By KCU’s Anthology Marketing Team
Hi There! Did you know that February 11th was National Make A Friend Day?
Why not make everyday Make A Friend Day? As Dr. Seuss wisely said:
To the world you may be just one person,
but to one person you may be the world.
And what better way to make a new friend than to recommend a graphic novel to love? We polled our community at Kids Comics Studio and it sparked a fun conversation, proving the diversity of interests and influences that make up the work of these comic creators.
Here are some of the comic creators’ recommendations along with their comments, in case you’d like to share a graphic novel with a new friend.
ASTERIOS POLYP (2009 Pantheon) By David Mazzucchelli
Patrick Lugo praised the 2009 graphic novel:
“David Mazzucchelli’s ASTERIOS POLYP is one of my all-time recommendations. If I want to make a suggestion to someone who doesn’t read comics or thinks only of Batman while talking comics, this is the book I’ll always recommend. To me it shows all that comics can be without being overly serious or possessing the presence of importance. it remains a work of virtuoso skill & technique while remaining accessible.”
BECK (2020 Kodansha Comics) By Harold Sakuishi
Bailey Culver offered this recommendation:
“BECK is one of my favorite YA comics. It’s a manga series about a group of teenage boys who form a rock band and how they and their careers morph and grow as they get older.
“BECK is a love letter to rock-and-roll with a lot of homages and references to its history and culture and it’s a great read for anyone who loves music or makes music. So much of the story focuses on what it’s like to start a band and the difficulties and compromises you make when creating with other people. It’s got a great edge, these are teenagers in a rock and roll band after all, and I love teen stories that don’t shy away from their vulgarity.
“I feel like BECK is a severely underrated gem and it’s been a huge influence on my writing. There is a great anime adaption too. Since the manga volumes are a bit hard to get your hands on it will probably be easier to find it that way. But the manga goes on much further than the anime does. (Also, I have been shortening the title to BECK, but the full name is BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad.)”
BLANKETS (2015 Drawn and Quarterly) By Craig Thompson
Kids Comics Unite Founder, Janna Morishima, gave high praise for BLANKETS and then suggested a number of other graphic novels:
“BLANKETS by Craig Thompson was the book that caused me to end up devoting my professional life to graphic novels. One of my favorite middle grade graphic novels that I read last year was Kristen Gudsnuk’s MAKING FRIENDS. Some of my other favorite middle grade GNs include EL DEAFO by Cece Bell, and MEXIKID by Pedro Martin.
“I also love recommending some lesser-known kids graphic novels.
• G-MEN by Chris Giarrusso is a *hilarious* middle grade parody of superhero and fantasy genres.
• WHERE’S HALMONI is a gorgeous picture book-graphic novel hybrid with funny, relatable kid characters in a Korean folklore setting.
• ARIOL by Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavent is the ultimate slice-of-life comic for boys. So snarky and funny and sweet all at the same time.”
BONE (2004 Cartoon Books, revised edition) By Jeff Smith
Alberto Gonzalez said this about his recommendation:
“I have so many picks I love for different reasons, but if I were pressed to narrow it down to answer why I wanted to make comics, the answer would lie somewhere between Jeff Smith’s BONE, Jimmy Gownley’s AMELIA RULES and Mike Kunkel’s original run of HEROBEAR AND THE KID.”
THE MISADVENTURES OF SALEM HYDE (2013 Harry N. Abrams, Illustrated edition) By Frank Cammuso
Johnell DeWitt, who enjoys Cammuso’s SALEM HYDE series, said “It blows my mind that it’s not more popular.”
And finally . . .
WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED (2020 Dial Books, Illustrated edition) By Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohammed
This title was recommended by several KCU Studio comic creators. “It’s about Brotherly love among other things,” said one member.
There are so many good graphic novels to recommend that the conversation could go on forever within our community. We’d love to know your recommendations. Feel free to share in comments.
Share the Love of Comics on Valentine’s Day!
Want something extra special for the kids’ annual Valentine’s Day card exchange? We’ve got you covered! Instead of running to the store for some last minute cards for your kids to exchange at school for exchange day in many classrooms.
Print out our Valentine’s Day cards featuring the Kids Comics Unite mascots.
- Your choice of colored in versions ready to print out, cut out, and pass out.
- Or try the black and white versions to print out, wrap around some crayons or candy, and your kids can pass them out for others to color in.
Happy Valentine’s Day from the Kids Comics Studio Anthologists! You can find your printables here: https://kidscomicsunite.com/anthology/
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The KCU Studio Anthology Marketing Team is a small but mighty crew of dedicated anthology contributors who put their writing, design and illustrating skills, time and talent into planning, producing and collaborating on all things marketing for LET’S GO!, KCU’s premier middle-grade comics anthology.