This should be a fun and interesting conversation. Let me first put a disclaimer here and be very very clear: I am not saying not to have any books of a particular type (say starring female characters.. you should have them!). I am not saying you should only have this type of book. I'm also not saying you should only recommend any type of book.. I'm merely stating some facts and perspectives that are my own. Again, you should have comics of all types with all different types of leads in your library. I'm only trying to make you aware of a different perspective.
OK now on to the content and I'm going to start this out with a little history about myself so you can get an understanding of where I am coming from. When I was little, my parents made sure I knew how to read from a young age, but at some point (I don't remember which grade tbh, probably 1st or second?) our class was separated into two groups: The fast (read "good") readers and the slow ( or "bad") readers groups. I was placed firmly in the slow readers group. This frustrated me to no end especially since the fast readers group seemed to be reading more interesting and better things than we were reading in my group. Ultimately though, this told me I wasn't a good reader, so..I didn't. I didn't read at all outside of school. This lasted for years until I hit about middle school when I discovered comic books and reignited my passion for reading. Reading comics eventually lead to books and I was reading young adult and adult books by the time I finished middle school. All that to say comics were my gateway into reading.
I've noticed a trend recently in comics and in general where comics for all ages are aimed almost predominately at a female audience. This is again not a bad thing and it makes sense as girls typically read more often than boys. It's a smart money game. But in that change, there are reluctant readers that could be lost. Now they make up some of this with the kids books, but there is still a gap that we as librarians need to be aware of and try to fill. We also need to make sure that we're guiding boys to appropriate material. Whether we like it or not, there are still a ton of boys that will not touch anything that remotely appears to be "girl" related. Now there are boys who won't care, but there are boys that won't touch it.
Here's some of my advice. First, keep your eyes out for any comics that boys might like. Atomic Robo is a pretty good long running series of minis that are fun action adventure romps for all ages. Shazam/Captain Marvel (DC's that is) also tends to be an amazing power fantasy for boys, so if it ever comics back or if you can get any of the past incarnations, those are great. Super Powers and Aw Yeah Comics both have good all ages boys lines and of course Power Pack is being collected again and those work regardless of age or gender. Please also note that all these books while they may work for boys, tons of girls would enjoy them as well (and "for boys" is often gender neutral these days).
Second, don't be afraid of back issues or just "Old stuff". Yes it's dated and yes sometimes it's corney, but there are still great stories that kids can get from them. I read X-men Classics as a kid, not ever ware that it was almost a decade out of date because the stories were just so good. Some stories age better than others and there are still older comics that aren't age appropriate (like Watchmen) but a ton of Silver age and golden age comics are 100% age appropriate and still hold up pretty well today.
Third, don't fall into the "first issue" trap, at least not for kids. For adults, we tend to want to know everything and have it from beginning to end (or present), but almost every comic fan I've ever known hasn't jumped into comics as a child with a first issue because there weren't many. They've just jumped in head first and waded through. Older comics often take the idea that every issue could be someone's first. Now today, we tend to go into story arcs, but most trades are pretty easily accessible. It takes some flexibility and time, but eventually you know it all. After all, most of you I'm sure have read Sandman by Neil Gaiman, but aren't aware of Wesley Dodds or the full history of Lyta Trevor-Hall and her husband Hector Hall. You don't need all that to appreciate Sandman, but the more you know.. the more it opens up. Comics work that way in general. There are exceptions of course and crossover events are typically not good jumping on points.. but most you can just dive right in and pick up the pieces as you go.
Finally, just do like you do any readers advisory and listen and have multiple options. Not everyone wants to read Lumberjanes (as great as it is, it's not the book everyone wants to read). It shouldn't be your only go-to and it shouldn't be recommended for every situation. No book is perfect for every person, no matter how much we wish they were and how much we love them. And sometimes the book that isn't your personal taste, may be the perfect book for someone else.
OK now on to the content and I'm going to start this out with a little history about myself so you can get an understanding of where I am coming from. When I was little, my parents made sure I knew how to read from a young age, but at some point (I don't remember which grade tbh, probably 1st or second?) our class was separated into two groups: The fast (read "good") readers and the slow ( or "bad") readers groups. I was placed firmly in the slow readers group. This frustrated me to no end especially since the fast readers group seemed to be reading more interesting and better things than we were reading in my group. Ultimately though, this told me I wasn't a good reader, so..I didn't. I didn't read at all outside of school. This lasted for years until I hit about middle school when I discovered comic books and reignited my passion for reading. Reading comics eventually lead to books and I was reading young adult and adult books by the time I finished middle school. All that to say comics were my gateway into reading.
I've noticed a trend recently in comics and in general where comics for all ages are aimed almost predominately at a female audience. This is again not a bad thing and it makes sense as girls typically read more often than boys. It's a smart money game. But in that change, there are reluctant readers that could be lost. Now they make up some of this with the kids books, but there is still a gap that we as librarians need to be aware of and try to fill. We also need to make sure that we're guiding boys to appropriate material. Whether we like it or not, there are still a ton of boys that will not touch anything that remotely appears to be "girl" related. Now there are boys who won't care, but there are boys that won't touch it.
Second, don't be afraid of back issues or just "Old stuff". Yes it's dated and yes sometimes it's corney, but there are still great stories that kids can get from them. I read X-men Classics as a kid, not ever ware that it was almost a decade out of date because the stories were just so good. Some stories age better than others and there are still older comics that aren't age appropriate (like Watchmen) but a ton of Silver age and golden age comics are 100% age appropriate and still hold up pretty well today.
Third, don't fall into the "first issue" trap, at least not for kids. For adults, we tend to want to know everything and have it from beginning to end (or present), but almost every comic fan I've ever known hasn't jumped into comics as a child with a first issue because there weren't many. They've just jumped in head first and waded through. Older comics often take the idea that every issue could be someone's first. Now today, we tend to go into story arcs, but most trades are pretty easily accessible. It takes some flexibility and time, but eventually you know it all. After all, most of you I'm sure have read Sandman by Neil Gaiman, but aren't aware of Wesley Dodds or the full history of Lyta Trevor-Hall and her husband Hector Hall. You don't need all that to appreciate Sandman, but the more you know.. the more it opens up. Comics work that way in general. There are exceptions of course and crossover events are typically not good jumping on points.. but most you can just dive right in and pick up the pieces as you go.
Finally, just do like you do any readers advisory and listen and have multiple options. Not everyone wants to read Lumberjanes (as great as it is, it's not the book everyone wants to read). It shouldn't be your only go-to and it shouldn't be recommended for every situation. No book is perfect for every person, no matter how much we wish they were and how much we love them. And sometimes the book that isn't your personal taste, may be the perfect book for someone else.
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