In its 16 years of existence, Image Comics has been known for publishing a wide range of creator-owned comics, including genres from historical drama to gonzo superheroes. One thing the line has not ventured much into, though, is children's comics.
That's changing this year in a big way, though, as several creators are working on all-ages books for Image and company co-founder Jim Valentino has launched a new kid-friendly imprint, Silverline Books.
Writer Mark Andrew Smith (Amazing Joy Buzzards and Aqua Leung) said Image didn't set about the policy intentionally, but instead the spate of projects came about because of general publishing trends and the interests of Image-affiliated creators.
"A lot of creators are listening and making it their goal to do more about it," Smith said. "With Image it's more about diversity and having a book for everyone. One of the driving ideas is that anyone can walk into a shop and have a book that they'd enjoy to read. It would be wonderful if there were more of an organized effort on everyone's part within the industry to push all-ages projects for the sake of the future of comics."
Smith's effort to bring in younger readers is the New Brighton Archaeological Society, a story about a group of children who follow in their parents' adventurous footsteps. Smith calls such books a "smart investment" in the short term, because the all-ages comics market is under-served, and also a long-term investment, because those young readers would, he hopes, continue to read comics.
It's a sentiment shared by the other Image creators focusing on all-ages books. Joe Kelly, who has written for Marvel and DC Comics and co-created the cartoon show Ben 10, has a new kid-friendly series, Douglas Fredericks and the House of They coming out from Image.
This project was his first all-ages comic, so he said he had to learn a lot about the genre and the way it's published to get the book off the ground. Still, he said all the work is worth it.
"I have children who are still young enough to enjoy this material, but even if I didn't, I'm driven to try and create work that a kid might enjoy the way I did when I was young," Kelly said. "Last Christmas my wife tracked down a book that I cherished as a fifth grader, Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials, and when I opened it I almost cried. That book meant so much to me then, and the feelings never went away. I hope to be able to provide that to some kids someday."
For Kelly, who also scripts much darker work, creating children's material isn't substantially different. He says the material shouldn't be dumbed down, and the differences lie in tone and details.
House of They follows a child inventor who decides to seek out the mysterious "They" from phrases like, "They say you shouldn't do that." Kelly said he hopes the book will be read by both children and their parents, bridging the gap between picture books and graphic novels.
That's also the market targeted by Silverline, which Valentino created last year to publish hardcover books that hover between traditional children's books and comics. Valentino said Silverline wasn't planned, instead he and editor Kristen Simon realized they had five all-ages books in the works at Valentino's Shadowline imprint. While planning the new imprint, they decided to forego periodicals for complete, "uplifting" books.
"Sometimes, through no fault of your own the universe tells you what to do. When that happens it’s always wise to listen," Valentino said.
Growing up when every kid read comics, and could pick them up just about anywhere, Valentino said he knows the youth market exists. The only question is reaching it.
"Today they're pretty much only available in comic specialty shops, and while these stores do a wonderful job, they're destination stores," he said. "Many communities and several states don’t even have one. So, the question becomes how to get comics to kids and kids to comics."
Silverline's initial offerings include the Eisner-nominated PX!, Edgar Allen Poo, Bruce: The Little Blue Spruce and the upcoming Missing the Boat. Valentino said the goal is "Imaginative stories that will entertain a child without sending an adult into a diabetic coma."
Valentino himself illustrated Bruce: The Little Blue Spruce, a Christmas story written by Simon. Valentino said it allowed him to accomplish one of his career goals to illustrate a children's book.
As Smith sees it, Image is doing a service to the comics market. By offering up all-ages books, the publisher is helping readers discover indie books at a younger age. And he hopes that will help develop more readers who go for more than just DC and Marvel.
"I don't want to recruit them to eventually become part of a machine that churns people into big two readers," he said. "It's really an unseen Golden Age again for comics in the diversity of material that's coming out right now. It's just a matter of getting that material in front of the public and making them aware that it exists."
And to do that, he said, "You need to make it fun and make them laugh. It's important to remember what you loved as a kid and why you enjoyed it."
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