Recommended Books for Younger Readers: List # 1

By pghhead -

          As mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be devoting some space from time to time for a continuing list of recommended books for younger readers.  With the help of the fellow BC Refugees, it should be a nice resource for anyone (me, for example) who wants to persuade younger readers to investigate the worlds of wonder available in the literary/visual medium of comics and graphic novels.

         The books listed here are not ranked or in order of quality or preference, but by alphabetical sequence to make things easy to follow.  I’m listing recommended ages (purely subjective on my part - - - every young reader, regardless of age,  has a different level of reading comprehension so choose according) as well as a credit to the person who suggested the book.  There are many other titles I could list here but I don’t want to include a book if I haven’t personally read it and verified it, and I would ask all contributors to follow the same guideline.  This is a work in progress.  You can submit future additions to the list here or via personal email to me.

13370_180x270   female-force-tpb   62797new_storyimage-25704195%7C100x150

BATGIRL   (DC, current run)  10+ years (mike)

FEMALE FORCE    (Bluewater) 8+ years (mike)

MARVEL ADVENTURES books   (Avengers, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, etc.)  8+ years (brian)

300px-Muppet_Show_1a      NOV090546   7547_180x270

THE MUPPET SHOW   (Boom) 8+ years  (shane)

RUNAWAYS    (Marvel) 12+ years  (brian)

SHAZAM    (Dc, Jeff Smith run)  8+ years (jeff)

42ce62074c32983c    13437_180x270    13651_180x270

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG   (Archie)  6+ years  (shane)

SUPERGIRL: COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE 8TH GRADE   (DC) 10+ years (jeff)

TINY TITANS   (DC) 8+ years (jeff)

NOV090447       NOV090564

 

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN   (Marvel, current run)  10+ years  (mike)

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS   (Marvel)  10+ years  (jeff)

Comments

  1. ShaneNovember 25, 2009 at 8:46 AM

    This is a great idea--my only suggestion would be to expand it a bit, and include, for each book, a paragraph--or even just a few sentences--describing why this book is a good fit for younger readers, while still maintaining a strong quality. You could write it yourself, ask the person who recommended it to write one, or even take a quote from an already-posted review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan SmeddyNovember 25, 2009 at 2:44 PM

    I'm confused. Who is this list for? Are there young kids that read our blog? My son is 15 and couldn't care less about comics anymore. The same goes with his friends. We may be the last of a dying breed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShaneNovember 25, 2009 at 8:12 PM

    There's definitely a younger generation discovering comics.

    ReplyDelete
  4. pghheadNovember 27, 2009 at 9:42 AM

    Shane . . . . I like your suggestion. When I post the next update, I'll add some comments on the books and their merits. I'm also asking anyone who nominated a book to send their thoughts to me so I can include them. Dan says young kids don't read comics. Shane says a younger group is discovering them. I hope Shane is right - - I fear Dan is correct. I don't see young people in comics stores. That was the reason I wrote the "Youth Market" story awhile back. I think if we want the format to remain popular it will be up to the older mature readers to introduce comics to younger readers. And that brings us to the list above - - I wrote it for those of us who want more young readers to participate. Dan is also right in thinking that young kids aren't reading this blog. - - the list is ours if we want it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ShaneNovember 27, 2009 at 7:10 PM

    I can't really say anything as to the size of the next generation discovering comics, but there definitely is one. The Teen Titans cartoon show alone brought many people in--I know a lot of people who started buying comics because of that.

    The only thing is, no, you aren't going to see them in comic stores--not frequently, at least. Comic stores, and maybe even the standard, "Monthly book in your hand" format, probably won't be around forever--they're being "replaced" by other ideas. Book stores and digital distribution replace the former, collections replace the latter.

    Manga continues to remain incredibly popular, and that's a direct gateway to Western comics--especially with both mediums shelved right next to each other in bookstores. All it takes is a simple glance towards the other shelf, and "Oh hey, Batman, I really loved The Dark Knight, maybe I'll check out this story called Hush."

    It won't be the same, no, but I don't think that comic readers are a dying breed.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert Kirkman: Invincible, Walking Dead, Wolf-Man

By -
Image
I wasn't actually a huge fan of Robert Kirkman when I first started reading his books.  He was competent, sure, but I didn't see the appeal-- The Irredeemable Ant-Man was a boring side story in the middle of  Civil War and  The Initiative (although I've since changed my mind about this), and his  Ultimate X-Men run was, in many places, a mixed bag (although I did very much enjoy his "Phoenix?" storyline).  And  Marvel Zombies  just seemed like a ridiculous idea--not that I bothered to try it at the time. Now, though?  I've completely reevaluated my opinion on his work, and when his name is attached to a project, I'm far more likely to give it a look.  I don't know if I'd classify him as a master storyteller or a comics icon--but he's very skilled, he has an incredible knack for dialog, and he writes stories that, no matter how ridiculous, seem real .  In a medium where characters frequently violate the rules of physics, that's not alway
Read more

more random readings from May 2009

By pghhead -
Image
What else did I finish reading last month?  Here’s a cross-section of various titles . . . . . . . . . WITCHBLADE #126 “War Of The Witchblade Part 2” by Ron Marz and Stejepan Sejic  (Top Cow/Image) Preface:  Now here’s an interesting concept! = In order to attract new readers to its’ titles Top Cow is giving out free books each month as part of it’s Let Us Win You Over project.  ( www.topcow.com/freecomics )  Every month it’s a different title. And they work through different comics shops each month as well.  In April the title was Witchblade #126 and one of the participating dealers was Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE (my preferred supplier) so voila! - - - I find a copy in my hands. Since the last time I explored the Witchblade series the mythology has expanded to a battle between the forces of light and dark with each side choosing its agents on Earth, hence the Darkness vs. the Witchblade.  I’m still not overly interested in this type of fare on a regular basis, but
Read more

INDIE COMICS: Huffin’ & puffin’ B.B. Wolf’s got the blues

By pghhead -
Image
BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPs  (Top Shelf, May 2010 hardcover, black & white, 86 pages,   $12.95)  As told by JD Arnold with illustrations by Richard Koslowski What got my attention immediately was the pairing up of a classic fairy tale with musical motifs.  That’s a combination that pushes two of my “hot buttons” - -  so I made it a must-read.  I was not disappointed.  This is a very entertaining and cleverly designed work that rivals Bill Willingham’s  creativity on the long-running FABLES series from Vertigo. As if taking the classic tale of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs and turning it upside down wasn’t enough to interest, BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPS  serves as an allegory for the oppression of  the black population in the deep South (Mississippi) in the 1920’s.  While they may be free (wolves),  the governing bodies (pigs) have the power to deny them their land, homes and possessions and even own the businesses and clubs they patronize as well as the shops they d
Read more