Good Comics for Kids

September 7, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

If you haven’t heard of Fruits Basket you could justifiably be accused of having lived in a cave for the past five years.  Furuba, as it is lovingly called by its many fans, has topped the manga bestseller lists with each new release, and at its height of popularity, merchandise supporting the series was snuggled in right next to the Naruto headbands and Fullmetal Alchemist gauntlets at your local Hot Topic.  

Fruits Basket was one of the first series I read when I began learning about manga and it contributed greatly to my becoming a devoted manga reader.  I’d been saving up the last few volumes to read in one big chunk as a rewar...Read More
Industries: Graphic Novels

August 25, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

While at the American Library Association conference in Chicago, Snow Wildsmith and I had the opportunity to talk with VIZ Kids editor Traci Todd.  We asked her about the origins of the imprint, how licensing decisions are made, and where she sees the line going in the future.

Good Comics for Kids:  Would you ever consider expanding out your age ratings so that all-ages is for the youngest kids, then have a 7+ or a 10+?

Traci Todd:  Those are conversations we’re having.  I like the idea of Youth as a rating, because I think that all-ages is different in Kids from what it is in shojo and in shonen.  I’d like to see that kind of distinction.  Having our VIZ Kids branding helps, but for parents and educators, I think it’s important to have that kind of d...Read More
Industries: Graphic Novels

August 24, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

While at the American Library Association conference in Chicago, Snow Wildsmith and I had the opportunity to talk with VIZ Kids editor Traci Todd.  We asked her about the origins of the imprint, how licensing decisions are made, and where she sees the line going in the future.

Good Comics for Kids: With the economy and the publishing market the way they are at the moment, why did VIZ decide that now was a good time to expand the children’s line?

Traci Todd:  It all happened before I came on board, but what I’ve been able to glean is that it was recognized that the children’s market was the one area VIZ had not expanded into. It was also recognized that kids are really into manga, really into the format, so it seemed to make sense.  It was also a decision that was made long b...Read More
Industries: Graphic Novels

June 4, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

For those of you who haven't had the chance to attend a book industry trade show, a Buzz Panel is when a bunch of publisher representatives gather together to present to the masses the books they feel are the very best their publishing houses have to offer in the coming season.  They can be fun, they can be exciting, they can even be moving.  What they can’t really be is unbiased.

Well, on Saturday, May 30th, four intrepid librarians from YALSA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee, Jesse Karp, Barbara Moon, Christian Zebriskie, and I, braved the meeting rooms of the Javits Center during BookExpo America to present a non-Buzz Panel.  Since none of us are connected to any specific publisher, we had the freedom to choose the books we really felt were worth buzzing about.  So we spent weeks reading and evaluating hundreds of advan...Read More
Industries: Graphic Novels

May 6, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Sometimes it’s hard to pull off a particular style when writing for kids.  Are the kids going to get it?  Will they understand the nuances of word choice, the significance of color schemes, the jokes?  Aaron Reynolds and Neil Numberman take film noir, apply some schtick, and make what can be a dry sub-genre work for elementary school-age kids.

Title: Joey Fly, Private Eye, in Creepy Crawly Crime
Author: Aaron Reynolds
Artist: Neil Numberman
Age Rating: 8+
Henry Holt, April 2009, 978-0-8050-8786-4
96 pages, $9.95

Private investigator, Joey Fly, gets more than he bargained for when he takes on a young scorpion as his new assistant.  Samm...Read More
Industries: Graphic Novels