30 Days Of Comics: Day 20: A Comic Book More People Should Read

Tiny Titans

Of all the comics I purchase on a monthly basis, this is the one with the lowest sales figures.  I know that ICv2's listings don't include sales to any place other than specialty shops, but this title is GOLD!  If my hobby is to have ANY hope of surviving into the next generation, this is the gateway drug that will help turn kids into full-fledged addicts.

When I started reading comics, the motto of the creators was that any issue could be someone's first.  So sometimes the dialog laboriously filled the reader in on what had been going on recently and who the characters were.  Re-reading some of the older issues from my youth now is painful, but for the most part I could give the comics to just about anyone to read.

Not so much these days.  The refrain I hear most is that comics are now written by fanboys for fanboys.  They are dark.  They are impenetrable to new readers.  They are not for kids.  While there are exceptions to this, it does seem to be the rule.

Tiny Titans is wonderful.  The storytelling is surprisingly nuanced.  The material is age appropriate but a treat to adults for its subtle nods and winks to us and to DC Comics' history.  All issues are "one and done".

And it helps that the artist, Art Baltazar, is one of the nicest professionals I have ever met.  My children each have autographed sketches from him, as well as some of his other works.

If you have a young one, especially one who is a struggling reader, Tiny Titans, as well as the rest of DC's line for younger children, is a MUST have.

The pictured issue sold 7,713 copies, ranking #197 of all sold comics last month.  The number one comic last month sold 99,545 copies.  I keep hearing 10,000 as a publishers "do or die" limit...the lowest comic to sell that was in #163rd place....