Comics. Collectibles. Graphic Novels. And Other Items of a Nerd-type Nature
Stuff Mike Likes will be a new and semi-regular feature here at www.MichaelSpradlin.com. Every month or so, depending on deadlines, and my zany travel schedule, I’ll try to feature some new and interesting things from the world of pop culture that I think will be of interest to my readers, teachers, librarians and other interested parties. It’s just one more service, we here at Team Spradlin provide for you, the Spradlinista’s out there.
And here’s another thing. I’m on a crusade to get parents, teachers and librarians to use comics and graphic novels as a way to introduce kids to reading and grow their reading skills. I can’t begin to tell you how important and influential comics were to my development as a reader and a writer. I read and re-read them avidly. I learned how dialogue could carry a story. How to plot a pace a story. And I think the same thing could happen to with your children and students. Have your kids and students gone to see the Iron Man movies? Do me a favor and ask them if they’ve ever read an Iron Man comic? I bet you more than one in ten have and most of them would be boys you have trouble getting to read for pleasure. So, I invite you to check out the Iron Man comics recommendations below.
I’m so committed to this idea that I will be working with a reading specialist to develop reading/curriculum guides for some graphic novels and they’ll be available for free download on this page. There are hundreds of opportunities . Why not use the Thor comic series as an introduction to Norse Mythology? How about having students read Captain America comics and discuss how the United States and Germany used propaganda in World War II? I could go on. And I will. Why don’t we work together and use the power of Popular Culture to our advantage instead of fighting so hard to resist it? There is great writing being done in the comics world today. And when it comes to getting kids to read, especially our boy reluctant readers we need to use every arrow in the quiver.
But this feature won’t be all serious. I’ll talk about fun, interesting cool stuff that I uncover in my travels and that I just plain like. So let’s get to it.
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I’ve always felt that The Mighty Thor was one of the most underutilized heroes in the Marvel Verse. It was always troubling to me to see him, even during his Avenger days, take a backseat to other characters like Captain America or Iron Man. I mean, get a load of the giant winged helmet! He’s the God of Thunder of crying out loud. So I was delighted when J. Michael Straczynski’s started this new series. In my opinion he is one of the best writers working in comics today. He’s just re-launched Wonder Woman and has a new Superman story underway which I can’t wait to read. His writing is immediate and swift. As the creator of Babylon 5 and having written for many television shows, he has a gift for dialogue and it shows here. But he doesn’t try to get by on snappy dialogue alone. There’s a real story here. From the heartfelt discussions between Thor and his mortal alter ego Donald Blake, to Thor’s hilarious encounters with the local populace when he raises Asgard in the Middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma, this is a tale with depth. This series will make a great introduction to the world of comics, especially for middle-school and high school guys who balk at reading.
Buy The Mighty Thor
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Kids who love the Iron Man movie, but haven’t read the comics should start with IRON MAN: Extremis by Warren Ellis
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All summer long I’ve been talking about how Green Arrow is the modern version of the Robin Hood legend. There are some great stories in the Green Arrow series and one of the best places to start is ROAD TO JERICHO.
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SuperHeroStuff.com is the place to go if you have a fan of comics, and Super-Heroes. They have all kinds of great items and I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of money there since I discovered them. But I mean look at the Aqualad t-shirt! How was I supposed to resist that?
Order the Aqualad t-shirt.
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And as you’re preparing to pre-order your copies of EVERY ZOMBIE EATS SOMEBODY SOMETIME, here is my favorite Zombie t-shirt of the week.
