GC4K profiled
Tim O’Shea was kind enough to interview me about Good Comics for Kids on his website, Talking With Tim. Check it out!
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Webcomics for Kids of All Ages!
Without exaggeration, there are literally thousands of webcomics out there, and very few definitive references about them. Some have been around for a matter of days; others, for a matter of years. Even though there are some real gems hidden about, there are also some that are grossly inappropriate and gratuitously violent or full of lewd references. Hopefully, I’ll be able to alleviate some of the anxiety that comes from watching your children navigate the wide-open Internet by providing some reliably good-quality and age-appropriate webcomics.
(categorized by age group)
PG
Inverloch: completed in late 2007, but still available online, this 764 page epic is one of the best fantasy webcomics I’ve ever read. It centers on a young da’kor (a cross between a wolf and a goat) named Acheron who sets out on a journey to find a long lost elf. No language, some violence.
Earthsong: one of the coolest fantasy blend webcomics out there. A young girl who can remember nothing about her past is transported to a faraway world where she finds some very interesting people. The illustration is some of the most consistent I’ve ever seen, and the characters are easily distinguished. Mythological creatures abound, and it all combines for an awesome effect. Some violence.
PG-13
Lackadaisy Cats: a fresh, original webcomic that combines St. Louis during the Prohibition with anthropomorphic cats to create an energetic, beautifully drawn work of graphic fiction. There’s no bad language to be found, but there is some violence, so it may not be suitable for everyone. The only drawback—while it does update, the installments are sporadic at best and may be a month or more apart.
Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi: currently on hiatus so the author can finish his other comic, but still worth reading and waiting for. Though I cannot remember the last time I watched the Powerpuff Girls, this comic still manages to bring a smile to my face. It re-imagines many Cartoon Network TV shows in a way that’s accessible to anyone (who can handle the themes and violence) and is engaging at the same time. You also can’t find full-color art this lavish and detailed anywhere else in cyberspace. Possible language, some violence.
The Phoenix Requiem: shaping up to be better than the author’s previous work, Inverloch. It’s a Victorian style thriller with supernatural overtones and barmy Englishmen, lost magic, and awesome soft-shaded art. It’s also one of (if not the best of) my favorite webcomics online today. Check it out. It’s amazing.
Xylia: the fairly new comic by the artist of Talismen, this is one of the most well-drawn comics out there. It’s able to traverse through different times, and still keep the same effect of high fantasy. Really creative ideas, all packaged together in a great-looking wrapper. If you’d like a more mature feel to your fantasy, go read this. Some violence and language.
Directions of Destiny: an awesome black and white comic that was on hiatus for a year while the creator went to Japan, but should be back soon. The first volume is complete, and it’s worth it. Magic, student councils, cool line art, and evil beasts. One of the better magic school-related comics. Some violence.
Aoi House: two boys accidentally move into an all-girls anime dorm. Mayhem ensues. Dense with manga and anime references, but still accessible to a mainstream audience, this is the comic for otaku and manga newbies alike. The art is super-polished and black and white, and it’s also completely hilarious. Some sexual content.
Linkfest: The dots are talking to me
Shaenon Garrity, who can write entertainingly about almost anything, pens an essay about Little Dot, one of the Harvey line of kids-with-amusing-issues that was so popular when I was a kid: Richie Rich (who once had 32 different series carrying his name), Little Lotta, Baby Huey, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff the Little Devil, and the rest of their cohort. Shaenon finds a particularly strange Little Dot story and not only shares it but points out its subtle influnce on later comics… sort of.
This just in: SLG is publishing two new all-ages series by Greg Weisman and Vic Cook, producers of the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.
A consultant informs the British government that boys should be encouraged to read comics, including The Beano and The Dandy (two mainstays of my childhood) and Disney tie-ins. Apparently the boys are lagging behind the girls in reading skills, and this is a way for them to start catching up and develop the habit of reading for pleasure. (Via The Beat.)
Among the good stuff at I’m Learning To Share! is a set of scans of the Indian children’s comic Tinkle (no, really), vintage 1985. (Via Blog@Newsarama.)
Scott Christian Sava posts about his experiences at Heroes Con at The Dreamland Chronicles blog. (Via Kids Love Comics.)
Johanna Draper Carlson reviews a couple of kids’ comics at Comics Worth Reading: The Super-Scary Monster Show and Kaput and Zosky, as well as the more teen-oriented Life Sucks.
At PopCultureShock’s Manga Recon blog, Erin F. takes a peek at a one-shot all-ages manga, Cowa! Greg McElhatton gives his take as well, at Read About Comics.
John Mitchell looks at one of the new Minx titles, The New York Four, at Shuffleboil.
At The Graphic Classroom, Kevin Hodgson reviews vol. 1 of The Dreamland Chronicles. and Chris Wilson checks out vols. 1-4 of Owly and vol. 1 of Indiana Jones Adventures. I was particularly interested in his thoughts on Owly, as I had always dismissed it as boring (because it’s wordless) until recently, when I read it to my five-year-old niece. She picked up on a number of subtle cues that I had totally missed. Chris is right that the reader has to go slowly to decode what is going on. I appreciate it much more now.
Pushing back from the kids’ table
There’s a great discussion going on at the Comics Should be Good blog at Comic Book Resources about whether comics for kids should blatantly look like comics for kids. Last week, Greg Hatcher wrote about how the comics that really engaged him as a child were the ones that were just a little bit too advanced for him—the ones that didn’t make him feel like he was “sitting at the kids’ table,” as he put it. At the end, he asked readers which comic tipped them over into fandom, and whether it made them feel like they were at the kids’ table. Lots of interesting answers follow in the comments section.
This week he continues the conversation with a critique of Mike Kunkel’s Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam. [Read more →]
Review: Cowa!
Cowa!
story and art by Akira Toriyama
VIZ Media LLC, 208 p.
$7.99
All Ages (8+)
Paifu is a happy-go-lucky young monster. Half-vampire, half-werekoala, he lives with his mother in a town of mostly monsters. Most of his days are spent getting into trouble with his best friend, Jose, who is a ghost. But when the dreaded Monster Flu strikes, Paifu and Jose decide that it’s up to them to save the day and get the medicine that the whole town needs to survive.
Toriyama is best known as the creator of the popular manga series Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z and fans of those works looking for his trademark boy humor combined with action will be just as pleased with this stand alone work. [Read more →]
Review: Otto’s Orange Day
Otto’s Orange Day
By Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch
Raw Junior LLC, 40 pp.
$12.95
Ages 6 and up
Otto is a mischievous cat who adores the color orange—so much so that when a genie grants him one wish, Otto instructs the genie to tint everything orange. But just as Midas discovered the downside to his golden touch, Otto quickly realizes that a monochromatic world—even an orange one—isn’t nearly as wonderful as he’d hoped it would be. His food tastes odd; his house is indistinguishable from all the other orange-colored homes; and familiar phrases such as “I’ve got the blues” are no longer meaningful. A chastened Otto must then cook up a scheme to restore the full spectrum of color to his neighborhood, even if it means bribing the genie with pizza.
All Ages Comics ^^ 7/9/08
Publishers seem to have taken the holiday off with the rest of us for this week. It’s another small week for the kids, but there are still interesting titles coming out. Capstone decided to remind us why we have the 4th of July off with a full selection of graphic novels about American Revolution. Harper Collins has another graphic novel of a teen novel series, Bad Kitty. I seriously considered ordering this one… And if you missed the beginning of the series, the first 6 issues of Doctor Who Classics is now available as a trade. Kids and parents alike should check out this great sci-fi series!
All Ages Comics ^^ 7/2/08
It’s another short list, but it’s a great time for all ages manga! We’ve got three new book rated for everyone. There’s a new Warriors book from Harper Collins. It’s a stand alone after the origins of Scourge, the leader of the Blood Clan from the first series of novels. Viz has another title from the well known creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama. Cowa! is about a half-vampire/half-werekoala and the adventures he goes on. Koi Cupid is a new series from Broccoli International, a boutique publisher that has other all ages titles.
[Read more →]
Interview: Misako Rocks!
At various times in her life, Misako Takashima, who goes by the pen name Misako Rocks!, has been an exchange student, a puppeteer, and a professional cartoonist. She got her big break, as illustrator of The Onion’s Savage Love column, on the strength of a few doodles she did while having dinner with friends. Now she has two graphic novels in print, Biker Girl and Rock and Roll Love, and a three-book series, Detective Jermain, in the works. The New York Public Library recently named Rock and Roll Love to its 2008 Books for the Teen Age list (PDF). Takashima recently designed a new character for Archie Comics: Kumi, a Japanese exchange student.
Linkfest: Quick hits
Here’s an extraordinarily useful site that I just found and will be bookmarking: Family Webcomics, which lists webcomics that are appropriate for various age groups and provides detailed information. There’s lots of good stuff out there, but finding it isn’t easy, so this list is a good start.
And I found it via the FAQs on Planet Saturday, an all ages webcomic that parents may find funnier than children, if only because they will be laughing at themselves. Go, read.
At Teen Ink, a website with content provided by teens, Amber S. reviews Kaori Yuki’s Godchild. Yuki is a big favorite among teenagers, so it’s interesting to read a teen’s-eye-view.
Chris Mautner reviews a big stack of kid-friendly graphic novels at his blog, Panels and Pixels:
More graphic novel reviews are up at the School Library Journal. There’s a lot of variety here, everything from manga to Coraline to Knights of the Lunch Table, so go, read.
And John Mitchell has a brief review of The Ride Home at Shuffleboil.