So you wanna look into comics, or you have already know what’s out there, or maybe you don’t truly care? Well “not care-ers,” too bad, because this month’s Children’s Blog is going to tell you what we are getting, what is hot and what to start reading.
You may not know this, but both the children’s and the teen areas of your Heights Libraries are getting a nice healthy dose of single issue comics every month. We painstakingly look at what is available, what direction the industry is, what changes are coming, and what are the big name authors and artists doing before we decide what comics to get. And since the comic industry is constantly in flux, what with name changes to series, cancellations, stories ending and massive crossovers, it seems that every month we are making subtle changes to the series we are getting. So if you are away from comics for a while it is possible to get a little lost, but have no fear because it is easy to get back in or find a nice jumping off point.
In this month’s blog entry, I will give the list off all the series we are getting in both children’s and teen, and highlighting a couple of series that are certainly ones to take a look at. On a quick note, the listed series are not received by all of the branches due to space restraints. We are receiving them all at the Lee Rd. branch. Also it is possible that we do not receive each comic every month.
In Children’s we are getting:
Adventure Time
Archie
Batman: Li’l Gotham
Batman ’66
Betty and Veronica Double Digest
Bravest Warriors
Looney Tunes
Marvel Universe Avengers Assemble
Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man
My Little Pony
Regular Show
Scooby Doo Where Are You
Spongebob Comics
Transformers Robots in Disguise
From the Children’s side, the two series that I cannot recommend highly enough are the two Batman titles, Batman: ‘Lil Gotham and Batman ’66.
Batman Li’l Gotham has a bunch of thing working for it. First off, it started as an online comic, but eventually made its way to single issues, with each issue encompassing 2 of the online stories. It also has a very holiday feel, as each story is about a holiday (some big like Halloween and some small like Labor Day. The illustrations are done though gorgeous watercolors and the humor is perfect for all ages. One of the issues involves Batman and Robin chasing Clayface into Comic-Con. That is something most kids might not get entirely, but adults will love. Sadly, this series will be ending in March, but we will surely purchase the trade collections when they are available and we will keep the single issues circulating as long as they hold together.
Plus, I will contend that this story about Poison Ivy during the fall is one of the most beautiful beginnings to a comic ever. (It’s from Issue #10)
Batman ’66 is a series that follows the adventures of the old 1960’s Batman TV series starrign Adam West. Once again, the humor is great for all ages. It is clean and appropriate for all ages as well, and the in jokes from the old series exist here. Depending on the story, you might find Catwoman dressed as either Eartha Kitt or Julie Newmar, and Cesar Romaro’s Joker has a clearly drawn painted over mustache, just like from the show. So if you enjoy campiness be sure to give this series a look.
On the Teens side we are getting:
Adventure Time
All-Star Western
All New X-Men
All New Ultimates
Aquaman
Atomic Robo
Avengers
Avengers Undercover
Avengers World
Bat Girl
Batman
Batman and Robin
Batman/Superman
Batwing
Captain America
Daredevil
Deadpool
Fantastic Four
Flash
Forever Evil
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Corp
Guardians of the Galaxy
Indestructable Hulk
Iron Man
Justice League
Justice League of America
Loki: Agent of Asgard
Ms. Marvel
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man
New Warriors
Regular Show
Simpsons Comics
Star Wars
Superior Spider-Man
Superman: Unchained
Teen Titans
The Star Wars
Thor: God of Thunder
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
Uncanny Avengers
Walking Dead
Wolverine
Wolverine and the X-Men
Wonder Woman
X-Force
Young Avengers
Honestly, there are so many changes that have happened recently to the comics in Teen that it would take many blogs just to get you up to date. (If you are interested, by all means hunt me down at the Lee Rd. Branch). So I will focus on three series here, one Marvel, one DC and one independent.
On the Marvel front, let us look at Mile Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man. For those who do not know, the “Ultimate Universe” of Marvel was created in 2000 as a way to modernize the characters that everyone loves. It is separate from the regular Marvel universe and many characters have had changes, some big some small. One big difference is that when anyone dies in the Ultimate Universe, it is forever. There is no coming back. So when Peter Parker, who was by far the most popular character in the Ultimate Universe, died to protect his loved ones, there was a massive hole in the hero community. Enter Miles Morales, a young boy with by chance also gets bitten by a genetically engineered spider and develops powers. Miles powers are very similar, but there are some differences as he can cloak himself and his “venom stings.” Personal tragedy might not be what makes Miles want to don the mask of Spider-Man, but he has big shoes to fill. Hen Miles was originally announced, he was met with lots of skepticism, but in the over two and a half years he has been around, Miles has been one of the most endearing and engaging characters Marvel has.
Wonder Woman series never really seemed to do well for DC, but since the New 52 launched almost 2 and a half years ago, it has been one of DC’s most consistently amazing series. This Wonder Woman is a fully immersed within Greek mythology. Yes, there are some differences in some of the god characters, but overall it feels very authentic. Zeus is gone, but not before getting mortal farmer from Virgina pregnant, and Wonder Woman takes it upon herself to protect Zola and her baby from Hera and anyone else who dares to attack them. There are very few crossovers with other heroes, so Wonder Woman is allowed to shine. This is a smart, tactful, strong and decisive Wonder Woman, and one that demands being read.
Lastly, let me talk for a second about Atomic Robo, one of the most fun series you could possibly read. Robo has been around since 2007 and is the creation of writer Brian Clevinger and artist Scott Wegener. In the comics, Robo was created in 1923 by Nikola Tesla and is a self-aware, self-sustaining robot who now leads the Action Scientists of Tesladyne Industries to wherever strange things take place. Atomic Robo was written under certain promises:
- No Angst. While things won’t be 100% perfect, you won’t find melodrama in Atomic Robo, just a ton of fun.
- No Reboots. The series does jump around time period wise, but what you see is what always happens for Robo. Nothing will be changed.
- No Filler. When one event ends, the next even will start up, and since they move around Robo’s life, each new series is a great jumping off point for anyone.
- No Cheesecake. Women will not be portrayed as sex objects, they will be portrayed as people. Just as smart and capable as any male character. Interesting concept, I know.
- Lastly, the Main Robot Punches A Different Robot (Or Maybe a Monster). Pretty self-explanatory.
While the series is located in Teen, this is a great series for all ages. One where you might find Stephen Hawking playing a prank on Robo, or my personal favorite, having Carl Sagen (as an action hero) utter the phrase, “When you return to your unobservable but empirically determined dimension of origin, tell them CARL SAGAN sent you!” Seriously, after reading that sentence, what are you waiting for?
Like I said in the beginning , the single issues change constantly, and even in the time it took me to write this blog, it looks like I am going to have to make some subtle changes again. If you have any questions about what we are getting at the Heights Libraries, please by all means hunt me down and ask. And be sure to take a look at our amazing collection.
Mr. Fries
