Daddy Mojo

All age comic books for April 17

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New comic book day is every Wednesday. As part of this day there are dozens of great all age comic books, many of which will be great for ages 6 and up. Yes Virginia, comic books for the elementary school age audience. They exist and are easier to find than you might otherwise think. In the podcast we’ll chat about buying children’s books by the pound, Steven Universe, DC Super Friends, William the Last, Detective Comics the Complete Covers and more. For now let’s look at three comic books that will entertain those elementary and middle school students who are looking for a cool read.

Star Wars Adventures, #20

Star Wars Adventures brings the fun back to a galaxy far, far away. This monthly series from IDW publishing covers all areas of the Star Wars universe with a very kid friendly twist. The art and content are OK for elementary school aged and up, but because it’s also Star Wars, those older kids might want to dig into it too. There are usually two stories in each issue, a longer one that is more action oriented and a shorter one that’s more comedic. This is one of the gateway reading vehicles that kids will love and it’s also a great comic book and the fact that it has both characteristics is quite the treat.

Adventure Time Marcy & Simon

What happened after Adventure Time ended its run on Cartoon Network? Well, the characters are still producing new mini-series of comic books on Boom! Studios. Adventure Time, Marcy & Simoon #4 of #6 is out this week and sees Simon and Ice King fighting to see who’s the top dog. Fans of Adventure Time, those middle school students (or older) who are looking for something fun and tripp will dig this.

Lumberjanes

Lumberjanes is a great comic book. The fact that’s it’s one of the great all age comic books is even more impressive. It’s as much a comedic comic book as it is jammed with science-fiction. In this issue our campers discover a dangerous creature in the woods. Toss in lots of friendship, great art, quick wit stories that upper elementary school and up will love and you’ve got Lumberjanes. Pick up any issue of this series from Boom! Studios and you won’t be disappointed.

Humor

Superhero Science-fiction/Action

Missing Link will wow, impress and entertain ages 7 and up

We look forward to every film that Laika puts out. It’s ironic that as a youth stop-motion animation scared me, but now it’s an art form that I’ll go out of my way to view. It’s even more ironic that our 9 year-old loves the medium also. He was all in from the moment he saw the trailer for Missing Link. I was in also, but much like when we saw Kubo and the Two Strings, we had to check our reviewer hat at the door.

Sir Lionel Frost (left) voiced by Hugh Jackman and Mr. Link (right) voiced by Zach Galifianakis in director Chris Butler’s MISSING LINK, a Laika Studios Production and Annapurna Pictures release. Credit : Laika Studios / Annapurna Pictures

First off, as a technical exercise in film-making, Missing Link is masterful. The film employs stop-motion animation, 3-D printing, puppets and more. From a movie wonk perspective the film is stunning, but movie geeks are looking for these things. Impress me, I say to myself as I see a film from Laika-and they never fail to do so. Missing Link raises the animation bar from its already high standard from Kubo.

Did you ever see Wallace and Gromit, The Wrong Trousers? There’s a sequence in there where Wallace is chasing the penguin while riding a train set. When I first saw that I was amazed. There is so much movement in each shot, coupled with entertainment and laughs for an almost silent film that it (still) blows me away.

There are multiple scenes in Missing Link that gave me that same feeling. Early in the film our explorer, Sir Lionel Frost, voiced by Hugh Jackman, crosses a shallow pond to meet the mysterious author of a note that was sent to him. When Frost’s foot enters the pond, as well as, a couple other water/ice scenes were jaw dropping. I know it’s a scale model clay figure, but they feel human and make us care about them.

So, the film was a technical marvel, we kind of expect that from Laika. I took two 9 year-olds to see the film, did they like it? One of them had never seen a stop-motion film before and was a bit confused. They both enjoyed the film, as much as a 9 year-old can, but they weren’t doing cartwheels as they left the theater.

On the other hand, I was reeling in its moments, the obvious humor, the very dry humor (courtesy of Zach Galifiankis as Mr. Link), the dry/icy puns put forth by Emma Thompson and more. As an adult, who loves great movies, this was a great time at the cinema that will be repeated many times at home. We also took a 7 year-old to the theater and he laughed the loudest. Perhaps most surpsingly, he laughed at the dry part of the film, which promptly led us to go home and watch some episodes of Mr. Bean or Monty Python.

Personally, this is the best Laika film. It’s wildly entertaining, varied and has a cohesive, linear story that checks off all of the stop-motion dots. It’s a gorgeous time at the cinema for fans of Laika, stop-motion movies. For those outside of those camps it’s still entertaining. For example, our neighbor saw the film and thought it was ‘cute’, while his 9 year-old daughter thought that it was entertaining. We’ll invite the two of them over to watch Kubo or Wallace and Gromit later.

Missing Link is art, yet it’s approachable art for elementary school ages and up that like entertaining films. The curve ball happens because Laika has produced something so different to what most audiences have seen. It’s not different as in ‘challenging’, it’s just a form of animation that they may not be used to seeing. Case in point, Missing Link is leagues above the most recent PG rated film that they saw, which was computer animated. This is heart, soul and fun, but some younger audiences might not see it over the clay skin that they’re wearing.

All age comic books for April 10

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This week the new all age comic books are laden with some great choices for readers as young as 6 years old. To be clear, this is a laden swallow, whose airspeed velocity is certainly comprised, especially if it’s an African Swallow as they don’t migrate. Over in the podcast we’ll chat about a cool coloring book from Disney for older audiences, Science Comics: Weather from :01 First Second, Wonder Twins and much more. For now, here are three great releases that will tickle the reading fancy of those 6 and up.

Clyde, by Jim Benton

You know Jim Benton’s work. Dear Dumb Diary, Dog Butts and Love, Franny K. Stein, Victor Shmud and more he’s an artist and author whose style you’ll recognize. Catwad came out last week. Clyde is out this week and is flat out funny for in second grade and up. It’s an original graphic novel about a grizzly bear who leaves his comfortable cave for the city, where he meets a butterfly from the wrong side of the tracks.

The Mutts Summer Diaries, by Patrick McDonnell

It’s Mutts, but with each comic strip set in the summer, take my money. We love Mutts, it’s a classic comic strip that can be funny one day, even funnier the next, remind you that cats (and dogs!) are awesome and make us laugh or possibly even adopt one. The Mutts Summer Diaries is a collection previously released strips that will appeal to those 6 and up.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, #43

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is the equivalent to all age comic books of Deadpool. She’s irreverent, funny, faces danger and deals with bad guys in her own particular, squirrel way. There is some reading in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, so it might be too much for seven year olds. However, those reading eight year olds or older that want something fun, hip and impossibly cool need to read this series. Each issue of this monthly series is trippy and lots of fun.

Humor

Superhero

Action/Science-fiction

Bumblbee morphs into quality entertainment in an unlikely IP universe

I didn’t believe the hype. It’s the best Transformers film yet is what all of my friends (and critics) said about Bumblebee. I was burned once too often by a Transformers movie that promised entertainment; but instead delivered robot mayhem that made the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show seem like high theater. Now that we’ve seen Bumblebee, we can attest that the word is correct and this film quickly leaves all of the other films by its namesake in its rear view mirror.

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Why was Bumblebee so entertaining? The film takes place in 1987 and certainly benefits from some of the time warp gags that the 80’s can bring, but that’s not the main reason. The lead character is Charlie, played by Haliee Steinfeld, but the movie doesn’t succeed solely because the lead character is gender swapped, a la Ghostbusters 2016.* The soundtrack in Bumblebee is great, even if you’re not an 80’s aficionado.

Nay, the reason why Bumblebee is great is because of the one thing that people who had seen the previous films in the Transformers universe seem to have forgotten, the importance of plot and character development. Early in the Transformers’ films history we were hypnotized by huge robots, excising damage to cities and feigning some human drama in hopes of making the plot stick. After two films the produces were simply trying in vain to get Megan Fox to sign back on in hopes of bringing the teen boys back to the theater.

Because Bumblebee takes place in 1987 it doesn’t have that baggage of needing to acknowledge any of the other films. That is one of the film’s biggest blessings. Pardon the pun, but this is a fresh, fun and unexpected vehicle that will exceed your expectations.

Our 9 year-old saw Bumblebee and absolutely loved it. One of his friends, who had seen some of the other Transformers films, was restless and wanted more chaos (see: stupidity). Bumblebee has lots of action, but it also takes its time setting up the large action sequences with characters that you actually want to see. It’s a film that is able to cross over to those action movie fans, but were scared of the cheese that the previous films in the Transformers universe put forth. It’s a much of a paradigm shift for the Fast and the Furious series when The Rock joined them and catapulted them to the billion dollar level. Bumblebee saves the franchise from going down the gorgonzola highway, now if the next movies can follow suit we’ll readily encourage his younger brother to seek them out.

We were also sent a handful of Transformers toys to play and with and (spoiler alert) the kids loved them. The younger one already knew Transformers, but hasn’t seen any of the films. He had read some of the comic books, like the Star Trek Vs. Transformers series (that was fabulous!), but it’s the toys that have carried these characters from the 80’s to where they are now. All of them were durable, very well constructed and simple for a 7 year-old, who isn’t quite old enough to see the films yet, to use on their own.

*which was horrible

Shazam! is super-fun and great entertainment for 9 and up

Movies from DC Comics and Stephen King need to go bowling or form a support group. People will talk about them, see them in theaters but might add the caveat ‘for a DC Comic movie’ or ‘for a Stephen King film’ when describing them in a positive light. Shazam! is a very entertaining film and is just the sort of superhero film that upper middle school ages and up will love. We saw it with a pair of highly excitable 9 year-old boys who couldn’t get enough of the humor, charm and humility of it all.

Movies based in the DCEU have been frustratingly inconsistent. They are on a roll lately. If you count Teen Titans GO! To The Movies, that makes the most recent three films that have been exceeded their box office multiple times over, as well as, a favorable critical response. Given the huge cannon of superheroes and stories that DC is able to produce, it’s likely that with Shazam! they can finally shake that suffix adjective of ‘for a DC Comic movie’.

Shazam! is rated PG-13 and firmly sits in the middle of that rating. The violence wasn’t too much for kids of the age we went with, nor was the language. There were a couple choice 4-letter words, but it’s nothing that they haven’t heard in school and our two audience members knew not to repeat them. The violence was a little more than I expected, specifically, a monster sticking a human into his mouth and then (presumably) biting his head off. Again, this is common for PG-13 films like Jurassic (insert sequel here), but it caught our kids off guard. After the film one of them said, “aw, it’s OK, DC has better villains so that just set things up”.

The greatness of Shazam! also lays in its trailer. The trailer sets up the film, but gives absolutely nothing away. The similarities beween Shazham! and Superman are too many to name. The unknown variables of Shazam! are huge too. The film bridges both of these by setting up the mythos, as well as, letting audiences know that it too is aware of the superhero tropes.

The kids in the film are completely relatable and ones that kids in third grade and up will understand. Ours were laughing out loud and actively cheering on our hero as the film went along. The story in the film is also one that they will easily be able to follow. There are friends like they have, be them good, bad or the bullies.

Shazam! was enjoyable up until the very last frame. It has surprises aplenty and keeps them very close to the chest so that even the most ardent DC fan will see them coming. Middle school and up see this movie without question. Elementary school and up use caution for the language and some action, but ages 9 and up should be OK.

Storm Boy, Pelecanus drama maximus-a la Old Yeller, but with guilt

Storm Boy is based on a revered Australian book by the same name. Published in 1964 and later made into a film in 1976, it seems as germane to growing up down under as their young American contemporaries must do in watching The Sandlot or The Wizard of Oz. If you’re new to how respected this intellectual property is I’ll quote the thespian J. Lo in how to approach Storm Boy in saying “Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got”. Except, in this case, the ‘rocks’ are the film, ‘got’ is that it might be entertaining for children and I completely blame my wife for getting that earworm stuck in my head.

I thought it was a children’s film. Look at the poster for the film, it has a young boy hugging a pelican. This looks just like an Old Yeller poster would look if that film were re-imagined for today, I initially thought. Wait a minute, Old Yeller was a 50’s film that they showed us in school when teachers needed a break or students had to be taught that it’s OK to have feelings about a lovable, yet now rabid dog. That wasn’t really a film for children at all, was it?

I completely understand the fact that children must be taught the lessons of loss and the hardships of life. Many times it’s far easier to teach these lessons through film, then to have them experience it first- hand. I’m not the type of parent that bubble wraps our kids. Actions have consequences and sometimes it’s better to teach these things with real people or animals, instead of CGI characters that get traded or fall down the PIXAR memory hole.

To that end, Storm Boy is a gorgeously shot film that serves as much as a travel advert for Australia as it does a drama. The beaches are amazing and some of the shots with the pelicans are guaranteed to induce wanderlust. The film might be engaging for audiences middle school and older, just be ready for a heavy, slow paced film that requires your attention. There is a taut dramatic line that the film creates, it was just hard for us to stay on that line with a not-so-serious 9 year-old.

He was into it far longer than I thought he would be, but by the 50 minute mark he was wiggling, asking me questions and wishing that this was animated, had superheroes or fart jokes in it. And maybe that’s the point of Storm Boy, this is an old soul film that requires your attention and does deliver it in a dramatic fashion. There are also modern elements of guilt that older audience will roll their eyes at. The stereotypical teen daughter who is angry and her dad who is not listening to the press over environmental aspects of their business which strains the grandfather/son relationship and where the heck is the pelican to save this film??! That’s what I was thinking.

Pelicans are awesome. For older drama movie fans Storm Boy might be also, but younger audiences will tire of scenes where the pelican isn’t the star. Unfortunately, that would be for about 70% of the film. Storm Boy opens in theaters on April 5.

All age comic books for April 3

This week the all age comic books come full circle for a couple titles. A regular monthly series is presenting its final regular issues in a graphic novel, while other comic books that ended, see a collection of their (eat my) shorts shown for all to have a cow. In the podcast we’ll chat about Marvel Team Up, True Believers, Catwad. Adventure Time and more. For now though let’s look at three all age comic books that will interest readers as young as 6.

Bart Simpson: Breaks Out

Sad Panda when Simpson’s Comics ended in 2018. Much like Plants Vs. Zombies they said that new graphic novel collections will come out. Bart Simpson: Breaks Out is most likely not an entirely new collection of Simpson’s favorite lost son. This is a collection of previously published shorts…from a spikey-haired youth. This is a great graphic novel from a classic character. It will appeal to fans of The Simpsons or those readers in middle school and up who are looking for a great laugh.

Marvel Action: Black Panther

These Marvel Action comic books that IDW Publishing is putting out in conjunction with Marvel Comics are outstanding. Black Panther is the latest to get his own version. This is one of the all age comic books that define what makes a cool comic book. It has action and content, but doesn’t water things down to a young level. It has action, but it’s age appropriate for ages 6 and up that will leave then entertained, while still being a great read for those older Wakanda fans.

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller Sirens

We are huge fans of this ongoing mini-series from Boom! Stutios. Jim Henson’s The Storyteller Sirens is a four issue mini-series with gorgeous artwork a story that will interest those middle-Earth audiences. A mermaid by any other name, but this is the kind of mermaid with mystery and dread. Much like a poisonous snake, leave them along and your day will end up just fine. However, the folks in these short stories most likely don’t heed that advice. The art and story in these comic books are top notch and will interest those middle school readers who like a bit of renaissance with their story.

Humor

All age comic books for April 3, bart simpson, graphic novel

Catwad

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

Rosie and Rasumus is an old soul, book that 4 and up will love

Normally I’m not a fan of any children’s illustrated book that has lots of white space on its pages. I feel that it’s a cop out and that they’re leaving me out of some of the show. For the record, I’m also not a fan of the sound of crinkling potato chip bags and drinking orange juice after I brush my teeth. Every once in a while a children’s book will come around and utterly demolish my silly pet peeve. Rosie and Rasmus is the latest Trojan Horse to charm me, and other kids, who discover this lovely illustrated book for ages 4-8.

From the first four pages it’s obvious what the Achilles Heel is and that is its artwork. We meet Rosie, who’s a shy young girl who lives in a picturesque, coastal town. She sees all of the kids playing, laughing or having fun and simply wants someone to see her. The next page starts out just like the first two pages, except this time we see Rasmus, a dinosaur who lives in a big tree that overlooks the town where Rosie lives.

One day Rosie goes for a walk, where she’s given a flower by Rasmus. The two become friends, despite their obvious differences, but what Rasmus really wants to do is fly. Rosie plants and schemes, like only a 6 year-old can, in order to help her much larger friend with thagomizers* down his back and tail.

Soul is a characteristic that few children’s illustrated books have. Most of them are entertaining and enjoyed by children, but very few of them have soul. I don’t mean the get-up-and-dance James Brown kind of soul. I mean, at some instance in reading the book, or looking at the art, the book pierces your soul, stays there for a moment and asks you to remember when you felt how the characters in the book feel. Rosie and Rasmus has that kind of soul.

Ironically, it’s the combination of the pages that are not fully colored, the economy of words and the illustrations that make the book remind parents of childhood. Rosie and Rasmus will resonate as much with children. Sometimes kids want to play by themselves. However, some kids are shy and want other kids to say hello first. This book is great for either camp of kids. It’s written and illustrated by Serena Geddes and it’s the illustrations that will make you feel like this book is written just for you. Moreover, Rosie and Rasmus deals with the difficult subject of good-byes, but it does it with a smile and the promise that even though things change, they can also get better.