Illustrated Pullman to DFB

David Fickling Books (DFB) will next year publish a graphic novel version of The Adventures of John Blake, a comic strip penned by Philip Pullman which has appeared in the weekly The Phoenix Comic published by DFB.

The Adventures of John Blake: The Mystery of the Ghost Ship introduces readers to John Blake and “The Mary Alice”, “a ship hidden by the mists of time”. When a storm hits, Blake rescues a young girl thrown overboard from a yacht and tries to return her to her own time zone, endangering the ship and all aboard it.

Pullman said: “John Blake is a story that’s close to my heart. In Fred Fordham, John and the crew of the mysterious schooner ‘The Mary Alice’ have found the ideal illustrator; I’ve loved watching the story develop in his hands.”

DFB acquired world rights to the title, which will be illustrated by débutant Fordham, from Caradoc King at United Agents. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017.