A collaborative blog covering good comics for kids by Brigid Alverson, Johanna Draper Carlson, Lori Henderson, Esther Keller, J. Caleb Mozzocco, Mao Reynolds, and Renee Scott.
We are a group of librarians, parents, and writers–and most of us wear at least two of those hats–who started writing about kids’ comics in 2008 because, well, nobody else was. We like everything from Literary Graphic Novels to blatantly commercial (but fun!) licensed properties. And we don’t lump all ages together; we’re smart enough to know that a three-year-old has different abilities and interests than a 13-year-old.
Our goal is to cover kids’ comics (for readers from birth to age 16) with both breadth and depth, through a mix of news, reviews, interviews, and previews, and to be both accessible to casual readers and interesting enough for serious fans
Who Is Good Comics for Kids?
Brigid Alverson, the editor of the Good Comics for Kids blog, has been reading comics since she was 4. She has an MFA in printmaking and has worked as a book editor and a newspaper reporter as well as assistant to the mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts. She retired in 2020 and is now a full time writer. In addition to editing GC4K, she writes about comics and graphic novels at Publishers Weekly, The Comics Journal, ICv2, and Smash Pages. She was a judge for the 2012 Eisner Awards.
Johanna Draper Carlson has been reviewing comics for over 20 years. She manages ComicsWorthReading.com, the longest-running independent review site online that covers all genres of comic books, graphic novels, and manga. She has an MA in popular culture, studying online fandom, and was previously, among many other things, webmaster for DC Comics. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Lori Henderson is a mother of two teenage daughters and an avid reader. She blogs about manga at her personal blog Manga Xanadu as well as contributing and editing for Manga Village. She blogs about all things fandom (mainly Doctor Who) at her other personal blog Fangirl Xanadu. She’s been at it so for over 5 years now and counting!
Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library’s first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. She also curates the Graphic Novel collection for the NYC DOE Citywide Digital Library. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family’s schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 4 and regularly reviews for SLJ and School Library Connection (formerly LMC). In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.
J. Caleb Mozzocco is a way-too-busy freelance writer who has written about comics for online and print venues for a rather long time now. He maintains his own daily-ish blog at EveryDayIsLikeWednesday.blogspot.com. He lives in northeast Ohio, where he works as a circulation clerk at a public library by day.
Mao Reynolds is a freelance writer and recent college graduate. He was an arts editor for Loyola University Chicago’s student newspaper, The Phoenix, where he also constructed the weekly crossword. In his free time, he likes to discover different Little Free Libraries around Chicago and play word games.
Renee Scott is a young adult librarian based in NYC, as well as a dedicated otaku and gamer. She is a lifelong fan of comics, anime, and manga. She can be found on Bluesky at @libraryladynyc, and on her review blog, The Library Lady of NYC Reviews.