Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  This week, Bennett draws our attention to kids comics that work.

A lot of people would undoubtedly say otherwise but I believe most comic book shops (at least most of the ones that I've been in anyway) really do want to sell kids comics -- and comics to kids for that matter.  And the fact they don't sell more of them isn't due to neglect on the part of retailers.  The truth is that except for occasional flukes, like when Strawberry Shortcake suddenly started outselling Wolverine at Super-Fly Comics & Games (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Strawberry Shortcake Vs. Wolverine") kids comics remain only the tiniest of niches in the direct sales market.

Marvel and DC of course do release a few kid-centric titles their efforts in this area seem to be mostly an afterthought (i.e., they're better than nothing but not by much).  There are of course publishers out there who are eager to fill that niche like Kaboom!, Ape Entertainment, Viz and Papercutz.  And while Kaboom! and Ape Entertainment have a stuck mostly to the floppy format Viz Media and Papercutz produce comics in a format that kids are already familiar with.

Both have had success producing little graphic novels (Disney Fairies, Sybil the Backpack Fairy, Pokemon Black and White, Happy Happy Clover, etc.) which look a whole lot like  kids chapter books, a format that I'm uniquely familiar with.  Back when I was working at Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs I certainly shelved enough of them.  Which leads to the main reason I think we don't sell more kids comics; the delivery system -- kids comics don't necessarily mean comic books for kids.

Don't get me wrong; I love kids comic books.  Here's a confession; I never read them when I was a kid -- as soon as I was able to put words together I leapfrogged over them and made a beeline straight for my brother's (God rest his soul) superhero comics.  But I later backtracked and thanks to reprints learned to admire John Stanley's  Little Lulu, appreciate Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge and love Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse. Leafing through the latest Overstreet Price Guide I couldn't help but feel a deferred nostalgia for all those issues of Bugs Bunny and Dennis the Menace I missed out on.  They were artifacts from an age where all kids were presumed to like and read comic books until proven otherwise.  And while it's certainly fun to think about that world sure isn't ours and as much as I wish it otherwise getting kids to read comic books these days is an uphill battle on a slippery slope.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating they stop publishing kids comic books, but it only makes sense to present comic material in formats that they already 'get,' both figuratively and literally.  One publisher that really seems to understand is IDW Publishing.  I've previously spoken highly about Eisner-Award-winning comics historian Craig Yoe's books for IDW (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Christmas For Halloween") because in a market where comic book collections have become commonplace the quality of Yoe's over sized editions are always standouts.  I've yet to read one that wasn't a remarkable blend of astute scholarship and outstanding design; the care and craft that go into each one is apparent on every page.  

They also work simultaneously on two different levels; as archival collections and as critical analysis of comic books that’s intended for collectors and other professional level appreciators.  And as 'storybooks,' a substantial, study volume of comics that's meant to survive repeated readings, something that's meant to be read to kids as well as read bykids. And not surprisingly that goes for Yoe's latest volume, The Carl Barks Book of Barney Bear.
 
In the past I've made the case kids are likely to avoid "old stuff" but thankfully Barney Bear and Benny the Burro are so incredibly obscure unless they're told it's hard to imagine they'll be able to figure that out on their own.  The remarkably timeless stories of Carl Barks certainly won't give the game away.  So if you're looking to give kids the gift of comics this Christmas, you couldn't  ask for a better one than The Carl Barks Book of Barney Bear.  Unless it's Yoe's other books The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories or The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics.

And, finally, while we're speaking of comics in formats attractive to kids, would it really hurt DC that much in the pocketbook to put some of their kids comics online?

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.