Best Comic Books for Kids

Comic books, though they are enjoyed by people of all ages, are something which is often introduced to people at a young age. In fact, comics are proven to help children develop not only reading skills, but to understand more complex human emotions thanks to the combination of illustrations and words. With the Comic Book market more flooded than ever before, it can be hard to decide on a good read for yourself, let alone somebody else.

In this article, we’re going to look at a few of the best comic books for kids of all ages, available worldwide, including some classics you may remember yourself.

1. Captain Underpants

2. Tiny Titans

3. The Beano

4. Spider-Man

5. Batman

6. Dog Man

---

Captain Underpants

Image by Dav Pilkey

Since the release of its very first children’s graphic novel in 1997, Captain Underpants has been translated into more than 20 different languages and has sold 80 million copies worldwide, making the series the most popular graphic novels for kids ever made. Now, there is some controversy around this one, so I ask you to ignore all of that and go in with an open mind.

In a school that discourages fun, a couple of fourth grade pranksters who are best friends decide to write a comic book and sell it on the school playground to spread joy. In a turn of events their main protagonist, Captain Underpants, comes to life! A comic book about comic kids… sounds fun right? Despite the hate this graphic novel series gets, mostly due to claims of them being anti-establishment, they are a great first read and target a very particular audience. There are a lot of kids who dislike school for many reasons and almost see it as a prison. I was one of those kids and reading these helped me not only further develop my interest in comic books and reading but helped me direct my negative feelings of school into something fun and exciting.

---

Tiny Titans

Image by DC Comics

This entry is a must! Believed to be the best DC comic books for kids, Tiny Titans is a way more kid friendly approach to the DC universe. Though this one concluded in 2012, all of the graphic novels are available on kindle format on Amazon.

Tiny Titans follows the Teen Titans, probably seen by your kid on TV as Teen Titans GO, in an elementary school environment where their principal is Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. Instead of following one coherent storyline, readers will follow their favourite DC sidekicks in their own silly individual stories. These comics are not only a great graphic novels for kids but are a great introduction to the comic behemoth, DC comics. I wouldn’t be surprised if your kids think back to this when they are reading the more adult story lines later down the line.

---

The Beano

Image by Beano Studios

Here’s a throwback for any British readers, The Beano. As the longest running weekly comic book of all time since its initial release in 1938, it was really hard to not include this on the list, especially since it is now available as an online subscription all around the world. 

The Beano follows individual story lines of basically just kids being kids. Dennis The Menace and his dog Gnasher, are most definitely the heart of this comic – pulling different pranks every issue on his goody two shoes rival, Walter The Softy or just getting into some sort of trouble makes for a fun read whilst subtly teaches even the most reluctant of readers essential reading skills. Bananaman was my favourite of The Beano‘s characters. He was just a little kid who would eat a banana and turn into a muscular adult superhero, which had me convinced that if I did the same and consumed a lot of fruit, I would also turn into a superhero. The Beano has something for everyone making them the go-to children’s comic books online.

---

Spider-Man

Image by Marvel Comics

I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you who Spider-Man is, this one is a classic loved by many, although there are a lot of these comics to choose from. With the popularity of the Miles Morales Spider Verse movies, I would recommend Miles Morales: Spider-Man as a good place to start.

However, due to the violence that these comics tend to portray, I would not say they are comic books for little kids, they target a slightly older audience of around 8 or 9 years old. I was about 9 years old when I read Spectacular Spider-Man for the first time – I consider this my gateway comic – I am not the only one. Spider-Man comics tend to be action packed, with an easy to follow interesting storyline, mostly followed by a gripping cliff hanger essential to bring readers back for the next issue.

---

Batman

Image by DC Comics

If you thought I was going to write this article without slipping in an entry of the best comics of all time, you were very much mistaken! Though Batman comics are rarely thought of as comics for kids these days, there happen to be a lot of great Batman comic books for kids out there. This particular one I am going to direct you to is called The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries.

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries is a 12 part series bringing the best of both worlds into one action packed comic. When strange things start to happen in Gotham, Batman calls for backup from some of our favourite children’s TV stars, Mystery Inc. All parts of this limited series can be purchased as a graphic novel with vol 4 featuring issues 6 – 12 releasing in July 2024. This is not the first time a Batman and Scooby-Doo team up has happened, and it likely won’t be the last, but this series really is something special – the perfect superhero comic books for kids.

---

Dog Man

Image by Dav Pilkey

From the creator of Captain Underpants, brings us this final entry, Dog Man. If you’re looking to introduce your child to comics as early as possible, then look no further, Dog Man is a great set of graphic novels for 6 year olds and over.

When a Police officer and his dog are both injured on duty, they undergo an operation to take the head of the dog and join it to the human’s body, bringing us Dog Man. This silly concept is so much fun to read and cleverly teaches kids kindness and empathy amongst other things. There are 12 books so far in the series so far, with the latest instalment only releasing a month prior to writing this – I have no doubt we will see new graphic novels for kids in the Dog Man universe especially with the release of the new Dog Man movie.

---

Conclusion

There are a lot of great children’s comic books and graphic novels to choose from. Pick a title based on your child’s usual interests for better chances of getting them hooked. As a grown up comic book kid, I know I want to share this interest with my younger family, especially my nephews. I hope this article helps you do the same thing with your loved ones!

• ShareCopied to clipboard
• X
• Facebook