Boo throws a nighttime picnic that wakes the whole street

Andy Fanton's Boo! has always found comedy in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the latest adventure leans hard into that premise. A friendly ghost decides the back lawn is the perfect venue for a midnight spread, and what follows is a gentle, gag-driven romp through the chaos of hosting a picnic after hours. The single-panel build-ups and the four-panel payoffs land with the kind of timing that made Fanton's Dandy work a favourite in schoolbags from Sydney to Perth.

The setting will feel familiar to anyone who grew up reading The Dandy in Australia, where the weekly comic was a fixture on newsagent shelves from Parramatta to Fremantle. Fanton's catalogue, including George vs Dragon, Carrotty Kid, and Bad Grandad, carries that same trans-Tasman flavour, mixing British comic sensibilities with Aussie suburban backdrops. The nighttime picnic strip is no exception, trading bright seaside panels for moonlit back gardens and startled possums.

What makes the gag work is the simple absurdity of a ghost laying out a spread. Fanton layers in visual business — flickering lanterns, crumpled tablecloths, a confused moggy — that rewards a second read on a quiet arvo. The strip treats the supernatural as just another dinner guest, and that deadpan approach is where the laughs live.

The piece also nods to the Australian tradition of taking any excuse to eat outdoors, even when the sun has gone down. Whether it's a December barbie or a spur-of-the-moment gathering when the weather's right, outdoor eating is woven into the national character. Boo's picnic takes that instinct and gives it a spectral twist.

A ghost with a picnic blanket

Boo has always been a character defined by contrast. A friendly ghost in a world of ordinary suburban routines, the strip sets up its humour by putting the supernatural in domestic settings. A nighttime picnic is a natural extension of that formula, combining two familiar ideas — ghosts being nocturnal, and Australians loving a good outdoor feed — into one tidy premise.

Fanton draws Boo with the same chunky linework that runs through his other Dandy creations, but the moonlit setting gives him a chance to play with shadow and silhouette. The ghost glows faintly against a deep blue sky, while the humans and animals around him are rendered in flat daylight colours. That visual shorthand tells the reader everything they need to know without a word of explanation.

The choice of a picnic rather than a midnight jog or a late-night swim keeps the strip grounded in comfort. Food is a shared language, and laying out a spread is an act of hospitality that translates across the supernatural divide. Boo isn't haunting anyone here — he's just trying to put on a decent feed.

The lure of a moonlit spread

There is something universally appealing about eating outside after dark. The air cools down, the mozzies come out, and conversation drifts in a way it never does around the dining table. Boo taps into that mood, treating the picnic blanket like a stage and the backyard like a theatre in the round.

The strip plays with the idea that ghosts, being nocturnal by nature, might prefer their meals when the rest of the street has switched off the telly. Fanton draws Boo laying out the spread with the same care an Aussie host would apply to setting up a barbie for a State of Origin crowd. The attention to detail — paper plates, a thermos, a checked blanket — grounds the supernatural premise in everyday suburban life.

What's on the picnic table

The menu is where the strip gets its biggest laughs. Boo has brought along all the usual suspects: cheese and crackers, a few sangas, and something that looks suspiciously like fairy bread. A thermos of tea sits next to a jug of something that glows faintly, a small visual gag that rewards careful readers.

In true Aussie fashion, the picnic wouldn't be complete without a few snags and a plate of lamingtons, even at midnight. Fanton sneaks these into the panels alongside more ghostly fare, creating a visual contrast that feels both familiar and slightly off-kilter.

Classic daytime picnic	Boo's midnight spread
Sandwiches and wraps	Slightly translucent sangas
Fruit salad in a bowl	Fruit that may or may not be there
Bottled water and juice	Glowing jug of unknown liquid
Plastic plates	Plates that occasionally float
Sunburn and flies	Mild haunting

The neighbourhood reacts

No Fanton strip is complete without a few wide-eyed bystanders. In this case, it's the next-door neighbour's cat, a curious possum raiding the bin, and a sleepwalker who wanders into frame at exactly the wrong moment. Each character gets a beat of business that pushes the gag forward.

The Australian setting allows for cameos that wouldn't work elsewhere. A currawong swoops in to steal a snag, and a bush turkey makes a brief appearance in the background of one panel. These small touches root the strip in a specific environment, even as the supernatural elements keep things light and silly.

The reactions are drawn with Fanton's usual restraint — no one screams, no one runs away. A dad glances up from his newspaper, a kid keeps eating. That matter-of-fact response is what makes Boo! feel like a world where the strange is normal, and the normal is gently absurd.

Where to read more about Boo!

The Boo! strips sit alongside Fanton's other Dandy work, including George vs Dragon and Carrotty Kid, in his online portfolio. Each series has its own visual logic, but the shared DNA — clean linework, strong gags, a love of the absurd — makes them feel like part of the same imaginative world. Readers who want the full backstory on the cartoonist can head to his about-me page, where the story behind the strips and contact details live in one spot.

Fanton also keeps an active presence on social media, sharing sketches and updates on whatever he's working on next. If the nighttime picnic strip has you hankering for more, the rest of the Boo! archive is worth a browse, and Fanton's other series offer plenty of variety. Drop him a line, share your favourite panel, and keep an eye out for the next spooky spread.