Comic Books and Graphic Novels

I have mixed feelings about this popular comic*

These days the distinction between comic books 
and graphic novels seems to be more about format
and frequency than content.
Comic books also may contain more than one story,
especially if the comic is humorous or aimed at 
younger readers - think Archie or Richie Rich.
You can still get Archie comics. 
Of course, if you have a computer with internet, or
can get to a comic book store, you can still get
almost anything. Which leads to the question,
what should you get?
As with any reading matter, try to follow
your child's interest.
Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr. Who, Fraggle Rock,
Muppet Show, The Simpsons, all have or have
had comic books devoted to them. And the 
variations on Disney are out there too, though
aside from Scrooge McDuck the Disney license
usually goes to books that fall on the picture
book rather than the comic book side. And many
popular children's books are available in graphic
novel form, including The Boxcar Children and
the Redwall books.
Next week I'll talk about some less familiar titles
that may interest your kids.
*Archie comics are fun, but their social and gender
stereotypes offer a poor blueprint for social behavior.
If your kid can't sort that out, you may want to stick
with fantasy comics. And if someone knows a realistic
comic that offers better social models, please comment
or email me!