Good Comics for Kids

June 30, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

This is it, this is the moment that Binky has been training for--he has finally been deemed Space Cat Qualified by Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel (F.U.R.S.T.). Now he can live up to his true destiny, defending his humans against the scourge of bug...er, alien invasion.

Binky the Space Cat
Ashley Spires
Ages 7-10, Grades 2-5
Kids Can Press, August 2009, ISBN 978-1-55453-309-1(hc)/978-1-55453-419-7(pb)
64 pages, $16.95(hc)/$7.95(pb)

Spires' graphic novel is a treat for anyone who's ever dreamed of the glory of being an astronaut, as well as anyone who has ever loved a cat. Kids will laugh at the silliness of Binky's quest, knowing that bugs aren't really aliens, but also knowing that cats can't re...Read More

May 22, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Digital Manga Publishing (DMP) has long been known for its yaoi titles published under the Juné and 801 Media lines. Yaoi is the term for romances written by women for women, but featuring a relationship between two men. Usually in the United States yaoi is used to mean the more explicit stories, whereas the term boys’ love is used for the lighter, less explicit titles. Several of the Juné titles are rated 16+ and are appropriate for inclusion in most public library settings, including the popular and well-crafted Only the Ring Finger Knows written by Satoru Kannagi and illustrated by Hotaru Odagiri. This month DMP launched a brand new imprint, ...Read More

May 20, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Recently I picked up two fantasy titles from Aurora, a publisher who specializes in shojo titles. Both are from authors that I've read and enjoyed before, but both titles still surprised me with how interesting, unique, and well-done they were. Since Aurora is a smaller publisher that I think probably flies under the radar of many libraries, I thought I'd review both titles to get the word out about them.

Queen of Ragtonia, vol. 1
Chika Shiomi
Age Rating: 13+
Aurora Publishing, March 2009, ISBN: 978-1934496572
160 pages, $10.95

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April 23, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

There seems to be a trend starting in manga where publishers are releasing titles in larger formats, often the size of two or even three traditional sized manga titles. I, for one, fully support that trend as it allows fans--and libraries!--to spend less money on more manga. I decided to look at three recent shojo releases to see what were the positives and negatives of the oversized format.

Castle of Dreams: stories from the Kare Kano creator
Masami Tsuda
Age Rating: 13+
TokyoPop, January 2009, ISBN 978-14278-1227-8
400 pages, $12.99

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April 12, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

One sign of the growing interest in comics specifically for children is the new publisher Toon Books, which focuses on “high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up.” The books are designed to be both appropriate for younger children and readable by emerging readers. Two of us at Good Comics for Kids—Katherine Dacey and Snow Wildsmith—decided to look over the Toon Books line and discuss what we thought of them.

Kate: What do you think of the Toon Book concept?

Snow: I must confess, at first I was concerned about it. I wasn't sure what they were thinking when they wanted to do comics for kids. I've just seen so many companies that want to do "all-ages" comics, but are just doing it for the money, not for the love of com...Read More