Daddy Mojo, Author at Daddy Mojo

Best all age comics for January 18, 2017

It’s mid-January and what are some of the best all age comics for this week? Let’s channel The Spice Girls and I’ll tell you what you want, what you really, really want, especially if you’re a young reader looking for some girl power. There is a misperception in some circles that there aren’t many all age comic books geared for girls. That is false. There are loads of comics that are great for boys or girls and this week sees the trifecta of go-to comics aimed almost exclusively at girls.

My Little Pony #36 has the Guardians of Harmony rising to protect Equestria. It brings action and just a bit of conflict to everyone’s favorite horses. These next two titles have similar age interests, but each does it with varying amounts of humor and camp. Powerpuff Girls #6 has lots of humor, camp and the most action of any of these three series. Strawberry Shortcake, HC, Volume 2 Strawberry Noir is more mysterious, with the girls deepening their friendships while trying to grow her business and more. It collects issues 3-5 of the monthly Strawberry Shortcake series on IDW. Any of those series will appeal to any girls aged 5 and up. The reading will be easiest in My Little Pony, Powerpuff Girls, followed by Strawberry Shortcake.

In outside the radar comics that will be fun for teen audiences check out Kong of Skull Island. This is now a monthly series and has art inside each issue that tells King Kong sized stories of action, humans behaving badly and other monsters.

Is your kid looking for all age comics that are down with superheroes? It’s a good week for that with issue #3 of Super Powers from DC Comics in store. The art in this mini-series is from Art Batlazar and Franco, whose work makes them all but synonymous with great all age comics. This mini-series brings all the big guns from DCU into the fold, getting the Art and Franco treatment. Teen Titans Go! TBP Volume 3 Mumbo Jumbo collects issues 13-18 of this great series. Kids 6 and up will love this comic book as much as they dig the television show.

Rounding some of the high points for the best new all age comics this week are Simpsons Comics #23 and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #11.

Humor

Superhero

Action/Science fiction

How to make Okonomiyaki

Oknomiyaki is one of our favorite Japanese dishes. When we lived in Japan it was a pleasure to find a restaurant that made it-which is surprising because it’s surprisingly simple to make Okonomiyaki, it just takes a little more than average time. First off, Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake with cabbage and seafood. Its technical written description doesn’t sound all that appetizing, but when you combine everything and watch those fish flakes shimmy it’s probable that it will show you that there are lots of food options past sushi when it comes to Japanese food.

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One Lonely Fish, A Counting Book With Bite, that doesn’t bite

When is a board book not a board book? It’s not that all counting books are board books mind you; it’s just that most of them are. One Lonely Fish has board book thick pages, as well as content that’s OK for them, but is in a big format rectangular book. It’s also fabulous, teaches young kids how to count, is fresh, original and may nudge your young child to a graphic design career.

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The Marvelous Thing That Came From A Spring, a true Hollywood Slinky story

Our 5YO loves Slinky. Every time he gets the chance to enter a ‘prize bag’ where he gets to choose something he’ll always go for the Slinky. Of course, this isn’t the real metal Slinky that works, these are the cheap plastic versions that don’t really work but allow him to lasso other toys. The Marvelous Thing That Came From A Spring is the true story of how inventor Richard James’ accidental idea sprang into a toy that would last for generations.

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Agnes and Clarabelle, early chapter books for young readers

Our oldest son’s reading teacher called the house the other day. She simply called to let us know that he was going to transition out of the ‘assisted’ class and back into the main class for reading. * He has been reading chapter books for a while and easily glides through the 10 page large print short stories his teacher sends home. For young readers that are transitioning to early chapter books Bloomsbury has a new line of books out called Read and Bloom. The first series of these young reader books are out and Agnes and Clarabelle is just the sort of thing that’ll engage elementary school students.

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Dracula Vs. Hitler, a taut, fun page-turner that defies expectations

Scoff if you will. I did too when I first read the title of the book Dracula Vs. Hitler. It’s a concept and title so base and cheesy on the surface that you expect it to be a lost screenplay for a Roger Corman film. Dracula Vs. Hitler is a perfect example of the old cliché, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. From the Iron Eagle that represents the Third Reich to the upside down Vampire Bat, complete with the full moon separating them; this is a book whose imagery sets audiences up for a pulp horror version of Death wish. Instead it delivers an intelligent book with classical hooks that have more in common with great WWII dramas and its original source material than the cheesy homage that you’d expect.

Continue reading Dracula Vs. Hitler, a taut, fun page-turner that defies expectations

Best all age comics for January 11

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It’s technically not the first week of the year. However, with the kids back in school it feels like a new day and the new comic books this week reflect that. After last week’s very few new releases this week presents some gangbuster options for the best all age comics that’ll appeal to kids 4 and up.

Let’s get the ‘older’ comics out of the way first. And first up is one that’s old school indeed. Official Making of Little Trouble in Big China documents the inception and production this classic film. This is a full on book meant for adults, so it’s loaded with big words and lots of reading that kids 12 or under might not want to do. However, for fans of the film this is a must-read. It has hundreds of behind the scenes pictures, casting stories, interviews (both pre and post) with most of the stars and digs into the ideas that made up that gonzo film. As if you needed another excuse to see Big Trouble in Little China, this book will motivate you to watch it again.

The other comic book this week that is intended for teen audiences is Justice League Power Rangers 1. This six-issue mini-series brings together the Justice League and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when one of the rangers is zapped to another universe thanks to sabotage on one of the teleporters. It’s a franchise that needs life meeting a franchise that’s got the wind at its back. Ages 13 and up will be fine for this comic book, having said that, ages 11 and up will want to read it and probably be OK with it.

Now for young readers aged 4 and up they have lots of super choices this week. There are Little Golden Books for Grumpy Cat, Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy. When I was a kid Little Golden Books meant lame tales about lost puppies in the mountains. No more as that series of books has a character or super hero that will accommodate the good-night assisted reading books, as well as, the young reader books.

A close cousin to them are the Step Into Reading and World of Reading books. Both of those series and new super hero oriented books out this week. They’re shaped more like a traditional book, rectangular in nature and might appeal to those young readers who are put off by the square Little Golden.

Digging into the best all age comics for the week sees a new series of Angry Birds Comics Game. Issue #1 is out and a new series simply means that it’s a fresh start for this surprisingly fun comic book that has contained stories in each comic. Spongebob Comics #64 has a Nyan Cat homage on the cover. This is a go-to comic each month and should be considered if you’re looking for something fresh to read.

Do you like your comics a big more along the fable lines? Issue 2 of Jim Henson Storyteller Giants brings a worldly view to giants. The art is some of the best you see in all age comics and the story is great for any age. Its subject matter probably won’t interest those under 10, but for those who want something that tells a great story you won’t do better than this.

Where is my closest comic book store? Did you listen to the podcast? The music in the podcast is from Broke For Free.

Humor

Superhero

Action/Science fiction

Wonder Woman, Rumble in the Rainforest-great reading for 7 and up

For young readers in first or second grade the jump to chapter books can be challenging. Our first grader has a couple of friends who are solidly not in the princess camp. They like action, fantasy and other fan girl activities that bodes their STEM future well. Readers like that need to check out the Wonder Woman Sword of the Dragon or Rumble in the Rainforest, two entries in a series of early chapter books from Stone Arch Book, an imprint of Capstone.

Wonder Woman, Sword of the Dragon and Rumble in the Rainforest are original books complete with pages of big, vibrant comic book art. Each chapter is approximately nine pages with big font and vocabulary that the average second grader will be able to navigate without assistance.

Some of the pages are full panels of art. There are some cool images of fighting various baddies, flying her invisible jet, using the lasso of truth and hanging out with monsters. The end of the books also have Invisible Plane Secret Files, two pages that detail the back history of the big bad that she just fought in the book.

For example Gorilla Grodd weighs 600 pounds, is an ingenious scientist and can control people using his mind. Wonder Woman’s greatest asset against Grodd is the Lasso of Truth, as well as using her animal instincts. There’s also a biography of the author, Sarah Hines Stephens and Illustrator, Dan Schoening. I like it when they include these in books because we’re teaching our kids about jobs that people do.

For some of the new vocabulary in the book there is a glossary after that also. Priced at $4.95 it’s a good value, especially for young readers who want to get their Wonder Woman on. This is good reading for advanced first graders or any second grader. Those on the early reading scale of either group might need help with some words, but they’ll be able to navigate most of it by themselves.