Hey Sup Forums, longtime poster and lifetime comic reader/fan here. I usually do a pretty good job of coming up with recommendations for people/things to lend them. But i really need your help on this one, actual comic readers of Sup Forums.
I've been working for the past 5 months or so as a Therapeutic Child Support Worker at a company that runs Group Homes for Autistic kids in the foster care system. For the past 3 or so months one of the girls I worked with has been this 14 year old girl who i'm just gonna call Zim. Zim is, unlike most kids in the program, highly verbal and intelligent. She has bad behaviors at school, is real fuckin' socially awkard, and has some aggression issues, but by and large is a good kid. I like to let her borrow some of my comics sometimes because she likes to read 'em (or at least skim through them) and usually she digs it. But, i'd really like to start using comics more to connect with her and try and motivate her. Maybe do some light reading analysis to get where she's at with emotions, etc.,
Anyways, I'd love some help getting recs or books to share with the kid and maybe use for some minor curriculum. Getting her to give me useful info is a bit hard, but here's what I have. She LOVES Invader Zim, Shrek, Spongebob and Ice Age, in that order. She's a bit into capes but no more than most kids I guess. She's kinda edgy teen-y hot topic-y with some stuff, big into violence and 666 eeeeeebil laughs stuff, likes sci-fi and fantasy, and that's kinda what I've got.
I've mostly just lent her stuff I had with me to read myself, or sitting in the car. She's read my Priest Black Panther v.1, Dungeons & Dragons (the good IDW one) v1, Black Hammer v1, and has some of her own comics, mostly Oni Press Invader Zim (Zim fucking loves Zim) and a copy of Filler Bunny I got her for christmas. But yeah, getting her to try new stuff is a bit hard sometimes so I need help. Cartoon advice too would be neat, I got her to try Billy & Mandy and she seemed to dig it.
1. You're a great person, keep on with what you're doing. 2. This isn't the best place to ask for Sup Forums stuff for autistic children 3. The only comics I know are Les Nombrils and I Hate Fairyland. She doesn't sound like she'd be too into LN, but I think IHF would be a good match for her. It's plenty edgy and gory.
James Carter
you are a respectable dude
Gabriel Gray
I'm trying to stay away from excessive visceral gore, but IHF would definitely be something she'd be into. I'd like to stick to like, action rather than gore for violence.
Part of me wants to try giving her "big boy" stuff like Sandman, Hellboy or Lucifer but i'unno. I think I am going to try CoIE.
also thank you
Caleb Reyes
>(Zim fucking loves Zim) kek wish i could give you recommendations, but bumping anyway
Hecklad and Sandman would probably be great for her. Sandman is especially great for high schoolers still in their goth-lite Hot Topic phase. You could also try something like Deadpool, that definitely appeals to the Zim crowd.
Op, this may be the only genuinely pure and wholesome post I've ever seen on Sup Forums.
She might like Paper Girls. It's got some violence and campiness but also some substance to it. It's ongoing so she won't be able to finish it yet though. Locke and Key might be something to look if she likes supernatural stuff and a bit of gore. I hear I Kill Giants is a good one for young teens and preteens but I have yet to read it myself. I'm gonna second I Hate Fairyland, it's a lot of fun.
My DREAM would be to do get her to do like a one page reflection on some of the stronger short stories from Hellboy or Sandman. Just some sort of basic summary and a "I liked/disliked it because of X" type of deal. I pick those two mostly because I know them quite well and could try and build off of those and connect with her based off of them.
I haven't read any of those books, but have heard of all of 'em, and yeah they do sound like stuff she might be into. Thank you! How gorey/curse-y is Paper Girls? I know Chiang isn't usually too gorey.
Elijah Morales
Yeah the gore isn't too bad. This is about as worse as it gets.
Okay, nice. Yeah i'm just looking to avoid Sentry vs. Ares or Crossed level inappropriate stuff. That's no worse than Indiana Jones or whatever.
Brody Roberts
May be a bit below her age but Country Crumrin or maybe Locke and Key?
Owen Hernandez
Why has nobody suggested Homestuck? She's an autistic edgy teen, it's perfect for her.
Jayden Murphy
Making Fiends
Leo Harris
Maybe she'd like the Bone graphic novels?
Homestuck isn't something she could get much from if OP wants to gauge her emotional awareness. It's written in a way that really invites overly analytical katy teh penguinz of d00m shit but doesn't really do very well with character development for all the overload it is.
Gavin Stewart
>This isn't the best place to ask for Sup Forums stuff for autistic children I am genuinely surprised how well this is going Teenage girl I'm going to have to say Marvel's "The Runaways", pretty much made for angsty teenage girls
Have you shown her Megamind? It's a kid movie, but the journey that Megamind takes is always nice. Especially considering how far away he is from society.
OP is trying to help the kid, not make her more autistic
Dylan Reyes
>comics recs
maybe Major Bummer. it was only 15 issues if she likes ice age maybe she'd like the Flintstones comic book there's a manga called "Gon" about a baby dinosaur going with the dinosaurs vein, there's "Age of Reptiles" but it isn't silly like the other stuff she reads Bone by Jeff Smith because it's required reading if we're Sup Forums Calvin and Hobbes The Goon if she likes sgt frog cartoons maybe the manga is good. i haven't read it.
if you can't figure out any more comics, there are always books too
Animorphs Redwall series by brian jacques
Zachary Cooper
>sandman is for goth-lite hot topic kids
okay so maybe yes... if the goth-lite hot topic kids also like /lit/, prose and intelligent fantasy, sure.
Evan Lewis
why so defensive user-kun
Thomas Rogers
because i wanted to be goth but wasn't goth enough and goth people don't even like me but i like sandman more than goth. it's complicated and pathetic.
Jeremiah Lopez
I'd recommend Serenity Rose, bonus points for being written and illustrated by one of the artists on the Zim comic.
Depending on what exactly her issues are she might find Courtney Crumrin a veiled slight against her. It also has a deeply unsatisfying resolution.
Dylan Mitchell
also because i seriously doubt goth kids would even listen to alt british bands from the 80s which would seem like a more stereotypical fit for a sandman animated soundtrack. don't judge me.
Gavin Cooper
Recs ITT have been pretty spot-on for someone like her.
Zim, I Hate Fairyland, Sandman, The Goon.
Maybe get her an old copy of I Luv Halloween. Zim kids usually dig that.
Ayden Smith
She might like the movie Coraline. Also I think every young teenage girl should check out Kiki's Delivery Service. It's not edgey or anything but it does portray a girl dealing with complicated emotions and loneliness really well. It's my favorite movie of all time so I might be biased, but it is my fav for a reason.
