It’s not surprising to hear people refer to comics, graphic novels, or manga as genres. It happens often, particularly in conference presentations where a question will inevitably include ‘genre’ as a descriptor. They’re usually referring to the superhero comics they grew up with, or the kids comics that dominate bestseller lists today—not realizing comics is an expansive medium encompassing EVERY genre.
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.
Jesse Karp, Shveta Miller, Julie Ann Price, Susannah Richards, Ph.D., and Jana Tropper discuss their process for using comics to support readers of different abilities, how they partner with other stakeholders, and how they measure their success.
Greg Burnham and Marcus Williams are the creative minds behind the Kickstarter sensation, Tuskegee Heirs: Flames of Destiny — a sci-fi action-adventure comic book series set 80 years in the future, featuring a squadron of young, gifted aviators inspired by the real-life Tuskegee Airmen. LibraryPass’ Guy LeCharles Gonzalez moderated a conversation with Burnham and Williams where they discussed their work and their appreciation for libraries, and offered insights into their creative process.
K.C. Boyd, Joy Harvey, Angie Mahalik, and Cait Zaksheske share insights on successfully integrating comics, graphic novels, and manga into a collection development plan, and aligning your collection to support classroom instruction while also meeting students’ varied reading needs and interests.
February is Black History Month and Comics Plus offers a variety of titles spotlighting key figures and moments in Black History for educational use, as well as entertaining stories from Black creators in our curated Black History, Black Voices list. From award-winning nonfiction like Rep. John Lewis’ March trilogy, to award-winning fiction like Nnedi Okorafor’s Laguardia and J.N. Monk’s Topside—we have recommendations for every age level that are great for reading any time of the year.
We curate high-interest, immersive digital content that helps schools and libraries expand and diversify their collections—without breaking their materials budgets.
Give your readers unlimited, simultaneous access to a diverse collection of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from dozens of library-friendly publishers.
