f13.net forums - Comics for girls: recommendations?

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April 19, 2024, 07:31:56 AM

we're back, baby

My daughter (9yo) is kinda nerdy in the good ways and I was thinking about getting her a few comic book compendiums to see if she likes them. However, I'm not sure where to start. I was hoping to find strong female characters she could identify with, but the shelves are stocked with only male superheroes.

I didn't get into comics as a kid, so I don't know where to start. Any advice? It doesn't even need to be superhero stuff, either. Graphic novels would be okay, too.

I'm going to totally go out on a limb here and suggest that you'd probably have better luck with manga.

Quote from: Goreschach on January 19, 2015, 04:56:15 PM

I'm going to totally go out on a limb here and suggest that you'd probably have better luck with manga.

^This, yeah.

Otherwise, I think Comixology has a special category for "Leading Ladies" which ranges from stuff like Batgirl and She-Hulk to Archie and Powerpuff Girls (a lot of the titles don't look like they'd be suitable for a 9yo, so maybe vet it first)

The First Alien Vs Predator Graphic Novel had a pretty strong female lead. Its not HUGELY violent either but yeah for a 9y/o probably a bit much...

Aside from that... I read "Batgirl, Destruction's Daughter" some years ago and I thought was pretty decent. http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batgirl-destructions-daughter

I would say that Velorath is spot on in many ways. However, there's some stuff in Fables that might be a bit old for a 9-y.o., depending on your overall mores and shit.

I don't think that stuff happens until well into the series, but I'd have to go back through early trades and possibly into my subsequent single issue collection to really tell you what. Mostly sex and nudity stuff, I guess.

My daughter is turning 9 next month. She likes Deadpool but isn't really allowed to read his comics. She's read Great Lakes Avengers, so she is excited about the new Squirrel Girl title. (I don't hate the art.)

She currently collects the My Little Pony comics...starting from the first single issue and including all of the offshoot series. She also buys Adventure Time and Powerpuff Girls. She really likes Lenore, but that may be "bad" parenting on my part. The new Rocket Raccoon book is cool if your kid is already into GotG. I absolutely second the Ms. Marvel books. Also She Hulk.

Marvel and DC both make some good stuff for kids in these small trades, but she has grown out of those/lost interest as her biggest interests right now are Minecraft, MLP, and messing with sequencers, oscillators, envelopes, mixers, coin batteries, conductive tape, DC motors, LED lights, etc.

Edit: Really, all comics are for girls. It just depends on what they like. Barring some of the stupid Kevin Smith, et. al. fanfic made into comics bullshit, that is. Those aren't really made for people, IMO. If you are looking for strong female characters, then the current Black Widow run ain't bad either.

Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) is like tailored made for young girls to get sucked into. She's this generations Peter Parker, the teenage superhero trying to juggle her superhero antics and her regular life. The key difference is she doesn't have 50 fucking years of baggage like Spiderman does AND she is savvy to the genre, since she is a giant fan girl in universe. She's as nerdy and dorky as any nerdy or dorky girl of that age. She idolizes superheroes and knows all their little factoids and histories, to the point where she writes fanfiction why so serious?

. Her biggest idol (to the point of taking up her name) is Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers. The comic itself is well written and the art is fun and has lots of hidden jokes if you pay attention. This would easily be my first choice for a young girl getting into comics.

http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Marvel-Volume-No-Normal/dp/078519021X/

Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) conversely has a LOT of history. The character has been around in one form or another for decades now and with her relatively recent re-branding to Captain Marvel (she used to be Ms. Marvel), she's really gained some traction and moved up the ladder. Where Kamala is a quirky teenager, Carol is a grown woman that actually acts like a grown woman (a depressing rarity in comics). She has powers that match her personality, direct and unsubtle. The art in her early Captain Marvel books varies wildly in style and quality, real love it or hate it kind of art. The newer CM books have a more traditional 'house style'. The writing is all done by the same author and is good and consistent, with the great bits being all the character interactions and dialogues. While I can't sing enough praises about her Captain Marvel books, Carols older Ms. Marvel books are... not the best and certainly not good for a 9 year old. She is easily my favorite hero and has a movie coming in a few years.

http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Marvel-Vol-Pursuit-Flight/dp/0785165495/
http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Marvel-Vol-2-Down/dp/0785165509/
http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-The-Enemy-Within-Marvel/dp/0785184031/
http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Marvel-Volume-Higher-Further/dp/0785190139/

Spider-Girl (Anya Corazon) has a lot of hit and miss books (that are probably out of print), but her most recent story is wonderfully enjoyable. She has little team-ups with most of the current active Avengers while trying to solve the case of her missing teacher. The character herself is a little spitfire, young and impulsive and headstrong. Despite her name, she doesn't have much connection to Spider-Man, other then the obvious spidery powers. Where Kamala is left awestruck with her interactions with the Avengers, Anya is far less enthralled and isn't afraid to let them have a little sass if she thinks they aren't taking her seriously. She was Carol' sidekick for awhile, and is currently hanging around with Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew). The art in the book is pretty standard and the writing is done by the same woman that writes Captain Marvel.

http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Assemble-Forgeries-Jealousy-Marvel/dp/0785167986/

-edit- Typo

Buy a giant lot of Archie shit off Ebay. They also have great DON'T DO DRUGS and STAY IN SCHOOL ads. Also, you'll be able to tell at an early age whether she'll be a Betty or a Veronica.

Fuck Veronica.

Quote from: Velorath on January 19, 2015, 05:12:46 PM

She's probably a bit too young for Top 10, but maybe in a few years

One of the guys involved with that book, Zander Cannon, did a book back in the 90's that I loved called The Replacement God. I'm pretty sure it's been put into TPB by at least one or two of the companies it was published through. It was a really fun, offbeat story that I wish he had been able to finish. A solid fantasy/adventure title with a female co-main character and beatnick, hippie Visigoths. Also Bruce the Fairy Queen. Material wise it had about the same age appropriateness as early Bone. Maybe later bone too, I stopped reading it after a couple of years.

Oh, also Bone might be good.

Skirting into questionable territory anything Milk and Cheese is funny and not too involved. Google some strips and see how it agrees with you. My 8 year old thinks they're a riot and is reading some other Evan Dorkin stuff now. Dork would probably be fine too, but Hectic Planet probably wouldn't. I only let my kid ready it because we've already had an introductory puberty and sexuality talk.

Velorath's suggestions are great.

I enthusiastically second the recommendation of Bone.

It hasn't been collected into a trade yet, but Lumberjanes will be great when it is.

Phil Foglio's long-running steampunk-fantasy series Girl Genius is a good read, though she could read it all online if she had the fortitude.

My daughter really liked Avengers Academy, though there are one or two risque bits involving the sex lives of the superhero instructors (Hank Pym, Tigra, Quicksilver).

Avengers Academy led into a sort of Hunger-Games ripoff series Avengers Arena that my daughter also liked a lot.

Quote from: Velorath on January 19, 2015, 05:12:46 PM

Fables

...for a 9 year old? It is very, very far from being appropriate for a kid. It's brilliant, don't get me wrong, but it touches on a lot of disturbing subjects from the get-go.
I'd say Top10 was definitely out as well.

Yeah, I don't think I'd give either to a 9-year old. A mature 12-year old and up, sure.

Lady Death, Danger Girl, Witchblade, Fathom.

Strong female characters. (This joke would work better if my comics knowledge wasn't rooted in the 90s)

First off, thanks so much for the suggestions. I bought I Kill Giants and the Ms. Marvel compilation. She devoured them and wants to go to a comics shop this weekend.

I have yet to read them, but we've already had a conversation about "what's a Muslim?" and some of the rough language in the other book. They were both thought provoking. I'll have to keep working through some of these suggestions.

Much appreciated.

Raw News had a blurb on that, too. Brought a smile to my face when I saw it.

There was a Power Girl run a few years ago that might be appropriate, focused largely on her dealing with her status as Clark's cousin and living the whole double life thing. Definitely some mild cheesecake (neighbour's kid sees her returning from a battle nearly without costume one time or something similar) but everything is handled off screen and played for laughs. It has some great jokes too.

That was a good run, yes, as long as Palmiotti and Grey were writing and Amanda Connor was doing art. When it got handed over to Winick, it went bad fast.

Nu52 Power Girl has reverted to being a continuity mess and not much fun to boot.

I think the most recent Hawkeye run just finished. Kate Bishop is a great Hawkeye. It has Pizzadog featured in one issue. It's art is a bit different but it's great stuff, not really superpowered typical stuff. It's more about superhero downtime.

The new Hawkeye book just started. It's not bad. Looks to be Clint and Barney as kids so far.