Links: FCBD follow-up

John Jakala compares Marvel’s Free Comic Book Day offering Avengers: Age of Ultron Point One with its original incarnation as Avengers 12.1 and discovers a key difference: in the original version, Spider-Woman is naked. “Why not [choose] something that would be appropriate for all ages, such as an issue of the old Marvel Adventures: The Avengers series, or a brand-new story from the just-launched The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes cartoon tie-in?” he asks.

Dore Ripley files a report from the birthplace of Free Comic Book Day: Flying Colors Comics of Concord, CA.

Artist Dan Parent discusses his work on Life with Archie. “We try to stick to the Archie-style stories and incorporate more serious topics, like equality and sexuality, without hitting people over the head with our message,” he explains. “We want to keep the story light, but also make people think.”

Over at Robot 6, Chris Mautner posts a thoughtful appreciation of Maurice Sendak’s cartooning.

Everything old is new again: Deb Aoki talks to Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Andy Nakatani about Rurouni Kenshin Restoration, a “reboot” of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s popular samurai series. The original Rurouni Kenshin ran in the Japanese edition of Jump from 1994-99, and has been released in three separate English-language editions.

Reviews: Over at No Flying No Tights, Jennifer W. looks at two graphic novel adaptations of Rudyard Kipling’s Just-So Stories: How the Camel Got His Hump and How the Leopard Got His Spots.

Young Readers (Ages 4-8)
Tanya on vols. 1-2 of Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian (books4yourkids)
Whitney on My Name is Elizabeth! (No Flying No Tights)

Pre-Teen Readers (Ages 9-12)
Drew McCabe on Garfield #1, Wallace and Grommit Dailies, nos. 1-4, and Xevious (Comic Attack!)
Jennifer W. on Lou!: Secret Diary and Lou! Summertime Blues (No Flying No Tights)

Teens (13+)
John Hogan on Fantastic Four: Season One (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Michael on vol. 1 of Gate 7 (No Flying No Tights)
John Hogan on The Moon Moth (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1-2 of Young Miss Holmes Casebook (Manga Worth Reading)

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