Cartoons and Comics

Cartoons have gotten a bad rap for decades now, but within the past decade or so, they have become more popular inside academia. Up until recently, comic books were viewed as second-class literature, but the rise of graphic novels and graphic adaptations have led to an increase in use within the classroom. In addition to being engaging and of high-interest to students, creating comics presents another great way for students to demonstrate their understanding of complex texts. The following are some resources that allow for student-created comics online:

Fotojet

Fotojet allows for a free account to be created in order to create simple comics. They have many free templates to start with, as well as stock images, text bubbles, clip art, and backgrounds. Fotojet also allows for the user to upload images of their own to use in comics, which would be great for classrooms that feature iPads or student devices. One downside to the free version is the fact that the user can only download small and medium sized PNGs and JPEGS, and as you can see below, with smallish text, it makes things pretty difficult to read. Fortunately, they do allow users to embed their comic directly into a social media or blog posts, which makes the comic easier to read. Creating the comic itself was somewhat difficult at first, but once I understood how to insert images and how to layer the pieces I was trying to add, things went a lot smoother. The paid version obviously has more feature, but if you are looking for a somewhat simple free tool for comic creation, this one stands up to the test. 

Collage made with FotoJet

Pixton

Right off the start, Pixton walks the user through a 3 step process to begin, including a helpful tutorial video that shows off some of the basic functions the site offers. Once the user gets into the actual comic creation tool, there are a few background templates available to choose for free. Once a background has been chosen, the user is given the option to add characters to their background. One of the cool features that I have a feeling students will love is the ability to change the outfit, hair, and features of the stock characters. The characters are very diverse, and I feel that all students would be able to find a character they can see themselves in, even it the free version. After character creation, Pixton allows the user to choose a focus of the comic, allowing for a far-off or very close view of what is happening in the scene, which I felt really added to the creation tool. Next, the user can add words, as well as change the faces and poses of their characters. In terms of being able to make their characters come alive, Pixton does a much better job than the other two platforms. After the comic was created, since I logged in with a .edu email address, it prompted me to create a class and a personal avatar, which if I was using this in a classroom, would be very helpful. Adding students to a class using Google logins would be a great benefit, and I will certainly keep this site in mind once school starts back in the fall. Sharing and saving comics seemed easy, and there were no frustrating steps that had to take place in order for me to download my comic. The text is easy to read, and the comic came out looking just as I imagined. Overall, I found this to be an incredibly user-friendly site with students in mind. The characters and backgrounds were fun, and I believe students would really enjoy creating comics through Pixton. 

MakeBeliefsComix

I had actually used MakeBeliefsComix before but had forgotten all about it. This is a very easy tool to use, and I think it may even be more user-friendly than Pixton. In order to save a design, you will need to create an account and log in online, which was a mistake that I made when I used this in the classroom the first time. The panels feel much more like an authentic newspaper comic, and the website has some great comic starters for students who may be struggling to get started. The objects that can be added to each panel are easy to size and manipulate, and entering text or changing around backgrounds was quick and easy. Unlike Fotojet, MakesBeliefsComix allows the user to simply add another panel when they need to, which made the layout and design very easy to manage. It looks like the site adds different elements pretty frequently, and I utilized the COVID starter pack that they had. In terms of sharing and saving, as you can see below, the saved image comes out pretty small. I had to enlarge it within Blogger, which made the text somewhat more difficult to read in parts, but they come out pretty nice, especially for student design. Overall, this site works really well, and I think students would really enjoy how simple and easy to use it is.

In terms of sharing comics with my teacher-colleagues, I think using these as a way to communicate information about the library would be useful. Teachers on my campus tend to breeze through your standard email, but a comic could be helpful as a change of pace. Library news, updates to policies, or just something to smile about would be helpful to share through comics. Professional development, which tends to be pretty tedious and boring, could be spiced up a bit with comics as a way to get the attention of some additional staff members.