Comic book trade for a 7 year old?

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mambadragon

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My nephew is really into superheroes (Marvel and DC) and he recently started reading so I'd like to get him a trade paperback. I'm not much of a comic book person, so I'd appreciate any recommendations for books to buy him.

For all of you that are going to give a smart-ass answer (i.e. get him Preacher), please at least indicate that your answer is a joke.
 
It's old, but Crisis on Infinite Earths. That shit jump started my imagination around the same age. All the DC heroes and crazy stuff going down across the multiverse was such a fun read.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with Claremont X-Men. That shit was amazing when I read it during my childhood.

I once read Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth at 8 years old. Wouldn't recommend it ;)
 
I feel like this would be pretty good for a young kid.

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There's a bit of murder and violence but it never gets beyond stuff you'd see in MCU movies.

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Miles Morale's Spidey is pretty great, too.
 
C-Drive said:
It's old, but Crisis on Infinite Earths. That shit jump started my imagination around the same age. All the DC heroes and crazy stuff going down across the multiverse was such a fun read.
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Old is fine. I'd like to give him something that is at least a good read.
 
Are you looking for comics aimed at kids or any comics that would be easy for a kid to follow? Because if the former, Tiny Titans would be great since it would be easy for a seven year old to enjoy. It's less on actual story-line and more on funny little segments with DC's kid characters.
 
BewareTheBatsie said:
Are you looking for comics aimed at kids or any comics that would be easy for a kid to follow? Because if the former, Tiny Titans would be great since it would be easy for a seven year old to enjoy. It's less on actual story-line and more on funny little segments with DC's kid characters.
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I'm more looking for comics with content that is safe for a kid (I guess in America that means Star Wars-level violence, and no sex). If it's at a higher reading level that's fine.
 
BewareTheBatsie said:
Are you looking for comics aimed at kids or any comics that would be easy for a kid to follow? Because if the former, Tiny Titans would be great since it would be easy for a seven year old to enjoy. It's less on actual story-line and more on funny little segments with DC's kid characters.
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Yes! Tiny Titans, all that stuff is great. The same guy also did Lil' Marvel Avengers vs. X-Men which is also great. I recommend them both for your son. My daughter loved his stuff at that age.
 
Do you know what reading level he is at? Asking this as a teacher and a comic nerd. The themes and words that they use in these books will absolutely go over a 7 year old's head. Someone asked a similar question in ComicGAF months ago, but the child was a bit older.

1st graders are usually at an A reading level...
 
dity said:
I thought you were going to trade a comic book for a 7-year-old.
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I thought he was going to trade comic books with a 7 year old. I was going to suggest he not take advantage of the poor youth's naivete.

I couldn't understand Watchmen when I was his age, so probably don't buy him that.
 
TheFlow said:
Hory shit do not let a 7 year old read Hawkeye by lemiere. Worst choice

No sex. Yea definitely no Hawkeye.
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The Fraction run too, all the Hawkeye stuff is not really appropriate for a kid that young.

Crisis on Infinite Earths might be hard to follow too. It was hard for me to follow as an adult.
 
The original Secret Wars from the 1980s would also probably be appreciated by a seven year old. It feels hokey now for adult readers but that shit was so awesome back in the day (I read it in the 90s). It was really the first (official) time that comic creators said "let's throw all these superheroes and villains together and make them fight."
 
If he likes comic heroes, this is what you get a seven year old...

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I know I'm being uncool but it's the truth. Stick to the Super Hero Squad books and the cartoons until they display they can read like 2-3 levels higher than they should unless they are at grade level. I wouldn't suggest comics until 9-10.
 
Get to know Chris Giarrusso.

Not only does the man have an illustrative style that frequently calls to mind Bill Watterson, but he's got an impeccable sense of visual storytelling and a great sense of humor, on top of that.

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If you can find his Mini-Marvels digests, grab those up immediately.

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After he was done with the Marvel stuff, (and they replaced him with the much worse, nowhere near as fun/engaging Superhero Squad series) he went off and made his own superhero series called G-Man

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It manages to be just as good without the benefit of playing around with decades of Marvel goodwill.

Seriously. Seek out some Giarrusso if you can. He's the goods.

ALSO:

If you can find Eric Shanower and Skottie Young's Marvel adaptations of The Wizard of Oz series, cop those instantly. They're maybe the best versions of these stories available, even over the originals, and Skottie Young's art is flat-out amazing

land_of_oz_1_cover_by_skottieyoung.jpg


The series stopped at Emerald City of Oz, unfortunately, but that's still six books worth of skewed beauty to behold.
 
Don't think there's a trade yet, but keep an eye out for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Just like how Mark Millar's comics read like movie script now, the comics so far are almost written like there was an expectation to turn it into a Disney movie.
 
If you don't think he's actually going to really read it and just wants to look at comic book fight scense, Avengers vs X-men: VS is basically just Superhero vs Superhero fight scenes with no actual plot

If you want to give him something that he will actually read, All-Star Superman is probably the best choice
 
Affeinvasion said:
The original Secret Wars from the 1980s would also probably be appreciated by a seven year old. It feels hokey now for adult readers but that shit was so awesome back in the day (I read it in the 90s). It was really the first (official) time that comic creators said "let's throw all these superheroes and villains together and make them fight."
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Same with the old Infinity Gauntlet. Although that one is pretty pricey.

Depending on how much the kid or his parents are averse to violence / some partial nudity, Thor: Godbomb is an amazing run. I'd put it at pre-teen / teenage level though, but if the kid is a bit mature for his age then it's super epic.

But, Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel are great for anybody, and Ultimate Spider-Man and All-Star Superman as others have said.
 
Zombine said:
Do you know what reading level he is at? Asking this as a teacher and a comic nerd. The themes and words that they use in these books will absolutely go over a 7 year old's head. Someone asked a similar question in ComicGAF months ago, but the child was a bit older.

1st graders are usually at an A reading level...
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Well you're a lot more knowledgeable than me. Like we read through the Berenstain Bears really slowly, and I don't know what he gets out of the story, but he enjoys showing off that he can read the words. I just thought since he likes superheroes so much I can get him a comic book with some good art and he can then maybe pronounce some of the text. If the story is good then that's all the better, cause it might be a year or two until he comprehends it. Honestly I don't think he's ever had a comic book so I just thought it would be good to let him see the drawings, because he loves the superheroes but has only seen cartoons on Netflix and then snippets of the modern live-action movies.

Like I said I'm not knowledgeable, so if I can get him something kid-safe that isn't garbage in terms of art and story, then I think it's a success.
 
I will recommend:

Little justice league. It is a free online comic series so that is the only bad part. But is very kid friendly book that captures the essence of all the DC characters
 
videotape said:
My nephew is really into superheroes (Marvel and DC) and he recently started reading so I'd like to get him a trade paperback. I'm not much of a comic book person, so I'd appreciate any recommendations for books to buy him.

For all of you that are going to give a smart-ass answer (i.e. get him Preacher), please at least indicate that your answer is a joke.
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There's a trade paperback that reprints all the races between Superman and Flash.

It's a great read for children, and it has a bunch of classic and more modern tales.

http://www.hpbmarketplace.com/Superman-Vs-the-Flash-Dennis-ONeill-Rev/book/8895683
 
If he's okay reading a book about a girl, Ms. Marvel is probably pretty good as well as Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

Nova had a little bit of a rough start, but it evened out into a serviceable run after a few issues and writer changes.

And old-timey art style, but the original run of Spider-Man by Stan Lee (which you can probably get as a collection pretty easily) is pretty great and appropriate for kids. I haven't read it but there's this current run called Spidey that might be similar in tone.
 
LucidMomentum said:
Depending on how much the kid or his parents are averse to violence / some partial nudity, Thor: Godbomb is an amazing run. I'd put it at pre-teen / teenage level though, but if the kid is a bit mature for his age then it's super epic.
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Jesus Christ you guys lol

Here is a page from the first chapter of Thor: Godbomb

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No seven-year old on the planet should be reading Godbomb
 
Also, if the kid is at all into Star Wars the Clone Wars Adventures comics were fairly solid, and kept with the art-style and kineticism in the Genndy Tartakovsky series. A lot of planet trotting, a lot of light-hearted adventure, and a lot of Jedi action. Anakin was actually likeable in this series. In fact, this series is maybe the only incarnation of that character that manages to pull this off on a regular basis.

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Along those same lines, The Batman Adventures comics took the Timm housestyle from the animated series and continued telling those stories, and they work really well as continuations of that universe.

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(There's a Superman Adventures, too. Can't go wrong)
 
Basically, here's your rule of thumb if you're trying to get a young kid into comics.

don't buy them mainline superhero comics

It's a sad rule, and it sucks, but there is almost nothing out there made by either of the big two that is in any way aimed at your child. It's almost all wildly inappropriate for kids 10 and under, and nobody making any of this stuff gives turd one about the possibility your kid might be a reader.

Mainline superhero comics are not for your kid, or children in general, and haven't been since like 1992.
 
If he has watched the cartoon, the Young Justice cartoon comics are pretty decent and tie in between certain episodes as well as original stuff but still in the same continuity.
 
Bobby Roberts said:
Basically, here's your rule of thumb if you're trying to get a young kid into comics.

don't buy them mainline superhero comics

It's a sad rule, and it sucks, but there is almost nothing out there made by either of the big two that is in any way aimed at your child. It's almost all wildly inappropriate for kids 10 and under, and nobody making any of this stuff gives turd one about the possibility your kid might be a reader.

Mainline superhero comics are not for your kid, or children in general, and haven't been since like 1992.
Click to expand...

very true, and very unfortunate in many ways
 
Bobby Roberts said:
Basically, here's your rule of thumb if you're trying to get a young kid into comics.

don't buy them mainline superhero comics

It's a sad rule, and it sucks, but there is almost nothing out there made by either of the big two that is in any way aimed at your child. It's almost all wildly inappropriate for kids 10 and under, and nobody making any of this stuff gives turd one about the possibility your kid might be a reader.

Mainline superhero comics are not for your kid, or children in general, and haven't been since like 1992.
Click to expand...
I think Claremont's original run on the X-Men is pretty good for a 7 year old. It was for me, anyway. Not the entire run, of course, but there are quite a few storylines in there that make for a fun read.
 
Squirrel Girl and Marvel Girl and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

I'm not being facetious, these are the best comics of high quality that are still aimed at younger kids with their humor and action and characters.

I'd give them to my son if I didn't hate children.
 
George Oscar Bluth II said:
I think Claremont's original run on the X-Men is pretty good for a 7 year old. It was for me, anyway. Not the entire run, of course, but there are quite a few storylines in there that make for a fun read.
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There's stuff from the 80s and farther back that's absolutely cool for kids to read, but then you have to get over the hurdle presented by the fact it's "old stuff."

But kids make those leaps easier than teenagers/young adults do sometimes.
 
Li'l Gotham is fun and probably suitable (at least more so than many suggestions in here) although a bit violent in spots for a 7 year old.
It's not a superhero comic, but Bone might be worth a look.
 
Bobby Roberts said:
Basically, here's your rule of thumb if you're trying to get a young kid into comics.

don't buy them mainline superhero comics

It's a sad rule, and it sucks, but there is almost nothing out there made by either of the big two that is in any way aimed at your child. It's almost all wildly inappropriate for kids 10 and under, and nobody making any of this stuff gives turd one about the possibility your kid might be a reader.

Mainline superhero comics are not for your kid, or children in general, and haven't been since like 1992.
Click to expand...

in fact, they might fuck your kid up.

at best he will be mega super extreme. at worst he will betray you and repeatedly try to destroy the universe with his gang of friends you didn't even know he had.
 
Bobby Roberts said:
Basically, here's your rule of thumb if you're trying to get a young kid into comics.

don't buy them mainline superhero comics

It's a sad rule, and it sucks, but there is almost nothing out there made by either of the big two that is in any way aimed at your child. It's almost all wildly inappropriate for kids 10 and under, and nobody making any of this stuff gives turd one about the possibility your kid might be a reader.

Mainline superhero comics are not for your kid, or children in general, and haven't been since like 1992.
Click to expand...

Just wondering, and realize this is from my naive perspective... I'm probably going to get him one of the "Tiny Titans" books or similar because that looks like a great fit. But he's also at that age where he wants to watch the PG-13 superhero movies but he's not allowed. So is say "Ultimate Spiderman" or "All-Star Superman" reasonable? My reputation as the cool uncle depends on it :P (and by that I mean if it's even questionable then it's a no go).
 
I'm gonna have to re-read Hawkeye cus I really can't remember anything that's that adult in Fraction's Hawkeye run. Knowing Fraction there's probably some adult humor in there but none of it comes to mind.

This is probably the worst thing I can remember in the comics.

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There's also a bit of murdering but if the kid likes heroes then chances are he has seen MCU movies and those are darker than the comic.

[edit]

Just saw your post, so he's not even allowed to watch MCU movies? Damn.

Yeah, then there's pretty much nothing that'd be okay for him in terms of superhero comics.

Everything is skewed towards teens and adults.
 
videotape said:
Just wondering, and realize this is from my naive perspective... I'm probably going to get him one of the "Tiny Titans" books because that looks like a great fit. But he's also at that age where he wants to watch the PG-13 superhero movies but he's not allowed. So is say "Ultimate Spiderman" or "All-Star Superman" reasonable? My reputation as the cool uncle depends on it :P.
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I think both Ultimate Spidey and All-Star Superman would work, yeah.
 
Bobby Roberts said:
There's stuff from the 80s and farther back that's absolutely cool for kids to read, but then you have to get over the hurdle presented by the fact it's "old stuff."

But kids make those leaps easier than teenagers/young adults do sometimes.
Click to expand...

I'd also disagree that you should start with Claremont simply because his early run is so cerebral and has a barrier of entry of knowing the characters, while the later half of the run devolves into utter insanity that an adult struggles to comprehend and enjoy, let alone a kid.

But it's very expressive and vibrant so a 7 Y/O might get hooked just through the art alone.

OT as a genuine recommendation (and to sell a few books for him), Matt Frank's Godzilla run for IDW is really good.

In fact, I'd say start with IDW Transformers if you want him on a chain book.
 
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