Spend the Holidays with Li'l Gothem

We've spent some of this holiday break the kids have from school reading DC COMIC's Batman: Li'l Gothem which is set in a FUNKOish stylized world with the publisher's iconic characters illustrated with big heads and squishy bodies similar to those funky vinyl toys.  There are two things that set these comics apart from the mainstream DC universe which makes me happy to give them a plug.

FIRST, the series is scripted to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.  DC COMICS books, television shows, video games and movies have become increasingly dark and violent which is edgy entertainment for a 40 year old dad like myself to enjoy but also media that I am hesitant to let me children have access to.  I don't want my 5 year old twins seeing Superman kill his adversary or Lois Lane being killed by the Joker.  Batman: Li'l Gothem though has limited violence and no gore in it making it more like 1960's Batman the tv show with Adam West compared to the more recent Dark Knight movies with Christian Bale.  These are fun light-hearted stories and very appropriate for kids to enjoy.  

SECOND, the artwork is done in water colors with sketchy drawings giving Batman: Li'l Gotham a whimsical feel similar to the illustrated books you see for young readers at the library.  The FUNKOized characters combined with the bright tones of the coloring make the comic enticing to young eyes and a fun change of pace for adult comic book readers.  I'd encourage you to check out the Li'l Gotham comics just for the fun of seeing its visual adaptations of the DC Universe.

I've been reading BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 with my kids at bedtime the last few nights. This is a paperwork collection of stories from DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #11, BATMAN ANNUAL #27, and BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM ISSUES 1 - 11.  What is nice about these stories is they also revolve around the holidays.  So this would be a nice book to pull off the shelf throughout the year to enjoy with your children during the various holidays.  Batman: Li'l Gotham Volume 1 has a stories with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Mothers Day & Fathers Day.

For example in the Thanksgiving Day story, the Penguin attacks the Gotham parade in a bid to set all the turkeys free and save them from a fate of ending up on that evening's dinner plates throughout the City.  A cute and fun tromp through Gotham's city streets that includes parade floats and balloons in on the action.  Batman & Robin go trick or treating in the Halloween story and on accident walk in on a dinner gathering of all the City's super villains.  The Christmas story involves Dr. Freeze kidnapping some orphans who are on their way to sing carols at Gotham's tree lighting ceremony.  It has a touch ending you wouldn't expect.

The only downside to the publication is Robin is a real BRAT compared to the adaptations you may be familiar with but on the flip side of the coin that also presents some of the parenting challenges that Batman confronts and stories revolve around in the comic providing some good story lines and messages for young children.

BATMAN: LI'L GOTHAM VOLUME 1 goes on sale February 25th, 2014.  For more information, visit http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Lil-Gotham-Vol-1.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf advance copy of Batman: Lil Gotham Volume 1 from the publisher to review.  The views and opinions in this post are my own.