Monthly superhero comic for a 6-year-old
June 7, 2017 3:08 AM   Subscribe

I'm looking for a monthly superhero comic to give as a gift subscription to a 6.5-year-old. Requirements within.

Ideally this comic book would:

• Be understandable on its own -- it shouldn't require buying a dozen other different comics to track epic crossover stories.

• Be appropriate for a six-and-a-half-year-old. I mean, I know it's going to involve people with unrealistic bodies hitting each other, but there shouldn't be anything particularly grimdark, gory, sexual, or bigoted.

• Be set in the Marvel or DC universe, ideally featuring a marquee hero he might have already seen in a cartoon or on a movie poster. (This is the kid's request, not mine. I'm happy trying to interest him in a good quality indie comic but he may or may not go for it.)

I grew up reading comics, and something in the spirit of Power Pack, or some of the more light-hearted Spider-Man or Captain America runs, would be perfect. Alas my own comic knowledge is decades out of date, so any help would be appreciated!
posted by yankeefog to Media & Arts (12 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Groo, of course.
posted by parmanparman at 3:45 AM on June 7, 2017


Squirrel Girl
posted by terretu at 4:06 AM on June 7, 2017 [8 favorites]


Teen Titans Go!
posted by jferg at 4:06 AM on June 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


Squirrel Girl is definitely the thing. Doreen Green works hard to be a good role model and uses much more than punching to solve problems. Also, you can read them together because they are funny as heck. It's also a great introduction to the Marvel universe without needing to know who everyone is and what's going on.
posted by rikschell at 4:59 AM on June 7, 2017 [3 favorites]


Another for Squirrel Girl. I sort of like Groo, but Aragones' women are really something else with their bolted on melons and such.

Transformers? There's a new series Robots in Disguise that parters with an ongoing cartoon on Netflix that my eight-year-old enjoys. They bang each other around, but the homicide is zero - the point of this show is re-incarcerating escaped felons.

I don't think the Transformers: Rescue Bots has a comic, because that one would be ideal.

"Bone" is too advanced and eventually grimdark.

The Tick? He's fun.
posted by turkeybrain at 7:04 AM on June 7, 2017


Yeah, this question seems like it was deliberately written to get me to say "Squirrel Girl". So I'm going to say "Squirrel Girl" because even if you didn't know that was your plan, it's what you wanted.
posted by aubilenon at 10:04 AM on June 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


I saw this question and immediately thought "Squirrel Girl".

Also, as a follow up thought: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

"LUNELLA LAFAYETTE is a preteen super genius who wants to change the world-but learned the hard way that it takes MORE than just big brains. Fearful of the monstrous INHUMAN genes inside her, life is turned upside down when a savage, red-scaled tyrant is teleported from prehistoric past to a far-flung future we call TODAY. The pair are many things, and together the most amazing Marvel Team-Up."
posted by Sockpuppets 'R' Us at 10:10 AM on June 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


In addition to Squirrel Girl and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, perhaps Ms Marvel? Kamala is getting a lot of push lately and appears in a lot of the cartoon/game tie-in stuff, so she's likely to be familiar if he's plugged into, say, the current Avengers cartoons.

Note: Amazon is currently running a promo where when you buy a graphic novel you get a credit for a free Kindle edition of one of 100 comic trades, and I think they have the first two trades of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and possibly some Squirrel Girl as well, so it might be worth looking into.
posted by oblique red at 10:18 AM on June 7, 2017


I'm not as up on the kid/all-ages books, but I seem to recall there is also an Avengers title that is based more on the cartoon and is meant for kids? I think it is called something like Marvel Adventures: Avengers Assemble. And I think there is a similar kid-adapted Justice League in addition to Teen Titans Go. DC also just started the Superhero Girls book - there was a free issue being given out this weekend around the Wonder Woman release.

The kid versions of the heavy-hitters are more likely to drive crossover traffic than your more standalone heroes like Squirrel Girl, but it's an avenue to pursue. In general, a lot of these books are based on the cartoons and will have the same characters and a similar art style/character design/type of plot.

Most local comic shops I frequent tend to have a separate display for the kid-friendly comics (as opposed to the more generically all ages titles), so that might be a place to look as well.

There is also a really cute all-ages indie book called Hero Cats. It is about superheroes who are cats and the art is adorable. Not a cartoon tie-in, but maybe a nice option for an animal-loving kid.
posted by oblique red at 10:29 AM on June 7, 2017


I was going to jump in and say Tiny Titans but apparently the series ended years ago so no monthly subscription. Currently on the Marvel side the all ages titles are under the Marvel Universe banner (eg Marvel Universe Agengers or Marvel Universe Spider-Man) but they used to be under the Marvel Adventures banner. I never read those so can't say if they're any good or not.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:48 PM on June 7, 2017


I love Squirrel Girl, but as the comic-loving parent of a seven year-old who sometimes reads comics (her favorite has been My Little Pony Friends Forever), i don't think SG is a realistic choice for this age of a reader. In short, i think he will find it boring because so much of it targets a high school age reader who romanticizes college life. I think the suggestion of the all-ages Spider-man book is much more plausible; i have read a few of the Marvel Adventures collected Spidey volumes at my library and the individual stories are self-contained and generally homage Silver and Bronze Age Spidey stories. Really, you could probably just pick up some Marvel Adventures Spidey collected volumes on Amazon or eBay for cheap and the young fella can read a bunch all at once.
posted by Slothrop at 7:14 PM on June 7, 2017


Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions, everybody! Armed with your advice, I will visit my local comic shop and check out your recommendations.
posted by yankeefog at 8:07 AM on June 9, 2017


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