Have you been out today?

I'd known it was coming for a short while but had to wait for Random House to make it official before I could say anything publicly: The DFC, the happy home of Good Dog, Bad Dog, will cease publication with issue 43 at the end of this month.

The official press release from RH says this:

03 March 2009

Children’s Comic, the DFC, Up For Sale


The DFC, a weekly comic (launched May 2008) for boys and girls is up for sale, following a decision by The Random House Group to cease publication.

Philippa Dickinson, MD RHCB, said: “We are very proud of the DFC and the reaction it received from families, schools and especially the children who have enjoyed reading it. It is an innovative concept which we have been very happy to back. There can be no successes without taking risks, after all. Unfortunately, in the current economic climate, we have decided that the DFC is not commercially viable within our organisation.

“David Fickling, the staff at the DFC, and all the comic’s contributors have worked tirelessly to produce what is an amazing weekly publication and we would be delighted if a buyer could be found who would like to take the DFC on as a going concern”

If no buyer is found, the title will close on March 27th.

I won't go on about it here. I tried to and this post started to sound like a bad Oscar speech with me thanking all and sundry and coming over all weepy. And anyway others have said all that I would like to here and here and here (and elsewhere I'm sure).

But I will just say, to my editor and friend, Lovely Ben Sharpe: you're very good at your job. And you taught me a lot about the ellipsis. And I thank you.