I have a 9 year old boy that is struggling reading. I’m wondering what series would be good for his reading level. He just completed 3rd grade but probably reads around early or middle 2nd grade level. He has never taken an interest in reading, but saw me reading comics and manga wanted to participate; however, while he would sound out the words, he didn’t have an understanding of the vocabulary. Content is not an issue for me personally, as long as it’s a good stepping stone for him so he can read with enough of the vocabulary in the particular story that he would use context clues to understand the meanings of words he didn’t know. Any suggestions?
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Howdy 
There is a new comic that just came out last week called “Dear Justice League” by Michael Northrop that might be right up his alley. It is a fun book where JL members answer letters from kids it is apparently pretty funny for all ages. I hope this helps.
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@kjwalker
@bearofzeus asked for help for his 5 year old daughter.
The members together prepared a list
I just bump up that list of more kid appropriate stuff in our library
The thrrad may be above you or below
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Also DC Super Heroes Batman comics going on right now that are in the style of the old Batman The Animated Series art style. Those could be fun because he could watch the old show along with reading them to get a feel of an extended universe.
There is also Goosebumps comics being published right now along with Uncle Scrooge (the Duck character with his 3 nephews from Disney)
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A few suggestions for titles that are available on DC Universe and fit your criteria:
-Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!
-Superman Family Adventures
-Super Powers (the 2016-2017 mini-series)
-Tiny Titans
-Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse
Along with Super Powers, the Superman and Titans books are especially good for the kiddos, as they’re very simple and easy to get into, from a reading comprehension perspective. Plus, the same folks worked on those four books, so if your child digs one, they’ll probably end up liking the others too.
Depending on your how your child handles those titles, the Shazam! series can serve as a nice “level up” for them to continue enhancing their reading skills with.
Hope these are of use to you. Good luck!
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I second Tiny Titans, and I just started Plastic Man 2003, and it’s a lot like a newspaper strip in its minimal dialogue. The art’s really dynamic and interesting, too, so it might catch your son’s interest.
https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/series/plastic-man-2003/c88a577f-c693-4a5c-8054-e0dc28a25720
(Note the second issue there is actually from a different series so you might want to skip it for now)
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Add my vote for the Art Baltazar comics (Tiny Titans, Super Powers, Superman Family). DC Superhero Girls is another good series, but obviously more girl oriented. Teen Titans Go is a good one, especially if he likes the show. Also, while you’re at it, check out Scooby Doo Team Up and Looney Toons.
Other non-DC related comic titles that my kids liked are Dog-Man (super simple language) and Big Nate. Good luck!
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I think maybe Young Justice would be decent and appropriate. If the kid has a character that they’re into you can start there. Even if it’s a challenge, it might give incentive for improvement.
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Tiny Titans is fun, as are DC Super Hero Girls and Li’l Gotham. There are also comics in the styles and worlds of various cartons, so if he has a favorite show, those would be good to check out. (Example: The Batman Strikes)
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