At Beano we always listen to kids.
Minnie the Minx, now celebrating 70 years in the comic, is perennially 10 years old, and we reach out to kids her age to keep us clued-up, so we can reflect their realities in her stories. We chat with kids worldwide, not just our readers, every single week. And one thing they’ve been telling us is that comics, particularly in book form, are very cool to be seen with.
Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper graphic novel series, boosted by Netflix and TikTok, has been a massive driver of growth in the sector. But, for me, the growth of Dav Pilkey’s Dogman and Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey comic books is even more significant. It’s existentially brilliant news for booksellers, and book lovers, suggesting a new way forward at a time when reading for pleasure has fallen to its lowest point for 18 years.
Their success, alongside the growth of comic “hybrids” mixing hilarious prose with comic illustrations, such as Louie Stowell’s brilliant LOKI series, Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid, and our own growing range of Beano “boomics” (laugh out loud funny books with comic pictures), should hopefully see comic storytelling take up more shelves in bookshops, libraries, schools and homes.
Call me biased or bombastic (my professional title is director of mischief, so I can take it!), but I truly believe that comic books are the key to unlocking reading fun for everyone. That’s because they ensure the nascent reading experience is accessible, supported, and fun. Digestible text, with funny pictures, enhances confidence and motivation to read. This trains brains to remove any negative reading experiences, firing new favorable vibes. It only takes one happy reading to spark a healthy habit.
Today, almost half of all kids in the UK remain “reluctant readers”. Comic books can uniquely overcome this problem and unlock the earliest possible independent love of reading
By seven years old, kids love mildly rude taboo jokes, so subversion in comic books doesn’t only empower them, but relieves anxiety and builds resilience over things which may otherwise be frightening.
In our latest boomic, Minnie’s Mission of Maximum Mischief, Minnie experiences parental separation. When my own parents separated in the Seventies, it wasn’t the sort of topic covered in children’s books or comics. Nowadays, it’s natural we reflect this as a relatable thing that happens. While kids can’t control the grown-ups around them, they can protect their own feelings and mental health. Minnie does this by creating her own comic diary. Partly to suss things out, but mainly to guarantee she always has something brilliant to read. And every kid deserves something brilliant to read, whichever genre or format they choose.
From personal experience, my nine-year-old “reluctant reader” can devour 256 pages of Bunny vs Monkey in a weekend. He’s now demanded a bookshelf transfer of his 11-year-old sister’s Dog Man collection in a mutually rewarding swap deal. If there was ever any doubt on the genre’s appeal for girls, the data comes to put any worries to rest: in 2020 there was a 44% increase year on year in girls saying they enjoy graphic novels, comic strip books or manga (Nielsen BookData).
Adults have been wired to think that the only reading that’s worthwhile is serious reading. I believe there is an inherent grown-up bias, unconscious or otherwise, against funny books and comic books (I’m balanced, with a chip on both my shoulders!). The Beano, the Week Junior, First News and “Blue Peter” 100% already champion funny kids’ books – the audiences demand it. But in “grown-up media”, kids’ humour reviews and recommendations are rarer than rocking-horse poo. We laugh less, the older we become.
We know from speaking to kids that if a page full of words just “isn’t their thing”, they still want adventures and laughs from reading too. It’s a fact that one of the secrets to getting kids to read for pleasure, is to let them choose. And that might not be what we think is “good for them”. But it’ll be what’s good for them to build up a love of reading.
So how can the publishing industry celebrate comic books? What if media, publishers, and booksellers co-ordinated, championing kids’ funny books at a specific time? A mutually supported leap of faith. Halloween is massive with kids, who adore trick or treating, powered by jokes. What a perfect time to get busy with comic books. If bookshops invited kids, dressed as their favourite funny characters for a Ha! Ha! Halloween party? Or they trick or treated, increasing awareness of them? A comic book could be the perfect treat.
Today, almost half of all kids in the UK remain “reluctant readers”. Comic books can uniquely overcome this problem and unlock the earliest possible independent love of reading.The incentive is there to start celebrating funny, illustrated literature proudly and loudly. A bigger buzz will supercharge already growing appeal and we can champion these books as if lives depended on it. Because they do. Just listen to the kids!
Mike Stirling is director of mischief at Beano Studios and co-author of the Beano Boomics with Craig Graham. The latest Boomic Minnie’s Mission of Maximum Mischief is illustrated by Laura Howell.