ByChristie Burnett
Inside: 21 of the best comic books for kids ages 6 to 13 years, including cool classics and newer titles.
While they often receive a bad wrap as the lesser cousin to picture and chapter books, the fun, visual elements of comic books make them an engaging reading choice for readers of all ages and ability levels. and these same elements can support readers to develop a range of important reading skills including inferring meaning and strengthening vocabulary.
Plus comic books and graphic novels are the books kids come back to over and over again making them an excellent choice for reluctant or struggling readers.
Below you’ll find twenty one of the best comic books for kids, including a combination of well known and loved classics alongside newer, contemporary strips (with the classic comic strips, I’ve really tried to focus on those that have stood the test of time content wise).
And if you’d like to springboard you child’s love of comics into longer form content, you can’t go past introducing them to graphic novels. We’ve got the best lists to get you started, including Best Graphic Novels for 6-12 Year Olds, Adventure Graphic Novels for Kids, Funny Graphic Novels for Kids and 21 Illustrated Chapter Books for Kids.
21 Best Comic Books for Kids
As always, each title included on our list is linked to an Amazon and/or Book Depository page (these are affiliate links) where you can find further information and reviews for those you might not be personally familiar with.
Tiny Titans by Art Baltazar  Before Teen Titans, there were Tiny Titans! Through bright and colourful comic book panels the Tiny Titans comic series shares the stories of the pint-sized heroes at their school, Sidekick Elementary. Age 6+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Angry Birds Comics by various authors  For fans of the game or movies, this collection includes a series of funny, all-new stories featuring the hilarious Angry Bird and friends, and, of course, those pigs! Age 6+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Catwad: It’s Me (book 1 of the series) by Jim Benton  Catwad, a grumpy, cynical feline, and his best friend, Blurmp, a happy-go-lucky, carefree kitty. Catwad and Blumrp have hysterical adventures, with the book filled with fun wordplay, jokes and lot of grossness. Age 7+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
SpongeBob Comics: Silly Sea Stories by Stephen Hillenburg  Fun for fans of SpongeBob Squarepants and his zany crew of characters, the comic book includes a series of short, self contained stories. Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
The Loud House: There Will Be Chaos by Chris Savino  Book 1 in a fun comic book series for fans of The Loud House cartoon. Lincoln Loud lives with his 10 sisters. The trick to surviving the chaos is to remain calm, cool, and collected…and you’ve got to have a plan! With all the chaos one thing is always for sure – there is never a dull moment in the Loud house! Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Science Comics: Dinosaurs – Fossils and Feathers (book 1 of the Science Comics series) by MK Reed  Each issue of Science Comics offers a great introduction to a particular topic – whether it be dinosaurs, volcanoes, coral reefs or the digestive system! An awesome non fiction comic strip series for kids ages 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Comic books for kids list continues below.
Scooby Doo Team Up! It’s Scooby Time by Scholly Fisch  Scooby Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang team up with Batman and Robin, the Teen Titans, Wonder Woman and the Super Friends in this fun collection of six entertaining adventures that will be enjoyed by kids and parents alike! 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Teen Titans Go! series by Scholly Fisch  From crazy stories about Robin and Beast Boy’s mini-putt showdown to demon pizzas, this comic strip collection includes all of the best over-the-top gags, ridiculous expressions and hilarious actions of the characters that kids love! Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Wallace the Brave by Will Henry  Part Peanuts, part Calvin and Hobbes, Wallace the Braves shares a year in the life of Wallace and his family and friends in Snug Harbor. From meeting the new girl at school, Amelia, and being impressed by both her courage and her baseball-throwing style to waving at the clouds just in case there are aliens there watching, this cute comic strip includes many laugh out loud moments. Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Ducktales: Quests and Quacks by Joe Caramagna & Joey Cavalieri  Featuring magical relics, dastardly ghosts, and one of Scrooge’s greatest threats – a risk assessor from an insurance company! Scrooge and Co. face off against all sorts of hilarious new threats inspired by the critically acclaimed Disney Channel series. Age 8+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
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Charlie Brown and Friends: A Peanuts Collection by Charles M Schultz  The classic Peanuts gang are all here in this fun series of Charlie Brown comic books. Featuring plenty of Lucy’s awesome ‘The Doctor is In’ strips and a baseball theme, this is a great intro to Peanuts for middle grade kids. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Sonic the Hedgehog by Ian Flynn  If your kids love the Sonic video games, they will enjoy following the beloved hedgehog on his journey in comic form! As Dr. Eggman’s rogue robots continue to attack small villages around the world, Sonic will need the help of his friends Tails, Knuckles, and Amy, along with some new and surprising allies, to save the day. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Plants Vs Zombies Vol 1: Lawnmaggedon by Paul Tobin  Fans of the popular game will love joining Nate Timely and Patrice Blazing as they fight the war to save Neighborville from brain hungry zombies. With a little help from Patrice’s Uncle Dave and an army of plants, they might just have a chance of winning the war against the Zomboss! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Pokemon Adventures series by Hidenori Kusaka  The super popular Pokemon game characters jump out of the screen and onto the pages of this action-packed manga comic. Red doesn’t just want to train Pokemon, he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game. But independent Pikachu may not be so easy to win over. Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Adventure Time series by Ryan North  What happens when Finn and Jake get a hold of Princess Bubblegum’s time machine and travel to go to the future? A silly, funny, crazy adventure, that’s what! Follow Finn and Jake as they fight against evil in an effort to save the world! Age 9+ years. Available: Amazon |
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Big Nate from the Top (book 1 of the comic strip collection) by Lincoln Peirce  Nate fights a daily battle against overzealous teachers, undercooked cafeteria food, and all-around conventionality. He’s a rebel without a clue, blazing through sixth grade with a series of detentions. Full of sarcasm and irony, these Big Nate comic strips were originally published in newspapers. Age 10+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Lumberjanes Vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson  A group of five, diverse, female best friends are spending their summer at Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penninquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types when things take a surprisingly strange turn, transforming their summer camp into a non-stop fantasy adventure involving a mysterious Bearwoman, three eyed foxes, talking, arm-wrestling statues and other supernatural critters. Age 10+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Zeus: King of the Gods (comic 1 of the Olympians series) by George O’Connor  “In the time before time, there was nothing, Kaos. From out of Kaos came Ge, or Gaea, our Mother Earth.” This is the tale of how the Titans and Greek Gods came to be. It’s the story of titan Kronos who eats each of his children as they are born, except Zeus, the youngest child! Sharing mythology in an exciting comic book style, this comic book series is sure to engage fans of Percy Jackson! Age 12+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Goldie Vance comic series by Hope Larson  Teen Goldie Vance works at the Florida resort that her father manages. She dreams of becoming the hotel’s in-house detective, with an insatiable curiosity that may just get her into trouble. A theft and kidnapping befall a guest at the hotel and Goldie is on the case! Age 12+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Runaways: Find Your Way Home (Vol. 1) by Rainbow Rowell The story continues of the early 00s tale of a group of six teenagers who discovered their parents were a secret criminal society, Runaways, taking on a new look and feel thanks to the dynamic pairing of Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka. Fans will love this new take on the classic and new readers can jump straight in thanks to Rowell’s excellent storytelling. Age 13+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Riverdale Vol. 1 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa  For fans of the Riverdale show, this first instalment of the comic book series acts as a prequel to the TV series, with the stories are set before the show begins or between the storylines of the episodes, adding depth to the popular characters. Age 13+ years. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository |
Find more great reads for kids, click through to see our best book collections;
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Christie Burnett
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
