Funny fiction is fabulous, particularly for fickle fans. And with that alliteration out of the way, silly stories are even more fun when they happen to be comics — because of course there is a comic book for every reader!
I’ve got a new round of joyfully jubilant comics jaunts for all ages and senses of humor, including wordplay, puns, silly situations, gallows gaffes, and straight-up slapstick, this round of Pick Six has you covered.
For even more levity, check out our Silly Reads to Tickle Your Funnybone list, all available for unlimited, simultaneous reading with Comics Plus.
Middle Grade
Puppy Knight: Den of Deception by Michael Sweater and Josue Cruz (Silver Sprocket)
Pugsly and Sparky are on a quest to find treasure, mostly because it beats washing dishes to pay for their Puppytail™ Cola habit. Thankfully, all they have to do to get the gold is extract it from a creepy haunted house, which is cursed by nefarious sorcery! Now, the two friends must survive the encounter and still navigate the dishes of doom.
Josue Cruz’s illustrations are silly and cartoonish, supporting the humor within the tale of two friends who learn that some things are even more valuable than treasure — but not by much!
While intended for kids in grades 2-4, adults are also certain to enjoy this silly, swashbuckling adventure. Backmatter includes a bonus cartoon, plus a “making of” connecting to the broader comics creation process. This type of added bonus content is ideal for classroom and library use, lending itself to comics making workshops and drawing exercises.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Operation: Make a Splash by Tate Godwin (Andrews McMeel)
Three friends begin their official summer break operation with a game plan: Violet is going to comic book design camp; Nick is going to make new music with his idol, DJ French Toast; and Sy plans some serious work towards a professional gaming career. Unfortunately for them, life gets in the way with impromptu family fishing trips, comics camp cancelled for drama camp, and DJ bullies stifling lyrical creativity. Can the friends lean into these setbacks and save their summer, or will their attempts at making a splash land like belly flops?
Tate Godwin’s illustrations are fresh and kid friendly, with vibrant colors and large word balloons and fonts laid out on the backdrop of faux notebook paper.
Opening with a punny joke, punctuated by a literal splash, the moment at the public pool where the kids devise their operation sets the tone for the fun vibe and silly antics that follow. This is a follow-up to Operation: Cover-Up, and readers are sure to enjoy both operations.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Teens
Softies: Stuff That Happens After The World Blows Up by Kyle Smeallie (Iron Circus)
Kay is the lone survivor of an exploded planet earth who finds herself aboard an alien spacecraft. Not just any spacecraft; Arizona and her dog Euclid are space junk collectors and dealers. The duo takes pity on Kay and begins a quest to find proof of earth’s former existence in order to help Kay get back home. While their travels are fraught with calamity, the friends learn that home can become anywhere your loved ones are.
Collecting the first nine episodes of the Softies webcomic, it ends without resolution beyond the promise of more adventures. Kyle Smeallie’s illustrations are fun, funky, and colorful, while backmatter includes an encyclopedia with a featured space mammal, character Q&As, and more.
There is a naturally diverse array of characters, and it’s funny to watch them technically speak the same language, but with radically different frames of reference. While witty wordplay and silly situations abound, this title is best for tweens and teens due to the sophistication of the jokes and vocabulary.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
The Muppets Noir #1 by Roger Langridge (Dynamite)
When Kermit the Frog accidentally gets knocked out cold while reading a noir novel, he dreams up the mystery of Flip Minnow in The Snoozing Sleuth. The silly sleuth is tasked with finding a piemaker’s daughter, whom fans will recognize as Miss Piggy, but the proximity to pie causes Flip to fall asleep whenever he smells it! There’s a fun, hidden-in-plain-sight element to this so-called mystery, which ends on a cliffhanger as the real Kermit remains knocked out, and the knockout Miss Piggy continues to elude the snoozing sleuth.
Roger Langridge’s depiction of the modern Muppets doesn’t quite capture the cozy feelings of watching their 3D puppet counterparts, but the style change for the noir tale is a (pie) chef’s kiss.
The Muppets are a go-to in our household anytime someone needs a pick-me-up. This short glimpse into their world does not disappoint in terms of humor or nostalgia, and will find happy teen and adult readers alike. From the clever setup of the central mystery to the natural silliness of the Muppet characters, I doubt anyone will be able to read this without smiling!
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Young Adult
Sad Nuggie: Life is Sweet and Sour by Sad Nuggie and Anastasia Sevastyanova (Andrews McMeel)
There is nothing not to love about Nuggie: He is a shy, anxious, adorable introvert and foodie. Messy moments from his highly relatable life are delivered in chapters that show him adjusting to a new city, dressing for success, and dating in the modern era. Each chapter ends with Nuggie in a different therapy session where he clearly values pleasing his therapist over actually admitting his defeats.
The creative team behind this popular character succeeds by making an otherwise ordinary-looking chicken nugget highly expressive through the simplicity of his oversized eyes and one-line mouth.
While much of the humor comes from readers being able to relate to Nuggie’s various scenarios, moments like watching him create a wax hand mold on his triangular nugget hands brought surprise and genuine laugh-out-loud moments, like being given a free ice cream cone only to drop it on the concrete. While there’s nothing inappropriate about Nuggie’s stories for younger readers, he is best enjoyed by older teens and adults who will better relate to his follies.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Adult
I Am Their Silence by Jordi Lafebre (Dark Horse)
Due to her recent, erratic behavior, Eva is required to complete special sessions with her therapist before being cleared to treat her own patients again. During their session, Eva tells the tale of how being invited to support her wealthy client, a Spanish cava heir, at the reading of their grandmother’s will turned into a convoluted tale of murder and whodunit mystery. While she, a former medical student, claims to not have poisoned the victim (dead bodies make her ill!), Eva dives into a dangerously obsessive solo hunt for the truth behind the murder and the nefarious extended family. Did I mention she’s guided by the voices-and distinct personalities-of the three women who raised her?
This is a mature title from internationally acclaimed writer-illustrator Jordi Lafebre, who created the equally clever Always Never, which was one of our recent Book Club picks. There’s a fabulous breezy vibe to both books despite the vast difference in subject matter.
I Am Their Silence is a mostly light-hearted mystery that unravels around delightfully unpredictable characters, especially Eva herself who remains comedically unbothered by the increasingly raised stakes. If ever a character made wild choices “for the plot,” it’s Eva.
- Comics Plus Collection: Full Collection
Read All The Comics!
“An absolute game changer.” School Library Journal
With Comics Plus, schools and libraries can offer readers unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, manga, and picture books from popular publishers like ABDO, Andrews McMeel, Capstone, Cherry Lake, Dark Horse, Europe Comics, Fantagraphics, IDW, Image Comics, Kodansha, Lerner, Mad Cave, Manga Classics, Oni Press, Papercutz, Tokyopop, TOON Books, UDON Entertainment, Yen Press, and dozens more.
No holds, wait lists, or monthly borrowing limits—all at a price that won’t break your materials budget.
Learn more at comicsplusapp.com and sign up for a free demo account.
_____
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. In 2025, she was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker. Moni 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..
We curate high-interest, immersive digital content that helps schools and libraries expand and diversify their collections—without breaking their materials budgets.
