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Free Comic Book Day this Saturday

May 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Free comic book dayI have mentioned in previous posts that I have been a life long comic book fan.  My cousin introduced them to me when I was in 3rd grade or so and it blossomed into I cherish.  It taught me to love reading and worked my imagination to it’s fullest.

Every year, the comic book industry puts on a special event called Free Comic Book Day.  Most comic stores participate.  This one time every year the comic stores can purchase a specific selection of comic books for very cheap (pennies on the dollar) as long as they give them away for free on free comic book day.  Comic stores typically have events surrounding the day with other giveaways going away and comic creators showing up to sign books and meet their fans.   This year, Free Comic Book Day is this coming Saturday (May 7, 2011).

How to find stores participating in Free Comic Book Day

It’s a great event for families looking for something cheap and different.   If you aren’t sure where the closest comic book store is, use the Comic Book Store Locator Service to see if there is one near you that is participating in this event.  If you can find a store close by, take the kids, have some fun, introduce them to the wonderful, creative world of comic books for Free!

You can read more about it at FreeComicBookDay.com

Do you read comic books? Have you gone to a Free Comic Book Day event in the past?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
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Filed Under: Comic Books, Entertainment, Money and Finances, Stuff to Do Tagged With: Comic Books, FCBD

Review of Owly Volume 1 by Andy Runton

November 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Owly Volume 1As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have loved and enjoyed comic books for most of my life. Most people that have never been truly exposed to the medium lump them all into one category, childish superhero fantasy.  While I am a big fan of superhero comics and find most modern superhero comics to be anything but childish, the point of this review is to show you that the medium of comics can and does tell a wide variety of stories.

Comics, in the simplest terms, are stories told with both writing and art.  They cover a huge variety of genres and are aimed at an equally wide number of audiences and age groups.   Owly is an independent comic book that is both written and drawn by Andy Runton.  There is very little text in Owly.  Mr. Runton uses expressive imagery to tell very emotional and heart warming stories.

Who is Owly?

Owly vol 1 is the first comic book I bought for my children.  Harrison was 3 and Sean was 1.  Both were too young for it but they have grown into it since.  Owly is not in the typical comic book format, it is shaped more like a standard book and much thicker than a comic.  The first volume includes two stories: The Way Home and The Bittersweet Summer.  Owly is an adorable owl who knows what it means to be human.  He is a reflection of the sweet and innocent child in all of us.  In the first story, Owly is lonely and in search of a friend.  He is misunderstood by the other animals around him but he perseveres and in the end he learns the meaning of friendship.  In the second story, Owly needs to learn how to let go but he also learns that goodbyes aren’t always forever.  Both stories teach a valuable life lesson to children.

As I mentioned previously, there is very little writing in Owly, it’s done almost entirely in black and white pictures but that is the beauty of it.  The art is so expressive that it’s easy to take your child through the story and talk about what is going on in the panels.  The book also allows your little one to express himself through the images, to create his own dialogue and explain to you what is going on.  It let’s them use their imagination to tell a story that matches up with the images in front of them.  My wife had a hard time with this book at first.  The first part of the first story is heart wrenching, poor little Owly just wants to be friends but is rejected at every turn in the beginning.  The art is so expressive it nearly brought her to tears the first time.

If you can’t already tell, I highly recommend Owly.  I reviewed vol 1 simply because it’s a good starting point but there are 5 volumes that I know of.  Owly is published by Top Shelf comics and may be available via your local comic book store.  If you can’t find it locally, Amazon has it at a great price.  Check it out for yourself at Owly Vol 1.

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
Email • Google + • Facebook • Twitter

Filed Under: Books and Magazines, Comic Books Tagged With: Andy Runon, Comic Books, Owly, Review

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Basic Principles Of Good Parenting

Here some basic principles for good parenting:

  1. What You Do Matters: Your kids are watching you. So, be purposeful about what you want to accomplish.
  2. You Can’t be Too Loving: Don’t replace love with material possessions, lowered expectations or leniency.
  3. Be Involved Your Kids Life: Arrange your priorities to focus on what your kid’s needs. Be there mentally and physically.
  4. Adapt Your Parenting: Children grow quickly, so keep pace with your child’s development.
  5. Establish and Set Rules: The rules you set for children will establish the rules they set for themselves later.  Avoid harsh discipline and be consistent.
  6. Explain Your Decisions: What is obvious to you may not be evident to your child. They don’t have the experience you do.
  7. Be Respectful To Your Child: How you treat your child is how they will treat others.  Be polite, respectful and make an effort to pay attention.
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