Earlier this spring, we shared the news that Comix Experience, Divisadero's 26-year-old comic book store, was launching a Graphic Novel Club to help counterbalance the city's mandatory minimum wage increase. This morning owner Brian Hibbs announced a second Graphic Novel Club—but this time, specifically for kids.
The Kids' Graphic Novel of The Month Club will be directly targeted to children ages 8-13, though depending on your child's reading preferences this is certainly flexible. It's also not targeted specifically for girls or boys. Brian points out that "we find that most kids are looking for compelling stories, regardless of the gender of the protagonist," but subscribers should expect to get a range of newly-released stories.
The perks of the club are many—supporting a local comic book store, getting kids to read, and having someone else curate their graphic novel interests. "Parents want books that they can trust, so they usually fall back upon the same few characters and licenses that they see in other media, not knowing or having the time to figure out which are the truly special and thoughtful books with a passionate creative vision," says Brian. To help curate each month's selection Brian has recruited the help of an expert: his 11-year-old son Ben.
In addition to getting a graphic novel every month, subscriptions also include access to a monthly live-streamed book club meeting where children from all over the country will be able to discuss the graphic novel they’ve just read. There will also be an invite-only message group where kids can write their own reviews of the books—and if they write 10 reviews, they'll earn a free book. Finally, posters and bookmarks will also be handed out when available.
The kids' version of the Graphic Novel Of The Month Club costs $15 a month, as opposed to the adult club's $25 monthly fee. For an additional $6 a month Comix Experience will mail the subscription anywhere in the country. And if you know of a school or organization that would benefit from a bulk subscription, they can handle that as well.
Thus far, Comix Experience has sold 178 of the 334 grown-up club subscriptions Hibbs says it needs to adjust to the mandatory wage increase. And as Brian reminds us, "every membership over 334 for the adult book club will be going directly to our staff."
To sign up for either club, visit Comix Experience's website, or stop in to the shop on Divisadero to chat further about what each club entails. Both graphic novel clubs will start shipping out subscriptions in July.
