{"id":35833,"date":"2026-06-29T17:43:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:43:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35833"},"modified":"2026-06-29T17:43:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:43:26","slug":"jess-bradleys-squid-bits-thats-a-nice-hat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/06\/29\/jess-bradleys-squid-bits-thats-a-nice-hat\/","title":{"rendered":"Jess Bradley\u2019s Squid Bits! : That\u2019s a Nice Hat!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Jess Bradley<\/strong> with Emily Kimball<\/strong>, Kate Brown<\/strong> & various (DFB\/Phoenix)
\nISBN: 978-1-78845-395-0 (TPB)<\/p>\n

The<\/strong> Phoenix<\/strong> has been the shining saving grace of traditional British kids\u2019 comics since 2012, regaling rabid readers with anthology strips for girls, boys and all points between, offering humour, adventure, quizzes, puzzles and educational material in a joyous parade of cartoon fun and fantasy. Although pretty strong in its action and mystery yarns, the publication is probably best known for its award-winning comedy stylings, and has always offered perplexing pages of puzzles, fun facts and info downloads in cartoon form.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s Squid Bits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Concocted by Jess Bradley (Comic Strip Science<\/strong> series, Super Dweeb<\/strong>, A Day in the Life of…<\/strong>), the composite self (un)help feature offers advice, suggestions, recipes, style tips, listicles, little snippets of information and much more by dredging up (more like making up!!!) countless tips from all human knowledge: history to astrology, science to economics, baking to nonsense and beyond. These articles are all purportedly supplied by mystery cartoonist The Squid<\/em> and THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED!<\/p>\n

At the height of the Ritalin* Generation and after years of periodical dis, mis and even hiss information (there\u2019s lots of stuff on lizards and reptiles) across many pages of octopoidal excess, the mix-&-match wonderment and sheer randomised inventiveness – undoubtedly sparked by an excess of imagination and too much tea and confectionary – has been compiled and curated into an almanac of absurdity, unleashed upon the reading public as Jess Bradley\u2019s Squid Bits: That\u2019s a Nice Hat<\/strong>. The perpetrators even have the temerity to threaten more books coming!
\n\"\"
\nThe seemingly utilitarian assemblages of pictorial bric-a-brac are manipulated and wrangled on-page by a Greek chorus of stick-figure doodles called \u201cThe Doodles\u201d<\/em> (individually Dog<\/em>, Cat<\/em>, Lizard<\/em>, Rabbit<\/em>, Mouse<\/em> & Goat<\/em>) seeking to please, placate and ingratiate their multi-tentacled Master\/Benefactor\/Employer. However, as the graffiti gang introduce themselves in an introductory chapter, old rivalries emerge and the linear sextet are consumed by millinery madness. From this point onwards all six lie, cheat, create, purloin, commandeer, otherwise obtain and steal – especially steal – a succession of staggering titfers and chapeaus to impress their unseen overlord.<\/p>\n

Amidst and in between all bouts of hat madness and 2-dimensional personal quests for validation, a vast selection of exemplary, data-drenched drawings from the Squid Bits<\/strong> feature bombards your-ever-expanding brainpan, technically making you smarter, but absolutely no use at all in any kind of crisis…<\/p>\n

Recurring features within the strip include the life of \u2018Red Panda – Nature\u2019s Jerk!\u2019<\/em>; the lectures of piscine critic \u2018Art Shark\u2019<\/em>; the indescribable \u2018Banana!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018The Amazing Lizard Bros!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Werewolf<\/em> Problems!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018President Dog!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Undercover Pigeon!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Dr. Bacon, M.D.\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Cecil P. Wombat \u2013 Expert on Everything!\u2019<\/em>;\u2018Adventures in Opposite Land!\u2019<\/em> and so very much you never needed or wanted to know about slugs, shopping, fighting, monsters, ghosts, flatulence, vampires or other staples of modern childhood.
\n\"\"
\nAlso incrementally improving reader\u2019s lives are such perennial favourites as \u2018Totally Real Nature Guide\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Squid Bits Horoscopes\u2019<\/em>; \u2018In the Olden Days\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Squid Bits Weather Report!\u2019 \u2018That Escalated Quickly…\u2019<\/em>; \u2018For Sale!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Squid Bits Homework Help!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Job Interviews!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Monster Fashion!\u2019<\/em>; excerpts from \u2018The Adventurer\u2019s Guide\u2019<\/em> and the ever-topical and handy \u201cCheck List!\u201d<\/em> of things you probably don\u2019t need for a far better life.<\/p>\n

These are counterbalanced by occasional or one-off events such as \u20185th<\/sup> Annual Nudibranch Festival!\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Cut \u2018n\u2019 Keep Gentle Reminder!\u2019<\/em>; a visit to \u2018The Evil Forest!\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Stick Insect Romance!\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Time Travel Foibles\u2019<\/em>; \u2018Too Many Guinea Pigs\u2019<\/em> and \u2018What Were You Before the Experiment?\u2019<\/em>…
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\nAs always, wrapping up these multi-pronged life-lessons and graphic shenanigans are opportunities to get creative and construct your own Fake News. This timely opportunity appears as activities offered under the aegis of the Phoenix Comics Club<\/strong>. Bring paper, pencils, a ruler, no respect for rules and especially You to a compact online course (QR code provided!), Alternatively, do it in the ancient ways as all aspects of comic strip creation are presented and supervised \u201cin-book\u201d by Bradley herself. The section details \u2018How to Draw the Squid Bits Way!\u2019<\/em> and individual lessons and topics include the draughting delights of Red Panda, Banana & Art Shark.<\/p>\n

Also in view are \u2018How to Draw Expressive Doodles\u2019<\/em>, \u2018How to Draw Expressions\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Have Fun With Hairstyles\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Let\u2019s Talk Body Language\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Bringing it All Together\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Lost in a Haunted House\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Blowing Bubbles\u2019<\/em>, \u2018Tentacle Attack\u2019<\/em>, plus extension specialisms \u2018Guinea Pig Balancing Champions\u2019<\/em> and – most crucially of all – \u2018Sulky Pie Dropper\u2019<\/em>. Won\u2019t get nowhere sketch-wise without knowing that one, Just ask Art Shark…<\/p>\n

Hugely funny, infinitely (for a given value of infinite, of course) inventive and addictively, daftly and deftly drawn, Jess Bradley\u2019s Squid Bits: That\u2019s a Nice Hat <\/strong>is a wondrous \u201cdipping book\u201d and another item that your kids will have to explain to you. Thus, you\u2019d be ill-advised to let your kids have a copy if you\u2019re driving anywhere with them in the back. Otherwise, it\u2019s great and worth your keenest attentions. I tip my hat to it, of course…
\nText and Illustrations \u00a9 Jess Bradley, 2026.<\/p>\n

*Other forms of Methylphenidate are available, but should not be considered as a an alternative to study and diligent parenting.<\/p>\n

Today in 1949, British all-rounder comics creator John Higgins<\/strong> (Judge Dredd<\/strong>, Watchmen<\/strong>, World Without End<\/strong>, Dr Who<\/strong>, Batman: The Killing Joke<\/strong>, Razorjack<\/strong>) was born, sharing the date with both Underground Commix star Bobby London<\/strong> (Dirty Duck<\/em>, Air Pirates<\/em>, Popeye<\/strong>) and writer-turned-producer & Dark Horse Comics founder Mike Richardson<\/strong> (The Mask<\/strong>, Star<\/strong> Wars<\/strong>, Aliens<\/strong>, Predator<\/strong>, Cravan: Mystery Man of the 20th Century<\/strong>, Deep Gravity<\/strong>) in 1950. In 1951 Dean of Disney Duck delights Don Rosa<\/strong> arrived, as did realist comics artist Bo Hampton<\/strong> (Greylore<\/strong>, Viking Glory<\/strong>, Batman: Castle of the Bat<\/strong>) in 1954 and Allan Heinberg<\/strong> (Wonder Woman<\/strong>, Young Avengers<\/strong>) in 1967.<\/p>\n

1985 today saw the last published edition of UK comics bastion Jack and Jill<\/strong> after more than 1640 weekly issues.<\/p>\n

Today in 1888, American cartoonist turned Comics pioneer Frank Bellew<\/strong> died, as did immortal legend Steve Ditko<\/strong> in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jess Bradley with Emily Kimball, Kate Brown & various (DFB\/Phoenix) ISBN: 978-1-78845-395-0 (TPB) The Phoenix has been the shining saving grace of traditional British kids\u2019 comics since 2012, regaling rabid readers with anthology strips for girls, boys and all points between, offering humour, adventure, quizzes, puzzles and educational material in a joyous parade of … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Jess Bradley\u2019s Squid Bits! : That\u2019s a Nice Hat!”<\/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":[109,81,42,113,125,97,396,225,242,296,385],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-to-books","category-art-books","category-best-of-british","category-comedy","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-monsters","category-mystery","category-pirates","category-school-stories","category-sea-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9jX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35833","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=35833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35838,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35833\/revisions\/35838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}