Luna & Simon: Phage Invaders!

is available to read online below. Download a copy to read on a device or print at home here.

Cover for the comic Luna & Simon: Phage Invaders. We see a 8 year old girl running excitedly towards the camera. Her 14 year old brother follows looking back concerned. Behind them alien-spider-looking bacteriophages descend upon them.
Page 1. We see a detached house, early morning. A giant AH-CHOO blasts from the window and birds fly away. We see Simon, teenage boy, in bed looking miserable. He’s sick, surrounded by tissues and mess. Kid-sister Luna (8) peeks around the doorway m
Page 2. Luna leaps towards Simon, who screams in fright as she looms over him. Luna crashes onto Simon with a huge yellow OOFT sound effect. Simon peeks out of the covers grumpy. He’s sick and doesn’t want pestered by a kid dressed as a giant bacteri
Page 3. Simon blows his nose. Why doesn’t Luna ever get sick. She looks at her nails, explaining she has a better immune system. Simon smirks - “I thoughts bacteria didn’t have immune systems.” Luna explains - of course they do, how are they meant to
Page 4. Luna and Simon stand in a strange miniaturised world - before them floats a Bacterium with a silver ship strapped to the bottom, creating a Hindenburg style bacterial dirigible. The pair climb on board - Luna explains that bacteria may look
Page 5. We see another bacterium, a cracked wreckage below them, ‘smoke’ billowing from its cracked surface. Luna and Simon look down through the glass of their ship bridge. Luna explains that the microword is harsh and full of terrors - Bacteria ca
Page 6. We see a phage glance off the bacterium’s surface with a DOOF! Luna explains that the bacterium’s surface is the first line of defence. The next phage manages to attach, injecting a snake of DNA right infront of Luna and Simon. Luna explains
Page 7. Luna holds a pair of red scissors aloft above her head, off the handle we see a small section of DNA. Luna: Molecular Scissors! Perfect for cutting up invading DNA! Luna and Simon excitedly cut up the swirling strands of DNA that are now floo
Page 8. Simon lugs a big strand of DNA over his shoulder, exhausted. Luna points out that the problem is that each strain of phage has its own DNA. She takes him to the Infection Archive, where they take a photo ‘snapshot’ of the invading DNA. Say ch
Page 9. Suzy sends another alert. Another wave is heading their way! A phage attaches and injects a huge strand of slimy DNA. Simon tries cutting it but it doesn’t work! It’s too slimy. Luna: They’ve evolved a way to avoid our defences! The pair flee
Page 10. Luna shouts: Alert! Initiate dormancy response! Suzy hits the SHUTDOWN button and the entire ship goes dark with a THOOM! The bacterial ship drifts listlessly as Luna and Simon sneak around with a flashlight. Luna: When the going gets really
Page 11. Luna and Simon turn around to discover a room full of growing phages. Luna: The problem is… it doesn’t always work! The infection has taken hold! We see the phage factory at work, building row upon row of alien egg-like phage! Luna: This pha
Page 12. Luna pulls out a big yellow and red self-destruct remote. Luna: When all hope is lost, the bacterium has one more trick up its sleeve. Simon is concerned - how does that help?! Luna, Simon and the ship’s crew strap on helmets and parachutes.
Page 13. Luna and Simon are hurled from the wreckage. Luna is enjoying it. Simon is terrified. They land back in reality, flung from the front door of their home. Luna is just wearing dress-up. Luna: Even though we're separated by billions of years o
Page 14. Tales From the Lab Luna and Simon’s mum gives them a tour of her lab: As researchers around the world discover more and more bacteria, we are finding an astounding variety of different bacterial immune systems. Different bacteria have differ
Page 15. Another scientist looks at a screen with a cell lit up with glow in the dark proteins: We want t o understand how cells know when they're infected. And how do defences know when to activate? Here we're using bright fluorescent labels which l
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Discover the science behind Luna and Simon’s adventures here!