Comic Cubs - the future of children's comics

Has the recent sad news about the Dandy got you thinking about getting a regular comic for your little ones? It certainly has made me think about how little there is on the market these days.

I'm considering launching some kind of kids comics club, where parents will get a chance to get discounted comics for their children.

Unlike our normal Reservation Service, the Comic Cubs service will be supplied as a quarterly subscription, with parents paying up-front to help me minimise any risk, since kids comics can often sadly fail to sell when I order them in for the shelves. (We had a full range in the first three months after I opened and they almost all ended up in the 50p box.)

In return for a up-front quarterly payment, the comics will be competitively discounted. Superman Family Adventures would be £5 per quarter, compared to the normal cost of three issues of said comic which would usually be £7.05 (a saving of almost 30%!).

These can be posted out to customers too, although that will cost a little extra.

Comic Cubs will of course be open to kids of all ages, so adults won't be excluded if they fancy something fun! Comic Cubs will only be available from a selected range, though this will be updated when new titles become available.

It's an initial idea so far, so I welcome feedback and interest from parents. I'd be interested to hear from teachers if they would be interested in Comic Cubs supplying their class, or if they think their school would allow us to send a flyer home in pupils' book bags.

I'd also be interested in seeing if we could work up some kind of monthly activity sheet to include with the comics, giving away to make them part of a child's ongoing education. I know the National Curriculum has finally begun to embrace the idea of comics as a way of getting reluctant children to read! So if any teachers are interested in workshopping something like that, please drop me a line.

In the meantime here's a link to Diamond's own Kids Comics website, with a look at the American comics available for children. If you're looking for something more homegrown, check out The Phoenix, which is smashing!

Ben Fardon still hates that picture of himself in the Echo!