How did Kids for Comics get started?
Harold Buchholz and I both just have a passion for comics. We wanted to get them out to kids. In Amelia, I printed that if any reader sent in $200, I would do a watercolor of their favorite character, and that the money would go to this purpose. I raised about $2,500—that was 15 or 16 watercolors. We put it all into a fund and met up here in Harrisburg with creators, retailers, and editors and hammered out what the organization was going to be. What makes Kids Love Comics different from the other resources out there that review comics? We’re an advocacy group, but we’re not a censorship group. We’re not saying all comic books should be for kids, just that these comics with the Kids for Comics “seal of approval” are good for kids. They’re really appropriate. We try to have a wide base of individuals who make up the panel—creators, educators, distributors, retailers—so it really reflects the gamut of people involved in comic-book publishing, including Joe Murray, a comics retailer, and S
