While there’s never a bad time to read funny, lighthearted comics, Summertime seems particularly suited for playful reads. When it’s too hot to expend much brain or body power, and there’s no required reading for homework, silly reads are the perfect way to continue reading all Summer long.
And as the end of Summer inevitably approaches, comedic comics can also help readers successfully finish any summer reading goals and reap those sweet rewards!
Since humor is subjective, this month’s Six Picks encapsulates different types of humor across a range of ages and interests, all ideal for breezy Summer reads. You can check out our Silly Reads to Tickle Your Funnybone list for even more humorous selections—all available for unlimited, simultaneous reading with Comics Plus.
Middle Grade
Slice of Mallow Vol. 1 by Adam Foreman (Andrews McMeel)
Mallow is, as one might imagine, a marshmallow. He shares a home with his friends: Doughnut, who is perpetually anxious; Potato, who is grouchy; and Pizza, who is fun and energetic. Speaking directly to the reader, Mallow presents different sliced of their lives together in each chapter. From tales of stolen pets that lead to friendships with lonely ghosts, to space adventures, to a button in the past that makes pigeon clones in the future when pressed — Mallow and his roommates have off-the-wall adventures and make friends wherever they go.
Foreman’s art not only adds to the comedy, with background images including their own unspoken gags, but it’s also insanely cute. The adorable illustrations actually inspired my 8-year-old to recreate the aforementioned lonely ghost in a variety of bonus scenes she whipped up. It’s always a happy bonus when books inspire young readers to explore and create on their own!
Mallow’s adventures are random and often odd, but so light-hearted and fun that they all manage to work. So far, there are two titles in the Mallow series of adventures, so middle grade readers have another set of silly stories to explore.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma (Yen Press)
Yotsuba is a unique and strange little girl, full of joy and wonder — and a little bit of unintentional trouble. Her and her father have just moved to a new town, making it full of new possibilities and adventures. Each chapter in this lighthearted adventure is another slice of life from Yotsuba’s perspective as she forges relationships with the neighbor sisters and explores her new home.
In one chapter, Yotsuba discovers air conditioning for the first time, while simultaneously learning about climate change. This leads to a crying fit where she charges between the neighbor’s and her father’s homes, declaring “A/C” users to be “enemies of the earth.” It’s not until one of the neighbor girls, Asagi, convinces her that the cool air is being used to lower the earth’s temperature that Yotsuba becomes a great fan (pun intended) of air conditioning and decides that her father is not trying to kill the planet after all. Crisis averted!
The title of this manga indicates what readers can expect, which is simply “Yotsuba & (insert new exciting encounter)”, such as “Yotsuba & Air Conditioning,” “Yotsuba & Television,” and so on. This is the first volume in a highly rated, multi-volume series, which highlights a new, seemingly mundane item from everyday life that Yotsuba interacts with. The relationships between characters don’t evolve much, remaining lighthearted but somehow still believable. The humor relies on the fresh and surprising ways that Yotsuba reacts and engages with the world.
The Yotsuba&! series is easily appropriate for kids, who will enjoy the unexpected antics of this silly green-haired little girl and her neighborhood friends. It’s a great introduction to manga from writer-illustrator, Kiyohiko Azuma, and is sure to delight readers young and old.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Teens
Student Ambassador: The Missing Dragon by Ryan Estrada and Axur Eneas (Iron Circus)
Joseph is a student ambassador who wins a trip to meet the President. Nang is a boy king in a fictional land who is struggling to stabilize his kingdom after the death of his parents. Joseph is a whip smart rule follower while Nang is selfish and spoiled and values possessions, including stolen ones, above people. When the two first meet in a diplomatic capacity, they couldn’t seem more different, but when Nang’s palace is broken into while Joseph is sleeping over, the boys unwillingly embark on an adventure to solve mysteries and restore balance in their respective lands.
The humor in Student Ambassador is found in cartoonish situations, such as various silly chase scenes and gags that build on themselves. The deft comedic timing in Estrada’s character beats is punctuated by the cute, oversized head/tiny body style of Eneas’ illustrations.
Intertwined in the silly scenarios are subtle lessons about friendship and what really matters in life. There are also several puzzles and mysteries that readers will feel satisfied watching unfold. The characters use a rhyme to learn to read a few basic Korean words, and readers learn along with them. Backmatter expands the lesson in Korean and also highlights some of Estrada’s creative process in the inception and execution of this book.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Young Adult
Killer Queens by David M. Booher, Claudia Balboni and Harry Saxon (Dark Horse)
Max and Alex are an intergalactic assassin duo on the run after stealing a ship from their former employer, a talking monkey named Bieti. (Don’t call him fluffy!) In need of work, they get a paying gig saving the adult-children of Ambassador Xixa who have been imprisoned after a failed publicity stunt. Unfortunately for Max and Alex, they crash land on the planet of the alien dictator who is holding the children and are sentenced to death. These Queens will have to rely on their skills (and what are those, exactly?) to save themselves and the children — while continuing to look fabulous!
Inevitably, the job they thought they accepted turns into something more meaningful, and their relationships with fellow rebels turn spicy along the way. Much of the humor is derived in the chemistry between Max and Alex, and in particular by Max’s quips and frequent antics. Max is a playboy who is always ready with a sexual innuendo or general comic relief in hyper-charged action scenarios.
Booher refers to Balboni and Saxon’s artwork as “retrofuturism,” with panels and outfits that combine to create rainbows on most pages. Outside the silliness and celebration of the LGBTQIA+ communities in which the characters belong are deeper themes of anti-fascism and human rights. Between that and the sexual innuendos, the Killer Queens series is best suited for older teens (and adults). Bonus backmatter includes a mini comic about Harry the Hench Otter that adds to the fun.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Adult
Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Failure by J.L. Westover (Image Comics)
Failure is one of two collected volumes of webcomics from the popular cartoonist, J.L. Westover, who has a knack for making depictions of failure somehow as deflating and ego crushing as it is adorable and relatable. His human characters are monochromatic lumpy shapes that seem to say, “This could be anyone.”, and his anthropomorphized animals are cuddly in their epic failures.
Mr. Lovenstein tackles all kinds of topics, from God pondering his creation of life (to which Mr. Lovenstein appears and asks, “Why?” God has no answer for this, unfortunately.), to the nuances of social anxiety (a friend perishing because his Millennial buddy can’t bear the thought of calling-not texting!-for emergency assistance).
Failure includes a Foreword by cartoonist Christopher Grady (Lunarbaboon), about the universal nature of failure, whether big or small. There’s also an Afterword from Westover about the choice of failure as the theme for this collection. He says “Tragedy + Time = Comedy,” and that a world without failure would simply be boring. As painful as it can be at times, he’s probably correct.
Having used a few of the four panel cartoons in lectures for first-semester college students, I can confirm that Failure transcends age, experience, and location; it’s just universally funny. At the same time, this is recommended for older teen readers and adults due to language and mature situations scattered throughout the less mature cartoons.
- Comics Plus Collection: Full Collection
PeePee PooPoo #1 by Caroline Cash (Silver Sprocket)
It’s almost impossible to say (or type) PeePee PooPoo without smirking, or feeling grossed out. The book’s style is described as a gay, modern take on a 60s underground comic, and it depicts a series of short observations from the perspective of its creator, Caroline Cash. Scenarios like Cash’s illustrated introduction to herself, musings on how “every gay person in town has the same tattoo…,” including the person making that claim, and awkward pandemic-era dates are all relatable, yet also fresh and unique. The observations read like very artistic diary entries punctuated by funny statements, such as her move to Philadelphia from Chicago, saying goodbye to seasonal depression and hello to “regular depression.”
Because humor is funniest when it rings true, Cash’s clever take on the world finds levity in its authenticity. While it’s never disclosed why the series was given such a juvenile title, it certainly created a light-hearted moment during the Eisner Industry Award Celebration when the booming voice of actor Phil LaMarr announced that PeePee PooPoo had won the Eisner for Best Limited Series in 2024.
While the bubbly lettering and benign illustrations and colors will appeal to a broad audience, the adult perspective and situations makes this a fun read for adults who don’t take themselves too seriously.
- Comics Plus Collection: Full Collection
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Moni Barrette, MLIS is the Director, Collection Development for LibraryPass, as well as former President of American Library Association’s Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, and co-founder of the nonprofit Creators, Assemble! Inc. As a former public library manager, Moni won the California Library Association PRExcellence Award (2018 & 2019) for library events aimed at underserved adult library users, and has proven success using comics to increase library circulation. She is a frequent panelist at San Diego and New York Comic Con, San Diego Comic Fest and Wonder-Con, hosting industry networking events and providing instruction to educators and librarians.
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