Want to support the persuasive writing skills of young pop culture geeks, and have them gain some media literate insights into entertainment marketing?
Pop Culture Press Releases: Use These Real-World Models as Prompts to Writing and Critical Thinking
By on August 10, 2012
All ages comics and manga for 08/08/12
By on August 10, 2012
The first full week of the month is always a feast, but this month seem more so! There’s so much coming out! BOOM! Studios has the next issue of their Adventure Time girl-spectacular Marceline and the Scream Queens. Kodansha Comics continues their release of the adaptation of Deltora Quest, and Viz Media has Fluffy Fluffy [...]
Seeing the Future Through the Lens of the Past: A Conversation with Brian Fies (Part 2)
By on August 3, 2012
“Every time I see a vehicle broken down on the side of the road, I reflect on what a truly terrible idea flying cars would be. That’s not a promise I seriously want kept.”
All ages comics and manga for 8/01/12
By on August 3, 2012
It may be the beginning of the dog days of summer, but there are still plenty of comics to while away those days! Ape Entertainment starts new volumes of Penguins of Madagascar and Strawberry Shortcake. Archie Comics has new trades of Mega Man and Sonic Universe, and Oni Press has the newest issue of Courtney [...]
Seeing the Future Through the Lens of the Past: A Conversation with Brian Fies (Part 1)
By on August 1, 2012
Book Giveaway: The Stunning “The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy”
By on July 30, 2012
All ages comics and manga for 7/25/12
By on July 27, 2012
As we move into the last leg of summer, and kids start preparing for the new school year, there is still time to pick up some comics for that last-minute vacation or stay-cation. Capstone Press has another round of DC Super-Pets featuring detective cats, flexy frogs and zombie pets? Archie Comics has the Occupy movement [...]
Superhero Fatigue… or, Does the Genre Even Benefit the Medium Where it Started?
By on July 26, 2012
Superheroes: Bigger Than Ever or Industry Obstacle—or Both?
SLJ’s SummerTeen Speaker: Sean Michael Wilson
By on July 25, 2012 Leave a Comment
Scottish comic book writer Sean Michael Wilson has more than a dozen western-style graphic novels and manga-style books released by U.S., U.K. and Japanese publishers (his manga have even been published in the mobile-phone format in Japan). Wilson says he tries to create comic books that are different from the “normal superhero/fantasy brands” and collaborates with a variety of non-comic book organizations, such as charities and museums. His main influences include British and American creators, such as Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Eddie Campbell.
SLJ’s SummerTeen Speaker: Barry Lyga
By on July 24, 2012 Leave a Comment
Having spent his teen years immersed in comic books, Barry Lyga worked for a decade as marketing manager at Diamond Comic Distributors before publishing his first novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (Houghton Mifflin) in 2006.
All ages comics and manga for 7/18/12
By on July 20, 2012
While San Diego Comic Con has come and gone, leaving some exciting announcements (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!), there is still plenty already coming out to be excited about! Archie goes to summer camp (as a counselor) in Archie Comics’ Archie Double Digest, Bongo Comics as a hardcover archive of Radioactive Man comics, the [...]
Guest Post by Caitlin Plovnick: The Universe Behind The Universe
By on July 20, 2012
When we provide graphic novels and comics, we should also be prepared to introduce curious readers to information about their history, how they are produced and who produces them.
How NOT To Teach Bestselling Books and Comics, or Hollywood Blockbusters
By on July 17, 2012
Years ago media literacy educators noticed something dismaying: kids were becoming downright cynical. Healthy skepticism had been replaced with a kind of universal suspicion. Today, some teachers might like to revive that approach…
Comic-Con Special: Buddy Scalera on How Young People Can Break Into the Biz
By on July 13, 2012
“You should look to publish your strips online or in some other way, so you can gain an appreciation for the process. Try to understand different aspects of how comics are created, so you know what other people in the process actually do. If you understand what other people do, you will improve your own craft.”
All ages comics and manga for 7/11/12
By on July 13, 2012
The best thing to do in a heat wave is move as little as possible, and turning a page doesn’t require a lot of movement, right? If you missed out on Boom! Studios’ Space Warped, you can pick up the trade this week. Kodansha releases the next volume of the all-ages title Animal Land, and [...]
All ages comics and manga for 7/04/12
By on July 6, 2012
There’s no better way to pass the time waiting for fireworks on a warm summer night than reading some comics! If you missed out on the first few issues of the new ongoing Peanuts series, now’s the time to catch up with the trade from Boom! Studios. The Muppets return to Marvel with a new [...]
“The Amazing Spider-Man” and the Sin of Rebooting: A Quasi-Movie Review, and Some Talking Points
By on July 3, 2012
The new film is not only worth catching, but worth discussing with young moviegoers in a way that touches on the transliterate skills requisite for evaluating this “origin story” across different media and individual texts…
Who Really Created Batman? Marc Tyler Nobleman Talks About His Eye-Opening and Quietly Tragic New Picture Book
By on June 29, 2012
“I tried to end the story proper on a hopeful note but at the same time, I tell kids that we must learn the bad with the good; nothing but happy endings gets boring!”
All ages comics and manga for 6/27/12
By on June 29, 2012
With summer coming into full swing, and hot days discouraging moving around, some light reading is the perfect solution! Archie Comics is ready with a whole line of Double Digests out this week. Boom Studios releases another picture book in conjunction with the new family movie Ice Age: Continental Drift, and get some shade with [...]
Vacation Time: Take a Break with Graphic Novels | On the Radar, Top Picks from the Editors at Junior Library Guild
By on June 26, 2012 Leave a Comment
Your teens have spent the year slogging through European history, sociology, chemistry, and classic books all year. Before they completely forget what it’s like to read for fun, get a graphic novel in their hands. These titles range from strangely humorous to uncomfortably serious, and there’s a reader out there for every one of them, guaranteed.
