Comics can be thought-provoking, boundary-breaking, emotionally complex, and all the things that books without pictures can be. Any kid who's ever devoured a title such as Anya's Ghost, Invisible Emmie or A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel can already tell you this. Some parents, though, could use more convincing. There's still an idea that comics aren't "real" literature, or that they're simply a gateway to help reluctant readers transition from picture books to chapter books. But they can be so much more. Here's why all children should explore the vast comics universe if they haven't already.

Take Neil Gaiman and H.P. Lovecraft and smash them together and you get A Study In Emerald, a short story that sees a nameless consulting detective investigate the murder of a German prince, set against the backdrop of a gothic 19th century England ripped from the Cthulhu mythos. The best part? You can read it online, for free.