Hey gang-

Writer Marv Wolfman posted this on Facebook today and I thought I’d share:

“My latest blog is the beginning of an autobiography of sorts. Take a look at: http://www.marvwolfman.com/todaysviews.html “

Met Marv in Metropolis a few years ago and got to have dinner with him and some of the Memphis Mafia. Got to talk Teen Titans, Nova, and more, and heard stories about him and Len Wein growing up and getting into the comics biz. Looking forward to more from Marv!

Lin

Tags: comic books, Comic Whore, comics, DC Comics, Facebook, Len Wein, Lin Workman, Marv Wolfman, Marvel Comics, Memphis, Memphis Mafia, Metropolis, Midsouth Cartoonists Association, MSCA, Superman Celebration, writing comics

Today I’m going to climb up on my soapbox for a bit and talk about something I think is vital to the comics industry and keeping it going.

New readers.

Now when I say new readers I mean just that- people who haven’t read comics before. They could be kids, adults, men, women, anyone who hasn’t read comics before. Each group or person can be introduced to comics in several ways. I’m going to talk about a few that I’ve witnessed and/or think will work. This week I’m going to start with younger readers.

How to get kids into reading comics? First, you have to show them that they exist. That’s what happened to me. Back in the mid-70’s when I lived out in Utah, a friend gave me a beat-up copy of Marvel Team-Up #4 that had Spidey and the X-Men fighting Morbius- The Living Vampire! It was pretty cool, even with the cover missing. We moved shortly there after back to Memphis, and I found a spinner rack at a nearby 7-11. That spinner rack had a copy of Amazing Spiderman #171 (which co-starred Nova). I bought that comic and have been buying comics ever since.

Now, this was back before just about every kid had a video game system, DVD’s, and personal computers. Heck, this was a year or two before I knew what Pong was. This was also a time before you had to tell kids to go outside and play for at least an hour a day.

For the most part, spinner racks are a thing of the past, and like kids reading comics they’re kinda rare these days. Still, I’ve seen kids in comic shops, shows, and conventions (mostly shopping with their parents)- and at cons usually while wearing a costume, kids and parents!

That I love to see. Parents and their kids enjoying comics together. And it doesn’t have to be parents. It could be grandparents like my buddy Dave’s who used to read him war comics. It could be an older sibling who passes down comics when they feel “too old” for them. It could be an aunt or uncle. I’d occasionally get to take my niece Lindsay with me to the local comic shop on a Saturday afternoon and let her pick out a comic. She’s now a big fan of manga. It could be a neighbor who gives out comics to trick-or-treaters at Halloween. Or it could be a friend who hands them that one comic that gets them hooked not only on comics, but reading.

There are a lot of great ways to introduce kids to comics these days. Free Comic Book Day in May, cartoon and movie or video game inspired comics, old classics like Archie, and more. Many comic shops have a designated shelf or area that’s usually a bit lower for shorter readers for kid friendly comics. Others may have an old fashioned spinner rack.

Some publishers are doing smaller digest sized comics- much like the Big-Little books my mom had as a kid. The Star Wars: Clone Wars, animated Batman, Archie, and Spiderman Adventures in this format seem to be very popular with kids, teens, and adults. It’s very much like many of the manga books being sold today. I’d snag up any of the digest sized books when I was a kid, the over sized treasury editions, and the comics that had a record you could listen to as you read along in the comic. Anything that was different was cool!

So, what are some of the problems with introducing kids to comics? First off, many parents are happy to let video games, the internet, and TV be babysitters for them. When the NFL has to run commercials reminding kids and their parents that children need to play for at least 60 minutes a day, something’s wrong.

Some that actually do feel like getting the kids off the couch feel comics are low-brow entertainment, too violent, or too adult. “Go read a real book!” Even decades after the comic witch trials some parents still feel comics are bad- and some might be. I remember picking Amazing Spiderman at the same time as The Electric Company’s Spidey Super Stories, Marvel Team Up, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spiderman, and Marvel Tales- which was a reprinting of classic Spiderman stories. There was violence, relationships, some drug use (which was shown to be bad), and Jonah chomping on a cigar, but nothing my 10 year old mind couldn’t handle. Not so sure all Spidey stories are kid-friendly these days. You still have to be a parent and watch what your kids read, even with comics.

Other parents just feel that comic books are way too expensive- which is what I tend to agree with.

I recently heard a shop owner in New Jersey say on a podcast that he felt kid targeted comics art printed on too nice of a paper stock and have too high of a cover price. Yeah, the brightly colored glossy shiny cover and interior art is going to get the kid’s attention, but that $3.99 cover price is going to have the parents say, “No way- you’ll tear that thing up in no time!” Why not print more “cheaper” comics? Comic books that are ok to roll up and put in your back pocket. Comics you can trade with your friends. Comics you don’t have to bag and board.

This brings us to another problem- some parents have a collector’s mentality. “Comics are for collecting. Don’t take it out of the bag. Don’t leave it out where sunlight can destroy it. And stay away from my collection!” If someone is that anal about their comics, they should start their kid his own collection and teach them how to collect and protect their comics. I would just hope they would teach them how to read the comics as well. It can be a fun hobby parents and their kids can enjoy together.

I still have that copy of Amazing Spiderman #171…

There was a time when comics were cheap entertainment. Many retailers want higher prices for comics and have said so to publishers. They make more profit off their shelf space (one of the reasons you don’t see comics on magazine racks much these days). The big two have pushed prices up and up to see just how far they could push them. I, like this NJ retailer, think that maybe if the comics were cheaper, you’d sell more- especially to kids. Heck, there are plenty of shops and shows with $1, $.50, $.25 comic bins to look through. Give the kid a couple bucks and point them towards a row of discounted long boxes. They are guaranteed to find some real treasures and not just the bag and board and never see again kind, but ones they’ll want to read over and over or trade with friends.

Kids love comics. I’ve seen fussy kids at cons become quiet intent readers when handed a comic. My friend and comics writer Josh Elder became a super-hero to a group of kids on a subway when he not only stopped their attacker, but gave comics to his fellow stabbing victims to calm them, and it worked! The kids stopped crying. Ask him about that story if you see him at a convention or signing- it’s amazing!

Speaking of Josh, he’s working to get more comics in schools and libraries with his Reading With Pictures non-profit initiative. Way to go Josh- you’re my hero, too!

I’ll be back next week to talk about other new readers- including girls! I know, it sounds crazy, but I have proof they exist and I’ll reveal it all to you next time.

Lin

Tags: comic books, Comic Whore, Dave Beaty, DC Comics, free, Halloween, Josh Elder, Lin Workman, Marvel Comics, Memphis, Spiderman, writing comics