When you go to get your free comic books tomorrow, here are a few things to keep in mind...
If you aren't sure where to go to get your free comics, put in your zip code to find a comic shop. The locator will show participating shops within a few miles of you.
I recommend Astonish Comics for a great general audience book that is well worth reading for anyone, not just fans of superheroes. If I had to pick a best book, this one would win by a hair.
While there are a number of books I would only give to adults, Alternative Comics is the only book with outright nudity. Keep that one away from kids. Barry Ween is nearly as bad, but doesn't appear to be bad from the cover.
My ratings are based on my own experiences working with parents in a different retail business. Your mileage may vary a bit. Knowing what I know about parents, knowing what I know about comics, these are my comfort levels. To be completely honest, I hope I'm being a little overcautious and ultra-sensitive... because there are parents out there who are overcautious and ultra-sensitive.
Books I would be comfortable giving to any age:
Books I would only give to older readers, 13 years old or above:
Books I would only give to adults:
As always, if you are a parent I STRONGLY urge you to read the materials your child gets before they do, so you can screen out anything that might be offensive to you. I was delighted when, in the store on Wednesday, a mother and her son came in and we got to talking about free comics... she said that either she or her husband read everything first and if they thought it was a bit too much for him they held it for later or, if he really wanted to read it, they sat down and read it together and explained the bits that were above his level. There's a term for that. It's called "good parenting" and it's increasingly rare to see overt examples of it.
Many shops are holding special events, such as drawings or signings. Check with your local shop for details. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. By spreading the news I might be lessening my chances at winning, but if it brings more people into Corner Comics on July 3rd, it's worth it. You have to physically go to the shop on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend! Everyone in the Seattle area needs to plan a visit to Kenmore on July 3rd. If you go to Corner Comics because of this blog, please mention it to someone behind the counter. Tell them "Tegan sent me."
