When I was in fifth grade I remember creating an entire world of cartoon and comic characters with my friends. We even went so far as to write stories about their origins, adventures, and the world they lived in. Suffice it to say, we were budding comic books authors, and the teacher loved that we were writing so much. I recently saw a fourth grader making some very elaborate flip books complete with a two page story and though to myself, why not have the students create comics? Children of all ages, including many adults, enjoy comics as they provide fantastic worlds and individuals that are both highly engaging to read and write about. One of the most popular projects of my fourth and fifth grade students are the super hero stories that I have them write, so finding a way to add images easily would definitely enhance the story and make it much more engaging.
The Comic Creator is a free web page that lets the user create a one, two, three, or six panel comic book. Every object, background, and image is pre-rendered so there’s no drawing involved, just drag and drop. This is especially perfect for students that may not be artistically inclined, but still want to produce something that looks good. Once the background, people, and objects have been placed you can insert as many text balloons as you wish and write inside of them. There is no limit to the number of panels you can create, and when you’re finished you can print out the entire comic book for coloring and assembly. A complete desktop publishing tool for comic books, and it’s free on line. I’m eager to use this tool to help motivate struggling writers as well as provide a creative production tool for the rest of the class.
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Great Site Ben! I wish it had a drawing tool but what fun for a creative writing project.
I agree Shawn, it would be nice if it also contained a drawing tool so that budding comic book authors could include their own artwork. Unfortunately, the more robust software packages that I’ve found cost around 30 dollars, and aren’t web based. They’re still terrifically useful pieces of software though:
Comic Life is a great program for Macs, and even allows you to import your own digital images, so you can create super heroes from your family photos.
Comic Book Draw is simliar program for Windows machines that also allows you to draw as well as swap out more pre-made art so you can customize your characters arms, heads, legs, etc.