Holiday Toy Drives

[garrideb.livejournal.com]

The holiday season is coming up fast, and for many people that means cooking, decorating, and lots of shopping. It also might mean passing toy donation bins such as the ones for Toys for Tots, or donation trees set up in churches, hospitals, and stores.

Books might not come to mind when it comes to toy drives, but they are actually a very high-need item. A lot of children grow up in households with very few books, and this can harm their literacy and enjoyment of reading.

So, how does this concern our interests as cap_ironmanians? (cap_ironmanites?) I feel that comic books make a perfect donation item for holiday toy drives. As comic fans, we have the chance to give a young comic fan a happy holiday, or possibly spark a love of comics in a child.

I'm hoping members can suggest specific trades that would make good gifts in the comments, so that we can get a big list going. I'll start by recommending:
Marvel Adventures: Avengers Vol. 1: Heroes Assembled - The happy version of the Avengers battle villains.
Blue Beetle: Shellshocked - A teenager living in Texas is forced to fill the shoes of a popular superhero.
Rapunzel's Revenge - a retelling of the fairy tale where Rapunzel rescues herself and then goes on adventures with a young thief.

If you have any ideas or specific charities you'd like to promote, feel free to do so in the comments! I'd love for our community to make a difference this holiday season.

Comments

Additional MA rec: Misfits

[hohaiyee.livejournal.com]

Marvel Adventures: Avengers, Misfits...it's the collection of stories centering mostly around Loki and the trouble he causes by making The Wrecker and Jugganut. Then there is the F4 wanna be that are like, the U-Foes...Loki and everyone descend on the Avenger tower in the final issue of that collection, in a flying school, but not with children in it, because as the wrecker said, (they maybe bad guys) but they ain't monsters! (when Cap was panicking about the dropped school.

When Loki was turning everyone into stuff, bullying the heroes because the public loves the heroes more, Cap lured him down to the media room where his boasting was broadcast, to show everyone how petty Loki is, "Go ahead, turn me into a toad"..."but that we the people recognize a bully when we see one!" so, tricked, Loki turned the heroes back and left. A kid and his mom was watching, and his mom commented that, that man doesn't seem to be afraid of anything, and the kid says, Course not mom, he's a hero!


Since it's Christmas, also the Marvel Adventures Spiderman story with the santa robber, trust me, it's heartwarming, and the Avengers (Steve and Tony) has a cameo (even if it has broken continuety). It has a major heartwarming moment after moment, Peter's gift for Aunt May, his memories of growing up with them. Heck, Betty talking to Jameson (though it's not shown what she says), and at the end, when Peter and Aunt May was worrying about the bills, Peter opens this card from Jameson with a cheque for 250 bucks enclose, and a not of merry christmas and don't spent it all in one place!

Re: Additional MA rec: Misfits

[hohaiyee.livejournal.com]

I just, love how Misfits was like, consistently awesome, and set very good examples for kids.

Re: Additional MA rec: Misfits

[garrideb.livejournal.com]

Those sound great! I'll admit that I've only read the first few MA: Avengers trades, but it sounds like Avengers, Misfits might be better as a collection by having a story arch.

I love a lot of the Marvel Christmas stories. Have you read the one where a girl accidently creates a Santa Ultron? That one is excellent.

Re: Additional MA rec: Misfits

[hohaiyee.livejournal.com]

Yes, story arch...and I feel that it was not only in the the schemes of Loki, but also in the themes, the LESSONS. It's all about power and responsibility, and I love it, well told without scaring the kids away with anvils.

The first story was Loki messing about town, and giving The Wrecker superpowers because he wants to see what individuals of unsavory powers would do with it, and the first thing the Wrecker does is rob that store he always wants to rob. When he fights Spiderman and as him why he doesn't use the power to take what he wants, Spiderman brings up that he wasn't always like this, but he learned about power and responsibility, and right before The Wrecker smash Spidey, saying it's lame, Captain America's shield halts him, and Spidey adds in, "I get by with a little help from my friends"(Beatles reference!)

I think the second story (or third, might have mixed it up, probably second), about four rich scientists(?) having trouble with space with the rays. The story starts with Hulk smashing about in some wasteland, having total fun because he can't hurt anyone...that is not only cute, it's DEEEEEP, the idea that Hulk doesn't want to hurt anyone, but sometimes he wants to let go...and the Avengers were happy to see Hulk so happy, because Banner usually isn't, so the Hulk thing is a curse and a blessing. Hulk falls asleep, wakes up at Banner, offers the grounded scientists help with the shuttle, which crash after the rays, calls for help. It turns out the rich scientist did it on purpose, the only powers they don't have are superpowers. There was an awesome scene where one of them tries to crush Hulk by making himself heavier, and Hulk did the smart thin of just dropping him so that he sinks into the ground! The resolution was along the lines of irony, haha, but the point of that story, was again, power and responsibility.

Story three, the Avengers are helping with a natural disaster in South America! Some soldier of fortune dude shows up, Wolverine doesn't trust him, Storm likes to give him the benefit of the doubt, soldier of forture dude breaks into a temple, guided by disguised Loki, and turns into Jugganut...and Wolverine and Storm were both right. What slowed Jugganut down was a ring of children around Wolverine, because the Avengers saved those orphans from drowning, and Storm was actually calming Jugganut down, reminding him he's decent inside, he destoryed a priceless temples but he can still make amends before he goes too far, when unfortunately, Hulk who had just recovered, chased him away.

Final arch would be Loki and Jugganut breaking out The U Foes, and then The Wrecker, that's when the flying school thing happens.

I love this, because they work great as a team, and they are friends. Giant Girl carefully dug Storm and Wolverine out instead of going after Jugganut, Peter and Tony were playing a vid game before they got the call from banner. When Giant Girl fell off the building, Storm chased after her while telling her to wake up and shrink, it's just, they know each other and look out for each other and trust each other. Also, Cap dragging Iron Man by the wrist in the last story. Oh, Banner helping out in the clinic in South America.

I'm sorry, it's not Misfits, it's Mischief!

[hohaiyee.livejournal.com]

http://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Adventures-Avengers-Mischief-Printing/dp/0785135545

Sorry!

Hmmm, not all my recs are Marvel, I hope that's okay.

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

I must admit, comics are a good idea, especially for getting teenage boys to read, and you never know, with the art, images and ideas you might just touch someone in the best, purest way, and comic digests are easy to carry around.

My recs include comics that do have some sort of variety in the characters. Not everyone is white or straight, so I'm trying to think of a few comics that have a good mix of characters that are normally classified as 'other'.

I do like the first two trades of Ultimate Fantastic Four. Everyone there is either a young teen (starts off young) or a young adult. as well as anything Marvel Adventures (be it from Marvel Avengers, to Iron Man, to Fantastic Four to Hulk and Spiderman). I also like Spidergirl, the comic with Peter's daughter May Day, because she's a refreshing character. She's a teenager, but loves her parents, and still tries to take on the good fight.

I like Young Avengers because not everyone is blonde and Anglo, nor straight (yay, Eli and Wiccan), Marvel Superheroes is splendid.

Utimate Spiderman the early trades is a good comic.

Runaways the first couple trades are mint. Again, it's since to see different versions of teenagers. Alex is a black geek with an Afro, Miro is a Japanese American, there's Arsenic who's a rotund teen who's agnostic (although Jewish by birth). I enjoyed the comic immensely, and can see how people would do so too. There's a lesbian relationship in the latter issues that's handled fairly sensitively (just about), and a Hispanic character that's really cool.

Agents of Atlas - right, I have a soft spot for this trade, and I know that although Marvel is trying to push it, because it's a good series. The leader is Jim Woo - again, its good to see an Asian male in the lead of a Western comic. It's rare that Asian male leads get treated that way in the Western Gaze.

X-men First Class - it's more like Wolverine and Kitty lead, but it's a fantastic comic, it's a gateway to the big X-verse but *sighs* I can't help it. It's just an unalloyed joy to read.

Oh, the older black and white trades of Iron man, Avengers, et al would be good gifts to drop off. They are relatively inexpensive compared to the newer trades with glossy paper, so you can look in that direction too.

I second the Blue Beetle, because he's a Hispanic character and has so MUCH heart, ZOMG, it's not true.

Mouse Wars is a cute comic. Yes, the leader is a mouse. In a red cloak. But still. It's an indie, so you can support something other than the big two. :D

Calvin and Hobbs - too charming. It took me a while to get into it (my friends loved it when I was at art school) but it's charming.

Peanuts - Snoopy, Charlie Brown! Keep the love going, people.

The Boondocks. I know that people tend to dismiss it because the characters are African American, but seriously, the trades are LOL. It's much better than the show on Adult Swim.

Green Lantern Corps - this is a good trade (not the blackest night that's going on now, that might be a bit too dark for children), but it's a good comic that attracts good artists and writers, so yeah.

Birds of Prey under Rucka. I like the book, and the fact that you have these cadre of kick ass women is a treat. Their lives don't revolve around men. The art isn't exploitative (much) so, that might be a good one.

Cassandra Cain when she was batgirl. I liked some of the stories I read in this series. I'm very much a casual reader, but it might be worth an eye.

Over here we have Tin Tin, Asterix the Gaul and some beano comics.

Good idea. If I do see any

[dorcas-gustine.livejournal.com]

Asterix the Gaul

:DDDDDDDDD

Re: Hmmm, not all my recs are Marvel, I hope that's okay.

[garrideb.livejournal.com]

Those are some awesome suggestions! I haven't read Runaways (yet) but the things I've heard about it makes it sound good for a young reader. I was worried that Young Avengers wouldn't be a very rewarding read to someone who hadn't read the Avengers, but that was probably just because I get blinded by the hug-and-fly scene and forget how great the story is.

All of a sudden I've been hearing good things about Spidergirl, while a week ago I had no idea this comic existed.

Thanks for all the ideas - this should make it easier for people to pick something up to donate.

Re: Hmmm, not all my recs are Marvel, I hope that's okay.

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

All of a sudden I've been hearing good things about Spidergirl, while a week ago I had no idea this comic existed.

Because it's cancelled. :(

It's been out for a while actually (I think it stopped at issue 100), so there's enough trades to go around. You don't need to follow the story, because each trade had a (more or less) self contained story arc.

Well, most people would know about iron man, and even if you don't know about iron man or captain america, it is explained in the book (in terms of Cap being paternal, and Eli saying that there was a black Captain America before a white one). I do remember being young and just enjoying the comics for what they were (I lived in the WI so I didn't get much comics).

Archie Digests... they are fun, although I wince at Betty and Veronica vying for Archie's attention, but I'm coming from the school of throwing anything after a child to read and something might stick. My mum bought comics for my older brother because he just. Wouldn't. Read. And ended up having three comic buffs for kids.

Oh, Cloak and Dagger is a cool trade too. I remember loving Cloak and Dagger when I was a tween.

Re: Hmmm, not all my recs are Marvel, I hope that's okay.

[otherhazards.livejournal.com]

A caution on 'Tintin and Snowy', from someone who once owned a complete set of them...

While this fine and educational series is both epic and awesome on an individual-issue basis, it does have two significant weaknesses:

First, it was written in pre-WW2 Europe, so the view of places the writer had never visited (and fortunately he was well-traveled) were copied from the uncut stereotypes of the time. ...That is to say, America was populated chiefly by gangsters, spaghetti-western Indians, and reporters, etc.
The portrayal of Africans in the issue 'Tintin in the Congo' was far worse, and when the mother of a friend of mine accidentally read my copy, she stopped letting her son associate with me.
In hindsight, I can understand. At the time, I was in kindergarten.

The second weakness is a complete lack of ANY positive female characters. At all.
I do not mean this as a feminist soapbox. I'm not just taking about the classic 'role-model', Nancy Drew, or Wonder Woman archetypes, I mean that the most recogniseable female character in the ENTIRE SERIES is a self-absorbed Italian opera singer weighing sixteen stone, who sings in a way that reminds one of the main characters of a typhoon that once hit his ship in the East Indies.
Aside from assorted maids, unnamed secretaries, and ticket-counter girls who barely speak at all, that's um... about it.

With all that said, Tintin -was- still ahead of his time. He traveled to the middle east, and spoke curteously with shieks. He rescued a drowning boy from a flooded river in China, and learned that the boy's parents had been killed in what was then called the War of Harmonious Fists... or in the West, the Boxer Rebellion. Tintin would travel the ends of the earth in pursuit of justice, the truth, or a kidnapped friend. He helped Captain Haddock, (later one of his closest friends) gain back control over his alcoholism.
Tintin traveled to the moon, and to Tibet. He battled dictators, sabataurs, and criminal masterminds... all without superpowers.
...But Tintin's -world- was written before WW2, and it's important to remember that.

I recommend 'Red Rackham's Treasure', and 'The Blue Lotus'.

I hear you

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

I knew my mum spoke to us about the whole portrayal of Africans and 'the other' in Tin Tin, but she still allowed us to read the title because she was a teacher, so the whole, "Let them learn" was her motto. But yes, in retrospect, if it's just for a teenager to read without supervision, it might be problematic. Asterix the Gaul draws everyone goofily, and European comics are... problematic when it comes to Africans. They still think its the 19thC over here. Probably you could stick a note inside for the child to read? But then again, the Aestrix and Tin Tin comics are expensive so, probably it can take a miss.

Persopolis might be a good comic for teenagers. It's charmingly drawn although its serious business.