I’m thinking of getting my 8 year old Great-Nephew a Spiderman Comic subscription and I see they have a special Marvel Age Comic series for a younger audience. Has anyone read these? Is this a better alternative to the normal The Amazing Spiderman? He reads very well for a child his age and I almost don’t see the point of getting a comic book that it is any more juvenile, so to speak (I am not implying that comic books are juvenile, I just don’t see the point in getting him a comic that is even more simply written, know what I mean?). There is also the collectibility issue- are the Marvel Age stories any good?
So Comic Dopers, I ask you, which is the better choice?
I was reading regular comics like Amazing Spider-Man when I was 7, so that should be fine for him. He might be turned off if the comic is perceived as too “babyish,” like the Marvel Age books. However, Amazing Spider-Man is very continuity-heavy, and he might be annoyed by constant references to what came before he started collecting, and crossovers to other titles. If you ask me, the best gift would be a few Spider-Man trade paperbacks, so he gets some collected stories. I’d recommend the first collection of classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko stories (either the black-and-white Essentials, a big thick book, or the color Masterworks, a Barnes and Noble exclusive), the first Ultimate Spider-Man TPB by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, and a good-looking Amazing Spider-Man TPB, preferably something from J. Michael Strazcynski’s current run.
My 8 year old son gets the Marvel Adventures: Spiderman series, which is All Ages, and he loves it. As I understand it. Marvel Ages was changed to Marvel Adventures this year. Marvel Adventures titles are each stand-alone issues and continuity is not an issue as it would be with jumping into the middle of The Amazing Spiderman or Ultimate Spiderman.
Thanks to both of you for your insight and advice. I decided to go with the Marvel Adventures: Spiderman. You make a good point about the stand-alone stories, Homebrew. I remember that was one of the reasons why I never got into The Amazing Spiderman as a kid. I just couldn’t get a feeling for the people and drama, it was almost a soap opera in it’s serial, ongoing, nature. I think the quick, cool adventures start to finish might get him into it to start with, then if he likes it enough I can go with your suggestion,Voodoo Lou. Thanks guys.