Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Bradley

@markbradley.bsky.social

1.4K followers 920 following 1.7K posts

Children’s comic artist/writer. Bumble & Snug graphic novels published by Hachette! Represented by Lydia Silver of the Soho Agency. Talks about comics a *lot*.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · Apr 22

Bumble & Snug & The Worried Dragons is out on 3rd July, & is available for pre-order now!
It's jam-packed with all the excitement & adventure :)
You can pre-order a signed, doodled & dedicated copy from @wonderlandbookshop.bsky.social through the link below:
wonderlandbookshop.co.uk/product/bumb...

Book cover the Bumble & Snug & The Worried Dragons, depicting Bumble (a little blue round character, with a very tall top hat), and Snug (a little pink character with a round head and triangle body, who is wearing a tall green bowler hat and a green bow tie). Bumble looks worried, whilst Snug looks happy - they are surrounded by 3 nervous looking baby dragons, who are flying around them.

3 12 42

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 8h

What percentage of your income goes on trampoline park fees/magnums?

1 1

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 11h

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

“5th January - final art”

Queen Olivia III @queenoliviaiii.com · 15h

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

“The tapes wouldn’t start”

Eleanor G @zaichishka.bsky.social · 15h

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

“Translate 'yoroshiku onegai shimasu'”.

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

I should also add (& I’ve said this before): I remember picking up the first issues of The Phoenix and thinking that it was amazing, but that there was no way it would succeed in the market, so anything I say should be treated as nonsense.

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

Correction to initial post: Harper aren’t launching it - an editor at HarperAlley (Harper’s children’s comic imprint) is launching this.
As I say: I’m absolutely cheering this on all the way, and it’s fascinating to see more UK model tried there.

1 1

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

Said it before: I want to see Scholastic launch a weekly comic, which they could get subscriptions to through the book fairs. With that, and their track record + roster, I think that it would hit the market with the force of an asteroid.

1 3

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

Short strips daily/weekly are the perfect way to do that (obviously there’s lots of titles that prove the case against that - Dog Man & Investigators are massive smashes which prove the case against that). Monthly short strips, especially for kids where they age so quickly… less so.

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

My thinking about comics has changed a fair amount over the last few years. One of the big things is that I think that I always misunderstood the importance of frequency of publication. It builds a relationship with the readers, and - because of the workload involved with comics -

1 2

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

I’m obviously cheering it on all along the way, & it’s got amazing creators.
Buuuuut, the fact that it’s been run as a kickstarter when the editor works for Harper is…
The article cites The Phoenix as their inspiration. The thing that’s missing there is that DFB showed incredible faith & foresight.

2 2

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

I am absolutely fascinated to see how this goes - Harper are attempting to launch a 32 page monthly children’s comic for 8-12 year olds in the US.

www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

www.publishersweekly.com

1 9

Reposted by Mark Bradley

Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 1d

We did it! Thanks so much to everyone who came to the Union Chapel gig today (and watched at home!). We premiered our cartoon, got Bunny + Monkey on stage to draw each other, and thanks to audience suggestions we drew a comic about bums + toilet bushes.I also got to hang with Max, who dressed as me!

11 14 98

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

Genuinely can’t recommend this book enough - it’s absolutely brilliant!

Glenn Fleishman @glennf.com · 5d

Or a signed copy of *How Comics Are Made*, my romp through the history of making newspaper comics and printing them? glog.glennf.com/hcwm-store/h... Features interviews with Garry Trudeau, Lynn Johnston, and Bill Watterson. Unsigned copies at bookstores worldwide: howcomicsaremade.ink#preorder

How Comics Are Made: Signed by Author

If you love newspaper comic strips, you will love my book How Comics Are Made: A Visual History from the Drawing Board to the Printed Page . For a limited time, I’m offering signed and optiona...

glog.glennf.com

1 1 1

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

If only there had been some industries that that had been shouting about this from the start 🤷

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 2d

“Concerns over an AI bubble bursting have grown lately, with analysts recently finding that it’s 17 times the size of the dotcom-era bubble and four times bigger than the 2008 financial crisis.”

Hang onto your butts. This “correction” is gonna hurt.
futurism.com/artificial-i...

Bank of England Warns of Impending AI Disaster

The Bank of England has sounded the alarm, warning of an intensifying risk of a "sudden correction" due to an AI spending frenzy.

futurism.com

Reposted by Mark Bradley

The Edinburgh Bookshop @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social · 1d

It's both a gorgeous, autumn day, and it's #BookshopDay !! 📚

A perfect time to go for a stroll, a book browse a d support your local Indie bookshop!

#books #livres #Edinburgh #Edimbourg #BooksAreMyBag

1 3 3

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

Awesome! I really hope that you liked it!

1 1

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

One of the downsides of having a child who is addicted to comics: Having to carry a bare minimum of 4 files full of Phoenix issues whenever we stay over anywhere.

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

I’m super excited to be on @streakofpith.bsky.social’s panel giving an early preview of the findings from the 2025 UK Comic Creator’s Survey, alongside the amazing @pondi.bsky.social & @dapsdraws.bsky.social, on Sunday at 13:30! I can’t wait to discuss this!

5 9

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 1d

Good lord, this makes me happy.

Catsuka @catsuka.bsky.social · 1d

Netflix partners with Gobelins school and Guillermo del Toro to launch a stop-motion studio in Paris.
variety.com/2025/film/gl...

Reposted by Mark Bradley

Thought Bubble Festival @thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social · 2d

The Thought Bubble Comic Convention full programme is LIVE!!

Two days rammed with panels, workshops, guest signings, and loads, loads more. Why not start planning your weekend schedule?

Take a look: thoughtbubblefestival.com/conventionprogramme

3 30 47

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 2d

This is a really interesting demonstration as to why comics are localised visual languages, just like the spoken word.

Dave Kellett @davekellett.bsky.social · 3d

I’ve never seen this before! An *inward-indicating* word-balloon tail (that’s the speaker’s right arm descending below the word balloon).

FASCINATING! Does this tail technique have a name? Have folks seen it used elsewhere?? I have so many questions!!! (From HIRAYASUMI, book 3, pg 37)

Photo of HIRAYASUMI, book 3, pg 37… showing an inward indicating word balloon tail

Reposted by Mark Bradley

Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 2d

One of the things about this study is that a lot of baby and toddler books are written in house, by editors. So the study reveals the whiteness of editorial in kidlit even if not explicitly. But, big picture, this trend is unacceptable. I remember so many promises www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

‘Catastrophic decline’ in Black representation in children’s books

A report by charity Inclusive Books for Children found that of the 2,721 books surveyed, only 51 featured a Black main character, down by 21.5% since 2023

www.theguardian.com

6 240 480

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 3d

(If anyone has any vacancies for a ghostbuster, please DM)

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 3d

I literally get to live my childhood dream of drawing comics for a living because of social media (well, my second dream at least - I wanted to be a Ghostbuster more).

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 4d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

1 6

Reposted by Mark Bradley

Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 3d

Just found out from @chloesackur.bsky.social: there's a new kidlit podcast in town! From @rachelparris.bsky.social & Children's Book project www.instagram.com/childrensboo... First guest @laurenlaverne.bsky.social, check it out! feeds.acast.com/public/shows... #UKKidLit #KidLitUK

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

1 8 18

Reposted by Mark Bradley

Jamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 3d

🚀 Bunny Vs Monkey: Intergalactic Monkey Business is out NOW! Book eleven in the best-selling comic series drags our cute chaotics up into space, as the fate of the whole world depends on them!

✨ I really hope you like it ✨

(Published by @dfbstoryhouse.bsky.social)

6 16 63

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 3d

If you’ve enjoyed anything I’ve made, it’s because an editor & art director invested so much time in it.
Not only that, but working with an editor/art director is one of the great joys of doing this - you are literally working with people who are paid to be very good at making you better.

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 3d

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 3d

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

1 5