Don’t feel guilty for enjoying a graphic novel about a medical condition. Exposures: A Story About Life with OCD and the Power of Facing Your Fears is an unlikely graphic novel about life. Its protagonist is Peyton, who has a sister, Taylor, with the two living with their parents in the mountains. Peyton is growing older and realizes she’s not like other girls. She obsesses over things that keep her from living a more normal life. She has to touch things a certain number of times. She has a constant fear that her sister or family are going to die in the near future. Peyton realistically thinks her food is poisoned, doesn’t like change and has anxiety that is crippling at times. If you’re in high school, the preceding sentences describe you or someone you know. Exposures is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Lily Williams.
Jazzy is a witch who likes to ride bicycles. She likes to ride real bicycles. These are the pedal-powered bicycles that depend on centripetal force for their turns and are 100% reliant on people to move forward. Jazzy is also a lot like most kids in elementary school. Friend Fiasco is the second book in the Jazzy the Witch series and is just the charming, low-key, comfort reading that kids in mid through upper-elementary school want to read.
There’s a 1 on the spine of Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within Him. Jake Spooky is a punk rock ghost. He’s got the surly soul of today’s teens and throws up wolves, at least in this first book does that. Jake lives with Brand-O, a cool, flip-flop-wearing human with an old-school television as his head and an upright walking cat who doesn’t speak much, named Quincy. Elementary school graphic novel readers-Are you not entertained? If a graphic novel were a character in a movie, then Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within Him is Maximus Decimus. Its absurd, playful content gleefully runs circles around other early reader, graphic novels. Amidst all of this running, it still has the bandwidth to ask an obvious question, and yes, we are.
There’s something special about a book being out of print for a while. The classic animated Disney films used to go “in the vault” and then had a big hoop-de-do when they could be viewed again. Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition was out of print for over a decade. The only way to get your hands on it was to find the original two-issue comic book miniseries from 1997 or the graphic novel that followed its release. The 2024 presidential election is nigh and Uncle Sam: Special Election Edition is as pointed and aware as it was when it was originally released. It’s a beautiful, paranoid fever dream of a graphic novel that sears its way through the political spectrum leaving both sides wondering what went wrong with modern America.
Joy and utter happiness, there was a character in one episode of Phineas & Ferb that always amped up a party. It was the one where Cheesetopia in their backyard happened, and Perry was turned into a butler for Doofenshmirtz. The Cosmic Adventures of Astrid and Stella is a kid’s first graphic novel that lives and breathes happiness. Its colors, glossy pages, big illustrations, and emotive characters lovingly scream off of the pages in a way that will make early elementary school readers immediately attracted to the book.
Aspects of middle and high school represent the worst parts of agar. Agar is the gunk that’s collected in a petri dish. The school equivalent of agar gone bad are typically the entitled, popular, pretty without a conscious folk, jocks, bullies or those kids that have a chip on their shoulder for no meaningful reason. They’re the great heels in popular movies and will resonate with all readers in Witch For Hire. Witch For Hire is a graphic novel by Ted Naifeh that is 100% current, with real-world peer pressure and social strife that teens will encounter. It also adds a fabulous sense of dread, witches, and monsters that are just as real as the weight that popularity and social media add to today’s teens.
This week in all age comic books is fun and diverse. It kicks off with two releases from Archie Comics. Archie & Friends Fall Festival is a comic book that retails for only $2.99, while Archie Milestones Jumbo Comics Digest is the square publication that you’ll see at the check-out lane at the supermarket. Both of these are new and on point for those readers in upper elementary and middle school.
Middle school readers who are looking for a fun graphic novel should check out 7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up. Upper elementary school readers will love Super Side Kicks-No Adults Allowed by Gavin Aung Than on Random House. Those same ages who are looking for a left-of-center comic book need to look at The Magnificent Ms. Marvel. This is great for those tween readers who want superhero action, but need something that’s not typical and still very fun. Power Rangers also starts a new chapter. This new series brings a new team with all new dangers. Those upper elementary readers who are looking for a series that’s loaded with action should give this a look.
Hilda and the Time Worm is a novel that ties in to the Netflix show. This character and the world that creator Luke Pearson have created is timeless and words great for kids aged 8 and up. There’s a great number of all age comic books out this week, to see all of them just jump on past the graphic.
Humor
Archie & Friends Fall Festival #1, E
Archie Milestones Jumbo Digest #11, E
7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up, M, H
Super Side Kicks-No Adults Allowed, UE, M
Superhero
The Amazing Spider-Man #52, UE, M, H
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #16, M, H
Power Rangers #1, UE, M, H
Teen Titans GO! Roll With It, UE, M, H
Science-fiction/Action
Goosebumps Secrets of the Swamp #2, of 5, UE, M,
Great Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century, M, H
Hilda and the Time Worm, UE, M
Star Wars The Jedi Mind, M, H
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #111, UE, M, H
Sonic the Hedgehog #34, E, M,
Transformers #24, UE, M, H
This week in all age comic books is for those who have been screaming for graphic novels. There are seven new all age graphic novels that are great for elementary aged readers. There are slightly fewer graphic novels that are out for middle school readers. But the fact that there are great options this week for pre-k geeklings is awesome and something to be celebrated.
Spider-Man fans of all ages and versions should yell out also. The Amazing Spider-Man Threats and Menaces volume 8 is out and collects issues 37-42 of this great monthly series for middle school readers. Mile Morales: Spider-Man #18 is out for that same age and if your reader is even younger then Miles Morales Spider-Man Little Golden Book hits stores also.
New comic book day is every Wednesday unless you’re looking for something from DC Comics. In that case, they arrive in stores every Tuesday. This week from DC Comics has DC Superhero Girls: Midterms and DC Justice League Christmas Heroes. The former is great for middle school readers and the later is perfect for pre-k through lower elementary emerging readers. For a look at all of this week’s all age comic books just scoot on past the image.
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