SFX
SFX Merchandise
Join SFX Forums!
Newsletter

Warner Bros.
Subscribe
42 Blips
Facebook
Twitter
« BLOG Scary TV please | Weblog | BLOG Photographic memory »
20090228 Saturday February 28, 2009

BLOG Comics for kids

Blogger Stacey Whittle wonders where the next generation of comics readers is coming from:

Comics for kids? Don’t make me laugh!

Now this is a rant that could go one of two ways from the title, isn't it? We could discuss all the many reasons why comics are most definitely not for kids. I could recall the dark and tortured souls of many a leading comic hero (or anti-hero, for that matter). I could recall the extremely bad language used in some comics which definitely makes them a no no for kids. I could talk about Mark Millar, and I would be lax not to mention Preacher by Garth Ennis...

I could talk about sexuality in comics and would probably mention Strangers In Paradise by Terry Moore, which is a book about love and sexuality and overcoming predefined stereotypical relationship standards. Maus by Art Spiegelman would definitely be brought up - and the fact that I often see this shelved under humour in bookshops. I had to borrow it from our children's library - it was next to the Asterix books.

But with that in mind, what I actually want to know is: where are all the comic books for kids? Seriously, where are they? If you go into your local newsagent you will undoubtedly see a big shelf of children's "comics", tons of them, all brightly coloured and all with some form of cheap plastic stuck to the front of them by Sellotape which is impossible to remove. Apart from The Beano and The Dandy these are not comics. They are magazines with some comic strips in them. It isn't the same.

My eight-year-old daughter loves comics; she has a Beano subscription and she likes coming to the shops with me to choose comics - but they just don't really exist for her. We can pick up the occasional graphic novel, Jill Thompson's wonderful book Magic Trixie for instance, (there is also a Magic Trixie blog) or the Owly series by Andy Runton, which is also loved by my boyfriend, and her favourite, Derek The Sheep by Gary Northfield. But there is very little choice; monthly she has The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz adaptation with amazing artwork by Skottie Young but that is about it.

Whatever happened to Twinkle and Bunty and Misty? All of those wonderful, girl-centric comics from my youth. I'm going to start a petition to DC Thompson to bring them back! Let's get kids reading comics! Also if anyone has any reading suggestions for a girly eight-year-old - please let me know...

This post is by Stacey Whittle, one of our new bloggers - read more about her and our other contributors in the next issue of SFX, on sale Wednesday 11 March.

If you're a comics reader and have thoughts on this subject, feel free to leave your comments below. Remember that SFX magazine reviews comics every month and features a regular column by writer Warren Ellis.
Advertisement

Posted by Dave Bradley [Blogs] ( Saturday February 28, 2009 )



Permalink | Comments [14]
Trackback URL:
« BLOG Scary TV please | Weblog | BLOG Photographic memory »
Comments:

I loved the Dandy and the Beano when I was younger, there's stuff like The Simpsons which kids can read, there's the Archie stuff like Archie, Betty & Veronica etc (sister used to read them, don't know if they might be aimed a little older than your daughter). I started reading Sonic when it started (7/8?) still running, but perhaps nearing issue 200 with a lot of continuity to it it could be daunting to a new reader, perhaps a little too boyish as well.

Posted by James (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 12:10 PM GMT #

Great blog, Stace!

I totally agree - where are the next generation of comics fans comics from - girls or boys? When I was a nipper (70s-80s) there was a huge range of all-ages weeklys that covered a wide range of subject matter - sci-fi, adventure, humour, horror, superheroics, sport, boys comics, girls comics, nursery-age comics from multiple publishers.

Seriously, Stace, if you start that petition I'll sign it.

As for comics for kiddies, well they're out there, but its a bit of a hunt to find them - cinebooks publish a range of multiple-ages comics from Europe, Marvel has their '... Adventures' range and of course there's The DFC - but none of these are to be found on the newsagent's shelf which is a huge shame.

Posted by Lee Grice (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 01:13 PM GMT #

I agree with you about the DFC Lee, it looks awesome and I have picked up a couple of issues at cons and Alice has really liked them. But at £12 per month (£3 an issue) it's certainly not a cheap option. If it was on a newsagents shelf then we might pick it up more often or come to a pocket money agreement, but the subscription only restriction does cause me a problem.

Posted by stace (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 01:25 PM GMT #

Neil Gaiman's book Wolves in the walls is good for children of both sexes and all ages. I bought it for the daughter of a friend, but kept it and gave her money for sweets instead.
As for the bunty/twinkle/girly comics from the past thing, I'll bet you can find all sorts of annuals and the like on ebay.
You are bang on right about the need for some good kids comics. where did they all go? Read Albion, Leah Moore knows.

Posted by frank (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 01:40 PM GMT #

I agree - The DFC, as good as it is, is hampered (I feel) by its price and limited availability. I do wonder how much of its readership is actually adults...

Posted by Lee Grice (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 01:45 PM GMT #

Wolves in the wall is excellent frank! My lil one prefered The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish by Gaimen/McKean so would heartily recommend that! I did in fact buy a load of old Misty annuals on Ebay recently, they are for me not her though :-)

Posted by stace (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 01:49 PM GMT #

Opinions are varied, but have you considered webcomics?

http://countyoursheep.keenspot.com/
http://noroomformagic.keenspot.com/
http://wisdomofmoo.keenspot.com/
Are three kidcentric comics by the same author/artist, all of which enter into the realms of fantasy.

http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/
The Dreamland Chronicles is less kidcentric, but still majorly in the realms of fantasy.

And finally...
http://www.mimisgrotto.com/thorn/index.html
While definitely not SFX material, it's set in the 50's and revolves around little sister/big sister sibling rivalry, with the little sister harbouring dreams of world domination.

The main issue with online comics is their frequent (usually) update schedules, and that, in most cases, you need to read the entire backlog of comics to understand the characters. You also need to wade through the rubbish to find the true gems that do exist out there.

Posted by Jed (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 05:25 PM GMT #

Have you checked out:
mistycomic.co.uk

Posted by Misty (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 05:27 PM GMT
Website: http://mistycomic.co.uk #

Comics were essential to me while growing up. From a toddler I remember reading titles like Jack and Jill and later, of course, the Beano and Dandy.

Until discovering the British Marvel Comics in 1973 my favourite title was TV Comic - anyone remember that? It featured a very eclectic mix of stories taking in Beetle Bailey, Popeye, Tom and Jerry (the cover strip), Dads Army, the Pink Panther, Animal Magic, the Milky Bar Kid, Sooty, Basil Brush, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Tarzan, Adam Adamant, The Avengers (Steed and Emma), adaptations of Gerry Anderson shows including Fireball XL5, and even Doctor Who. Later editions had the Battle of the Planets. I pity the guy trying to secure the rights to such a wide variety of shows these days and still make a profit.

What was good about comics back then was the amount of content. They could keep you going for hours on end. These days a lot of comics for younger kids are filled with, well, filler. Original content, honest-to-goodness fiction, seems to take a back seat.

Posted by Kevin M, Wilmington (127.0.0.1) on February 28, 2009 at 07:26 PM GMT #

Basically, the introduction of all those 'Tv' tie in comics/magazines has killed off the genuine old school kids comic of our youth. Sadly the shelves are now stock full of these, full of Cut and pasted pictures from said show with zero quality content and zero original fiction. Then of course they slap a cheap generic plastic 'toy' on the front, that probably cost them less than a penny to produce. The DFC is a huge step in the right direction and the best thing to happen to british comics in years and sadly if you want quality you have to pay for it. While the old thrill of going down to the newsagents has gone, the thrill of seeing that bold yellow envelope pushed through the letter box gives my kids a similar thrill. 'Vern and Lettuce' and 'Super Animal Adventure Squad', from the DFC are currently enjoying a twelve week run in the family section of Saturdays 'Guardian', if you want a sampler.

Posted by The Naysayer (127.0.0.1) on March 01, 2009 at 09:02 AM GMT #

Hey, thanks to The Naysayer for the 'Vern and Lettuce' mention! I make that strip for the DFC and it's been an amazing way to get into published comics. I really hope it does well, it's showcasing some amazing new talent (and a few older ones) and it's printed on such lovely paper and comes through the post in a big flashy envelope every week.

http://www.thedfc.co.uk

Posted by Sarah McIntyre (127.0.0.1) on March 01, 2009 at 10:08 AM GMT
Website: http://jabberworks.livejournal.com #

Hi, thanks here also for the DFC mention. There's a lot of good stuff in there - I write the Frontier strip. There's a good mix of humour and adventure strips and the best thing is that it appeals both to girls and boys, which is pretty unique I think. If you sign up for a trial subscription you get the first 4 issues free, which can't be bad. You can also read some of the strips online to try them out.

www.thedfcpreviews.co.uk

Posted by Jason Cobley (127.0.0.1) on March 01, 2009 at 12:35 PM GMT
Website: http://www.weirdwildwest.com #

Interesting read. I have a couple of early girls comics annuals 1950's inherited from my Mum (I can't recall the names at the mom) and you're right there is nothing on the shelf of a similar vein for when my daughter is old enough for them. At the moment she is only really old enough for the tacky plastic kiddies comics and can't read herself, but that doesn't stop me worrying about the future. Most of the children's comics or magazines aimed at girls are quite frankly disgraceful and really not suitable for children at all. Therefore I'm saving annuals that are 60 years out of date. To read to and with my daughter.

Posted by darrenmdr (127.0.0.1) on March 02, 2009 at 12:58 PM GMT #

You see, when I think of the comics of my own youth. Being Dutch and all, the ones I read were from the Dutch/Belgian/French side.
Tintin, Asterix, Bob & Bobbette (suske&wiske) Lucky Luke were more the kind of thing I read when I was eight.
Most of which have English translations

Then of course there was Donald Duck, which is still read by a lot of Dutch children, and is sort of the Dutch equivalent to the Beano or Dandy

Posted by khuratokh (127.0.0.1) on March 02, 2009 at 01:58 PM GMT #

Post a Comment:

Name:
E-Mail:
URL:

Your Comment:

HTML Syntax: NOT allowed
The SFX Weekender
SFX Movie Trailers

Calendar

« February 2009 »
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
       
       
Today