Anyone who pays a little bit of attention has noticed that comic books really aren’t for kids anymore. Gone are the days of going in to your local grocery/convenience store and picking up the latest adventures of your favorite caped do-gooders. You might find an Archie Digest still on the checkout lane, but it will generally be placed out of the reach of children. I’m not sure who they’re marketed to, nostalgic parents? Truthfully at this point, nostalgic grandparents! Old Archie hasn’t done the best job of keeping up with the times…

If you want to purchase a comic, you have to find the local comic shop. If you don’t know where it is,  just look in the bad part of town. You’ll find your four-color heroes in that little hole-in-the-wall next to the donut place. I know I’m profiling here, but comic shops aren’t exactly located where you would want your kid hanging out, generally speaking.

As for content, even the staple heroes such as Superman and Spider-Man have much more realistic violence and adult themes. Luckily, Marvel long ago instituted a ratings system that will at least warn you of some of the content inside, but it seems the all ages category is pretty small.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the more adult stories for myself. I just wish that there were more comic stories I could share with the entire family.

Have no fear, true believers!

Amelia Rules!, however, truly does rule. Best of all, it absolutely does not talk down to the kids, and it's hilarious to adults!

As I mentioned in the post with my first webcomic, I gave a shout out to Kids Love Comics, an organization that promotes literacy through comics. Jimmy Gownley, one of the co-founders of KLC, is the creative force behind the Amelia Rules! comics, the perfect argument for all ages comics that truly all ages can enjoy.

Today, I was in a local toy store in Eagle, CO called Kidtopia, and I found small books called Phonics Comics, published by innovativeKids. These cute little comic stories are written so that they promote phonetic learning, while still keeping the content light and fun.

Phonics Comics: educational AND fun!

I am a firm believer in the comic book medium and it’s ability to create excitement about reading in young readers. I know they did that for me. So seeing these organizations and products out there gives me hope that kids will still be able to enjoy comics for generations to come.