Ozy and Millie

Ozy and Millie #1

by Dana Simpson

Meet Ozy and Millie, two middle-grade students in Seattle who happen to be foxes. Millie is a mischievous 10-year-old with a talent for evading homework, a habit of questioning authority, and a knack for inventing bizarre jump rope rhymes. Ozy is her calm, thoughtful counterpart, whose adoptive father, a red dragon named Llewellyn, is full of strange stories and ancient wisdom. Also featured are Felicia, a sheep at the head of the cool clique, and Avery, a hapless raccoon who desperately wants to be popular. In this collection of funny and charming comics, the sweet, philosophical humor of author Dana Simpson (Phoebe and Her Unicorn) shines through. Evocative, funny, and gently philosophical, Ozy and Millie will delight young readers with tales of friendship and school-age fun, while transporting older fans back to the openness and wonder of childhood. Ozy and Millie also includes an introduction by the author and a "More To Explore" section with a glossary and how-to-draw section for young readers.  

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Humor, Middle Grade, Childrens, Animals, Fiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2018

About the author

Dana Claire Simpson grew up in Gig Harbor, Washington, drawing the entire time. She eventually graduated from The Evergreen State College, despite having spent all her time drawing, and not always for credit.

Attempts at doing real work along the way are hardly worth mentioning; the relevant fact is that, from 1998 to 2008, she drew the internet comic strip Ozy and Millie. After winning the Amazon-sponsored Comic Strip Superstar Contest in 2009, Universal Uclick signed her to a development deal for Heavenly Nostrils.

She currently lives in the Seattle area with her tech genius husband and her fairly stupid cat.

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, and mostly funny, this story of two young foxes who are friends has a certain charm. Millie is a little obnoxious, while Ozy is kind of relaxed, and both have many discussions about homework, responsibility, friends, and other things. I can see how this is a forebear of Phoebe and her Unicorn, as Millie reminds me a little of both Phoebe and Marigold.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Dana Simpson created "Phoebe and Her Unicorn", a sort of Calvin and Hobbs with a unicorn instead of a tiger, she was working on "Ozy and MIllie". She writes, in the introduction, that this is where she learned about doing comics. It has a bit of her current humor, and a bit of "Peanuts" humor, where children talk about things that are beyond their years, such as philosophy.

If you love Phoebe and Her Unicorn, you might want to pick this book up, to see where it developed from, or if you love all things Dana Simpson. There is nothing outrageously funny, though. It is more like, a grin or a smirk. I have gathered the ones that made me smile, below, as well as the glossary, she includes at the end, so that some of the bigger concepts are explained.








Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

These funny comic strips follow two fox friends, Ozy and Millie, as they struggle through school, bicker with their parents over chores, and contemplate the meaning of the universe. Each comic has it's own punch line, but the comics also follow a storyline, building on one another and giving the book some cohesion.

Ozy is the "straight man" for Millie's wild comedy. Millie has crazy ideas, and bounces around being strange and wonderful, saying the most bonkers things you ever heard. And Ozy calmly points out her folly with delicious sarcasm. They are so hilarious together!

I like the simple art style, and the clean structure of the lines. It makes it easy to read, but also attractive to look at.

I find the content similar to "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips, with random philosophical contemplation that ends in chores or bedtime or homework. I love it!

This would be such a fun book to read with kids, especially because there is a glossary at the back which gives definitions for some of the big words used in the comics, like "altruistic" and "Hobbesian social contract theory".

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the comics. Being the mom of a middle grader, I don't know that many kids that age would understand all the references made throughout. But for an adult, it had some funny moments. I could see it doing well as a web comic, for sure. If you're looking for a laugh, check this out.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly cute and still felt timely even though they're several years old. It's not quite Calvin & Hobbes level of humor and art, but the style does work well, and some of the continuing story arcs are pretty creative and funny. It's a quick and fun read for fans of daily comic strips.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Phoebe and her Unicorn there was Ozy and Millie. This was the decade long webcomic that taught Dana Simpson, how to be a great comic strip writer. This book collects about 10 years of her favorite strips about two precocious foxes. You can see Dana’s wit shining though. Its really enjoyable for Dana newbies and Phoebe lovers alike.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 8 yo and I read this together. He likes the Unicorn books by the same author. He said he "enjoyed this book but didn't understand all of it". There were some amusing bits but a lot of it was too much for the middle grade set. The main characters are 10 year old foxes who are on the nerdier side, and fine with it. The talk about philosophy and other lofty subjects.

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this too my kids, especially since we spend a lot of time living in Seattle. Beautiful book.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much funnier than I had initially expected it to be. However, I think it's more suitable for older readers than for kids - as and adult I had a lot of fun reading it but I think having to check words and names in the dictionary at the back of the book would probably ruin a lot of jokes. But who knows, perhaps kids would find other things funny and enjoy it just as much as I did.

Anyway, dragon dad was my favourite!

[Jessica (thebluestocking) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this to be a graphic novel and was surprised that it was a compilation of webcomics. Like any comic in strip form, it was rather hit or miss. I chuckled aloud at a couple, but overall I thought this was just okay.

[Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun and surprisingly kind of deep.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, smart, and entertaining. I could see myself enjoying this as a kid, especially alongside Calvin and Hobbes.

[Camille Caliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the whole thing in one sitting and it was fantastic! Loved all the references and the nod to Star Trek. As an author, I also loved the encouraging bit about writing.

[Emma Ann]

I think Dana Simpson is my favorite cartoonist.

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful collection. This was one of my favorite webcomics, and this new color volume is fantastic.
Ozy and Millie are charming and funny and I am ecstatic to be able to revisit them.

[Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for Book Roast's Magical Readathon: NEWTs Exams. Subject: Herbology, E Level. (Book with Illustrations)

Okay, so maybe I wasn't completely unbiased when I requested this from Netgalley. When I found out Phoebe and Her Unicorn was done by the author of Ozy and Millie, I had a minor fangirl brain blow up, because I loved Ozy and Millie oh so much when a friend showed me the comics back in 2004'ish. And I was so, so sad when Dana stopped making them.

Needless to say, I am EXUBERANT about this book. Not just because I get to revisit comics I've completely forgotten about, but also because people who never knew about them now get the chance to see the smart, hilarious humor of these two friends and their parents. Including the dragon, who I've always thought was remarkably similar to Aziraphale from Good Omens.

These aren't new comics, they're "remastered" (see also: colored) comics from back in the day. Dated references have been removed, sadly, but the humor is as sharp and funny now as it was then. All of the characters are shown to their best, and I really hope this is a sign that more Ozy and Millie books will be forthcoming.

My only concern, though, is that I'm not sure what the demographic for this is. Kids who adore Phoebe and Her Unicorn may not understand some of the smarter humor here. I honestly think this would be a great book for disenchanted teenagers, but I'm fresh out of those at the moment. I definitely think adults and children alike can very easily fall in love with these characters, though.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ozy and Millie' by Dana Simpson is a collection of strips pulled from the comics 10 year history and presented here in color.

In an introduction by the creator, we learn her thoughts on reprinting older work. It's fun for fans, but can make an artist cringe. These comics are indeed lots of fun, and the creator really has no reason to cringe.

Ozy and Millie are foxes. Ozy is adopted, so his father is a dragon. It's a world full of anthropomorphic animals and these two characters are in school. They both have their bullies and they both have each other to help cope with things.

The same humor (sight gags, word puns, and general silliness) that is in Phoebe and her Unicorn is in here, so if you love that series, you should check this one out as well.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ozy and Millie is the modern-day Calvin and Hobbes. Well, I say modern-day, it stopped running in 2008, but it's still got that same crazy energy, that same philosophical bent and weird twists. Millie, a slightly manic young fox, roughly maps to Calvin, while her best friend Ozy is the philosophical and phlegmatic Hobbes. The published book doesn't contain all or even most of the strips, but it gives you enough to get an idea of the strip and what it's like, and the entire comic is still available online. I would 100% recommend this, especially if you're into Calvin and Hobbes.

[Danielle Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I am thinking that I want to meet Dana Simpson, her sense of humor amuses me greatly! I don’t know how much the kids will like it, but I love it!

[Stephanie Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this up because I love another series by the same author/ artist. I believe this came first and I can see how it influenced the other. Loved the characters and the humor.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the creator of the enormously popular Phoebe and Her Unicorn series comes “Ozy and Millie,” a playful comic exploring the friendship between two foxes. “Ozy and Millie” features an introduction by author Dana Simpson and a hand-selected collection of her favorite strips from the comic’s 10-year run. While this comic deals with middle-grade kids and childhood fun, Simpson’s witty sarcasm, sharp political musings, and philosophical humor also make this comic appealing to adults, giving this title a wider audience.

Meet Ozy and Millie, two middle-grade students in Seattle who also happen to be foxes. This comic centers around these two best friends as they take on the everyday challenges all middle-graders face—bullies, tests, and the dread of going back to school after a surprise snow day.

Ozy is a young male fox whose adoptive father happens to be a dragon and frequent presidential candidate. Ozy’s calm and thoughtful demeanor is constantly tested by Millie’s rambunctious and rebellious pursuits.

Together they offer charming and fun stories while also allowing Simpson’s sweetly philosophical humor to shine through.


MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Starting as a webcomic strip, Andrews McMeel Publishing has put together a collection of these strips in a newly released book, Ozy and Millie which has an all-new author’s introduction.

Ozy and Millie came out before Phoebe and Her Unicorn as a ten year run and this book is a hand-selected group from those online strips which will appeal to longtime fans and new readers alike.
In the format of a middle-grade reader, filled with bright illustrations and colorful renderings, you will find pages and pages of humor and fun.

Influenced by philosophy, this innovative series is sure to please. Dana Simpson won the 2009 Comic Strip Superstar contest with her strip, “Girl,” precursor to “Phoebe an Her Unicorn, a series that now runs in nearly 200 newspapers, and was nominated for a 2016 Harvey Award for Best Syndicated Strip or Panel.

“Phoebe and Her Unicorn” has won a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Book Award, a Washington State Book Award, and a Bulletin of the Center for Children’ s Books 2015 Blue Ribbon.

There are some tips on drawing some of the characters in this book at its back to enjoy as well as a Glossary of terms and important facts referred to inside the book. Large, colorful illustrations with great one liners and punchlines attached fill its pages. The color is sharp and absolute with no bleed lines. The illustrations are drawn clearly and precisely. Overall, a great collection for fans and newbies alike.

[Paul Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a huge fan of Phoebe and Her Unicorn, I couldn’t resist checking out the previous strip the author did, and unfortunately I couldn’t keep myself from making some comparisons. Still, it was more than funny enough on its own.
The dragon is either “wise or messing with everyone.” Author’s words. Ozy is way too Zen even for a cartoon. Millie somehow reminds me of Phoebe, but more in her look than in her manner. Personality-wise they’re completely polar opposites. Their moms, on the other hand, are a lot alike, and I’m okay with that. On the third foot, Phoebe’s dad and the dragon have nothing in common. Maybe the dragon and the unicorn. . .
On to the best parts.
There’s little difference between a hippie and a vase.
“I really don’t understand laws.” “Yes, I’ve noticed that about you.”
I’m with Millie: I’d like a six-foot-tall grape too.
There’s a lot more academic philosophy here than in. . . any comic strip ever.
I don’t think the Tao would have approved of stealing a cookie, but Ozy was right to take it.
“You are a little girl.” “Oh right.”
I wanna see what an exaggerated sigh looks on paper!
“The DMV administrator shoots like an Imperial stormtrooper.” I very much doubt that sentence will ever see the light of day in any other situation. Similarly, the glossary at the end is unlikely to be repeated.
At the end there’s a tutorial on how to draw the characters. Remember, “He’s a chill fox.”
The artwork doesn’t vary all that much, though it does seem to have more diversity than the unicorn one. The one thing I didn’t like was the dragon’s font; it was difficult to make out.
If this had been written by someone else, or if I’d seen it before I became a fan of Phoebe and Her Unicorn, I probably would have liked it a lot more. The problem is in not being able to stop myself from comparing. Still a solid read, though.

[Nikkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, nostalgia.

Back in the early 2000s, I was a web comic reading FIEND. My mornings were spent with a cup of coffee over the family desktop getting updated on the 20 some comics I actively followed: Order of the Stick, Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Something Positive, Queen of Wands...

...Boy Meets Boy, Friendly Hostility, Jackie's Fridge, Drow Tales, Flipside...

I had a problem.

Ozy and Millie was a series I followed very actively after a friend recommended it to me, and by the time I started, it was over 3 years into its run and I remember quite the feeling of burn out speed reading through it in 3 days or so? But I loved it. The characters were and still are very endearing. Millie's chaotic acts of individualism, Ozy's nearly unphasable zen, Llewellyn... just Llewellyn, the package.

This collection was a nice run down memory lane. The target audience is definitely kids who are now experiencing Simpson's work with the Phoebe and her Unicorn series (which I may have squealed out loud when I put together that Simpson was also writing/drawing) so the focus of the selected strips is definitely geared for them, but that's not a bad thing. The timely political/pop culture references are nowhere to be found (No comparison between Monica Lewinsky and the Teapot Dome Scandal) and the strips were also cherry picked from the time that the art was at its more consistent. This is a really nice overall collection, although it does make me want to reread the strip in its entirety... but I don't think I want to open that door again. I have a lot of stockpiled books I haven't read yet, and sitting down and rereading a web comic that had a 10 year run is not going to help...

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the creator of Phoebe and Her Unicorn comes a collection of Dana Simpson’s webcomics published at the very start of her writing/illustrating career. Ozy and Millie are both foxes and their friendship is set among a cast of kid-friendly animals, all with distinctive personalities that reflect the kids in any school, anywhere! Readers will laugh as Millie attempts to explain to the school yard mean-girl sheep Felicia that Ozy is her friend, but not her boyfriend, conversations between Ozy and his adoptive dragon father, with all dad’s words written in a very medieval, castle-y font, and a nerd self-esteem restoration session between raccoon Avery who thinks he’s more “cool” than he is and Stephen the pig, a self-avowed superhero fan. In only a few strips, ELA teachers could guide students in a variety of lessons on character traits and might develop their own appreciation of the value of graphic novels! Recommended for libraries serving grades 2-6 who want to develop their graphic novel collections with more that are free of violence, profanity, and sexually suggestive content but do not seem overly young. Note: Students may need to be reminded that this is a collection of strips and that the book does not follow a clear plot path with defined B-M-E, or expository, climactic, resolution sections.

Thanks, Andrews McMeel Publishing, for sending two of this series to me for review!

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of comics featuring two young school-aged foxes, Ozy and Millie. The two are self-avowed nerds, often have philosophical discussions but usually digress into silliness, and are set straight from their questionable ideas by Ozy’s adopted father who is a dragon, Millie’s mother, and their teacher Ms. Sorkowitz.

Ozy and Millie have delightfully funny conversations. They are a mix of too smart for their own good and delightfully unpredictable. Ozy is more the straight man, but he does have some nice one liner comebacks to Millie’s wild ramblings. Millie is the wild dreamer and the smart kid whose ideas for getting out of work often backfire. I absolutely love the comics involving Ms. Sorkowitz. She is awesome. (My favorite was her solution to Millie’s supposed mental illness with writing with staples.) Ozy and Millie’s parents are also pretty great. In all, a collection of funny escapades in the lives of two delightful nerdy foxes. (And there’s a nice glossary in the back to help younger readers when the duo pulls out big words.) Can’t wait for the copies we’ve ordered for our school to arrive so that the students (and teachers/parents) can enjoy these too. Highly recommended to FoxTrot and Calvin and Hobbes fans.

No content issues.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ozy and Millie is based on a webcomic series about two fox children and their adventures. Millie is immature, but smart and creative (although she doesn't put these skills to proper use), while Ozy is cool, relaxed, and a voice of reason. Actually, reading through this book, I was struck by how much it reminded me of Calvin and Hobbes. And I was a little worried that this was going to be a cheap knock-off of that beloved series. Instead, we get something that's cute, and close enough to it without actually being the same thing.

I enjoyed the bright colors and funny characters very much. Although, I felt that this series falls into one of my reading pitfalls. This one is where you try to make a series sound so much cooler by adding in characters or situations that don't quite make sense. For example, Ozy. First, his name is very fancy (Ozymandias), but it feels out of place in a series where everyone else has normal names. He's quirky, but sometimes it feels a little forced (like in a lot of YA books I read). Also, his dad is a dragon. Which is really cool...but doesn't make much sense to me, either. Why is he a dragon? Why are there no other dragons?

The series rounds out at a satisfactory 3 stars for me. It didn't wow me, but I enjoyed it (even though I might have skimmed it a bit). Not the greatest, but still pretty good.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, but I may be biased since I've known the artist from when the series was first on the internet long, long ago. *cough* Very cute MOSTLY slice-of-life newspaper-style comics (one- to four-panel comics, rearranged for book publication) centered around a zany orange fox girl and her almost-TOO-calm grey fox boy friend (but not boyfriend). The two get into a lot of hijinks that wouldn't really be possible with human characters... going to school without clothes on, for one, or suddenly being zapped and losing all his fur, for another. The one thing is it's a collection of strips in Dana's newer style only; older strips don't make an appearance, I suppose so new fans who find this after Phoebe and Her Unicorn aren't too thrown off by the difference in art. That's still fine, since I'm sure the older collections (which I already have anyway) are still available elsewhere besides the major book outlets.

[Munro's Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it turns out Dana Simpson was writing Phoebe & Her Unicorn long before she wrote Phoebe & Her Unicorn. Behold: Ozy & Millie, a comic strip collection so very similar in many ways to the Phoebe books we know and love. But I will agree with most of the reviews I've seen: this one falls a bit flat. I'm enjoying reading it, but I find myself setting it down often because I'm not enthralled. The main characters are adorable, but they feel like prototypes for... well... Phoebe and her unicorn. The humour is more highbrow and niche, and it seems like a series more catered to adults who like light, adorable reading material with some wit. I would recommend this to kids maybe age 9+ who enjoy Phoebe, but I'm not sure who else.

- Kelsey

[Angela Holtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Thanks NetGalley for lending us this digital copy!**

Ivan and I love Dana Simpson! Well, we have read and enjoyed all the Phoebe and Her Unicorn books, and when I spotted this, I had to get it for Ivan. He was excited, too.

Well, he read it in one day and insisted on my reading it, too. Which I planned, but he really had fun with it.

It had a lot of the same tone of Phoebe and her Unicorn, but it was geared toward an older crowd. The backstory says she wrote these when she was younger. It's still perfectly fine for the younger crowd.

I liked it a lot, it made me laugh. Ivan loved it, and he's 9. He was excited to share and talk about it, and you can't ask for higher praise than that!

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Ozy and Millie are foxes in fifth grade in Seattle, dealing with typical student problems. This comic strip ran from 1998 to 2008, and the book has a collection of comics that show the main characters and main themes of the comic. The end of the book shows how to draw Ozy, Millie, and Llewellyn, Ozy's dragon father, as well as a list of definitions and events kids might not know that are referenced in the cartoons.

I had not heard of this comic strip prior to this book, but I love it! This collection makes me want to go find the others not included in the book.