The Next Generation of Comics Readers



"It's not a comic, it's a graphic novel."
- Jasmine (my 11-year old daughter)

Today Jasmine and I went on a comic hunting expedition. While my daughters have accompanied me on comic books in the past, this was rather neat in that she was the one who wanted to go on it. Over the past several months she's begun reading comic books. I have to confess to being rather proud. My late uncle told me used to be a comic reader in the late 1950s, being a big fan of the Flash. It's nice to see a third generation enter the hobby.

 Jasmine is quite the fan of Harley Quinn and has begun branching out into the Batgirl of Burnside series. I think the nonconformist nature of Harley has a certain appeal to her. She dressed up as Harley Quinn for Halloween this year. I've been steering her clear of the more intense comics for the time being - she'd asked about The Killing Joke, knowing it featured Barbara Gordon (though not as Batgirl) but I suggested that that would be something better when she's a bit older.

I've written in the past why I think it's great that publishers like Marvel and DC have made their characters more diverse. I've not made any real effort to steer her towards any specific franchises or characters - the characters she's discovered have been though her own explorations. And she clearly has a preference for the butt-kicking ladies. She's not adverse to playing as Batman on Arkham Knight games, but she definitely identifies more with the ladies of the franchise.

It's neat to have someone in the immediate family to be able to talk about Pre-Crisis universes, Flashpoint, etc. Hmm, I wonder if she'd like to try a game of Champions.

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