This is not a prank; we're doing this again. THE THEME: Because it's April Fool's Day again, I thought it'd be fun to revisit this theme, which I did for April 1st a couple of years back. For the uninitiated, this theme is based on a bit of wordplay with the title: I have five comics here specifically written for kids. THE COMICS: ![]() ITTY BITTY MASK #1 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Writers: Art Baltazar, Franco Artist: Art Baltazar The legendary mask finds its way into the possession of Herman Shazbert, a zookeeper who bought it as an anniversary gift for his wife. And as with any story involving this mask, chaos ensues when people put it on and transform into the green-faced lunatic. Thankfully, this is a kids' comic, so no murders occur and no crime is involved; it's mostly just Grandma Shazbert going nuts as The Mask and pampering her grandkids in the most over-the-top manner possible. ![]() DIANA: PRINCESS OF THE AMAZONS (WONDER WOMAN DAY 2021 SPECIAL EDITION) Publisher: DC Comics Writers: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale Artist: Victoria Ying This is the first chapter of a graphic novel that features a young Diana who's struggling to find her place in Themyscira, as she's pretty much the only kid there and can't really participate in what most of the Amazons are doing. With her mother too busy being the queen, all Diana wants is a friend, and she might just get her wish. Kind of a sad premise, but I suppose many kids might be able to relate to the situation. ![]() ANIMAL JAM #0 Publisher: Dynamite Writer: Fernando Ruiz Artist: Fernando Ruiz Apparently, Animal Jam is one of those online games for kids (something like Club Penguin, but this seems more educational), and this is a comic adapting that. The game is set in the land of Jamaa, which is inhabited by talking animals. This comic follows Clover, a rabbit who is new to the place, and every other character dumps exposition on her explaining all the basics of the story, including the presence of Phantoms, evil creatures bent on ruining the peace of Jamaa. ![]() THE SECRET SPIRAL OF SWAMP KID (HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2019 SPECIAL EDITION) Publisher: DC Comics Writers: Kirk Scroggs. Meg Cabot Artists: Kirk Scroggs, Cara McGee This comic features an alternate, kid version of Swamp Thing named Russell Weinwright, and we get an amusing journal-style look at his everyday life complete with the spiral notebook aesthetic and neat-looking doodles. I'm pretty interested to see his origin (which they hint at by the end). Also included in this comic is a preview of Black Canary: Ignite, written by the author of The Princess Diaries, which has a young Dinah Lance aspire to become part of the Gotham City Police Department. ![]() ITTY BITTY HELLBOY #1 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Writers: Art Baltazar, Franco Artist: Art Baltazar This is a series of shorts featuring everyone's favorite demon in silly, kid-appropriate adventures with his BPRD friends. My favorite bit is the one where Johann Kraus (who is normally a ghost trapped in a suit) accidentally sneezes himself out of containment. The comic also comes with a preview of The Star Wars, a comic adapting the original screenplay George Lucas wrote for Star Wars. It's quite different from what the movie turned out to be, so I would really like to read it. Checking out the super cartoony art styles of comics made for kids is perhaps what I enjoy the most about reading them, and I thought most of the art I encountered here looked great. And while the stories themselves don't really have someone like me in mind as the target audience, I can still appreciate some of the humor and the wholesome vibe. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
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June 2024
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