Comix 4 kids?

November 20, 2006 7:56 PM

What comics can I give to an imaginative six-year-old?

My nephew turns six in a month. He's good at reading but not that into it: he's way more into playing with his toys, especially superhero and sci-fi toys. Which is fine, but I'd love to find some way to harness his interest in those fantasy realms in order to get him more into the written word -- and more into the sorts of imaginative, complicated storytelling that really well-done comics can do. Can anyone think of some great comics (whether in book form or serial form) that would be appropriate? I'm thinking about the sorts of things that he might not be able to really read himself -- his parents could read them to him -- and would be thought-provoking for a little kid without being too disturbing.

posted by TheWash to writing & language (21 comments total)

Calvin and Hobbes. My cousin's kids (around the same age) love them.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:07 PM on November 20, 2006

Could be kind of difficult since the rise in quality of writing in comic books seems to have occurred simultaneously with the increase in darker, more adult themes. I don't know exactly what you have in mind in terms of "imaginative, complicated storytelling," but if he's already into comic book superheroes, there are some pretty good stories out there already that use those same characters. For instance, you could try picking up something like Kingdom Come or Red Son.

Or if you're thinking of something more literary in nature, you could always try out some of those comic book versions of classic plays/novels. Kind of cheesy, but it worked well enough for me when I was a kid.
posted by magodesky at 8:14 PM on November 20, 2006

Donald Duck Adventures are fantastic!

Adventure, drama, pluck, and just plain fun.
posted by Axandor at 8:16 PM on November 20, 2006

Akiko on the Planet Smoo (and the sequels). Bone. Amelia Rules! Scary Godmother.
posted by solid-one-love at 8:16 PM on November 20, 2006

Tintin?
posted by lemuria at 8:19 PM on November 20, 2006

They're fantasy, not sci-fi, but I'd try Scary Godmother, Courtney Crumrin, and Polly and the Pirates. The Wolves in the Walls is worth a look, too.

It's hard to say what a little kid will find too disturbing. I'm amazed at some of the stuff I liked when I was six. I think I just didn't get that it was disturbing.
posted by sculpin at 8:22 PM on November 20, 2006

Little Lit! Comic anthologies edited by the Maus guy, Art Spiegelman. They are refreshingly bizarre, but not at all disturbing. I vote against Bone, by the way -- I think it's a little intense for a six-year-old.
posted by Methylviolet at 8:42 PM on November 20, 2006

I figure that if Bone can be serialized in Disney Adventures, it's OK for kindergarteners.
posted by solid-one-love at 8:46 PM on November 20, 2006

tin tin.

I asked this question regarding graphic novels a while ago if you can find it...
posted by mecran01 at 9:57 PM on November 20, 2006

Second for Akiko, as they are both comics and novels of the same stories, though the novels have now passed the comics storyline.

Read through Halo and Sprocket to see if it is appropriate for your child. I think it has an innocent curiosity to it.

The Sandwalk Adventures is a great story about two eyebrow mites who seem to be channeling six year olds running around exploring the backyard. Of course, they happen to be living on Charles Darwin's forehead...

Herobear and the Kid is a well-drawn story that has a great imaginary (?) companion in it that changes in a manner similar to Hobbes...one minute teddy bear, the next minute crimefighter.

Also review Jason and the Argobots--it's hard to go wrong with giant robots piloted by kids.

The animated comics for Batman and Superman are generally good introductions to comic books.

I did a dramatic reading of Power Pack to a four-year old and a six-year old, and they loved it. Make sure to do the sound effects.
posted by JDC8 at 9:58 PM on November 20, 2006

Tin Tin!
posted by phrontist at 10:19 PM on November 20, 2006

What TV shows/characters does he enjoy? My almost-six-year-old boy loves cinemanga (I think it's a sub-brand by Tokyopop) and has quite a little collection of graphic novels featuring Avatar, Spongebob, the Kingdom Hearts characters (he hasn't played those games, though he's played some Final Fantasy games, and of course he knows the Disney characters). They keep him engaged and reading. I'm not sure the exact reading level on the books, but getting vol. 1 of one of the series would make short work of figuring out if they're in-level for him.
posted by Cricket at 10:42 PM on November 20, 2006

Sorry, I was having trouble finding a good link, but this is the sort of thing I'm talking about.
posted by Cricket at 10:44 PM on November 20, 2006

Kingdom Come and Red Son? Jeez. The kid's 6. Heck, why not go all the way and recommend Lost Girls?

Both Marvel and DC have lines for youth. Whether they're imaginative and complicated, that's another story.

Is he too old for illustrated books? (Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, The Day I Swapped My Dad for 2 Goldfish). As an ex-retailer, I found out pretty quickly whether kids (or more often the case, parents) "get" comics or not - the whole illustrated sequential narrative thing (6+ panels on a page vs. one pic on a book). Maybe your town has a specialty children's book store where you can check out both options.

If you go the comic route, don't count out old comics (pre-80s) when they were actually made for (gasp!) kids.
posted by DonnieSticks at 11:50 PM on November 20, 2006

Asterix
posted by PenDevil at 2:59 AM on November 21, 2006

Usagi Yojimbo, and I'd second (or 3rd or 4th) Bone.
posted by maryh at 3:04 AM on November 21, 2006

Kingdom Come and Red Son? Jeez. The kid's 6. Heck, why not go all the way and recommend Lost Girls?

There's nothing in those comics that would be inappropriate for children. They deal with more complex themes, yes. But there's nothing overly "adult" in the material itself. And that's exactly what the poster was looking for, if I understand the question correctly. Not just comics that are appropriate for kids, but also ones with richer storytelling. I mean, it's not like I recommended The Dark Knight Returns or V for Vendetta.
posted by magodesky at 4:43 AM on November 21, 2006

Castle Waiting! I know crap all about kids, but I do know my comics, and while it's not aimed at kids-so the reading level might be a little too high for him-it's got a perfectly pleasant fairy tale storyline that is at least appropriate. I think I could have understood it when I was 6.
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:00 AM on November 21, 2006

and would be thought-provoking for a little kid without being too disturbing

Sorry, Armageddon and totalitarianism are NOT child-friendly themes, no matter how rich the storytelling.

Mark Millar on Red Son: It's...a very, very mainstream project aimed at the same people who picked up the first Dark Knight book. (via)
posted by DonnieSticks at 1:01 PM on November 21, 2006

Blistering Barnacles!

Tintin!
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:17 PM on November 21, 2006

Sorry, Armageddon and totalitarianism are NOT child-friendly themes, no matter how rich the storytelling.

It all depends on presentation. I really don't see how the content in Red Son is any less suitable for young audiences than any of the other Superman stories. More complicated? Yes. More thought-provoking? Of course. Better writing? No doubt. But it's no more violent than any other superhero comic. There's no vulgar language or sexual content. I don't see what the big deal is.

Of course, what's acceptable will vary from child to child too. I suppose for some, something like Red Son would be too much to handle. For others, it's not a problem. Ultimately, it's something the parent has to decide. I was really just throwing those two out as examples of well-written, thought-provoking stories that make use of well-known comic book characters. These days, there are lots of them with varying degrees of mature content, and I figure the poster can decide for himself which ones are appropriate. Those were just the first ones that came to mind.

Frankly, I'm more surprised at some of the other suggestions. As I said, the question wasn't just about comics that are suitable for children. It was about comics that specifically focus on strong storytelling. Not that the ones that have been mentioned aren't good, but they're not exactly the finest examples of quality writing out there.
posted by magodesky at 3:52 PM on November 21, 2006