I love good all-ages comics.
I’m a parent of two small boys. Both love reading, and the youngest has recently started his first ever pull list. It’s made the lack of all-ages books in general glaring to me. Frankly, there should be Spider-Man and Batman all-ages books being published at all times. While the latter is usually pretty good, the former is extremely inconsistent. That’s why I was happy to sit down with Spider-Men: Double Trouble.
The third in the series of Tamaki and Gurihiru’s Double Trouble minis, the creative team is joined this time by Vita Ayala as Peter Parker and Miles Morales have an adventure. When the duo meet up for Sidekick Day (although Miles isn’t Peter’s sidekick), the duo are quickly drawn into an adventure. But the “Colorful Gobblers” they unleash are just the least of their worries.
Now I have two big things to say about this book. This nails the “all-ages” label perfectly. Tamaki and Ayala create a dynamic between the leads that is realistic and engaging. It reminded me of the Peter B. Parker and Miles Morales scenes of Into the Spider-Verse. They have an engaging banter, the age gap is relatable in how it’s written (especially to parents), and using a threat rather than an antagonist gives the story low stakes perfect to ease a family reading this into the story. Gurihiru’s art is cartoonish, and extremely dynamic throughout.
As soon as I read it, I knew I had to give it to my kids.
And upon release, I did.
My 10 year-old, who’s on the autism spectrum, immediately named the toothy critters that offer the issue its conflict “Colorful Gobblers.” He couldn’t stop talking about Spider-Man and the Gobblers as we drove home from the comic shop. He was thrilled to see what they were all about. That alone is enough to prove that this issue got it right.
My younger son, a 7 year-old, read the issue first. If I hadn’t gotten to read our review PDF, I probably wouldn’t have gotten a crack at this issue. While it hasn’t been continuous, he’s read it a lot since we picked it up. He was having a tough day due to a small incident, and this issue absolutely brightened his day.
It’s talked about how all-ages comics help improve kids’ reading ability. That it’s good for their imagination. All of that stuff, I firmly believe. I’ve seen how good a reader my kids have become thanks to comics. I’ve seen my 10 year-old start spontaneously giggling at a gag from a book that he read earlier.
But to see how a comic like Double Trouble, something many would probably dismiss as a trifle, brings so much joy to a kid’s day is exactly why good all-ages books are needed. He shifted from feeling like a friend had betrayed him to himself. Miles and Peter are his favorite superheroes, and this comic was a window into their world. Their problems are fantastic, but they were also relatable to a kiddo who was overwhelmed and depressed about his day.
And that’s why we need them in our world.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
