Star Wars comics can bring the world to life in a new way!
Star Wars is one of the most popular brands among kids right now. From the current Clone Wars cartoon to Lego Star Wars videogames, there are lots of ways that kids get to know the characters and stories of the Star Wars universe. There are picture books, beginning readers and novels for young readers set in the Star Wars universe ranging from retellings of the movies to entirely new stories. If you're willing to venture beyond the children's section, however, there is yet another way find Star Wars stories for the kids in your life - comics! Dark Horse Comics has quite a few Star Wars series in publication right now, none of which are specifically written for kids, but some of them work well for young audiences just the same. Here are the ones I would recommend.
Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures - This is a fun series of short stories set during the Clone Wars time period (the same time the current cartoon is set during). The best way to get them are the paperback book versions, which are small (Manga sized) volumes that are really inexpensive ($6.95 new and usually less than $3 used on Amazon.com). They are numbered, but since each book contains a few short stories and there isn't any continuing plot, the numbers really don't matter. The stories are action-packed and tend to focus on the exploits of various Jedi knights. The art style is based on the style that was used in the short Clone Wars cartoon series that came out on Cartoon Network between Episodes II and III, so it's bright and has a lot of visual appeal. This comic is appropriate for kids around six and older. The text is large and there isn't a lot of it on each page (primarily because there's a lot of action going on), but it does use terms particular to the Star Wars universe, so if you have a younger kid reading it alone they may still need some help with it. It is very appropriate for newly independent readers. There is a series of larger sized books called Star Wars: Clone Wars which is a series of short stories for adults, so be careful not to confuse the two (the art is very different, so look for cartoon-like art if you aren't sure).
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - This is a brand new series (only nine issues of the monthly comic have been released) based on the new Clone Wars cartoon. It does not retell stories from the cartoon or movies, but whole new stories that take place during the Clone Wars involving the main characters (Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and others). The art style feels similar to the cartoon with it's bright, flat colors and distinctive character portrayals. The comic tells a story that continues from one issue to the next, but a book collecting the first six issues is coming out on November 18, so readers who don't want to follow a monthly comic can still enjoy this story (the book will be the same small size as the Clone Wars Adventures books and is set to cost $9.95). There is more text in this comic, which makes sense for it's more complex story, and the themes and plots are a little more complicated. For these reasons I would suggest this book for kids around age eight and up.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Rather than using characters we are familiar with, Knights of the Old Republic takes us back into Star Wars history to almost four thousand years before the movies took place. The main character is a young Jedi and the story around him is a fascinating mystery involving questionable friends, supposed enemies and dangerous Jedi masters. The writing is brilliant and draws the reader in as they follow Zayne's adventures and try to solve the mystery surrounding him. This is a monthly comic series that is still ongoing, but the issues are being collected into paperback books as the series goes along. Six books have been published so far and the six together collect all Zayne's mystery story, after that a new story begins and eventually those issues will be collected into books as well (the first comes out on November 18). These books are the size of a comic book and cost less than $20 new each. This series is best for middle school and teenage readers because of the language, complexity and maturity of the story.
All of these comics are available at any comic shop and most can be found at book stores as well. They will typically be found in the adult section, so check there, but they are perfectly appropriate and fun for kid readers. With so much great material in the Star Wars universe, it's no wonder that so many great stories come out of it. The cartoon, the recent animated movie and the Lego videogames have allowed younger audiences than ever before to find the appeal of waving around a lightsaber and trying to push open a door with the force. These great comic series can expand that world even further for them!
For more info:
- Dark Horse Comics
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