Richard Bruton at Forbidden Planet International reports that Jamie Smart’s Fish-Head Steve is the first comic to be shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in the 6-year history of the award. Smart’s work joins five other nominees in the “funniest book for children aged 7-14” category, with the winner due to be announced in December.
The shortlist for the award was compiled by a pretty stellar list of judges including Michael Rosen and Sarah McIntyre, but the winner will be decided upon not by the judges – but by 200 schoolchildren from across the UK. Fish-Head Steve marks the first time a comic has ever been nominated for the award, in yet another sign that comics are slowly but surely starting to envelop the UK in a warm, reassuring cobweb of story.
Fish-Head Steve is published by David Fickling Books – who themselves are proving to be a powerful force for UK comics.