Educational Comics

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This page is devoted to comics specifically created for an educational purpose. There's an interview with Japanese artist Keito Komine about his approach to the creation of three educational comics about space exploration for the National Space Development Agency of Japan here: www.nasda.go.jp/lib/nasda-news/2001/09/hito_e.html

Some argue many of 'educational' titles -- especially in the US --are bland pap: have a look at this article by Bulent Yusuf, a London-based writer and a former editor of RobotFist, on the Ninth Art web site.

Mind you, comics can also unwittingly provide unwelcome inspiration... here's an article about a group of Japanese teenagers who claimed they learnt how to run a prostitutiuon ring from a comic book, Shin Nozokiya: http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0307/0727comical.html!

• If you are a librarian seeking information on possible graphic novels for purchase, you might like to buy Son Of Invisible Art: Graphic Novels For Libraries compiled by Joss O'Kelly. It was published in 2001 by the Library and Information Service for Schools and is available from amazon.co.uk and Buckinghamshire County Library, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1UU, price £5. ISBN: 0 86059 605 2. The book is also sold by Strangehaven publisher/creator Gary Spencer Millidge on his stalls at comic fairs.
The book was never intended to be a definitive listing, but an annotated guide for librarians buying stock, and of course it's now a few years out of date -- although most of the books are still available.

MANGA
• The UK's Reading Agency launched a guide to Manga for libraries in early 2005: read more about "Manga Mania" by clicking here

CAPED CRUSADERS 101: IMPROVING LITERACY
• In 2006, Jeffrey Kahan and Stanley Stewart published "Caped Crusaders 101: Composition Through Comic Books" which shows how comics tackle themes such as race, ethnic cleansing and terrorism and suggests comics could improve declines in student literacy. The book is geared toward honors students in American high school and college, talks about Marvel Comics' efforts to establish early black superheroes such as Luke Cage and The Falcon. It compares the treatment of the mutant X-Men to the Nazis' oppression of Jews and describes Captain America digging out firefighters from the wreckage of 9/11. High school and college teachers can get a copy of the book through the publisher, McFarland, at www.mcfarlandpub.com/instructors
• Buy a copy of Caped Crusaders 101 from amazon.com
• Buy a copy of Caped Crusdaers 101 from amazon.co.uk

GENERAL SITES

• The Cartoon Classroom
Link: www.cartoonclassroom.co.uk
A British website which aims to provide a means of centralising all information available on the study of cartooning and sequential art in the UK and Ireland.

• Comics in Education
Link: www.humblecomics.com/sites.htm#comicsedu
Gene Yang's online version of his final project proposal for his Masters of Education degree at University of California, Hayward. The educational potential of the comics medium has been largely ignored by the educational establishment, Yang feels. Comics in Education is his own small effort to the rectify this oversight.

• A Tour of Educational Comics Through History
Link: www.studylab.com/educomics/educomics.html

• Young Adult Comics
Link: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/lml/comics/pages/educational.html
This site includes spreads of some US Army educational comics drawn by the late, great Will Eisner.

• GrammarMan
Link: www.grammarmancomic.com
British creator Brian Boyd's ongoing crusade to teach English as a second language through comics continues! GrammarMan is published inmagazines and newspapers in China, Thailand, Malaysia and Argentinam as well as his own website www.grammarmancomic.com.
• Read our March 2007 news story

• EC Comics
Link: www.horror-wood.com/e.c.horror.htm
Did you know the comics that led to the introduction of the Comics Code were were originally Educational Comics, ironically exactly the kind of worthwhile, high-minded comics any teacher or school principal would approve of? The line of comics were created an helmed by M. C. Gaines, the man who created the US comic book as we know it today.

• Teaching with Cartoon Art: A Select Biography
Link: http://cartoons.osu.edu/teaching.htm
Part of the Cartoon Research Library section of Ohio State University. The Cartoon Research Library's primary mission is to develop a comprehensive research collection of materials documenting American printed cartoon art (editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and magazine cartoons) and to provide access to these collections.

• Cartoonists Across America and the World
(Click here for their European offrices - www.ideaship.com/CAA/euro_office/euro_office.html - although as of March 06, the page seems about four years out of date!)
This group, established in 1985, has been promoting literacy, creativity, the arts, and other positive issues using cartoons and humor. Their founder Phil Yeh and our band of artists create books, paint murals, take part in school assemblies, conventions, conferences and other public events for all ages throughout the world. We
They work in partnership with the Center for The Book in The Library of Congress and other organizations all over the world. We have painted more than 1000 murals in 49 of the United States as well as in Canada, Mexico, Italy, England, France, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Cayman Islands.

World Comics
Link: www.worldcomics.fi
Recognising that almost any issue, idea or fact can be expressed in a comic and comics are a means of visual storytelling is flexible, attention-grabbing and relatively inexpensive. World Comics, which also has a sister site, World Comics India, promotes the use of local comics as a means for social change. The site features Grassroot comics - a remarkable new NGO communication tool. You can also download or print out detailed instructions on how to make these comics.

Classical Comics Web: www.classicalcomics.com PO Box 7280, Litchborough, Towcester NN12 9AR United Kingdom Tel: 01327 830852 Email: info@classicalcomics.com
• Shakesapeare's Henry V Neill Cameron, Bambos and Jason Cardy	Detail from a page of Jon Haward and Nigel Dobbyn's work on Macbeth, to be released by Classical Comics in 2008
• Macbeth Jon Haward and Nigel Dobbyn
• Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre John M Burns • Charles Dickens' Great Expectations John Stokes

CUSTOM COMICS
Educational Custom Comics
Link: www.customcomicservices.com
America's largest producer of educational and promotional comic books.

HISTORY

• The Japanese Drawing Room
Link: www.russell-cotes.bournemouth.gov.uk/html/manga.html

The Japanese Drawing Room was commissioned by the UK's Russell Coates Museum and designed with a broadly educational comics thing in mind and and was funded by the 'Museums, Libraries and Archives' Department of the UK government.

This source of funding allowed the creators at Boychild Productions to tell the historical story in a straight forward educational way, rather than 'jazzing' it up in a 'love story/personalities/war' wrapping as much history often is.

PRISON
Darren's Story
Link: http://canne.free.fr/darrens_story.html
A Christian comic by Phil Elliott given to new offenders in UK police prison cells.

SCIENCE
Beetle Cards
Link: www.elliott-design.com/science.html
Some pages from an 8-page comic book by Phil Elliott produced for the Rothamsted Research Lab to explain (to mainly youngsters) what research is being carried out by the Lab.

GT Labs
Link: www.gt-labs.com
Comics publisher publishing comics about science such as Dignifying Science (which the life stories of women scientists, ones who made groundbreaking discoveries that changed our lives and times, reviewed at: www.icomics.com/rev_121499_dignifying.shtml), Thunder Lizards and more.

TRASNPORT
• Feet First Comics
Link: http://feetfirst.info/comics/
Does walking to the grocery store or the copy shop instead of taking a car make sense? That depends on your neighbourhood. "Walkable" neighbourhoods save energy, increase physical fitness, and build community. Deciding carefully about where you will live can make you happier and our society healthier.
Leonard Rifas designed the online Feet First Comics for people in the Seattle area and Washington State’s Puget Sound region to help them make fewer wasteful car trips. When it comes to reducing the toll of driving, the most important decision is not about which car, bicycle or bus pass you buy, but where you live. There are few resources that support people trying to make conscientious choices about where to live.