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Tips and Tools to Help You Integrate Comic Strips in Teaching

By Med Kharbach, PhD | Last Update: May 19, 2023

Why use comic strips in your teaching?

Here are some of the reasons why you might want to include comic strips in your classroom instruction (see the list of sources  at the bottom of this post to learn more):

• Comic strips are fun, interesting and motivating.
• They promote a wide variety of skills: cognitive, intellectual, social, and cultural.
• They can be used with students in different school grades.
• They can be used to teach different school subjects.
• They can help students develop higher-order thinking skills (sequencing, predicting, inferring, synthesizing, analyzing, evaluating…etc).
• They enhance students engagement with multimodal texts.
• They make students aware of the multimodal means through which meanings are constructed and communicated.
• They can be used in language teaching
• They can be used to teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
• Visually illustrated content is much easier to process, understand and remember.

How to use comic strips in class?

There are different ways you can integrate comic strips in your classroom. Here is an abbreviated list of ideas I put together based on various sources (see list at the bottom of this post).

• Digital storytelling: students (in small groups or individually) create a narrative storyline and illustrate it with relevant graphics.
• Students use comic strips to visually retell a story they have read.
• You can use comic strips to introduce a topic and have students brainstorm ideas
• Provide students with pre-designed comic strips with missing panels and ask them to fill in the blanks to complete the story. (Writing activity)
• Provide students with blanked out comic strips and ask them to write a story based on the illustrated characters. (Writing activity, promote predicting skills)
• Use comic strips to raise students awareness to topics such as racism, bullying, digital citizenship…etc.
• Use comic strips in language learning to teach vocabulary, grammar, communication (use of language in contextual situations), writing, and reading.
• Use comics to improve students speaking skills by asking them to act out comics they created. Alternatively, you can engage students in oral discussions about the content of the comics.

Comic strips making tools

The following are some of the best comic maker tools out there. They are simple and easy to use. These tools also provide a wide variety of pre-designed materials such as templates, characters, backgrounds, images, objects, speech bubbles, panels, grids, frames…etc. Students simply drag and drop then edit and preview before sharing their final product with the whole class.

1- Make Beliefs Comix

An excellent and easy to use tool for creating beautiful comic strips. It provides you with a diverse cast of characters, speech bubbles, props, backgrounds, objects and many more. Your finished product can be printed, saved to disk or shared with others through email.

Pixton allows students to easily create stunning comics using a drag and drop editor. They can choose from ‘fully posable characters to dynamic panels, props, and speech bubbles, every aspect of a comic can be controlled in an intuitive click-n-drag motion.’

3- Witty Comics

Witty Comics provides you with a set of pre-designed characters, scenes and dialogue boxes to write your story. You need to log in to save your work.

4- StoryboardThat

StoryboardThat Allows students to create beautiful storyboards. It provides  a wide variety of editing and sharing features. Students can choose from scenes, characters, shapes, textables, and even upload their own images to use in their storyboards.

5. Canva Comic Strips Maker

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Meet Med Kharbach, PhD

Dr. Med Kharbach is an influential voice in the global educational technology landscape, with an extensive background in educational studies and a decade-long experience as a K-12 teacher. Holding a Ph.D. from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, he brings a unique perspective to the educational world by integrating his profound academic knowledge with his hands-on teaching experience. Dr. Kharbach's academic pursuits encompass curriculum studies, discourse analysis, language learning/teaching, language and identity, emerging literacies, educational technology, and research methodologies. His work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in various esteemed academic journals.

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Using Comics and Graphic Novels to Support Literacy

Nontraditional books can help students make connections to content at the word level and deepen understanding by providing visual context.

Let’s look closely at the literacy work that can be done with comics and graphic novels in literacy instruction, particularly with upper elementary and middle grades students. While some strategies helpfully focus on work at the word level, these visual texts afford additional possibilities.

My history with comics began at a young age, but I only remember finding one graphic novel (an adaptation of the  Clash of the Titans  film) in my school library growing up. Soon after I started teaching middle school, however, graphic novels began to make their way into classrooms. I first remember seeing the work of  Raina Telgemeier  and  Doug TenNapel  at library book fairs.

So, are these books merely dessert when it comes to literacy, or are they fruitful texts for instructional purposes?

Encourage Rereading by Choice to Build Fluency

Part of the limitation with many reading support approaches is a focus on a singular area of reading—for example, phonemic awareness or phonics. I contend that there is more than word-level work to be done with reading as students navigate the complex texts that are part of reading and composing life in upper elementary and beyond.

Fluency is about more than timers and speed—there’s also something to be said for multiple exposures to a wide range of texts, and what better way to encourage rereading than by embracing materials that students readily want to read and revisit?  I often felt that engagement with a low-interest/low-relevance text once from my students was a gift and investment from them. After all, I don’t readily engage with material I don’t like to read as an adult—even as someone who really loves to read.

Moreover, fluency can be encouraged across multiple content area readings through comics. Comics tackle many topics and content areas, and their inviting nature makes for compelling rereading.  Science Comics , published by First Second, visually and verbally presents concepts and vocabulary through the use of picture support, and series like  Seen , published by BOOM! Studios, share stories of historical figures through words and pictures.

Adding to Comprehension: The Butterfly Effect

The oft-cited example of how not to use picture support is teaching the word  butterfly  by pointing to a picture of a butterfly instead of the word itself. I completely agree that teaching vocabulary and new words includes a focus on the individual word and word parts. When it comes to comprehension, comics and graphic novels are helpful, rather, for building schema and locating concepts within wider conceptualizations of a range of words and ideas. It is one thing to encounter a new word—encountering the word, along with key visuals to reinforce its meaning and situate it in life, is yet another task.

The visual nature of comics leads to both verbal/word-level vocabulary and meaning-making about the larger illustrated world, including inferencing with character expressions and between panels. Inferencing, a particularly tricky skill to teach in English language arts, can be emphasized with key questions about the unseen actions and motivations that exist, including the passage of time and the use of flashbacks, between panels in comics.

Character elements and literary concepts in comics occur in a number of ways, including the visual presentation of the character, the expressions and emotions that are rendered by artists, and the mood and tone of particular scenes through the ways that panels are arranged and the ways that colors are used.

While comics may or may not contain as many words as a prose text, depending on the example that is being considered, there are additional features that can be actively put to use in instruction.

Visuals Add to Narrative Awareness

At one time, I thought that comics and graphic novels were only about superheroes, but they are so much more. Comics can be an opportunity to encounter story types, memoir, and features of plot and narrative work. They can be spaces to explore complex social and emotional questions and ways of sharing a story.

For me, encountering these elements serves both an analytical purpose and a compositional direction that can be taken with students, inviting stories to be created with words and images. Consider the following examples of what comics can do, including the range of complexity that can be found in these works:

• Booked , by Kwame Alexander and Dawud Anyabwile
• This Was Our Pact , by Ryan Andrews
• Class Act , by Jerry Craft
• Invisible , by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriela Epstein
• Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure , by Lewis Hancox  
• When Stars Are Scattered , by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed; illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy  
• The Cat Kid Comic Club , by Dav Pilkey
• Stargazing , by Jen Wang

While I don’t view comics as a panacea for all literacy needs, or even the go-to type of reading material for all students, I do see them as viable texts in an array of additional readings. As I mentioned in a previous post,  these books have possibilities for serious learning that meet language arts standards .

My vision of the classroom shelf is one of a range of types of texts, as well as a range of authors and characters.

Using Comics to Spark Creativity and Imaginative Learning

by Moni Barrette | Mar 1, 2021 | Comic Spotlight , Comics Plus , Resources | 0 comments

Reading is fundamental—as the saying goes—but it’s not the only effective means of learning. Adapting to multiple learning styles is an important component in meeting students where they are, and maximizing learning outcomes. Comics can ease readers into new subject matter while building their confidence, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills. They also help foster a joy of reading which can level the academic playing field.

Beyond their educational value, comics also inspire readers to find their own voices. One of the most common ‘side effects’ of reading comics is telling one’s own stories—sometimes with their favorite characters, or original creations—building their own worlds to explore and share.

Whether you have an elaborate makerspace or a single Chromebook, collaboration and artistic expression are amazing ways to explore key concepts beyond traditional educational media. When combined with a visual medium that readers already love, like comics, there is no limit to how much enrichment can come from a craft activity, art project, or science experiment.

Our Get Inspired, Get Creative! list of recommended titles will help spark creativity and imaginative learning, whether you are working in-person or in virtual environments.

Atlas: ABC’s for Superheroes by Darren G. Davis & Mark Brooks

With large illustrations, clear, colorful backgrounds, and bold, easy to read text, this serves as a wonderful starter comic for early readers. Young superhero fans will delight in the cartoonishly musclebound Atlas, his fun origin story, and entertaining use of the alphabet. In lieu of illustrating violence, Atlas engages a supervillain through the letters K-O (Kick, Laser, Muscles, Never give up, and Ouch).

Humor is infused throughout this quick read, and it is a wonderful addition to any list of books focused on teaching the alphabet and how to read, or interactive storytimes.

Penciling, Inking, and Coloring Your Graphic Novel by Frances Lee

This essential guide includes comprehensive chapters on basic drawing tools and concepts of proportion and perspective, before diving into the details of penciling, inking, coloring, and shading. It reads like a book of secrets nobody tells you before starting your first graphic novel, but you should absolutely know them. The step-by-step instruction leads to exhilarating results as simple pencil lines become fully actualized characters which evolve into a vibrant whirlwind of imaginative creativity. This is a great jumping off point for all ages with extensive back matter which includes a glossary, additional resources, recommended websites, and an index.

Seeing the process unfold on the page is an adventure itself, while achieving the end result will take a lot of practice that can be encouraged in makerspace activities.

A Geek’s Guide to Cross-Stitch; Journeys in Space by Clarissa Thorne, Bonnie Burton, Oceano Ransford

“I am a geek. That means I give myself permission to love things with total abandon. I actively seek out ways to express that love, and I have found that there is no medium unworthy of sharing my obsession with the world.”

The foreword by creator Clarissa Thorne speaks not only to our inner geek, but also emphasizes why exploring creativity through comics is a great way to express ourselves and grow. It starts with Stitch Camp which includes an explanation of cross-stitch itself, what tools are needed, and where to acquire them. How-to descriptions are accompanied by photographs that make the whole process feel very manageable. It gets really exciting when it gets to Mission Schematics, at which time we blast off into outer space complete with cosmic patterns, design tips and mission narration.

This base camp setting creates a fun collaborative environment for group projects. Cross stitch novices and experienced stitchers alike will enjoy sharing their progress, ideas and challenges. There are multiple Mission patterns, giving space for independent choices while working towards a shared collective outcome.

The Oatmeal: 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) by Matthew Inman

From the comedic mind of The Oatmeal’s creator, Matthew Inman, comes this “guide” of both the practical and inane. Should we be taking life advice from such a light-hearted source? At this point, a little levity simply can’t hurt.

While on its face, some suggestions feel purely humorous, others turn out to be head-scratchers that will stick with you, and possibly turn out to be pretty decent advice. Topics range from the far-fetched, like how not to die while giving a bear a haircut—or bearcut, if you will—to legitimate lessons on how to properly use contractions, the origins of cheese, the science of bacteria, and so much more, all illustrated with crackpot cartoons.

An enjoyable read on its own, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth can also be used in classrooms and makerspaces as participants will have fun illustrating and sharing their own advice and observations.

How to Draw Manga: Next Generation by Robert Acosta, David Hutchison, Fred Perry

This series begins with the very, essential basics. Black and white throughout, the focus is kept on the content and the how-to instruction. Starting with an explanation of Manga art paper, the text interweaves the history and origins of Manga as an art form in a very natural flow with the step-by-step instructions. Everything from pencil type recommendations to the essentials of Manga eyes and expression portrayal are covered.

Accessible to most readers as the concepts are broken down for easy understanding, the art style includes detailed anatomical artwork and is recommended for older Teens already familiar with more mature Manga titles. That said, How to Draw Manga: Next Generation could be presented to a class, or handed to a teen, and can be easily followed to create basic Manga characters from start to finish.

Practical exercises are included that could be used in partner or group work, in addition to the potential for virtual participation. Lessons on depth and perspective are included, making this a good overall resource for aspiring artists in various media.

Engage, Excite, Circulate!

With Comics Plus , students and library patrons can have access to thousands of age-appropriate digital comics, graphic novels, and manga. Learn more at comicsplusapp.com and sign for a free demo account .

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Book Report Alternative: Comic Strips and Cartoon Squares

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Students examine graphic novels and comic books and discuss  the important components of the genre, such as captions, dialogue, and images. They then use an online tool to create a six-panel comic highlighting six key scenes in a book they have read. By creating comic strips or cartoon squares featuring characters in books, students are encouraged to think analytically about the characters, events, and themes they've explored in ways that expand their critical thinking by focusing on crystallizing the significant points of the book in a few short scenes.

Featured Resources

Comic Creator : This online tool allows students to easily create and print comic strips.

Comic Strip Planning Sheet : Use this worksheet for students to plan their comic strips before using the online tool.

From Theory to Practice

This activity invites the student to think symbolically. The students choose key scenes for their characters and books, find landscapes and props that fit the scenes, and compose related dialogue. These student representations of the books, with their multifaceted texts using symbols, images, texts, and metaphor, succeed in the classroom because they provide a snapshot of the students' comprehension of the ideas in the texts. As Vokoun describes, the alternative to a traditional book report "allows students to create something unique and show their understanding of what they read."

Further Reading

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
• 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Materials and Technology

Graphic novels and comic book versions of well-known books for inspiration and comparison (optional)

• Comic Strip Planning Sheet
• Comic Strip Rubric

Preparation

• Before this lesson, students will read a book independently, in literature circles, or as a whole class.
• Ask students to bring copies of the book that will be the focus of their comic strips to class for reference.
• Make copies or overheads of the planning sheet and the rubric.
• Practice the steps for using the Comic Creator with your computers.
• Visit the Website of Scott McCloud , author of Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics , for background on the genre, inspirations, and sample comics. Additional information can also be found at  Integrative Art: American Comic Strips from Pennsylvania State University.

Student Objectives

Students will

• identify appropriate landscapes, characters, and props that relate to the events and characters in the books they've read.
• interact with classmates to give and receive feedback.
• explore how audience, purpose, and medium shape their writing.
• Share the example graphic novels and comic books with students and explain the assignment, pointing out each of the parts that are included.
• What are the important characteristics of a caption? What do the words in the captions tell you about the scene depicted?
• What kind of landscape makes sense for the scene?
• What props can you associate with the scene?
• How kind of dialogue bubble makes sense for the interaction?
• What connects one scene to the next in the comic strip?
• Once you're satisfied that students understand the assignment, demonstrate the Comic Creator student interactive and discuss its relationship to the Comic Strip Planning Sheet . Be sure to cycle through the options for characters and dialogue bubbles to show students the range of options available.
• Have students begin work with the Comic Strip Planning Sheet to plan their book reports. Students can work individually or in groups on this project.
• Encourage students to interact with one another, to share and receive feedback on their plans for comic strips. Since these comics will be shared in the class as well as in the library, hearing the feedback and comments of other students helps writers refine their work for their audience.
• Students can continue working on the project for homework if desired.
• Remind students of the goals and elements included in this project. Answer any questions students have.
• For the comic title, name the scene (or scenes) that will be depicted.
• For the comic subtitle, name the book where the scene is found.
• Include your name or the names of the members of your group as the authors of this comic strip.
• Choose the six-frame comic strip. (Alternately, have students choose the one-frame cartoon square and focus their work on an important scene in the book).
• In each of the six frames of the comic strip show a significant event from the book.
• Under each picture or cartoon, write a caption that provides additional detail on the scene.
• Print at least three copies of your finished comic strip.
• While students work, again encourage them to interact with one another, to share and receive feedback on their plans for comic strips.
• After the comic strips are printed out, students can decorate them with markers or other classroom supplies.
• As students finish, ask them to turn in two copies of the comic strip (one for you and one for the librarian-the third copy is for the students to keep).

Student Assessment / Reflections

For more formal assessment, use the Comic Strip Rubric which is tied to the elements included in the planning sheet. On the other hand, nothing is as useful as the feedback that they'll receive by sharing their comic strips with their peers. Informal feedback from students who read the comics and search out the related book are excellent feedback for students.

• Lesson Plans
• Professional Library
• Student Interactives
• Calendar Activities

In this article, Versaci details the many merits of using comics and graphic novels in the classroom, suggests how they can be integrated into historical and social issues units, and recommends several titles.

The Comic Creator invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts (prewriting, pre- and postreading activities, response to literature, and so on).

Students create a short, humorous story with at least one action character, and then use online tools to make a flipbook.

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Just Breathe by Meraki

"a client healed is another healthy piece added to the world", transformation tuesday- “think outside the panels: enhancing critical thinking with comic strips”.

Dive into the world of comic strips and cartoons, where laughter meets learning, and explore how these seemingly lighthearted illustrations can be powerful tools for enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. In this blog post, we’ll unravel the fun and data-driven side of comics, proving that humor is not only good for the soul but also for sharpening those cognitive edges.

1. **”The Puzzling Punchline: A Comic Quest for Critical Thinking”** – Engaging scenario: “Imagine a comic strip where the punchline is a puzzle, inviting readers to decipher the humor. The Puzzling Punchline reveals that every laugh is a mental workout, enhancing critical thinking one punchline at a time.”

– Data: According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, engaging in puzzles and problem-solving activities improves cognitive abilities, including critical thinking.

2. **”Character Conundrums: Cartoon Quandaries for Problem-Solving”** – Creative narrative: “In the world of cartoons, characters often find themselves in conundrums that require problem-solving prowess. Join them in navigating the Cartoon Quandaries, where every twist and turn is a playful challenge for your problem-solving abilities.”

– Data: The International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education emphasizes that problem-solving activities, even in playful contexts, contribute to improved critical thinking skills.

3. **”The Dialogue Dilemma: Comic Conversations for Cognitive Agility”** – Clever dialogue example: “Picture a comic strip where characters engage in witty banter, creating a Dialogue Dilemma that challenges readers to follow the conversation. Unraveling the humor becomes a workout for cognitive agility and quick-thinking skills.”

– Data: Studies in the Journal of Educational Psychology highlight the positive impact of engaging in dialogue and discussions on developing critical thinking skills.

4. **”The Plot Twist Parade: A Journey into Cognitive Flexibility”** – Playful narrative: “Enter the Plot Twist Parade, where unexpected turns keep readers on their toes. Navigating this parade becomes a journey into cognitive flexibility, proving that comics are not just about laughs but also about stretching mental muscles.”

– Data: Research in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement indicates that exposure to diverse and unexpected scenarios contributes to cognitive flexibility.

5. **”The Visual Vocabulary: Comics as a Language for Problem-Solving”** – Visual example: “Consider the Visual Vocabulary of comics – a language where images convey ideas. Comics serve as a unique medium for visual problem-solving, allowing readers to decode messages and sharpen their visual thinking skills.”

– Data: The journal Thinking Skills and Creativity suggests that incorporating visual elements into learning activities enhances problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.

Conclusion: Wrap up with a playful call-to-action, encouraging readers to explore the comic world for a cognitive workout. Comics and cartoons are not just for entertainment; they are tools for enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. So, pick up a comic strip, decode the humor, and watch as your cognitive prowess unfolds in a world where laughter and learning go hand in hand.

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The Educational Power of Comics in Student Learning

Introduction

Comics , once considered mere entertainment, have emerged as powerful tools in student learning. This article delves into the transformative impact of comics on education, exploring their benefits, integration strategies, and real-world success stories .

Benefits of Comics

Comics go beyond words, enhancing visual literacy skills and significantly improving comprehension and retention. The vivid combination of visuals and text captures students’ attention, making complex concepts more digestible.

Integrating Comics in Curriculum and Cognitive Benefits

Discover innovative ways to incorporate comics into teaching plans, with examples illustrating successful integration. From history to science, comics prove versatile, adding an exciting dimension to traditional subjects. Uncover the cognitive benefits of using comics in education , from influencing cognitive development to fostering critical thinking skills. Educational comics provide a unique platform for students to analyze and interpret information creatively.

The Role of Storytelling

Delve into the narrative power of educational comics and their role in developing language skills. The storytelling aspect engages students, making learning a dynamic and enjoyable experience.

Cultural Representation in Comics

Explore the significance of diverse characters in educational comics, promoting inclusivity and representing a variety of cultures. Comics become a powerful tool for breaking stereotypes and fostering understanding.

Research-backed Insights and Overcoming Stereotypes

Gain insights from research studies supporting the educational benefits of comics. Scholarly opinions affirm the positive impact of comics on student learning, providing a solid foundation for their inclusion in education. Address common misconceptions and concerns about using comics in education. Break the myths surrounding educational comics and emphasize their value in enhancing the learning experience.

Case Studies

Dive into real-world examples of schools effectively utilizing comics. Success stories highlight increased student engagement and improved academic performance through the integration of comics.

Teacher’s Guide to Using Comics

Equip educators with practical strategies for implementing comics in the classroom. Tips on selecting age-appropriate content and maximizing the educational potential of comics are discussed.

Comic Creation as a Learning Tool

Encourage students to become creators by incorporating comic creation as a learning tool. Fostering creativity and self-expression, this approach turns students into active participants in their educational journey.

Interactive Learning with Comics

Discover ways to make learning interactive by incorporating activities and discussions around comics. Engage students in critical discussions, encouraging them to think analytically about the content. Embracing interactive learning involves harnessing the power of various online resources to adeptly process academic material. One standout platform in this realm is mysupergeek, serving as a reliable helper for tasks such as essay writing and crafting comprehensive analyses of fiction and comics. The multifaceted capabilities of this resource have garnered substantial admiration among students who appreciate its efficacy in navigating the complexities of academic assignments. The user-friendly interface and valuable assistance provided by mysupergeek make it a favored companion for those seeking interactive and effective learning experiences.

The Impact on Different Subjects

Explore the application of comics in various subjects, from science to history. Learn how comics can breathe new life into lessons, making them more accessible and enjoyable for students.

Addressing Challenges

Acknowledge potential drawbacks of using comics in education and provide solutions to overcome challenges. Balancing entertainment with education is key to maximizing the benefits of comics.

Comics as a Gateway to Reading

Uncover how comics serve as a gateway to reading, particularly for reluctant readers. By combining visuals with text, comics make literature more approachable, sparking an interest in reading.

Parental Involvement

Guide parents on how to support the use of comics in education. Address concerns and misconceptions, emphasizing the positive impact comics can have on their child’s learning journey.

Future Trends in Educational Comics

Explore the intersection of comics and technology, uncovering emerging trends and technological advancements. The future promises exciting possibilities for comic-based learning.

Success Stories

Read testimonials from educators and students sharing their positive outcomes from incorporating comics in learning. These success stories underscore the transformative power of comics in education.

Q&A Session

Are comics a distraction in the classroom.

Comics, when used strategically, enhance focus and comprehension. Proper integration and selection of content aligning with educational goals mitigate any distraction concerns.

How can educators ensure age-appropriate content?

Educators should carefully vet content and choose comics that align with the curriculum and are age-appropriate. Many educational comics come with age recommendations.

Can comics be used in higher education?

Absolutely. Comics are versatile and can be adapted for higher education to engage students and facilitate better understanding of complex topics.

Do comics work for all learning styles?

While not a one-size-fits-all solution, comics cater to visual learners and offer an alternative perspective, making them beneficial for diverse learning styles.

Are there any proven academic benefits of using comics?

Research supports the positive impact of comics on academic performance, citing improved comprehension, critical thinking, and engagement among students.

How can parents encourage the use of comics at home?

Parents can create a conducive reading environment, discuss comics with their children, and select age-appropriate content. It’s a collaborative effort to foster a love for learning.

In conclusion, the educational power of comics in student learning is undeniable. From enhancing comprehension to fostering creativity, comics offer a dynamic and engaging approach to education. As we embrace the future, advocating for the inclusion of comics in mainstream education is key to nurturing well-rounded, enthusiastic learners.

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A slideshow presentation and discussion on non-fiction comics as a teaching tool, featuring cartoonists working in the fields of science, politics, art and more. This event is part of Will Eisner Week, and Eisner’s own educational and instructional comics are the inspiration for this panel. With Malaka Gharib , Scott McCloud , Whit Taylor , and Kriota Willberg , moderated by R. Sikoryak .

The field of Comics Studies is an ever-growing scholarly space involving a wide range of participants.  Susan Kirtley  (Portland State University),  Antero Garcia  (Stanford University), and  Peter Carlson  (Green Dot Public Schools) examine this space while reflecting on their recently published work,  With Great Power Comes Great Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning, and Comics.  As the panelists discuss their approach to gathering comic creators, scholars, and educators from various fields and settings to set out the stakes, definitions, and exemplars of contemporary comics pedagogy into one edited volume, they analyze how sources of personal identity, nostalgia, and history affect our evolving relationships to comics. As they share the discoveries uncovered in their editing process, the panelists will reveal the purposes for cultivating the three key areas of this volume: Foundations of Comics Pedagogy, Comics Pedagogy in Practice, and New Directions for Comics Pedagogy.

Henry Barajas  (author of  La Voz de M.A.Y.O.: Tata Rambo ),  Rodney Barnes  (author of  Killadelphia ),  Darcy Van Poelgeest  (author of  Little Bird: The Fight for Elder's Hope ), and  David F. Walker  (author of  Bitter Root ) discuss comic books that tackle real world issues, be it environmental activism, civic engagement, physical and mental health awareness, and more, (including how their work is being used by librarians and educators). Viewers will leave with programming and acquisition ideas designed to inspire their readers to see the world differently and then change it for the better.

Peter Carlson  (Green Dot Public Schools),  Susan Kirtley  (Portland State University), and  Antero Garcia  (Stanford University) lead this panel that reveals practical activities and theory involved in teaching with comics while discussing teaching and making comics with the incredible creators and educators  Nick Sousanis  ( Unflattening ),  Ebony Flowers  ( Hot Comb ),  David F. Walker  ( Naomi ), and  Brian Michael Bendis  ( Naomi ).  www.comicspedagogy.com

Meryl Jaffe  ( Worth A Thousand Words ) with panelists  Laurence Tan  (educator)  Rachelle Cruz  (educator, author  Experiencing Comics ), and  Talia Hurwich  (educator, author  Worth A Thousand Words ) discuss how graphic novels can inspire and enrich online classroom lessons for students grades 3 and up. We discuss challenges, lesson ideas, and loads of resources.

Join us to learn about the ever-growing mountain of evidence on the educational efficacy of comics that is making comic converts out of even the harshest critics. Learn how research shows that reading comics and graphic novels strengthens literacy and content learning for students of all ages, interests, and levels of achievement and how creating comics can bolster critical thinking and social-emotional skills. Our education and comics experts will share with you all the rationale and research you need to prove that comics belong in the classroom. Panelists: Dr. Theresa Rojas Dr. Stephen Krashen Dr. Susannah Richards Tracy Edmunds Moderator: Alex Simmons

This panel provides an inside look at ground-breaking courses by the professionals and academics who are bringing Geek Culture to campuses nationwide (and beyond)! Join Paul Levitz (Columbia University), Rob Salkowitz (University of Washington), Frank Cammuso (Syracuse University), Darlyne Overbaugh (Ithaca College), Chris Irving (Virginia Commonwealth University), and moderator Ed Catto (Ithaca College).

"Interested in knowing more about comics, putting them to use in your classroom, and trying your hand at making them? I set up this site initially for the class on comics for educators that I taught at Teachers College and have since been growing to serve as a  database of comics-education resources. " Dr.  Nick Sousanis Eisner-winning comics and San Francisco State University professor of Humanities & Liberal Studies.  

Noteworthy Sections

Science comics, blind accessible comics, race, gender in comics, historical resources & digital archives.

While some dismiss comics as less intellectually challenging than “real” books, the reality is that graphic novels offer an opportunity to think abstractly in a way few other storytelling media can. The space between panels – the gutter – requires readers to make connections on their own, while the art portion of the media demands patience and attention that isn’t guided by words lined up on the page. Listen as seasoned educators share their use of comics as a tool for all types of inferring: determining causes, solving problems, predicting likely outcomes, and connecting dots. Panelists: Dr. Isabel Morales (moderator) Jana Tropper Shveta Miller Ronell Whitaker Dr. Rachelle Cruz

Hyperlinked in the titles below are toolkits created by  Dr. Valentino Zullo, Ph.D., in 2020/21. They are modeled after the  Get Graphic! with the Ohio Center for the Book  discussions hosted at Cleveland Public Library (home of the Ohio Center for the Book) since 2014. These guides aim to promote the study of comics with other libraries, classrooms, book clubs, independent readers, and anyone else that wants an education in comics! The toolkits offered here represent only selection of comics titles. The list does not reflect an established pedagogical canon of comics to teach on.

Understanding Comics  by Scott McCloud  (Comics: A Medium) 

• 11 x 17 Sheets  (Can be folded into 8.5 x 11 Booklet) (PDF)
• 8.5 x 11 Single Sheets  (PDF)

One Hundred Demons  by Lynda Barry  (Creating Comics)

Are You My Mother?  by Alison Bechdel  (Comics as Medicine)

• 11 x 17 Sheets  (Can be folded into a 8.5 x 11 Booklet) (PDF)

Maus  by Art Spiegelman  (The Holocaust)

Persepolis  by marjane satrapi  (iranian revolution), fun home  by alison bechdel  (lgbtq history in the united states), the best we could do  by thi bui  (vietnam war), march   (book one)  by john lewis  (us civil rights movement), palestine  by joe sacco  (israeli-palestinian conflict), grass  by keum suk gendry-kim (janet hong, translator)  (korean “comfort women”), arab of the future  by riad sattouf  (pan-arab nationalism).

• << Previous: Making Comics
• Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024 10:51 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/comics-studies

Comics in the Classroom Spark Creative Thinking

The medium itself breaks boundaries, and this idea transfers to course subject matter.

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Topics: AddRan College of Liberal Arts , Feature

A list of required reading can spark interest for students or, sometimes, apathy. Add comics to the syllabus and suddenly students are intrigued.

Illustration by Miracle Studios

“That’s the thing about comics: We lure students in,” said Wesley Cray, assistant professor of philosophy. “They think it’s going to be fun, which it is, and they think it’s going to be easy, which it’s not.”

Faculty members leverage comics in their courses for various reasons, including as a catalyst for conversation and critical thinking and a way to grapple with thorny concepts. The very nature of comics conflicts with notions of what classroom learning is about.

“Comics can interrupt and open up our perceptions. We expect, in a class, to be reading a text. But then you’re given a comic,” said Dave Aftandilian, associate professor of anthropology. “It’s breaking you out of that expected box and helping you think in new ways.”

Comics sales topped $1 billion in 2018 in the United States and Canada, as they did in the three years prior, reported Comichron, the online repository of comics circulation data.

TCU students purchased some of those comics for class reading.

“We talk about literacy in comics,” Cray said. “Comics are often thought to be a dumbed-down form of reading. But it’s actually a very, very advanced form of literacy because you’re having to read text and image in conjunction and track spatial and temporal progression on a page. It’s really kind of sophisticated.”

Comics panels without speech or thought bubbles force readers to be analytical. “We put a lot of stock in literacy with respect to words,” said Cray, who teaches the Philosophy and Comics course.

“We kind of put aside visual literacy and competency and the ability to read things as text when they don’t have letters in them — read people or read situations,” he said. “Comics force you to juxtapose text and image to create a language that’s not easily codified.”

Jason Helms, associate professor of English, said panels without text, those that focus on a character’s emotions through facial expression, have to be read in a way different from a novel.

“Those angry stink lines above their heads are actually a verbal element, not just a visual,” said Helms, who teaches Seminar in Rhetoric: Popular Culture and New Media as well as Visual Rhetoric, Graphic Novels and Comics. “We understand what they mean.”

Examples: A light bulb means an idea; stars circling mean pain. “One of the cool things comics does is that it often inverts things,” Helms said. “Things that are visual get read, like we would text; things that are verbal, like words, actually get seen.”

“The meaning of a comic doesn’t happen in the punchline. It happens between the panels.” Jason Helms

Reading long-form comics is an adjustment for some students whose only exposure might have been Peanuts or Garfield in newspapers. They expect to be led to a witty payoff. “The meaning of a comic doesn’t happen in the punchline,” Helms said. “It happens between the panels.

“Similarly, the meaning of life you often don’t find in the punchline. You don’t find it on that Saturday night when you go out with friends.” Significance is often found in more mundane pursuits. “Sometimes when you’re walking from one thing to the next. Set up your life so you can have those meaningful moments. You matter. Your life matters.”

Often, people who couldn’t read the news in newspapers would turn to the comics pages. Comics have been seen as a medium for the semi-literate, Helms said.

The popularity of comics is undeniable, but their place in academia has been controversial. In November 2018, three Washington and Lee University alumni sent a mass email bashing a list of 20 courses. The document, “The ‘Dumbing Down’ of the Curriculum at W&L,” listed two creative writing and studio arts hybrid courses on creating comics. The missive said they have “dubious academic value, dedicated to the espousal of a political agenda, trivial, inane, or some combination of the above,” and called for the elimination of the courses and their professors.

“I think just the timbre of the complaint is really interesting — that it represents a dumbing down of the curriculum,” Cray said. “Even if we grant that comics are juvenile, it doesn’t mean serious study of them needs to be juvenile. But we don’t even grant that they’re juvenile.”

To challenge the categorization of “high art” and “low art,” Tricia Jenkins asks her Media Adaptations students: What is the difference between an opera and a rock concert?

“They’re both music. They’re both public performances,” said Jenkins, associate professor of film, television and digital media. “But opera is considered high art, and a rock concert is considered low art.” Why?

“The divide between high art and low art is sort of class-based,” Jenkins said. “In general, high art like poetry or painting or sculpture has that bourgeoisie connotation because either you need a special education in order to be able to understand it, or you need money to participate in it, or it also demands a physical restraint.”

Operas, for example, are not typically performed in English, so training in another language such as Italian is necessary to understand them, she said. Audience behavior is also a factor.

“At an opera concert, you’re really just expected to — at the most — clap enthusiastically. But at a rock concert, you might be in a mosh pit or getting drunk and headbanging,” she said. “The potential for unruliness is much higher in popular art. So things that are popular tend to be dismissed as not great art. But I think they can be.”

Class-based distinctions guided art critics in the past, but Jenkins said her course takes a postmodern view on art and challenges those ideas.

Art is everywhere, and the possibilities for creative expression are endless, Jenkins said. “Andy Warhol made the argument that advertisement is art — that’s why he painted the Campbell’s Soup can. When you go to the supermarket, it’s full of art. You just don’t see it that way because you’ve been trained not to see advertisement and packaging as a form of art, but a graphic artist designed that packaging.”

A Sign of the Times

The quick production of comics gives the medium a distinct characteristic. “More than nearly any other art form, they immediately reflect their culture of creation,” Cray said. “You can go from idea to on the shelf in three to four months. No other mass-produced art form can be produced that quickly or cheaply.

“When you read [comics] critically, you learn not just what the author was doing and the story they were telling, but you learn very much about the very particular time of creation.” Wesley Cray

“If you want to see what is representing the newspaper reality of the moment, comics is where it’s at. When you read them critically, you learn not just what the author was doing and the story they were telling, but you learn very much about the very particular time of creation.”

The cultural function of a comic, Helms said, “has shifted radically over time.” In the golden age of comics, they had moralistic themes and rallied Americans during World War II. Modern comics are more complex in character and storyline. They can be grim or explore dystopian near-futures, as with Watchmen and V for Vendetta .

But even a century ago, comics were testing their limits, balancing what was safe with expression.

The comic strip Krazy Kat, for example, ran in newspapers from 1913 to 1944. In it, cartoonist George Herriman subtly challenged several societal conventions. The feline’s gender was ambiguous, and Herriman, a mixed-race man who passed as white, explored race in his comic, Helms said.

Title character Krazy Kat, a black feline, loved Ignatz, a white mouse, but his love was unrequited. That infatuation was interrupted when Ignatz got covered in coal dust. Krazy wasn’t interested in a black mouse. To further underscore attraction based on color, Herriman wrote about the black feline going to a beauty parlor to be dyed white. Ignatz was suddenly smitten.

“Times change and expectations change,” Jenkins said, using the movie Wonder Woman as an example. “In a lot of ways, you don’t want to stay true to the gender ideals from the 1940s. The filmmakers didn’t stick to the 1940s formula, and I think if they did, they would have been eaten alive.”

But Wonder Woman has endured like other superheroes. Those characters are steadfast for a reason. “I think in a lot of ways comic book characters are ideals,” Jenkins said. “Captain America is a great example of somebody we might wish that more people would be like in terms of being self-sacrificing and strong.”

At the same time, Jenkins said, readers are attracted to the humanity of characters, including their failures. “Iron Man drinks too much. Thor has family issues and daddy issues. He’s a god, but it’s really about his human problems.”

Character growth is an essential component to comics and all literature, but Cray said it can provide more. Engaging with fiction helps with the development of empathy. “If we want to break down barriers and have people really talk across differences, having them engage in as much fiction that gets them outside of their own head as much as possible is an important component to that.”

Breaking Out of Boxes

Comics can be cathartic for the writer and the reader. Aftandilian’s course Native American Religions and Ecology comes with a trigger warning.

Native women are abused at much higher rates than in other U.S. populations — abuse often not reported and often perpetrated by non-Natives against those women, reports the Department of Justice.

The title character of Deer Woman: An Anthology , a comic book Aftandilian uses in his class, helps return agency to victims. Deer Woman punishes abusers. All comics in the anthology were written by Native people, and they cover contemporary issues including resistance and assimilation.

“On the one hand, using the medium of comics, you might think of that as assimilation because that’s kind of a white-people thing,” Aftandilian said. “It’s also a way to get to young people, young Native people, and to share with people outside of the culture in a way that’s easier to understand than text.”

As for animals, which cannot tell their stories in a way that humans would understand, there are more comics to explore. Aftandilian, also director of the human-animal relationships minor, and Nick Bontrager, associate professor of art, co-teach Into the Small: Little Animals in Art, Culture and Museums.

Part of the class is dedicated to making art from the perspective of animals. Aftandilian gave students theoretical background on the personhood of animals, so they could be seen as thinking subjects with emotions similar to those of humans. Mouse Guard by David Petersen and Squarriors by Ash Maczko and Ashley Witter were required reading for the course.

In Mouse Guard , each mouse has a different-colored cape and fur to distinguish it, and each has a different personality. In Squarriors , the world is devoid of humans. Animals form societies with clashing ideals, and war breaks out.

“I see it as a form of storytelling sitting in between art and literature and sort of taking on bits from each of those and putting them together.” Dave Aftandilian

Aftandilian also uses comics in Animals, Religion and Culture. We3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely introduces students to intersubjectivity. Animals from different species work together and become something greater. We3 is about a dog, cat and rabbit that are genetically modified and trained to be a fighting unit.

To convey ideas or concepts relevant to his courses through comics, Aftandilian relies on the storytelling aspect to start breaking boundaries. “It’s using images to tell a story. It’s using images to capture attention.

“It’s using images to help us see things in the world in a new way,” he said. “I see it as a form of storytelling sitting in between art and literature and sort of taking on bits from each of those and putting them together.”

Animals that cross boundaries trouble us, Aftandilian said. Liminal animals have special powers and are dangerous because of those powers. The Cherokee talk about an animal called the uktena, which is part snake with wings and deer antlers.

“The animals that bust out of our little category boxes are particularly troubling — or interesting,” Aftandilian said.

Comics do the same thing.

Aftandilian said he hopes seeing things for more than one aspect of their identity — more than a book, more than a picture, more than a crawling land creature — helps humans recognize their own complexities.

What is a larger struggle, Aftandilian said, is breaking through the “othering” that starts in childhood. Animals become others and then lesser. “That same othering and denigration that begins with animals ramifies into all these other binaries, all of them looking at one side of the equation as less than the other, even though it’s patently ridiculous.

“But it’s so ingrained in us to do this categorizing, to put things in their boxes, and unfortunately it often means an ordering — a hierarchy,” Aftandilian said. “The othering of animals leads us to ‘other’ all kinds of beings — human beings — and almost always in ways that are bad for everybody.”

Comics present a sense of cohesion.

“It’s putting art and literature together to tell a story in a new way to help us think about it, I hope, at a deeper level,” Aftandilian said. “That’s really what I like about comics and using them in class: It’s harnessing that power of art to capture our imagination and our attention. It gets us to see things very differently.”

Your comments are welcome

Just as a point of interest, I have physical reading issues, namely intractable migraines, and I’ve switched almost exclusively to audio. I have to have someone else usually read articles like this one to me because it will trigger a cluster headache or nausea or both if I try. However, I learned some 4 years into being disabled that I could read comic books. Period. I cannot read more than a page of a physical book or ebook without getting sick (no matter the lighting level), but I can read comic books for hours. I can feel the difference in the connection and I would love to see even more studies done on the way comic books make their commute through our skulls. Very happy to see this direction from my alma mater. –Katherine R. (’05)

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Comic Theory: A New, Critical, Adaptive Theoretical Framework for Identity Presentation

• First Online: 12 June 2020

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• Harry T. Dyer 4  

Part of the book series: Cultural Studies and Transdisciplinarity in Education ((CSTE,volume 11))

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Through a sustained engagement with sociological theories of identity and the social, this chapter builds the case for a new theoretical approach to considering identity presentation online. This chapter begins by exploring previous sociological approaches toward identity, specifically focusing upon Goffman’s work around the performative nature of identity. The chapter then progresses to discuss the work of Foucault in understanding the manner in which Discourse shapes our social experiences, before moving on to discuss Actor-Network Theory as an approach for understand the social beyond a focus on human influences alone. Finally, Barad’s work around agential realism is introduced as an approach that allows for an understanding of the ways in which humans and non-humans negotiate the boundaries of the social world in an ongoing manner. It is suggested that a frame is needed that brings these four approaches together, and as such, the chapter takes one final turn towards considering Comic Book Studies as a field of research which allows for a detailed look at narrative construction between socio-culturally bound readers and specifically designed media.

Using this as a frame, this chapter proposes and introduces Comic Theory as a new framework to understand identity performances online as an ongoing platform-specific negotiation between user and design.

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Dyer, H.T. (2020). Comic Theory: A New, Critical, Adaptive Theoretical Framework for Identity Presentation. In: Designing the Social. Cultural Studies and Transdisciplinarity in Education, vol 11. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5716-3_6

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