Entertainment | Page 16 of 89

All age comic books for June 12

Subscribe: RSS

It’s new comic book day and that means that some cool new all age comic books are out also. As we’ve previously discussed, some of these comic books are good for middle schoolers, while some will be great for early elementary ages. Use your judgment, ask the person at the comic books store or tweet us @daddymojo for specific questions. We also go over some of the comic books in greater detail on the podcast. Speaking of which, this week we’re talking about Disney Incredibles (and Comics), Star Trek Vs. Transformers, Goosebumps 2, Jim Henson Sirens and more. Here though, are three great comic books for ages as young as 7.

Marvel Action Spider-Man #5

Kraven the Hunter is enough to bring us into a Spider-Man comic book. Marvel Action Spider-Man from IDW Publishing is a beast unto its own. This monthly comic book is flat out awesome for ages 7 and up. It has the action that those ages want, the content that makes it OK for parents to approve and manages to do it all so that it doesn’t love street cred with the middle school kids. Even better, this all age comic book has Miles Morales, Spider-Man and Spider Gwen in the same book.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #45

We’ve always thought of Unbeatable Squirrel as a middle school companion to Deadpool. She’s a superhero, but left of center and this monthly comic book perfectly captures the superhero world. Granted this superhero has the powers of a squirrel and is a teen. This is not the battle, superhero stuff that will appeal to traditional MCU people, most likely. In this comic book, we have a fabulous story with great art that sometimes joins the Marvel Comics story arch. Issue #45 is a War of the Realms tie-in and it doesn’t matter if you’re following that summer story. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl entertains audiences in upper elementary school and up who are looking for fun, wrapped in great story with jamming art.

Plants Vs. Zombies, Volume 13, Snow Thanks

Plants Vs. Zombies is in a tie for THE intellectual property that our nine year-old loves now. He started playing the video game, but gave up playing that and now goes absolutely mental for these comic books or graphic novels. The monthly comic books stopped a couple of years ago. Thankfully, true to their word, they’ve been producing new, original graphic novels that have that Zomboss spirit. This graphic novel series is great for kids 8 and up who want humor, action and just a dose of age appropriate zombie.

Humor

Superhero Action/science-fiction

For our family, #MomoCon gets better each year

There are a couple of things every year that our family earmarks and looks forward to each season. For the boys and I MomoCon has been on that list for the past four years. They’ve loved every minute of it but always left with the same question, “When can mom come with us”? This year the schedules aligned and mom was able to attend MomoCon with us.

It’s important to point out that she’s not really into comic books, anime, cosplay, roleplay or video games. She enjoyed going to MomoCon because of how much fun the kids have had in previous years. Our boys are 9 and 7, they’ve seen a couple movies in the MCU and don’t know too much about anime, other than dad used to live in Japan and has some copies of that magazine in his office.

What they and the parents that I spoke with enjoyed about MomoCon is the atmosphere. During the daytime it’s great for all ages, has cosplay that is out of this world, but still OK for those younger audiences. Granted, there were some creepy clowns that gave out kids the willies, but they were the exception and even those costumes weren’t graphic in nature.

There were many instances of families that cosplay together; some as young as little geeklings who were being pushed around in a stroller or carried by mom or dad. Our two boys stayed for five hours the first day and four hours the second day and had a different, but equally fabulous experience each time.

They love the game area. There is every board game in the world at MomoCon for you to check out and play while you’re there. We started to play a Super Mario themed version of Trouble before the boys got distracted by some costumes and wanted to walk around. A couple hours later we came back through the gaming area and played Jenga.

Right beside that area is the video game area. This year it was broken up into classic arcade games and Asian video games. When it came to playing the games they were all in about the classic games. However, with an eye towards the future they spent more time watching the Japanese console games. They were peppering me with questions about how to play them, but I kept referring them to one of the multitudes of people who were lined up to dance, pound drums or touch cubes as quickly as they could.

Our kids are also 100% down with Con protocol when it comes to vendors. They should touch nothing, ask lots of questions if they’re interested and compliment those who are cosplaying near the tables. The merch was jammed with all manner of KPOP, Japanese manga, anime and statues that pronounce their enthusiasm towards it.

And it was all 100% family friendly. We heard worse language on the train to the event than we did at MomoCon. There are some night time events that skew towards college ages and up, they’re certainly a bit more risqué, but well past the bedtime of a 9 year old. Perhaps it’s something that they’ll enjoy in 10 years when they’re in higher education.

MomoCon happens in Atlanta ever year over Memorial Day Weekend. It’s the friendliest con for families that you’ll encounter because it has the real cosplay that elementary and middle schools will recognize, without the gore or sexuality that might populate other cons.

Extraordinary Birds sneaks into the minds of middle school readers

Twice a year, each year I get insomnia for a couple of nights. It’s due to the spring or fall allergies and I just can’t sleep. This year the spring incarnation of this sleepless paradise snuck up on me and my usual cadre of new science-fiction books were nowhere to be seen. Close to the nightstand was Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark McGinnis. From the cover it didn’t seem like the kind of book I would seek out, but you know how the saying goes. True to form, Extraordinary Birds completely defied my expectations and left me concerned, hopeful and wondering if December really is able to fly.

Extraordinary Birds starts out with December, a teen aged girl talking to herself. She’s also high up in a tree.

First thought: she’s suicidal, this book isn’t for me.

However, just as I think that we learn that her foster mother is talking to her and trying to convince her that she is not able to fly.

Second thought: she’s a superhero-this book is like Glass and she’s the Samuel L. Jackson character.

No, it turns out that December has done this before. She’s bounced from foster home to foster home and believes that she has the physical ability to fly like a bird. It’s just that her bird parts haven’t developed or her mental processes haven’t broken through the plane that allows her to transcend what most believe is a reality.

However, her penchant for frustrating foster homes has broken another potential forever home and she’s dispatched to live with Eleanor. She seems like a nice lady, but December has been through this rodeo before so she’s just biding her time until she’s 18 or her bird lady parts develop, whichever comes first.

Eleanor is a different type of foster parent. She gives December her space, allows her to develop her own personality and lives on farm. Eleanor also volunteers at an animal rescue organization.

Third thought: Eleanor brings out December’s inner superpowers.

No, just stop I told myself. Extraordinary Birds lives up to the first name in its title because it plays things very close to the vest and does not go for the cheap story line. This is a well paced and beautifully told story about growing up, being slightly different and trying to figure out the world.

Fourth thought: this is an aviary version of The Breakfast Club.

No, just stop and reread the third thought I had to remind myself. This is a great book that made me not want to go to sleep, despite my insomnia. Alas, true to form, I read for about two hours and then fell asleep with a book on my chest. However, this session of insomnia was different; I didn’t mind not sleeping as I was in good company.

The lessons and morals in Extraordinary Birds will be appropriate for upper elementary school readers. Most likely its sweet spot are those middle school readers who want to get lost in a great book about growing up and learning about how to navigate those mental images and feelings that you think nobody else will understand.

The Life of Dad, escapes the trap that catches its competitors

The thing about being a dad and having ‘daddy’ in our business name, as well as, writing about books is that we get all manner of book pitches about paternal instincts. More often than not, as a book, they tend to fall short of being entertaining unless you happen to be a diehard fan of said athlete or entertainer. The Life of Dad is a book that collects very short snippets from interviews that have been conducted on the LOD podcast.

This is not a dad advice book. That is the type of book that soured us on the genre. The Life of Dad brings it back home and uses an economy of words as its greatest strength.

The Life of Dad seems to know that another ‘advice’ book isn’t needed. Instead what is presented are 12 chapters with dozens, upon dozens of dads briefly chatting about things that they’ve learned, didn’t know, have come to love and a takeaway that each opining dad has to offer. However, this is not an advice book.

To understand this, one almost has to listen to the LOD podcast. In that podcast they’ve interviewed more than 300 fathers who work in entertainment, pop culture, sports, music or any other field to where they’re known on some level. Case in point is that I knew all of the dads associated with comedy, literature or comic books in The Life of Dad, yet I had to read the brief 2-3 paragraph introduction to most of the athletes to remind myself of who they were.

These introductions are not pompous, tell-people-how-great-you-are PR pieces. They’re relatable, quick and make readers know that, despite the successes in their respective fields they’re just a dad. Again, this is not an advice book. At times the line between story and advice can get blurred, yes, but the book never has a preachy tone.

If anything, each dad who is highlighted in the book has too brief of a time in the spotlight. However, if it were any longer than wit, brevity and enjoyment of the stories would suffer. Initially we thought of The Life of Dad as a really superior toilet book because each dad story that’s told takes about :90 to two-minutes to read. Truth be told that’s where The Life of Dad started out in our house. However, after a day a funny thing started to happen. The Life of Dad left the bathroom and came into the bedroom. The length of the stories were still the same, it’s just that we started reading six or seven stories at a time.

The Life of Dad transcends other ‘dad’ books by having so many dads to talk about. There are many subjects and each one is given the perfect amount of time. Plus, some of the guys in this book have their own book on sports, parenting, music, entertainment or politics that give you the chance to do a deep dive into their life.

Ultimately what’s so surprising about The Life of Dad is how it turns a topic that I couldn’t see any of my dad friends reading about, into a topic I can see them reading about. It’s a cliché to say that The Life of Dad is a great Father’s Day gift, but it’s a great gift. It’s much at home in the waiting room of a doctor or dentist office as it is moving between the bathroom and the night stand.

Kim Possible: The Movie, it’s actually entertaining for kids 6 and up

“actually” isn’t a word that people want to see associated with a film. More often than not it’s in surprise to a film that’s received bad buzz or low expectations. However, with Kim Possible, we-along with our 9 and 7 year old sons were actually impressed with the film and quite enjoyed it. Neither child was familiar with the characters, while they might have seen the cartoon briefly on Disney XD, it never made it into our regular rotation. Factor in that the animated series stopped running in 2007 it’s understandable why the name isn’t front and center with some the elementary aged audience.

As a show on the Disney Channel it was a massive hit in the early 2000’s. It was funny, had solid writing and great animation. Kim Possible was also the longest running show on Disney Channel, until Phineas and Ferb took over that mantle in 2012. This movie was an original presentation on Disney Channel in 2019 and it has a lot going for it.

We were not fans of the show back in the day. Seeing how the show was presented on television then and seeing this movie now I completely understand how those that grew up, or had fond memories of it will scowl at this film. I would be the same way if they ever do a live-action Phineas and Ferb or make Gilligan’s Island into a feature length film.

Aside from a pneumonic device, Kim Possible is a fun character who is effortless to watch. The characters are immediately evident as to their traits, flaws and habits. Kim Possible in confident, athletic and always game to save the day, while Ron Stoppable is goofier, not as athletic, but provides the team with needed enthusiasm and Mexican food. The supporting cast in Kim Possible is high school and Kim’s first day. She’s used to saving the world from campy villains, but can she handle high school?

As we watched the film our 9 year-old was laughing much more than I thought he would. The laughs were consistent and he really enjoyed the action segments also. Kim Possible has more action in the front end of the film and that certainly assisted his action oriented personality as it progressed. In the middle of the film it’s more about different types of friends and handling high school than dealing with super villains.

His 7 year-old brother didn’t enjoy the film as much, but gamely stuck his head in the room when the action came on again. I even enjoyed the film and it reminded me of the pleasant, non-offensive entertainment that you’ll see on Disney Channel. It’s fun stuff that you might not say that you watch when you’re with your friends, but it’ll be enjoyable when you’re at home.

We received a copy of Kim Possible on DVD. All thoughts are our own.

The Ghost Network establishes a fun A.I science-fiction 3-book series

Middle school kids who like computers more than books can be a tough crowd to convert. They like the puzzle and immediateness of computers or coding and books just don’t offer that thrill. That crowd will really enjoy The Ghost Network. It’s a new series of YA books by I. I. Davidson. Even by her pen name, Gillian Philip has created something that sounds like a password for a deep state organization intent on something sinister and most definitely illegal.

That’s exactly where The Ghost Network picks up. Akane, a gifted hacker is about to something in real life that could be both of those things. Unfortunately, she starts hearing John Laine, a friend of hers who is spilling the beans that her plans have been hacked. This is a quick start to the book that’s in an equally short chapter that offers promise and hope as to what young readers will encounter in the book.

To John’s surprise he’s been accepted into an incredibly exclusive top-secret school for coders. Once he’s there he meets up with Slack, Salame and a couple others who are attending this school that’s in the middle of the Alaskan tundra. As the things escalate, and our students get to know the instructors at the school-they start to think that this might not be the sought after educational experience that they’d hoped. It might actually be closer to the point to say that the school is closer to an incubation tank for something evil on a world-conquering level. Toss is back story of artificial intelligence, a long-lost missing father that might be involved in all of this to some degree and all of the elements exist for a book that will hook upper elementary through middle school.

Our 9 year-old enjoyed the book. I was quite frankly surprised that he could read and follow the story. The target range for The Ghost Network is those readers who are 10-12 years old and it does a very good job and knowing its audience. Those who are older than 13 will see some of the twists coming and want more from their science-fiction books. I was like that when I read The Ghost Network. It was entertaining and very engaging at times, but it’s clearly aimed at those in that age range. The other great thing about the book is that it’s established itself as a nice, neat 3-book series. It’s not going to go on too long and at the pace that The Ghost Network established it’ll hook in readers with ease and have them looking forward to the middle and then finale in the series.

All age comic books for May 8

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

It’s the New Comic Book Day after Free Comic Book Day and it’s OK if you’re feeling just a small comic book hangover. Typically the NCBD after FCBD is a bit light. I wouldn’t say it’s light this year, there’s certainly something for lots of readers who are six and up, but the heavy hitters aren’t here this week. In a way that’s a great thing because it frees up some titles that don’t get enough Oxygen, as well as some cool graphic novels that will hook the crowd for all age comic books. In the podcast we’ll talk about Windy Day by Tony Sandoval, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, 5 Worlds The Red Maze, Ronin Island, Samuai Jack and much more. For now, here are three great all age comic books that will get kids reading the things that they want to read.

Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book

Do not purchase Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Little Golden Book if you’re hoping to gain spoilers about the movie. This soon to be classic Little Golden Book about the Toy Story gang is based on the film. However, these characters are timeless and will resonate with any reader 2 or older. Plus it’s presented in the classic Little Golden Book format and priced at only $4.99.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6

Spider-Man has lots of comic book incarnations. If you’re looking for a realistic, contemporary Spider-Man that has lots of action, but also focuses on the ‘neighborhood’ aspect of our web crawler, this is for you. It’s also one of the great all age comic books that doesn’t skimp on the action. Younger readers will also enjoy it because the characters are drawn more realistically than the superheroes in the fabulous all age comic book, Marvel Action Spider-Man. There’s a subtle difference that makes that title great for ages 6 and up, whereas the former is great for ages 8 and up. There’s a little more reading, slightly more advanced plot mechanisms and deeper thoughts needed to really enjoy this one, but enjoy it they will.

Carmen Sandiego: The Sticky Rice Caper

Where is the world is Carmen Sandiego? We’ve been asking that question for decades and kids have found out, but they still keep asking. Carmen Sandiego is back on Netflix and to correspond to that, Carmen Sandiego: The Sticky Rice Caper is out as a graphic novel for middle elementary school and up. This graphic novel will stick very closely to episode 3 from this Netflix series where she goes to Indonesia and find adventure, bio terror (in a palatable elementary format of course) and lots of education, but don’t tell the readers. This is fun stuff that harkens back to what old school moms and dads will remember, but contemporizes it for today’s youth. It’s awesome and check yourself if it hurt to say, much less type out “today’s youth”.

Humor

Superhero

Action/science-fiction

A Grand Success! is a cracking good business, life and animation book

Rare is the biography that matches the quality of something that we really enjoy. One glaring example of such rarity is Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson. That book was effortless to read, enjoyable at every turn and even manages to inspire jaded souls who could use a pick me up. A Grand Success! The Aardman Journey, One Frame at a Time by Peter Lord and David Sproxton joins our list and will be on yours too for many different reasons.

A grand success, a grand success!, aardman, peter lord, david sproxton, nick park, matt groening, aardman animation

A Grand Success! is the story of Aardman Animations, the legendary studio that’s brought the world Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Morph. This book follows Peter Lord and David Sproxton from their childhood inspiration, constantly changing (and enlarging) headquarters to the release of Shawn the Sheep: Farmageddon. We’re long time fans of all things Aardman and hoped to personally enjoy the book. However, after reading the book we’re even bigger fans due to the growth, history, they way they’ve conducted business and life lesson that the book passes along.

A Grand Success! is not preachy, it’s not that kind of life lesson. However, as with any entrepreneur; there are huge, massive sized risks that any venture has to make in order to succeed. Aardman started small with David and Peter doing small segments on British children’s programming. Morph is the brown creation on the front of the book that most people won’t recognize. I didn’t. It has that trademark Aardman warmth and love, but it doesn’t register any memories. However, it was his creation that helped usher in many of the great things that the company came to do.

In the early 80’s Peter and David were getting steady gigs doing things for the BBC. At the same time they were invited by Nick Park to speak to a local university. Park had this dream of a creation that he’d been tinkering on about a man and his dog. Flash forward to today and we all know Wallace and Gromit. It’s this parable, as well as a couple others about perseverance, optimism and simply doing what’s right that really made A Grand Success! work as a book.

Lord and Sproxton have always operated in a niche world. Stop-motion animation, the permanence of of plasticine or clay and filming techniques aren’t the stuff that will ignite the conversation floor on a standard dinner party. However, their passion and the way they conducted themselves provide proof that if a business idea-and the people presenting it-are grounded enough it can work.

The two had multiple high growth periods or chances that showed them a different realm. After their Academy Award and Peter Gabriel video they were flooded with jobs and taunting things. Hollywood called, they met with some of the big names and created Flushed Away, kind of. That film was supposed to be stop-animation, but Dreamworks, disappointing box office results from their previous films and more turned the film into CGI.

A Grand Success! looks at the many highs, as well as, the lows that Aardman had created. Early Man, being an example of later, but a small, non-descript sheep being a massive example of the former. I teach English online. I can show any of them a picture of Shaun the Sheep and they’ll start grinning from ear to ear.

You never know what you’ll create and what the audience will enjoy is another great take away from the book. It also helps that Sproxton, Lord and Park all seem like nice guys. A Grand Success! is a fabulous read. You can be a business student, in need of a self-help primer, animation fan, Anglophile, want something happy for the beach or just want a quality read that ewe’ll love. This is a great book that’ll stay in your permanent library.