Ideas for Running a Comic Book Club in Your School Library

1 year ago 70

In the 2022 schoolhouse year, I decided to tally a comic publication nine successful the schoolhouse room that I manage. I’ve tally a manga nine for 9 years determination and decided to commencement a comic publication nine to absorption connected the monolithic popularity of the comics and graphic novels that we person connected the shelves. I’ve talked earlier astir the immense popularity of our yearly ComiCon, this is 1 of our astir sought aft programs. I felt similar having a dedicated, play comic publication nine would beryllium precise popular.

There are galore antithetic activities to take from and galore approaches with a comic publication club, and there’s nary close oregon incorrect mode to bash it. You simply request to spot if there’s a need, past leap successful and springiness it a try.

I purpose our comic publication nine astatine ages 11 and up, it usually attracts betwixt ages 11-13 and I person recovered that I’m having to bring implicit other tables and chairs — it’s large to see! Our comic publication nine was precise fashionable from the commencement and it’s been truly large to spot the students taking portion successful specified an enthusiastic way. Here are immoderate activities and events I’m doing this year.

give them control

I started retired by simply giving attendees a immense expanse of insubstantial from our flip illustration and asked them to jot down ideas arsenic to what the comic publication nine should beryllium called. The radical decided connected the “Comics Are Awesome Club,” which sounded good with me. This was a fun, easy, and speedy enactment to get them started during their archetypal session. They loved having a dependable successful deciding the sanction of their comic publication club.

Another Kind comic publication  screen  connected  a support  of comics. Photo courtesy Lucas Maxwell

Use YouTube

YouTube is astonishing for uncovering large “how to draw” videos. There are truly elemental ones retired determination and sometimes, I conscionable enactment up the surface and amusement a fewer of those during luncheon hr and the students truly bask them. They often stray into their ain happening but you find videos retired determination for each kinds of antithetic tastes. I find these enactment amended for the younger assemblage but it’s thing worthy looking astatine if you person entree to screens. All nine attendees request are tables, pens, and pencils and they’re each set!

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finish this comic

Jarrett Lerner has immoderate truly elemental and effectual comic publication based activities connected his website. These are escaped to people and distribute, and I ever similar to springiness him recognition connected societal media erstwhile I station pics of our students’ work. Essentially, Jarrett starts a comic publication sheet and asks kids to decorativeness the panels for him. They LOVE doing these and volition inquire for the sheets adjacent erstwhile comic publication nine is not going on. This is an casual go-to if you request thing speedy to springiness students a amusive activity.

book an illustrator

I cognize it’s not thing everyone tin do, arsenic wealth is tight. However, if you tin find the dough somewhere, booking an illustrator would beryllium an astonishing event. I can’t archer you however overmuch our students emotion having illustrators travel to the library. My extremity this twelvemonth is to effort and person the comic publication nine travel to our ComiCon and person an illustrator sojourn them connected that day. I deliberation it volition marque it other peculiar for them.

collection fo however  to gully  comics books. Photo courtesy Lucas Maxwell

read and reappraisal comics

The comic publication nine isn’t each astir drawing, arsenic not everyone enjoys drafting if they don’t consciousness assured successful it. My extremity this twelvemonth is to get adjacent much students speechmaking comics and penning reviews of them for different students to see. I privation to make a buzz astir the schoolhouse regarding comics successful bid to halt the stereotype that they aren’t existent books oregon don’t number arsenic speechmaking (things said mostly by adults). Comic publication circulation is the highest it’s ever been successful our school, and my anticipation is that it tin spell adjacent higher arsenic we tin dispersed the connection astir comics successful a affirmative and amusive way.


I tally our comics nine programme each week astatine lunch. It lasts astir 45 minutes and is simply a batch of fun. It’s chaotic, noisy, and boisterous but I truly bask it. The students that travel each person the aforesaid happening successful common: they emotion each the antithetic comics we person to offer. My proposal is to not accent yourself retired with analyzable crafts oregon activities. We play Pictionary, we draw, we speech astir comic books, we person fun, and I’ve grown to truly emotion it.

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