34925,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34921\/revisions\/34925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}