Technology is ever-present in today’s world, so it’s difficult to determine the best ways to introduce our kids to play-based devices. It might also be challenging to find things that aren’t connected to the internet which helps to alleviate any concerns about accidentally wandering on sites or making purchases. Today, we’ll take a look at a few devices that my kids have enjoyed this year to highlight some safe low-key options that still provide a ton of fun.

Lifeformed: Volume 2 - Hearts and Minds from Dark Horse Books is exactly what fans of the first volume needed. Writer Matt Mair Lowery and artist Cassie Anderson are back together for the second volume in this sci-fi adventure series, releasing September 4, as they dive deeper into the world surrounding Cleo and her shapeshifting alien friend, who also happens to look like her dad.

The space community has had a productive year, discovering significant data to better understand the great universe outside of our home planet. From that data, there are many opportunities for researchers to develop images or real-life simulations to better understand the magnitude of what’s happening in far-reaching locations, like the International Space Station (ISS), Mars, and the Sun.

Spencer & Locke 2 delivers in such a spectacular way that allows this volume stand on its own, while also further validating the likability of its title characters. The trade paperback for Spencer & Locke 2 is being released this Wednesday, and whether you’re a fan of the first volume or new to the series, this collection is totally worth it.

Stories that present children as wonderful thinkers, trying to find answers to their many questions in life, are a very wonderful thing. As a parent, Bolivar from Archaia (an imprint of BOOM! Studios) is a fantastic tale of a dinosaur living in New York City – and like many things in life, people are too busy to notice. Sean Rubin writes and illustrates this story and gives parents and their children a phenomenal look into those who might be overlooked in life, including the one girl who can see this dinosaur.

Fans of Shards: Volume 1 will be happy to see a second chapter for one of the stories in the first of two anthologies. In Place of Honor: Chapter One explores a world where wolves and ryders are seeking control in an ongoing war, while one wolf, Bennett, is captured and locked in chains in a cell. Not only does this character stay in wolf form for the majority of the first chapter, she ultimately has to watch other wolves being tortured and murdered, quite gruesomely, before escape is offered by an enemy that appreciates honor above horrifying prison tactics.

“Comic-Con International: San Diego began in 1970 when a group of comics, movie, and science fiction fans -- including the late Shel Dorf, Ken Krueger, and Richard Alf -- banded together to put on the first comic book convention in southern California. Comic-Con started as a one-day ‘minicon,’ called San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Minicon, on March 21, 1970 at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.”  (Comic-Con Int'l)

Forrest Gump is celebrating its 25th anniversary this July, and for someone that saw it four times in theater (at age 14), it’s a perfect time to review the significance of this movie to parents and their kids. Tom Hanks is the titular character in this film, earning him the Academy Award (1994) that was his second in back-to-back years.

Spencer & Locke 2 #4 reaches a point in the plot that never even remotely seemed possible. Writer David Pepose carefully crafts the conclusion to the second story arc of this amazing series with dominoes falling until the last one blows your mind.

Fanbase Press' coverage of the 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards continues with the "Countdown to the Eisners" series. From Wednesday, May 29, through Wednesday, July 10, 2019, Fanbase Press will highlight each of the Eisner Awards' 31 nomination categories, providing comic book industry members and readers alike the opportunity to learn more about the nominees and their work. Stay tuned for Fanbase Press' continued coverage of the Eisner Awards, including live coverage of the ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 19.