Guest Author - Travis Belk

Just like the movies, comics come available for all ages. And as such they have their own ratings systems. Here is a description of the various ratings systems and some recommendations to find the best comic books for kids.

Comic books have gone through various phases and subject matter throughout their history. At the pinnacle of their success in the 1950s, the top selling titles were horror titles published by EC comics. The book; Seduction of the Innocent by Dr. Frederic Wertham; lead to an outcry amongst politicians and parents over corrupted youth. To help prevent this, the Comic Code Authority was established in 1954. Magazine distributors refused to carry non-code approved comic books at that point. The code was responsible for the downfall of some publishers and the campy comics that many of us grew up with.

The three major comic publishers, DC, Marvel and Archie, carried the CCA symbol on their covers for decades to come. While cleaning up comics considerably, many contend the CCA is the reason comics aren't as popular as they were 50 years ago. With the advent of the comic book store, some publishers began to feel that the CCA was out-dated and elected not to submit their comics any longer. While DC and Archie still submit their mainstream comics for approval, Marvel has decided to implement their own ratings system as follows:

All Ages- appropriate for all ages
T+ - ages 9 and up. Though parental review is still advised
Parental Advisory- ages 15 years and up. These feature more adult themes and graphics.
Max: Explicit Content- ages 18 years and up. These are their mature titles. These comics will never be sold on the newsstand or marketed to children.

As with the original CCA symbol, all ratings are displayed on the cover of the title. When going to the comic book store, ask your store owner where the kid’s comics are. They usually have them in their own section for convenience to keep them away from the more mature titles.

Recommendations :

Archie

The first comic read by many people growing up was an Archie comic. They offer a wide variety of titles from the typical Archie and Jughead fair to Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. They have even published popular video game icon Sonic the Hedgehog and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. Any of their titles are a good choice for any parent seeking fun and reader-friendly content for their children.

DC Comics

DC runs a separate line of kid-friendly comics known as Johnny DC comics. The titles consist mostly of cartoons owned by DC’s parent company, Time-Warner. All of the titles feature the CCA symbol. Some of the titles under the imprint include:

The Powerpuff Girls- This is the popular Cartoon Network cartoon of three girls who are gifted with superpowers and fight crime.

The Batman Strikes!- This is based on the WB cartoon, The Batman. It is a revision of the Batman mythos featuring a friendlier Batman and more focus on the gadgets.

Teen Titans Go!- This is another comic based on the Cartoon Network cartoon. It features Robin and four other teenaged superheroes, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven, battling evil.

There are also various comic versions of other cartoons such as Looney Toons and Scooby Doo.

Marvel

As mentioned above, Marvel has initiated its on ratings system. The comics for kids will all carry the “All Ages” and the “T+” distinguishers on their covers. Titles of specific interest for kids are included in their Marvel Adventures line. The comics in this line are not part of mainstream Marvel continuity and include:

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers- Earth’s Mightiest Team re-imagined for kids. The roster includes Marvel powerhouses Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-man, Wolverine, Storm, the Hulk and Giant-Girl. Great for boys and girls that want to read about their favorite heroes.

Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four- Marvel’s first family of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing protect the Earth and universe from evil. The title also features Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s young son, Franklin Richards.

Marvel Adventures: Spider-man- Tales of the web-slinger re-told from Stan Lee’s stories of the 1960s. They are geared exclusively to children. They are also 1-issue stories making it possible to pick up any issue without missing prior content.

For older kids who are into Spider-man, there is the Ultimate Spider-man series. Set in the Ultimate universe, it focuses on a teen Spidey and is geared towards all ages.