2016: A Family Comic Friday Year in Review

2016:  It was a real bummer. But there were a few bright spots. Today I will be looking back at the best Family Comic Friday finds of the past year. Also, I will be sharing my pick for the best comic book related family friendly TV show, cartoon and movie of the year.
  
   First Up: Comics-

The King of Kazoo-   The story by cartoonist Norm Feuti was funny, smart, and original. It combines a medieval fantasy motif with modern day creations like cars and mechanical men. Plus, there's the Frog People of the Swamp, an evil Alchemist, and lots of zany slapstick antics... The excitement never ends!
    I also didn't want this book to end. I wanted there to be a sequel and above all else, I want to see the King of Kazoo as either an animated feature OR a TV show. Just please don't make it CGI! That would ruin the whimsical effects that come alive with Norm Feuti's cartoons. 
     A fun read that kids and kids at heart will love. One of the best new books I have read in 2016!
  
    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Benny and Penny in How To Say Goodbye-     Dealing with the subject of death is hard, especially for children. I remember as a youngster of 3 or 4 when Mr. Hooper died on Sesame Street. My parents both took the day off from work and we watched it at my grandparents house in order to properly address the subject.
    It was a big deal and it was handled in such a way, that it's considered like the bench-mark of how to teach pre-school aged children about the death of a loved one. I would have to say that How to Say Goodbye does a very good job capturing that effort of the Children's Television Workshop.
    The Benny and Penny books are rated at a level 2, meaning that it's written at a first or second grade reading level. However, one thing missing from this Toon Books publication is the study guide for adults to help young readers process what they just read. If any book was going to need that, it would be this one. 
    The art was timeless and adorable. The characters very memorable and I really think that not just this book but the entire series of (at time of this review) 5 other books would make a great addition to any youngsters library.

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Grumpy Cat & Pokey- Sometimes when you read a book based on a licensed product, the material gets stale. There's no originality. The jokes are older than moldy gym socks and you just can't wait for the book to end. Not so here, as every misadventure was fresh and enjoyable. I even laughed out loud on several occasions! 

      The artwork will appeal to all-ages. But there are some big words and a couple of the jokes might seem a little harsh. Plus the cartoon violence rivals Tom & Jerry or the road Runner. But readers aged 7 and up will really love this series. 
      A must for any fan of Grumpy Cat and by the end of this issue, you'll be a fan of Pokey's too!
 (Note: I read the 2016 Free Comic Book Day Edition, but there are other books from previous series and years available.) 
   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Spookhouse-  A horror comic aimed at kids who love a good scare with a humorous twist. In the vein of the Goosebumps series from the 90s (recently turned into a major motion picture flop), this comic book has some real scares. Created by Eric Powell (The Goon), Spookhouse is set up like an old school horror comic from the 50s with a host, a plethora of short stories and some frightfully fun treats in between.  

 Spookhouse wasn’t gory. The language was tame. And I even laughed a couple of times. But some artwork might be a bit too scary for kids under the age of 9. It reminds me of a series of horror anthologies that I'd check out from my elementary school library called Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark where the frights were fun but some images from the book still haunt my nightmares. Also, parents should be advised that while the book is tame, the advertisement in the back of Spookhouse for other works by Powell are not for kids!

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up- My personal favorite of the year. So much that I can't wait to find issues in the bargain bin. It's the only book that I buy off the shelf at my favorite used bookstore and LCS, Books Do Furnish A Room. I just hope with DC rebooting the look of the Scoobies that they don't cancel this fantastic series. (Since I love this title, it's days are probably numbered.)

   

 That being said, SDTU is the perfect combination of classic Hanna-Barbera, retro DC Universe and modern pop culture references. I loved when Fred told Flash that he deserves his own TV show! Both fun and funny, (though some of the puns are groaners) this is a great all ages read and at $2.99, friendly on the wallet.

   If you child loves mysteries, superheroes, and cartoons, you need to make this bimonthly NOW MONTHLY book a regular part of their downtime reading!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

TV Show: This one was really hard to narrow down. But I think with how this series best stayed true to it's roots but also has been breaking new ground with ever changing timelines, massive live action crossovers, and a moral compass that always points north even when a bad decision has to be made, my pick for the best live action comic related show of 2016 is The CW's The Flash.

Cartoon: Another tough choice. However, I went with what cartoon has stayed the most true to A) original source material and B) the movie in which the 'toon is based. Though director James Gunn says that it's not related to the movie, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is my pick for best comic related cartoon.

3 reasons A) Rocket Raccoon B) great supporting guests like Ego the Living Planet, J'Son, and even Thor and C) the awesome 70s/80s soundtrack spread throughout the series.

Movie: I'm going off the rails on this one. I choose a movie that while has been in comic book form for years, the franchise originally didn't start out as a comic.
Star Trek Beyond was a return to the classic feel of the 50 year old series that spawned a universe and a legion of fans. With relatively few swears, no nudity, and fairly tame violence, I choose the latest entry into the Star Trek Franchise.
The movie was fun, action packed, and there was lots and lots of heart and humor.
Yes- the movie was rated PG-13 but I think that's mostly because the main villains are a little scary. But I think children 10 and up can enjoy this film without have to be a Trekkie first.

So, there you have it. Those are my picks for the year that was 2016.
Everyone is hopeful that 2017 will be a lot better. But I think I showed that there were a few bright spots that family's could enjoy when they needed to get away from the hustle, bustle, and politics that dominated the past year.

Happy New Year and may the best days be ahead of all of you!!!