Daddy Mojo

All age comic books for May 15

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Happy new comic book day! This week has some different all age comic books or graphic novels that will make kids 6 and older want to read. These are the kinds of comics that kids will sneak off into their rooms, lay on their stomach and get lost in words until you wonder where they are. Just earlier tonight I found our 9 year-old doing that thing and it brought a smile to my face to see. In the podcast we’ll chat about Glitch, Teen Titans Go!, Seafoam and more. For now, here are three great new comic books or graphic novels that will hit kids as young as 6.

Glitch by Sarah Graley

Glitch is an original graphic novel by Sarah Graley. It’s technically published by Scholastic, but is done via Graphix, their graphic novel imprint. Graphix, similar to :01 First Second, is one of those publishers that you can almost guarantee that the book will be great and that stereotype is on target with this graphic novel. Izzy is a young girl who can go in and out of her video game whenever she wants. The virtual world is great, but what about things IRL? Glitch is filled with sharp images, great dialogue and action to please any reader who is 8 and up. Our 9 year old read this graphic novel in 90 minutes and promptly asked when the next one was coming out.

Marvel Action Spider-Man

This is the mark of a new storyline in one of the best all age comic books out there now. This is Spider-Man action with the help of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. It gets everything about the great all age comic books down perfectly. The action is great and it doesn’t have to amp up the language or bloody up the violence to make it great. Check out this comic book for ages 7 and up and you won’t be disappointed.

Seafoam #1, The Hypnoctopus

Seafoam is an all age comic book about a young girl who travels to a magic beach where there are creatures of all sort. The art in Seafoam is geared to those younger readers aged 6 and up, but has big, camp humor to pull in fans of Powerpuff Girls. For the price of $3.99 and 32 full color pages this is a nice deal that will get the imaginations of early elementary school kids firing.

Superhero Science-fiction/Action

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2020 review and giveaway,

We’ve had our copy of National Geographic Kids Almanac 2020 for a couple of weeks. It’s something we meant to write, but every time we open the book up for inspiration we get sucked down the knowledge (or lack thereof) hole. Every year since 2010 this almanac has provided stunning illustrations, deep dive facts and surfaced based knowledge for those who know a little about a lot.

This is the 10^th Anniversary Edition and it’s aged in all the right places. For instance, look at the brown bear on the cover. It’s embossed so that the bear looks like he’s running off of the page. Kids will immediately notice this, touch the 3D bear and start flipping through the book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In theory, any age is OK looking through National Geographic Kids Almanac 2020. In practice the book will be best enjoyed by those readers who are 9 and up, but way up, because it’ll be read by adults when not being used by younger readers. The book is great because it manages to have the complex and the simple, with a side of pop culture or puzzles that will entertain kids for hours. It has subject matter that those in middle elementary through high school will be studying.

To celebrate the 10^th Anniversary Edition they’re giving away a GoPro camera, it’s a $315 value and will help deliver the NatGeo-esque photos that you’ve always wanted to take.

We’re also giving away a copy of National Geographic Kids Almanac 2020. It’s a $14.99 value and will provide hours upon hours of entertainment for those 9 or older. Do you have a summer car trip coming up? This book is mandatory so that you can A. Do less screen time and B. Not have them say “are we there yet?” every 10 minutes. To enter our giveaway for the book only just leave a comment below.

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.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu, go it’s great entertainment

I rolled my eyes when I saw that movies were being made based on video game characters. At its core, that shouldn’t really matter because all a good movie needs is a great character and video games have those in spades. Comic book movies were once relegated to the bin of low expectations also. Even James Bond films have the ‘every other Bond’ disclaimer attached to them as a way to inoculate them to critics and fan expectation. Video game movies though have truly been horrible. Looking at the list of video game films through 2019 and only a couple of them, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and Silent Hill are worthy of mentioning as something that was close to memorable. Enter the potentially annoying, but highly cute squirrel like character from the world of Pokemon. And Pokemon Detective Pikachu has accomplished what dozens of other well known characters and franchises have failed to do.

Pokemon, detective Pikachu, pokemon detective Pikachu, ryan Reynolds, cgi,

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is a very good movie that will entertain people seeing Pikachu for the first time; as well as, those fans that go to the theatre with their Pokemon paraphernalia. To some it’s not news to say: this film is very good. Few studios make a bad movie on purpose; it’s just that, more often than not, the end result is less than what you hoped that it would be.

In the case of Pokemon Detective Pikachu we expected it to be bad and were incredibly pleased when it turns out to be very good. In the case of our 9 year old test market whom we saw the film with, it’s better than Shazam!-which he raved about for a couple of days. It’s even more remarkable because this kid is not a fan of Pokemon. He knows the basics, like Pikachu looks like a squirrel with a lightning bolt on his tail, but that’s it.

All I know about Pokemon is that our kids collected the cards for a season or two, never played the game and then stopped asking about it. If that’s you, then Pokemon Detective Pikachu has you covered. You don’t need to know anything about these sometimes cute, sometimes explosive animals that have live amongst us. It also establishes a world in which some Pokemon live in civilized society, while others prefer to be in the wild, which could be a key ingredient to a sequel.

The film works because of the CGI and Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds’ voices Pikachu in a calm, snarky manner that makes the character lovable and very easy to root for. The CGI in the film is fabulous. It makes you want to hug him, but ever so carefully so that you avoid the tail. The other Pokemon characters also have a texture and visual depth to them that makes it easy for you to believe that they’re real. The marketing for the film has been great also. Reynolds has been sharing sarcastic comments, previews and even ‘leaking’ the film online. Said ‘leak’ was actually an hour and forty two minutes of Pikachu dancing to 80’s type soundtrack music, utterly brilliant.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu is great for those who are 13 and younger. It’s rated PG and rewards elementary school movie goers with a fun time that balances action, sight gags and humor. There are some older jokes that are provided through Reynolds’ dialogue that make the film seque a bit older too. It won’t have mass appeal to where high school students will see it en masse, but will demo up to those middle school kids who want a fun time at the movies.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part puts it all together for ages 7 and up

Everything is awesome. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital. Think of the joy, happiness, creativity and feeling of accomplishment that you get from completing an advanced LEGO set. Now put those feeling into a LEGO movie, but throw in some LEGO: DUPLO bricks and you’ve got chaos coming together.

That is the basic premise behind The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. It’s a gorgeous piece of animation that makes your mind tumble at the intricateness of how fun it would be to create any of these brick machines. For the Brickphiles….it’s only the opening and ending credits that are filmed using stop animation. The rest of the film is seamlessly made using CGI with beautiful, plastic bricks that look like you could build a Unikitty village. In other words, you won’t mind that it’s not ‘real’ LEGO bricks because they haven’t been real in any of the other movies and they were all ridiculously entertaining.

So LEGO Duplo invaders are here, laying waste to any new construction and preventing any repairs to existing structures that have been damaged. Emmett is back and as chipper as ever, but the landscape is different, a bit darker and filled with surly characters. The LEGO characters in the film are great and the film was really entertaining. We took our 7 and 9 year-old boys to the film and they loved every minute of it.

One thing that people have come to expect from a LEGO film is a great song. After all, everything is awesome and The LEGO Movie 2 delivers on a couple great songs that make you laugh and wish that top 40 radio would play it. For us, the best song was played during the credits. It was also a song about the end of the movie and the credits. To make things even better, it’s performed by Beck, featuring Robyn and The Lonely Island. Supercool has that trademark Beck sound with the whip smart lyrics that one expects from LEGO. When you see The LEGO Movie 2 be sure to stay around for the end credits.

As a film, it does have moments that you know are coming. While it doesn’t have the surprising elements that some of the earlier LEGO films have it’s still very entertaining and had both kids (and I) laughing out loud.

We were provided with a copy of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second One for review, all thoughts are our own

All age comic books for May 8

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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

Lola Dutch When I Grow Up beautifully reminds kids of what they can be

Lola Dutch, you are indeed much too much. Except you aren’t really, we just like repeating the catch phrase that you uttered in your first book and referenced one time in Lola Dutch When I Grow Up. Size does not matter in a children’s book, yet these books by Kenneth and Sarah Jane Wright soak up every inch of their pages and would be comfortable with more. One of our kids is past the illustrated book phase, but I still find myself looking at this book, getting lost in the artwork and reading it his 7 year old brother who hasn’t quite discovered the love of books yet.

Lola Dutch is awash in imagination based play. She’s reading books with Bear, Crane, Gator and Pig when she has a rush of ideas as to what she wants to do when she grows up. She could be an inventor where she experiments, improvises, researches and discovers things. Maybe she could be a botanist, a judge in the highest court or an Egyptologist. All the while her anthropomorphic friends are accompanying her as willing subjects, helpful assistants or dubious onlookers.

What makes Lola Dutch When I Grow Up a fabulous book, and a great good-night book is its combination of art and words. The art in the book has soft, water colored images with edges in its drawings that mute it just a little bit. When you look at some of the illustrations they will have clear, defined markings, with some elements having just bit of white, uneven space between the edges that the paint or crayons left. Our kids and I love this style of art. It has a fun, whimsical appearance to it that confirms that it’s an illustrated book great for ages 3-6.

Its loose, carefree spirit is infectious for girls slightly more than boys, but not by much. There are rhyming elements, but for the most part the text is simply enough to where there are some sight words that allow young readers to get in on the game. For the most part this is read-along fun for small ones and those who are reading to them from this great good-night book.