Small Wonder

Comics and graphic novels used to be a kids only domain, but not anymore! Increasingly, graphic novels are being produced with more adult themes, explicit material, and intellectual complications. This means more for adults and less for the kids who were, originally, the primary comics readers. Still, there are some quality titles out there for the the under-teen set; here are some great examples.

Magic Pickle

by Scott Morse
Oni Press, 2002
1929998333
When produce goes bad in this graphic novel, there's more than just a foul smell: there's foul deeds as well. When a group of vegetables with punny names like the Romaine Gladiator and Chili Chili Bang Bang form the Brotherhood of Evil Produce, it's time for the Magic Pickle, Weapon Kosher, to save the day. Hilarious artwork, wacky hijinks, and plenty of puns make this a unique and funny title.

Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things

by Ted Naifeh
Oni Press, 2002
1929998422
Courtney Crumrin's parents have decided to move in with Uncle Aloysius in his creepy mansion in the snooty suburbs, far from the city that Courtney holds dear. Now pessimistic Courtney has to deal with snobbish classmates at school and dark secrets at home, where the supernatural is all too common. Once she settles in, however, and starts exploring her own magical powers (sometimes with the help of mysterious Uncle Aloysius), she decides she fits better with the Night Things around the mansion than the kids at school. Spooky, well-developed, and suspenseful in both story and art, this is a superb title for younger readers who want some occult action but without the terrifying darkness of more adult storylines.

Bone: Out From Boneville

by Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books
0963660942
When the three Bone cousins--Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone--are exiled from Boneville, they find themselves lost in the desert with no map in the first title of Jeff Smith's acclaimed series. Seperately, they make their way to civilization (where no one has heard of Boneville), where they find each other and meet the beautiful Thorn and her strong-willed and strong-bodied grandmother. Add in a mysterious, protective dragon, an army of "stupid, stupid rat creatures," and a figure known as The Hooden One who has evil plans of his own, rendered in cartoonish black & white illustrations, and you've got a funny, suspenseful fantasy series for young and old alike. Also check out Jeff Smith's prequel Rose.

The Complete Bone Series:
Out from Boneville
0963660942
The Great Cow Race
0963660950
Eyes of the Storm
0963660969
The Dragonslayer
188896300X
Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border
1888963034
Old Man's Cave
1888963050
Ghost Circles
1888963093
Treasure Hunters
1888963131

Leave it to Chance: Shaman's Rain

by James Robinson
Art by James Robinson, Paul Smith, and Jeremy Cox
Image Comics, 2002
1582402531
In Devil's Echo, supernatural creatures are so common that the city employs a full-time occult investigator, Lucas Falconer. Chance, his 14-year-old daughter, responds to her father's assertion that the job is too dangerous for a girl by striking out on her own to solve the one of the biggest occult mysteries in the city. In doing so, she finds evidence that the crime might go all the way to the mayor's office. With plenty of girl power, supernatural suspense, and brightly-colored, active graphics, Leave it to Chance is a good fit for younger audiences.

The Hobbit

by J. R. R. Tolkein - Adapted by Sean Deming and Charles Dixon
Art by David Wenzel
Ballentine Books, 2001
0345445600
For kids who find Tolkein's The Hobbit to be a bit too dense and hard to read, Deming and Dixon have adapted the story into graphic novel format with vivid watercolors.

Burger!

by Damon Burnard
Houghton Mifflin, 1998
039591352
Clementine Smith is a grade-school vegetarian who laments the meat-obsessed nature of her classmates, especially Mike Cooper, the worst of the lot. Then a new burger-joint opens, giving away tons of free samples, and her classmates are more burger-obsessed than ever. Clementine, however, isn't swayed like the others, especially when she sees something suspecious (and gross!) in the kitchen garbage. What she doesn't know is that the owner is really an alien chef in disguise, desperate to find a new meal to cook for his tyrant master, Glutter. If Chef Jeff can cook him a unique meal, then Glutter will give him his freedom, but is Jeff thinking of using Mike Cooper as the main course? Burger! has mystery, gross humor, uncluttered graphics, and a happy ending that makes it perfect for chapter book readers.