Jeffrey Brown has one of the most distinctive styles in graphic novels that are of interest to young readers. His presentation is also well known to elementary school students via his work in Jedi Academy and Space-Time. This is one reason why Batman Robin and Howard will immediately resonate with ages eight and up. The art has that familiar vibe due to Brown’s other works, plus readers will already know Batman and Robin, and be curious as to how Howard plays into the story.
Which came first, the superheroes or the STEM facts? Flash Facts is an original graphic novel from DC Comics, specifically their imprint, DC Graphic Novels for Kids. It posits various STEM-minded questions and places them in the wheelhouse of DC superheroes that are more than likely to have knowledge on the subject matter. For example, The Flash probably knows a lot about forensic science and crime-solving, so let’s let him address that. As an educator and parent, I love Flash Facts. Middle school ages love DC superheroes, but will they dig them when they’re talking more about STEM than catching bad guys?
When I was a younger man, the Muppet Babies rubbed me the wrong way. I saw the ‘babyization’ of already famous characters represented as infants or babies as robbing the tomb of my childhood. It should also be said that I was also 22 and had a friend who seriously started a petition to remove Barney from PBS because he was annoying. The ’90s, combined with being in your twenties and trying to find yourself was a wacky time wasn’t it? With that mindset clearly in the rearview mirror, I read Arkhamaniacs. I also gave it to our kids to read. Our nine-year-old loved the graphic novel and immediately curled up in bed to read it.
Certain books know their core audience and dedicate itself to entertaining them. Granted some siblings or those readers who might be older or younger could stumble on the book, but they’ll be the outliers. Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge is one of those books. If you’re a girl reader who is between eight and twelve then this is your jam. Its compact size, pop culture sensibilities, fast-paced story and age appropriate art make this a go-to book for girls who want in on the graphic novel action.
Teen Titans GO! is easily one of the favorite television shows in our house and has been for the past two years. Our boys are eight and ten now and I suspect that this show will still be in their queue for the next three years. Moreover, the show is incredibly smart and displays a very high level of humor, all the while making fun of how dumb it can be in certain moments. For us, the show rivals The Simpsons in its intelligence and laughs per minute. Similar to that show, it had a comic book element that was equally as fabulous. Unlike Homer’s vehicle, Robin and his crew continue to have new adventures, and the first one of these, Teen Titans GO! To Camp! is out and is everything that fans of the show enjoy and want.
New comic book day still happens for this week. Some publishers have announced when they’re new comic books will stop, slow down and how they’ll handle orders. Stock up this week and monitor their individual websites to see how they handle shipments. We’ll have more on that in a podcast.
For this week there are some great all age comic books that will entertain readers as young as seven and all the way through high school. What’s more, many of the comic book stores offer online ordering and physical pickup-with delivery to your car once you arrive at the store. If you plan this trip when you’re doing the weekly grocery shopping it’s a win/win situation.
The Giant series from DC Comics is great for introducing under the radar titles or characters. From Beyond The Unknown Giant is just that for us, we don’t know it, it looks loaded with action and is sure to entertain readers in middle school and up. Elementary school readers will want to read Sonic The Hedgehog #27 and Marvel Action Avengers #1. That same age group should check out Super Duck from Archie Comics.
Happy new comic book day-in this week where we could all use a little fun in our lives. Where’s my closest comic book store? Just check out the comic book store locator. From there it’ll be a case to see if they’re open this week. If they aren’t then you can purchase digital copies directly from the publisher or purchase physical copies from the links in this post. Those physical copies will come from TFAW and might be delayed due to shipping and their staffing. However you’re thinking about getting those comic books this week be safe.
I hope that Power Rangers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 gets the spotlight that it deserves. This team-up is fabulously entertaining. It combines action, great villains, lots of turtle puns and is one that ages 9 and up will enjoy. The mini-series also gives the Power Rangers a chance to shine. The first three issues in this series were awesome and the fourth one continues the story perfectly. Now here’s a look at all of the all age comic books this week.
This week in new all age comic books has a lot of superheroes that are just below mainstream and perfect for middle school readers. Art Baltazar’s Powers In Action has its first trade paperback, The Hero Squadron released this week. If you have an elementary school reader who is looking age appropriate action this is just the ticket. Over the podcast we’ll chat about Archie meeting another pop culture icon-The B-52’s! This one-shot will be great for those that love Archie, the 80’s (or late 70’s) and those that like the previous Archie ‘meet-ups’ that you never thought would work, but were ridiculously entertaining. We’ll also chat about Superman Smashes the Klan, Lumberjanes and more. For now, here are all of the all age comic books for this week. New comic book day is every Wednesday, to find out where your closest comic book store just dig into comic book store locator.
Copy Protected by Chetan's WP-Copyprotect.
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
GooglePlus
Youtube