Comic Book Charity - Childs Play meets Halforum?

[Rubicon]

So I got to thinking today on the way home from work, I was going over the storyline of Blackest Night in my head and I wondered how many kids read Green Lantern?

Then I got to thinking, I wonder how many kids read comics these days? How many can or want to? How many don't know about comics? How many can't afford to or aren't able to?

Then it dawned on me I've never heard of a charity based on comic books for children. PA invented Childs Play which is great for games and toys but theres nothing specifically for comics.

So I got to thinking, which kids would be good? I came down to two groups, those that are sick in hospitals and those below the poverty line who can't afford them.

I wondered, had anyone made a charity for it? If not, could it be done? If so, how would you go about it? (googled that). Would it best to go at it alone and build or start a group effort? Could it ever expand?

Of course then I thought, wouldn't it be cool if Halforum got behind it? It'd greatly help us get our name out there, we got plenty of comics fans here. Maybe we could cut a deal with Diamond and get kids comics (stuff like Marvel Adventures) in bulk for cheap then take donations to cover the costs of those, apply for non-profit status, the whole works.

I even thought of a name, I.N.K - Imagination Narrative for Kids.

Or maybe I'm just insane, one of the two.

 

[Steve]

Comic Book Chart - Childs Play part deux?

With all the other vices available I don't know why a kid would read comics now. I understand in the 70's and 80's when you didn't have the internet, movies with fantastic special effects and video games that look like movies. Combined with the price of the books I wonder the same thing. I haven't been to a comic book shop in forever but when I use to go I didn't see many kids there.
But I wonder if the publishers tried to make a comic for kids instead of adult would they suffer the same backlash from fans that say, George Lucas suffered when he made the new Star Wars films?

 

[Selgeron]

every time I go into a comic book store I'm overwhelmed by the wall of infinite comics. I'll sometimes crack open one with a pretty or funny cover but I never really get into them.

I will read finished comics, with endings like sandman or watchmen or even some of the Ultimate things...

...but picking up a comic and going and getting new issues every month just doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

[Shegokigo]

every time I go into a comic book store I'm overwhelmed by the wall of infinite comics. I'll sometimes crack open one with a pretty or funny cover but I never really get into them.

I will read finished comics, with endings like sandman or watchmen or even some of the Ultimate things...

...but picking up a comic and going and getting new issues every month just doesn't appeal to me at all.

Pretty much this, to a tee.

 

I love comics but, as I've mentioned in the podcast, I don't care about 99% of the crap that Marvel and DC put out these days.

Unfortunately, neither do kids. The market is aimed more at young adults and adults. You've got decaptiations occuring in the Superman books (during the New Krypton storyline); a current event revolving around zombie Black Lanterns and gory deaths; Ultimatum, which had needless, gory deaths; Spider-Man having a one-night stand and then telling a new mom to go back to being a superhero (yeah, because going out and risking your life while your kid is at home is great advice).

Comics aren't for kids anymore. The ones that are for kids are shunted to the DC Kids or Marvel Adventures comics, which are great, but aren't big sellers and certainly not among kids. "Sorry, Timmy, you can't read Green Lantern because that has Red Lanterns that puke red and Black Lanterns that rip out your heart."

I think it'd be a great idea, Mav, but there are a number of reasons why kids don't read comics anymore:
1) The direct market means they're not on grocery store shelves, anymore.
2) The majority of them aren't aimed for kids.
3) Reading? Pff! Screw that, noise! *turns on the Wii*

I'm sure there are other reasons, but those are some of the major ones. It's just sad because, outside of the comics, superheroes are pretty big among kids. You liked Green Lantern in JLU? Can't read his book, though! Flash? Nope. Superman? Not likely. Batman? Good luck with that; some adults can't decipher what Grant Morrison is writing, half the time. For all the time spent by, say, Warner Bros and toy companies to get kids interested in superheroes, the general comic book business isn't aimed at them, anymore.

 

[Rubicon]

Well there are comics aimed at kids. The Marvel Adventures series I mentioned for example, is MU heroes, set in children aged stories.

 

Oh, I'm not saying that there aren't. I'm just saying that a) they're not, by any way shape or form, the majority and b) there's no, say, DC Kids Green Lantern series, so the other Green Lantern they could read currently includes heart ripping zombies.

 

[Rubicon]

Maybe expose them to 80's issues of GL? The ones you can find any in backbin for like a quarter a pop?

 

[Espy]

Yeah, I wouldn't give most kids today most comics published. They are in no way kid friendly.\

Its not a bad idea though Mav. Maybe doing something charity related isn't such a terrible idea. Bravo for thinking of it man.

 

[Shannow]

Meh.

 

[Batdan]

every time I go into a comic book store I'm overwhelmed by the wall of infinite comics. I'll sometimes crack open one with a pretty or funny cover but I never really get into them.

I will read finished comics, with endings like sandman or watchmen or even some of the Ultimate things...

...but picking up a comic and going and getting new issues every month just doesn't appeal to me at all.

This is why I like to go to a book store and buy the graphic novels instead. That and the fact that I like to read the comics without being interrupted by an ad for Charleston Chew or Hostess Fruit Pies almost every third page.

 

[kaykordeath]

Boom Studios, founded by Mark Waid has been putting out some really awesome kid-friendly stuff.

Every week when I pick up my books, I've gotten stuff for my daughter...They've been putting out The Muppet Show (surprisingly good) and a number of Pixar spin-offs (Cars was adequate, Toy Story has been fun, Incredibles was pretty damn good...)....

So yeah, the majority of the main stream stuff has been slowly (or not so slowly) walling off their audience, focusing on older fans rather than bringing in new ones, but there is good stuff out there.

 

[Bubble181]

Hmmm...
You know, I do think some sort of geeky charity could be an interesting way to get HF's name out there. Whether or not comics are the way to go, I wouldn't know - I only know the Belgian/French strips, which are radically different from the US comic universes. But the idea itself sounds nice. I could certainly get behind some sort of charity to bring, say, kid's books or whatever to children's hospitals.

 

[Laurelai]

My 8 year old loves Power Pack, Archie, Sonic and Pokemon comics. I am officially not allowed to pass by the local comic shop without stopping.

*edit*
oh yeah! sign me up. I love to disperse books!

 

[Rob King]

I would definitely be in for this. My city isn't a big one, but I already work with the food bank here. I'm almost tempted to just do that on my own: most families mention if they have children, and if so: what ages they are. It wouldn't be difficult to drop a comic or two into the food hampers (with permission of the parent, of course)

I remember as a kid, my older cousin had a summer job collecting and reselling comics. Every time I saw him, he gave me five to ten Donald Duck comics. Not epic supehero stories, or particularly incredible storytelling, but I always anticipated new comics when I went to visit him. I'd love to be able to pass that sort of feeling on to somebody else.