Good comic book for a 6 year old?

Cafe Society
1

I remember getting comic books mailed to my house. It was such a thrill to go to the mailbox anticipating the next GI Joe!

My 6 year old son checked a book out of the library that was in a comic book style. “Captain Raptor” or something like that. He really enjoyed it.

So - comic book geeks in Doperville - what is a good comic for a 6 year old? He is a really strong reader. I think something adventurous or maybe funny?

AND…something we can get a subscription to so he can enjoy the walk to the mailbox, too?

THANKS!

2

Marvel has a Marvel Adventures line that is geared to the younger set. Fang really enjoys the Spider-Man and Hulk comics in that line.

3

He might like collections (Essentials, which are cheap, or Archives, which are not) of early issues of Spider-Man or Fantastic Four. For something a bit edgier, try Art Spiegelman’s Little Lit collections.

4

Including previews and/or reviews as I can find them…

For ongoings, Tiny Titans seems to be perennial hit with the younger set, which surprised me (in a good way!). Likewise Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!

The dinosaur-loving kid in me wants to recommend Age of Reptiles, but I’m not sure if six isn’t too young for a kid to see dinosaurs eating other dinosaurs. Might want to hold off on that one.

For collections:

Owly is adorable and suited for all ages, though maybe a bit lighter on the action than your son might like.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears has the protagonists collection of stuffed animals coming to life as the Night Pride to repel an invasion of monsters from under the bed. Cool adventure story, great art.

Eric Shanower and Skottie Young are doing a very well-received adaptation of the Wizard of Oz books that might be worth a look. Young’s art isn’t to my taste, but most kids seem to LOVE it. Likewise, Shanower’s new, self-illustrated Oz adventures are well worth picking up.

Instructions by Neil Gaiman isn’t a comic-book in the strictest sense, but an illustrated version of one of his shorter poems (found here). Basically, it’s all the best advice for what to do if you ever find yourself trapped in a fairy tale. Utterly charming.

For more straight-up superhero fare, the Marvel Adventures line mentioned above is a really good suggestion, particularly their Spider-Man and Iron Man books. Also, the X-Men: First Class and Wolverine: First Class books offer a good selection of superhero stories without the gore and angst that have been creeping into the main titles. Might be a bit wordy for a six-year old, though, even one who reads a lot.

Trickster is an anthology of Native American tales. It’s a lot of fun, the stories don’t get any longer than about seven pages each, and the talking animals might appeal.

I’d also recommend giving Usagi Yojimbo a shot – the adventures of a samurai rabbit might appeal to your son if he liked Captain Raptor. There’s some violence, but it’s all very cartoony – death gets marked by a skull and crossbones.

Hope some of that helps!

5

I would have said Bone, but it might be a little complex for a 6 year old.

6

That’s what I was going to recommend. My daughter started reading Bone when she was 7 - absolutely loves it.

7

Have you thought about introducing him to web-comics? So he can basically get to wait every night at 12am for the new one to pop up?

Otherwise, I recommend the simpler stuff like Spiderman, or (suprisingly) as a kid for some reason at that age- I would get Archie comics. I really liked them back then for Jughead and the humor was easy enough for me to get, and still be able to start to get the puns and wordplay in them. So perhaps a Jughead digest or something just to see if he bites on it?

8

Dunno if they still make em, but I liked Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hotstuff (a baby devil), and Richie Rich.

9

There’s always collections of Carl Barks’ classic Donald Duck/Scrooge McDuck comics. Here’s one (although I don’t know what’s in this particular one). http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Presents-Greatest-DuckTales-Stories/dp/1888472383/ref=pd_cp_b_2

Two stories I remember are “The Mines of King Solomon” and “The Prize of Pizarro”.

There is a free site hosted in France that has scans of hundreds of these comics. I won’t link to it because it must be in huge violation of copyright, but I will say it was posted on Metafilter sometime in the past 60 days.

Geez, Hughie, Dewey and Louie in the Junior Woodchucks, with their manual that translated the most obscure languages! Their animal call instrument that, with a simple twist of a dial, could imitate ANY animal! Absolutely great comics!

10

+1 I second Donald Duck comics for kids 6 -12.
(…and if you are over 12, then you should be reading real books)

Besides Donald Duck, any of the funny and/or animal comics, mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry, Little Lulu, Andy Panda, Little Eva, Woody Woodpecker, etc. Most of them are really really cheap.

11

So Far and No Safari. On of my favourite Carl Barks stories. I’d also also recommend the duck stories of Don Rosa. He’s know for his meticulous drawing style and attention to historical accuracy. He’s made a lot of sequels to classic *Carl Barks *comics.

12

I actually have a stack here of old Richie Rich comic books from the '60s that my kids have outgrown. They’re pretty fun, but well-worn. I was trying to figure out where to donate them. If you’re interested, PM me and I’ll send them off to you.

13

Seconding the recommendations for Carl Barks’ and Don Rosa’s Duck stories. Also, he’s probably old enough to start appreciating Asterix. Not all the details, but the stories are fun even if some of the puns fly over your head.

14

Groo the Wanderer! There was never a better all-ages comic book! After the kid is finished with it, check it out yourself!

15

Bone was my recommendation as well.

16

BOOM! Comics produces a line of kids comics.

And one licensed comic from Pixar: The Incredibles.
There are several TPB collections on Amazon.

17

Not technically a comic book, but done in the same style:

Axe Cop!

18

*The Adventures of Captian Underpants *were a big hit for my kid, but now he is a sick panty and scat fetishest with a potty mouth and repeater of toilet humor. A pox on Dav Pilkey!

And I thought video games were bad for him. :confused:

Well, starting monday, he rides his new (used) motorcycle (for his 9th birthday tomorrow) at least 20 miles a day as long as there is no snow on the ground! We’ll see how that works out for him.