Buying for a 13 year old girl?

[Kees_L]

Simply because they'd be swell and delightful books to read for anyone, I would second Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä, Jeff Smith's Bone, Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo plus I'd add Beasts Of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, Dave Schultz's Peanuts, Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes and Mignola's The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Stories if she could be to like weird stuff at all.

If only because technology or such could be good for creativity or making neat stuff?
Like maybe it would work well to indulge her own interests yet with also getting her to broaden such interests onto developing most fruitfully?
Technology for an interest will be great either socially or creatively or educationally or either health-wise - since all tech experts would know how expanding oneself with plenty of exercise and healthy foods and such would be of importance I'd be to think.

[Alex Scott]

Wow, all my recommendations are taken, too. Especially Gunnerkrigg Court--my personal favorite webcomic.

I'd add Fullmetal Alchemist, which is now being rereleased in omnibus form. It's pretty dark, but heck, what 13-year-old doesn't like to be at least a little daring?

[stelok]

Archie Comics is probably the only U.S. comic I know would cater to any 13-year old girls' interest

However there are lots of shojo manga that were aimed at the audience of 13-year old girl readers. Shojo means "girl".

Sunshine Sketch (Hidamari Sketch)
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
K-On
Cardcaptor Sakura
Hot Gimmick
Papillon - Hana to Chou
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Oresama Teacher
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Seconds on Runaways.

I would also put down Brian Wood & Ryan Kelly's Local. There is a smattering of violence-- and one story dealing with sex-- but that's it. Certainly nothing I would call gratuitous.

[king mob]

Alan Moore and Ian Gibson's Halo Jones is a start, but the real joy is the collected editions of British girls comics like Bunty.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Damn, forgot Halo. It's a grossly undervalued book in this country.

So yeah, that too.

[Alex Scott]

A few I forgot to mention:

* Adventure Time - though I'd check if she likes the show first. My 12-yr-old niece does, that's for sure.

* Magic Knight Rayearth - gorgeously-drawn sword-and-sorcery, also currently getting an omnibus rerelease.

[LoneNecromancer]

Well, my sister is 13, and reads comics and manga, so, going by stuff she likes:

Manga: 1/2 Prince, Black Cat, Bleach, Beezlebub, Fairy Tail, Naruto, One Piece, Pandora Hearts & Skip Beat. She doesn't read much shoujo though since the amount of focus on sparkling pretty guys just annoys her.

Comics: Batgirl (before and after relaunch, though as for before, Steph's not Cass's, she read some of it but the art put her off a bit), Batman (Snyder's), Batman & Robin (before and after relaunch, mainly the Morrison issues), Chew (though that depends on how much profanity you mind her reading), Red Robin, Runaways (the first three trades at least, she hasn't read any further), Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, STARS and S.T.R.I.P.E., Teen Titans... there's a bunch more other stuff too but I'd have to check what exactly she likes the most, I'm not sure, these are just specific things she's said on occasion.

I suggest you just find something close in genre or story to what sort of things you know your niece likes and go from there.

[MadMikeyD]

My daughter is 11. She enjoys Betty & Veronica and other Archie comics. She also really likes Bone. For comic strip collections she loves Calvin & Hobbes and FoxTrot, along with the occasional Garfield book. There's not a lot of the strong female leads in those, but she's read the covers off of my TPBs.

[DrewHLMW]

I'd go with the current Volume of Supergirl. Volume 1 of the TPB 'Last Daughter of Krypton' collects issues #1-7. there's no sex or gore and follows a young teenage girl trying to find her place in a new world. seems like a good choice to me.