Comics have been around for kids and it is often thought that they are primarily intended for kids. A stroll through a specialised comics store would alleviate anyone of that notion. Not only do kids rarely visit comic stores, the main audience for mainstream comics is boys from 14 and up. Finding comics that aren’t violent or sexually explicit these days can be quite a challenge. So here is a list of some of the best new comics available.

In regards to modern incarnations of kids comics you need to look no further than Boon Studios. Boom Studios used to be known as a small independent comic publisher whose main library consisted of zombie, horror and superhero comics. In 2007 they announced their ZOOM! Imprint which would grow over the next three years to include such licences as The Muppets and Disney/Pixar giants like Wall-e, Finding Nemo and Toy Story.

These are, not surprisingly, highly popular and Boom have done an amazing job with the comics. Boom Studios have also bought the rights to produce comics for the Disney characters Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse so their studio accounts for a significant percentage of the total comics produced for kids each month.

Marvel and DC have their own imprints directed at kids. Titles like Tiny Titans and Mini Marvels are versions of the world’s greatest superheroes reinterpreted for kids. In these stories instead of super-villains that threaten the world the costumed heroes encounter bullies in the schoolyard and parents that substitute teach in their classroom! Aimed at grades 2 and up these comics are entertaining for new readers and established fans alike.

Popular books and franchises like Geronimo stilton and the Disney Fairies have also recently appeared in comic form, this time from publishing company Papercutz. These hardcover comics are a great read and highly durable so recommended for school and library collections. Both franchises crossover readily into comics, being highly visual stories already.

Now that parents, schools and libraries have decided comics are ok for kids again, publishers have realized comics can sell well so it’s heartening to see the increase in comics becoming available aimed solely at young readers (and kids at heart as well). Hopefully the trend will continue into 2011.

Just came across this article from 2008 about the Just The Right Attitude Food Bank.  It is one of my favorites so I thought I would share it.  Here is an excerpt from the article that is available in the Nola.com’s archives…

Woman’s bad times help others

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sheila Stroup

Just the Right Attitude is more than a food bank in eastern New Orleans.

“Debra South gives out everything from hot meals to hugs,” Ray Reggie said. “She has a personal rapport with everyone. She understands what it means to need help.”

Ray Reggie (now Chairman of the Board of JTRA), managing partner with Premier Promotions, serves on the board of Just the Right Attitude along with Troy Duhon, president of Premier Automotive Group.

In 2002, when the men heard about the little food pantry Debra was operating out of her garage, they decided to offer her a space on the second floor of a car dealership. And Just the Right Attitude began to grow.

“We love her cause,” Ray Reggie said. “Everybody wanted to help.”

— Growing out of need —

The idea for the community resource began a decade ago with a trip Debra made to the food stamp office. She was a mother in her 30s fighting ovarian and thyroid cancer, and she’d had to retire from her accounting job. Her first husband had taken off, and she was surviving on disability checks and help from family and friends.

She didn’t make enough money to feed her son and daughter, but she was rudely told she made too much to qualify for food stamps.

“I felt so humiliated,” she said.

She promised God that if she got better she would find a way to help people who were hungry and struggling.

From that promise, and a few shelves of canned goods, grew a United Way agency that doles out hope and 2.5 million pounds of food a year.

When Ray Reggie asked a man what he’d do without Debra’s food bank, he answered, “I would be hungry.”

— Place to get a hand —

In April, Just the Right Attitude, with the help of Ray Reggie, moved into two buildings next to Toyota of New Orleans on the I-10 Service Road. And since then, Debra has been giving out lots of hot meals, boxes of staples and hugs….

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I think it is good to remind myself why the work I do with JTRA is so important and this does. Have a Blessed day.

–Ray Reggie–