Daddy Mojo

New all age comics for April 12, 2017

Subscribe: RSS

Gird your loins because Free Comic Book Day is just over three weeks away. It’s the first Saturday in May, which falls on the sixth this year and it’s a chance to get free comics. We’ll have more on that in the coming weeks. That is worth mentioning because there are lots of great all age comics that are available for new comic book day, which is every Wednesday, as well as Free Comic Book Day. There are new comics and graphic novels that will appeal to readers aged 5 and up. We’ll also take a look at two titles that will interest and be appropriate for teen readers. Here are five of the more interesting or go-to all age comics that your young readers need to know about.

The Amazing Crafty Cat

The Amazing Crafty Cat is an original graphic novel that looks like the cutest thing we’ve seen in a while. Girls will enjoy this book more than boys, mainly because it’s the story about a little girl that uses crafts to get herself out of problems. Her alter ego, who can craft like nobody’s business is The Amazing Crafty Cat. Expect fun for ages 4-9, the older ones will able to read it by themselves, while the younger ones will need assistance as a good night book.

Spongebob Comics: Silly Sea Stories

Spongebob Comics is one of the go-to all age comics that you can pick up any month. Spongebob Comics: Silly Sea Stories is volume 1 of previously released classic stories from under the sea. These stories vary in their length, artwork and presentation. Some will be as short as one page, whereas others might be 13 pages. The variety in these stories is what really makes Spongebob Comics fun. This is art in all age comics that will help young readers accept different interpretations of things that they are familiar with. You’ll still have trouble with them eating their vegetables.

Guardians of the Galaxy

There are two Guardians of the Galaxy comic books out this week. Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy is the one that’s great for ages as young as 5. This is action, humor and at only $2.99 it’s a treat for the wallet too.

My Little Pony: Legends of Magic

My Little Pony is one of the classic all age comics. Legends of Magic is a new title featuring My Little Pony. This is back to basics Equestria with new stories, classic characters and back story that old fans don’t know. Most importantly, it’s a great jumping on point for new readers, written by Jeremy Whitley who has done MLP, in addition to his own creations for years.

Disney Princess Comics

This graphic novel is for the girls. Disney Princess Comics Collection Volume 2 collects issues 5-8 of the monthly Disney Princess series from Joe Books. Name any Disney Princess and they’re in here, these are funny stories that ages 5 and up will laugh at.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science fiction

Smurfs The Lost Village, better than you think and good for the kids

Know your role. My wife and I use that phrase as a way to slyly accept our greatest strengths and to play to them. In our case it’s not meant as a pejorative, rather a rallying cry to do something, establish a goal of doing better, as well as a subtle reminder that we can’t be great at everything. Smurfs: The Lost Village knows its role. After two previous films that brought the Smurfs to the big screen in a CGI/live action format, Smurfs The Lost Village is 100% animated.

It’s good animation, visually on par with a major motion picture. Because of that it looks world’s better than the TV counterpart that old school fans will remember and even the 2013 television short, The Smurfs: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Continue reading Smurfs The Lost Village, better than you think and good for the kids

Secrets of the Seven: The Eagle’s Quill review

One of our favorite books of 2016 was Secrets of The Seven: The Eureka Key. It was a literary version of the Goonies with ties of National Treasure about a group of teen genius’ who were selected to solve puzzles, fight bad guys and preserve historical artifacts. That book left us very eager for the second one in the series. With Secrets of the Seven: The Eagle’s Quill the gang is back, but the book lacks a certain zip and charm that made the first one so much fun.

The first chapter starts off with the team bickering. They’re on the way to Glacier National Park to find the second in a series of seven ancient artifacts. When combined these artifacts are suppose to unlock a secret weapon that was created by the founding fathers. The artifacts are being protected by ancestors of the founding fathers and they’re being pursued by Gideon Arnold, descendant of Benedict Arnold.

Continue reading Secrets of the Seven: The Eagle’s Quill review

New all age comics for April 5, 2017

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Now THIS is a good week for all age comics. If you went to the comic book store looking for new books for all age readers and were left wanting more then get back on the horse. Classics, to true classics to new ones that the kids will love are all represented this week. Here are five great all age comics that will interest readers as young as five.

Angry Birds: Flight School #2

Adults who are new to the all age comics scene might scoff at the concept of a video game becoming a comic book. Then they’ll read one of the Angry Birds titles, realize that there is real comedy in these comics and re-think their position. Angry Birds: Flight School is a new spin of mini-series that’s quite entertaining and will leave all ages wanting more. The vocabulary is too difficult for a 5 year old, but the content is great for a read-along book.

Donald Duck/ Mickey Mouse

These two are mentioned together because their reading level, as well as enjoyment level is very similar for ages 7 and up. We read Mickey Mouse to our 5 year old at night and he loves to follow along to the pictures. The stories in both titles might have been previously published in Europe. That’s evident from some of the background art that looks more classic that suburban. However, that fact won’t influence young readers who want to laugh along to adventures with classic Disney characters.

Revolution Aw Yeah #1

Revolution gets the Art Baltazar treatment. His distinct art style is what many consider the template for all age comics. This is the first issue that follows some key IDW properties like G.I. JOE, Micronauts, Transformers and more. Revolution Aw Yeah #1 is good for ages 5 and up.

Scooby Doo-Where Are You? #80

Every two weeks there is a new Scooby Doo comic book and this week it’s Where Are You? #80. This title is funny, affordable (only $2.99!) and one that kids know, love and want to read.

Hero Cats #16

Cats aren’t your scene? You’ll still like Hero Cats and issue #16 is a new story point that is about cats, but also about action, science fiction, naps and more. This is one of the new, great all age comics because of how it’s evolved and improved since the first couple of issues. It did start as a cat series that was more girl-centric, but has evolved into a fun, weird title with action and cats as some of the heroes that will be great for boys or girls, ages 7 and up.

The music in the podcast is from Free The Whale. It’s some cool rock with instrumentals, blues and rockabilly that I think you’ll enjoy digging into.

Humor

Super

Action/Science fiction

The Nalgene Marvel Collection makes drinking water super

“Mommy, now I have a water bottle just like you” is what our 7 year old said. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy because it was an identifying and bonding moment that those two shared. For us it was more about super hero street cred. His Nalgene Captain America bottle from the Marvel Collection can accommodate 32 ounces of water for those hikes, bike trips or simply playing in the back yard.

When I was a kid finding cool Marvel stuff was challenging. There was this one kid who always seemed to have cool Marvel clothing, but I suspect his parents were on the Comic Con curve before the rest of us. Uphill both ways, that’s the lesson for our children.

Continue reading The Nalgene Marvel Collection makes drinking water super

The Boss Baby aims for laughs, succeeds for all who are 5 and up

Our 7 year old has been talking about The Boss Baby for almost one year prior to its release. In June 2016 he came into the office and asked if we could see The Boss Baby. How he got the inside tip on this film we don’t know. When he finally got to see it with the family it was a close call as to who enjoyed it more, the adults or the kids.

The plot of The Boss Baby is simple. An 8 year old boy gets a baby brother who is wearing a suit. Why is he wearing the suit? How can he talk? What’s the point of all this madness? Mild spoilers are below so if you want to have complete surprises when you see the film stop here….

Continue reading The Boss Baby aims for laughs, succeeds for all who are 5 and up

Kid Beowulf, The Song of Roland makes you want to read epic poetry, really

I never read Beowulf. The only thing I know about that book is that it’s a long poem that does not involve a wolf. With that in mind it’s all the more ironic that I really enjoyed Kid Beowulf, The Song of Roland by Alexis E. Fajardo. Much like its namesake there is not a wolf in the graphic novel and there is no theme song for Roland. Perhaps it’s because of-or in spite of these things that the book managed to do a difficult thing; it made me care about and want to read more about European history around the time of the crusades.

It even feels weird typing that. Kid Beowulf, The Song of Roland is a graphic novel that is based on the French poem of the same name. It centers on a battle that took place in 778 with King Charlemagne’s best warrior, Roland, plus some Christian armies, Saracens (Muslims), family and betrayal. This is potentially complex subject matter with a cast of dozens that are spread out over an entire country. It’s a big scale story with equal parts legend, lore and adventure where it’s just as likely that you’ll encounter a giant as you will a traitorous family member.

Continue reading Kid Beowulf, The Song of Roland makes you want to read epic poetry, really

5 shows you might want to see on Netflix

We’re part of the Stream Team for Netflix and were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own. Last week our allergies were so bad it forced us to the sofa for most of the week. My allergy people feel me on this one. Said unexpected down time meant that I spent more time than usual watching television. There are some fun things on Netflix that I re-discovered, one new thing that’s great and one new thing that was quite disappointing. For the most part these shows are for adult audiences, except for one, which is quite obvious.

Train to Busan

It’s like Die Hard on a bus, that’s the way that Speed was pitched to audiences in 1994. Train to Busan is like Under Siege 2, except loaded with zombies, set in South Korea and is utterly, brutally violent and nihilistic. It’s also a very good film. It is not as good at The Girl With All The Gifts, but Train to Busan is a shot in the arm to a genre that needs a jolt from the living.

The plot in Train to Busan is simple, a South Korean businessman doesn’t spend enough time with his daughter and takes her to see his mother for her birthday. Unfortunately for them and all of the country a plague has set upon the nation that has people turning into flesh eating killers about :60 after they’re bitten. And one of these monsters has snuck into the train.

The usual monster movie tropes are here, there’s a child in peril, power hungry businessman, the elderly and lots of extras. The difference in Train to Busan is that the tension and action are expertly paced so that the potentially limited space of a train is not an issue. Instead each train car has its own particular problem, the groups of passengers provide problems and the only stop that the train makes on the way to Busan ratchets up the tension even more.

These are the fast moving zombies from World War Z, but these zombies are dumb as a brick. This film succeeds in making you care about some of the human cast, while detesting a couple of them, yet making us realize that most of us would probably act like the later if this were to really happen. It is also utterly dark, 98% of the cast gets killed and the ending is not exactly ‘happy’, but it’s not the end of the world either. Action fans who are OK with non-Hollywood films (See: they don’t end well for the main characters) will enjoy the South Korean gem.

Continue reading 5 shows you might want to see on Netflix