List of Comics by Genre/Subject

Now that Tracy Edmunds has her great and growing all ages reading list I thought that it was time that I created my own sort of list. A lot of people out there know very little about comics, and those that do often know little about what is out there for kids, tweens and younger teens. Because of this, I want to create a list that makes it as easy as possible for you to find something that would be of interest to those young people in your life.

The lists will be created and posted a genre at a time and updates will be made to each section when I come across new material. If there is something that you think belongs in a certain genre, let me know.

Unless otherwise stated, all entries are by Scott Tingley

Sci-Fi

Zapt! : Volume One - written by SHANNON ERIC DENTON & KEITH GIFFEN. Illustrated by Armand Villavert Jr. (for 8- to 12-year-old readers)

Meet Armand Jones—a typical boy from small-town U.S.A. Doesn't like his teachers. Doesn't like homework. Can't stand the bullies constantly harassing him on the bus every day. But what he really won't like is getting Zapt! Armand is about to be inducted into the ranks of the Pan-Galactic Order of Police, where, like it or not, he'll have to save alien races and outwit marauding space pirates! And he'll still have to be home in time for dinner. Being a kid is about to get a lot harder! (from tokyopop.com)

One day, elementary student Armand Jones is minding his own business at school (and avoiding bullies) when he gets sucked into space and enlisted in the interstellar space police corps, P.O.O.P. ! He's not too keen on the idea, but he doesn't have much choice – he'll be let our when he reaches the age limit of 16 (or dies – whichever comes first).

This is a cleverly written book, with a ton of action and just enough P.O.O.P. jokes to keep the kids snickering.

$5.99 (US) $7.99 (Can) 3.99 ( UK ) ISBN: 1598165887 Diamond Order Number: APR06 3371 ZAPT VOL 1

Fantasy

The Dreamland Chronicles by Scott Christian Sava (ages 9 and up)

The Dreamland Chronicles is a fun fantasy graphic novel that looks like it was created by the people behind Shrek. The main character, Alexander, used to dream every night about a world of magical characters. He and his Dreamland friends (Kiwi the fairy, Paddington Rumblebottom the rock boy, and Nastajia the princess of elves) would have adventures, nightly righting the wrongs of that world. But, eventually Alexander stops dreaming and visiting his friends – until eight years later…

This is a really good book that will be visually appealing to many kids, and the great thing about it is that you can read it all for FREE before deciding if you want to buy it on Sava's page or HERE on Amazon.

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Social Studies

KAMPUNG BOY - by Lat and published by First Second (no rating given by publisher, but I think appropriate for grade 2-3 up – see below for one thing to look out for)

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I first picked it up, in fact I avoided reading it for a while, but once I started, I couldn't put it down. Kampung Boy by Lat (according to the liner notes “One of the most beloved cartoonists in Southeast Asia ”) tells us the story of Mat, and his experiences being a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malasia in the 1950s and “ his adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious education, and work on his family's rubber plantation. Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or kampung) is steadily disappearing, with tin mines and factory jobs increasingly overtaking the village's agricultural way of life” (from firstsecondbooks.net). This is something so outside what I know about the 50-60s in the Western world; it was so eye opening and entertaining that I didn't want to put it down. It is put together more like a children's book than a comic with pictures accompanied by chunks of text.

This would be perfect for any class from elementary up through university that is studying cultures of the world – especially when compared with the culture of the west during the same timeframe.

One thing to watch for with younger kids is the fact that Mat runs around without clothes in parts of the book (as a very young boy and when swimming when he gets to school age). This is no more “inappropriate” than the David from David Shannon's books being shown without clothes. It makes kids giggle – that's it.

144 pages Black & White ISBN 1-59643-121-0 U.S. $16.95/CAN $22.95

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Mystery

Kat and Mouse: Teacher Torture – by Alex De Campi and Federica Manfredi (aimed at girls 8-12)

I already did a full review of this book a while ago, but back then I said that “Kat and Mouse is what you would get if you crossed Babysitter's Club with Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys with CSI (minus the cameras going into bullet wounds).” It has elements of the science of investigation that I quite liked.

$5.99 Pages:96, Black + White, ISBN:1-59816-548-8 EAN:978-1-59816-548-7 Item #:TPBK-16548

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Kat and Mouse 2: Tripped by Alex De Campi and Federica Manfredi (aimed at girls 8-12)

I will link my review when I have a full one done, but my ten-second review is that I really liked it. I think the art and the writing is even better than the high standard the creative team set for themselves with the first book. This is a book you want your kids/girls reading. It is smart and clever.

Here is the book's back cover summary:

“Since her arrival at Dover Academy , the one person Kat has been able to depend on is her best friend Mee-Seen, better known as Mouse. But when Mouse gets a crush on the new art teacher, a misunderstanding comes between the two friends—and a class trip to the art museum only makes it worse! When a famous painting is stolen right under their noses, will Kat and Mouse be able to smooth things out in time to catch the thief?”

See the book on the publisher's web site HERE.

$5.99(us) Pages:96, Black + White, ISBN:1-59816-549-6, EAN:978-1-59816-549-4
Item #:TPBK-16549

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Max Finder Mystery: Collected Casebook by Liam O'Donnell and Michael Cho (aimed at ages 9 to 13, but the content is NOT inappropriate for younger kids)

Crack the case with a collection of graphic mystery stories starring popular amateur detectives Max Finder and Alison Santos. Featuring 10 solve-it-yourself stories originally published in OWL Magazine , as well as new puzzles and illustrated character profiles . From owlkids.com

This book of short mystery stories is clever in how it quickly gives you the rundown of the mystery along with most of the clues that you need to solve it. I do think that the abbreviated format that O'Donnell has to use to fit the stories into OWL Magazine takes a bit away from the storytelling. That classic scene where the detective reveals the culprit is there in text at the end of the story, and it feels stuck on a bit. Having this as an illustrated part of the story would have made it more enjoyable to me. That said, you get a lot of little mysteries with the clues to figure out the who and the how, and at the very end the reader is told the why. Very Columbo. I know I really would have enjoyed this when I was a kid.

You can read a newer Max Finder Mystery on the Owl site HERE and an older one HERE at Liam O'Donnell's site. These could be a great introduction to mystery writing for teachers to use with their students.

96 pages, Full-colour illustrations, 6" x 9", Soft cover: $11.95 ISBN-10: 2-89579-116-3
ISBN-13: 978-2-89579-116-4

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