Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 1d

#Witchtober Day 6 - Howl

Not everybody who howls at the full moon is a werewolf!

#Witchtober2025

Panel 1: Abi Normal turns around to look out of her bedroom window. "Oh, no! A full moon! She says.

Panel 2: An exterior view of Abi's house, with a loud howl coming out of the upper window

Panel 3: Abi shields her eyes with her hand, the brightness of the moon proving too much for her. "Why does it have to be so bright?" She says to herself.

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 3d

Witchtober Day 5 - Bite

Ms. Gwracham is feeling a bit peckish, but she'd reckoned without Penny learning a new skill!

#Witchtober2025

Panel 1: Ms. Gwracham is holding a blueberry muffin in her hand and opening her mouth to eat it.

Panel 2: The muffin gets yoinked away by an unknown force, causing Ms. Gwracham to shatter her teeth

Panel 3: the muffin is floating in the air. Penny (left) is pointing her fingers at her head and concentrating hard. "Look, Miss!" She says, "I've finally learned how to do psychokenesis!". Ms. Gwracham (right), with destroyed teeth, says "Well done Penny, well done" in a sarcastic tone.

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Reposted by Max Champion

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 5d

#Witchtober Day 4 - Stab

Here's a new character (Sorta)! Abelia Violet "Abi" Normal is different to the other witch characters I draw - she lives a non-magic life, but practices black magic in her spare time. This makes for a nice escape from the people who try and pressure her into acting normal

We see a dimly-lit bedroom. To the left of the scene we see an 8-year-old girl (Abi Normal) with a pin in one hand and a voodoo doll (with a pencil moustache and a 1950s businessman hat) in the other. On the floor is an open spellbook, and on the wall is a framed picture of Abi's father who shares some details with the doll. A dart has been thrown at the picture, shattering the glass layer.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 5d

#Witchtober Day 4 - Stab

Here's a new character (Sorta)! Abelia Violet "Abi" Normal is different to the other witch characters I draw - she lives a non-magic life, but practices black magic in her spare time. This makes for a nice escape from the people who try and pressure her into acting normal

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 7d

#Witchtober Day 3 - Root

I eventually decided to adapt this prompt by showing Penny's friends rooting for her as she zaps her enemy!

#Witchtober2025

On a stone bridge during the evening, we see a witch (Penny) zapping a witch hunter (Niall O'Neill), making him jump in the air and scream in pain. His assistant (Emile O'Neill) looks on, dumbfounded. Penny's friends (Josie and Cyril) cheer Penny on. Cyril is cheerleading with pom poms, and Josie is wearing a giant foam hand with "#1" written on it. The scene is lit up by a street lamp.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 9d

#Witchtober Day 2 - Shadow

Penny and a couple of her friends have decided to put on a shadow puppet show using their hands, albeit employing a method that some purists would describe as cheating

#Witchtober2025

Panel 1: Cyril and Josie are watching shadow puppets projected onto a large rock. The shadows take the shape of a swan, a rabbit and a bat.

Panel 2: We see three witches- Penny, Bertha and Millie- in front of a campfire and with their hands taking the form of a swan, a rabbit and a bat respectively. Penny says to Millie "That shapeshifting hand spell of yours works a treat!"

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Reposted by Max Champion

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 11d

It's #Witchtober once again! I've got a very busy schedule this month so I'll be posting every other day this year. Day 1's prompt is "punk", so here's Sinéad listening to the infamous Punk compilation CD that doesn't contain any actual punk music (she doesn't know that though!)

#Witchtober2025

In a small room we see Sinéad (right) dancing next to a recovered boombox that has been crudely restored. next to the boombox is the box for the notorious "Punk" compilation CD released by Warner Special Products and Starland Music in 1996. This CD contains no punk music, as is evident by the fact that the boombox is playing Karma Chameleon by Culture Club. Penny (left) looks on, not knowing what to make of the situation.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · 11d

It's #Witchtober once again! I've got a very busy schedule this month so I'll be posting every other day this year. Day 1's prompt is "punk", so here's Sinéad listening to the infamous Punk compilation CD that doesn't contain any actual punk music (she doesn't know that though!)

#Witchtober2025

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Aug 1

Today marks ten years since I started drawing Magic Penny and her chums, and by complete coincidence I’ve decided to upload this commemorative piece!

Penny is balancing herself on a broomstick, whilst Cyril, Josie and Maria are watching her, absorbed. Ms. Graham and Kamya are unimpressed.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 31

#Witchtober Day 31 - Imagine

I wanted to make sure I got the #Halloween drawing done on time- there's still four more Witchtober drawings to go though, so it's not quite over yet!

#Witchtober2024 #Halloween2024

Panel 1: Penny says to Cyril "Imagine! A lifetime supply of candy just for dressing up in the clothes I wear all year round." Cyril is amazed. "Wow, really?" he asks.

Panel 2: "No..." replies Penny, "I said imagine."

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 30

#Witchtober Day 30 - Glow

Always be wary when using glow-in-the-dark spells, because people might get the wrong idea

#Witchtober2024

Panel 1: Marika, Gwendolyn and Cynthia are glowing white and crossing the road at night. Marika and Gwendolyn congratulate Cynthia on perfecting her new glow-in-the-dark spell, as they can now go outside at night and everyone will be able to see them.

Panel 2: A car approaches the three witches. The man driving thinks they are ghosts.

Panel 3: The driver has crashed the car into a crossing lamp, and fled the scene whilst shouting for the police. Cynthia begins to doubt the usefulness of the glowing spell.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 30

#Witchtober Day 29 - Burnt

When Penny is making potions, it's best not to get too close.

#Witchtober2024

Panel 1: Penny is carelessly chucking potion bottles into a cauldron. Ms. Gwracham asks if Penny is certain she's using the right ingredients.

Panel 2: The contents of the cauldron blow up in Ms. Gwracham's face.

Panel 3: Ms. Gwracham, burnt to a crisp, angrily chases after Penny.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 28

#Witchtober Day 26 - List

Having magic powers has its downsides, particularly in the months leading up to Christmas

#Witchtober2024

Josie (left) has a long list of things she wants for Christmas. The list is so long that it extends over Penny's (right) head. Josie urges an overwhelmed Penny to "do her magic"

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 28

#Witchtober Day 28 - Pastel

Thought I'd go with a different colouring style for this one

#Witchtober2024

Penny is relaxing on a pink cloud above the skies. The image uses a pastel colour scheme.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 27

#Witchtober Day 27 - Hidden

It's always good to hide behind a rock slightly larger than yourself when performing an ambush

#Witchtober2024

Penny (left) is hiding behind a rock and holding a bottle containing a potion that turns people into snails. She is ready to throw it at Witchhunter Niall O' Neill (right) who is frantically looking around in an attempt to find and capture Penny.

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Reposted by Max Champion

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 23

#Witchtober Day 23 - Ancestor

Here's a drawing of a single-celled organism which Penny may or may not have descended from

A single-celled organism with Penny's colour scheme and facial features

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Reposted by Max Champion

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 23

#Witchtober Day 22 - Frog

I'm chopping and changing the order in which I upload these since I'm working on multiple things at once and am still figuring out how to cram it all into a short amount of time

#Witchtober2024

Cynthia (right) is in the middle of talking in a condescending manner before frogs start jumping out her mouth thanks to a magic spell. Kamya (left) who performed the spell in question, asks Cynthia if she has a frog in her throat

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 23

#Witchtober Day 23 - Ancestor

Here's a drawing of a single-celled organism which Penny may or may not have descended from

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 23

#Witchtober Day 22 - Frog

I'm chopping and changing the order in which I upload these since I'm working on multiple things at once and am still figuring out how to cram it all into a short amount of time

#Witchtober2024

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Reposted by Max Champion

Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 20

#Witchtober Day 20 - Quaint

The reason I haven't uploaded Day 19 (comfort) is because I drew this yesterday thinking quaint was day 19's prompt, so I'll have to draw that one later

#Witchtober2024

Panel 1: The realtor is showing a house to a potential buyer. "Yes, it really is a lovely little cottage! Peaceful area too, no noisy neighbours..."

Panel 2: Sinéad has brought some houses to life, and they are screaming with their scary faces. The realtor, looking defeated, tells the potential buyer to ignore it.

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 20

#Witchtober Day 20 - Quaint

The reason I haven't uploaded Day 19 (comfort) is because I drew this yesterday thinking quaint was day 19's prompt, so I'll have to draw that one later

#Witchtober2024

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Max Champion @troubleandtoil.bsky.social · Oct 18

#Witchtober Day 18 - Notice

Following on from day 7, Penny decides to trick Marika into getting attacked by the sentient grass. But the grass is smarter than she thinks

#Witchtober2024