January 1, 2017 | Page 3 of 3

Best all age comics for January 11

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It’s technically not the first week of the year. However, with the kids back in school it feels like a new day and the new comic books this week reflect that. After last week’s very few new releases this week presents some gangbuster options for the best all age comics that’ll appeal to kids 4 and up.

Let’s get the ‘older’ comics out of the way first. And first up is one that’s old school indeed. Official Making of Little Trouble in Big China documents the inception and production this classic film. This is a full on book meant for adults, so it’s loaded with big words and lots of reading that kids 12 or under might not want to do. However, for fans of the film this is a must-read. It has hundreds of behind the scenes pictures, casting stories, interviews (both pre and post) with most of the stars and digs into the ideas that made up that gonzo film. As if you needed another excuse to see Big Trouble in Little China, this book will motivate you to watch it again.

The other comic book this week that is intended for teen audiences is Justice League Power Rangers 1. This six-issue mini-series brings together the Justice League and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when one of the rangers is zapped to another universe thanks to sabotage on one of the teleporters. It’s a franchise that needs life meeting a franchise that’s got the wind at its back. Ages 13 and up will be fine for this comic book, having said that, ages 11 and up will want to read it and probably be OK with it.

Now for young readers aged 4 and up they have lots of super choices this week. There are Little Golden Books for Grumpy Cat, Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy. When I was a kid Little Golden Books meant lame tales about lost puppies in the mountains. No more as that series of books has a character or super hero that will accommodate the good-night assisted reading books, as well as, the young reader books.

A close cousin to them are the Step Into Reading and World of Reading books. Both of those series and new super hero oriented books out this week. They’re shaped more like a traditional book, rectangular in nature and might appeal to those young readers who are put off by the square Little Golden.

Digging into the best all age comics for the week sees a new series of Angry Birds Comics Game. Issue #1 is out and a new series simply means that it’s a fresh start for this surprisingly fun comic book that has contained stories in each comic. Spongebob Comics #64 has a Nyan Cat homage on the cover. This is a go-to comic each month and should be considered if you’re looking for something fresh to read.

Do you like your comics a big more along the fable lines? Issue 2 of Jim Henson Storyteller Giants brings a worldly view to giants. The art is some of the best you see in all age comics and the story is great for any age. Its subject matter probably won’t interest those under 10, but for those who want something that tells a great story you won’t do better than this.

Where is my closest comic book store? Did you listen to the podcast? The music in the podcast is from Broke For Free.

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Wonder Woman, Rumble in the Rainforest-great reading for 7 and up

For young readers in first or second grade the jump to chapter books can be challenging. Our first grader has a couple of friends who are solidly not in the princess camp. They like action, fantasy and other fan girl activities that bodes their STEM future well. Readers like that need to check out the Wonder Woman Sword of the Dragon or Rumble in the Rainforest, two entries in a series of early chapter books from Stone Arch Book, an imprint of Capstone.

Wonder Woman, Sword of the Dragon and Rumble in the Rainforest are original books complete with pages of big, vibrant comic book art. Each chapter is approximately nine pages with big font and vocabulary that the average second grader will be able to navigate without assistance.

Some of the pages are full panels of art. There are some cool images of fighting various baddies, flying her invisible jet, using the lasso of truth and hanging out with monsters. The end of the books also have Invisible Plane Secret Files, two pages that detail the back history of the big bad that she just fought in the book.

For example Gorilla Grodd weighs 600 pounds, is an ingenious scientist and can control people using his mind. Wonder Woman’s greatest asset against Grodd is the Lasso of Truth, as well as using her animal instincts. There’s also a biography of the author, Sarah Hines Stephens and Illustrator, Dan Schoening. I like it when they include these in books because we’re teaching our kids about jobs that people do.

For some of the new vocabulary in the book there is a glossary after that also. Priced at $4.95 it’s a good value, especially for young readers who want to get their Wonder Woman on. This is good reading for advanced first graders or any second grader. Those on the early reading scale of either group might need help with some words, but they’ll be able to navigate most of it by themselves.

Build It! books, simple steps to get kids past the ‘kit’ stage of LEGO

You’ve seen some books about LEGO like this. They help you build creatures, ships, cars, landscapes or other works of art. The difference in these Build It! books is that they’re geared for younger LEGO fans and have one key thing that other building books do not have.

Continue reading Build It! books, simple steps to get kids past the ‘kit’ stage of LEGO

The best all age comic books for January 4

It’s the first week of 2017 and it brings us a nice collection of comics, especially for young girl readers. The best all age comic books for young readers can vary depending upon what your reader likes, but this is a week that there is something for everyone. The youngest science fiction (and any Star Wars) fan will enjoy Star Wars Little Golden Book, I Am Stormtrooper. They’re so much more than just a clone, aren’t they? Written from the perspective of a Stormtrooper, this Little Golden Book is just what your 2 year old Star Wars fan wants to have read to them.

Another favorite science fiction franchise is Doctor Who and this week has many of their individual doctors starting their new year of comics. The tenth, eleventh and twelfth doctor start their new season of comic books. These comic books have too much reading for younger kids to enjoy. However, if they’re 10 or older; or just love Doctor Who then this will be OK for them. The violence is on par with the show and will feature some life/death situations, but also has the humor and heart to go along with it.

Marvel has a corner on the superhero all age comic books this week. Marvel Universe Avengers Ultron Revolution #7 and Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man vs. Sinister Six, digest vol. 1 are out. Ultron Revolution is economically priced at $2.99, while the Spider-Man digest collects four issues of the comic book for $9.99.

In humor all age comic books it is all for the girls, in addition to having lots of Disney releases. Boo World’s Cutest Dog Walk In The Park is a graphic novel about an 8-year old girl’s birthday party, a Pomeranian and other cute dogs. It collects all of the issues from the mini-series from Dynamite Entertainment.

Is your child a fan of the mouse? Mickey Mouse that is. If that’s the case then almost every Disney comic book has a new issue out this week. However, the one that really piques my interest is Mickey Mouse Mysterious Melody. This is a European tale that twists the mouse up, but still leaves his all age appeal intact. Mysterious Melody wonders what would happen if Mickey never achieved stardom? The art is fabulous and the story is refreshing and will hook in readers 5 and up.

Where is my closest comic book store? Be sure to tag any photos from new comic book day with #NCBD so you can see what others are reading.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science fiction