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No Laughing Matter: Cartoons & Comics

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

For this module, I was supposed to experiment with three different websites that allow users - regardless of artistic ability - to quickly and easily create their own comic strips. As evidenced by the plethora of lesson plans and ideas provided by Bill Zimmerman of MakeBeliefsComix, there are a lot of ways that teachers can use comics in the classroom, such as in creative writing, foreign language instruction, or life skills practice. Online comic strip creators are useful because they allow students to focus on the content rather than the artwork, and a finished product can easily be created in the span of one class period.

The first site I tried was MakeBeliefsComix. Users are not required to register for an account, and I found it was pretty intuitive to use. There were a few moments of frustration as I figured out through trial and error how to manipulate the different elements, but I was able to push past this quickly without needing to seek out help. This was definitely the most user-friendly of the three sites I tried, but that ease came at the expense of options. Users cannot change the layout of the comic strip, which makes for awkward compositions if your strip's panels are not in multiples of three. The character, prop, and background options are also rather limited, but at least you can actually access all of the options presented (there are no locked options requiring a paid subscription). My biggest difficulty in using MakeBeliefsComix was simply that I am rubbish when it comes to thinking up ideas for comic strips! Here is what I came up with (and now you'll understand the title of this blog post):
Librarian Snark, version 1.


The next website I tried was ToonDoo. This one does require users to register, but the process was quick and after a few keystrokes I was ready to start creating another comic strip. ToonDoo has a lot more options for layouts, characters, and background, although frankly some of the characters are a little disturbing and might not be appropriate for school use... 
Case in point: gun-toting masked angel and merkin-clad naked devil.
ToonDoo also has lots of advanced options for drawing your own artwork or creating a "TraitR" avatar (similiar to Bitmoji, but with an unfortunate name). It is just as easy to use as MakeBeliefsComix, but delving into those advanced options will start complicating things. It was nice to know I had options, but I chose to keep it simple and created another unfunny comic strip:

Librarian Snark, version 2.

My final stop on this little adventure was Pixton. Registering for an account with Pixton required me to go through the entire process of setting up an avatar (down to a choice of freckles or not...) before it would let me start creating a comic. I'm pretty sure it wanted me to add my entire class as well, but I managed to skip over that section and finally get into the comic creator... by which point I had forgotten my idea for the third comic strip. Once I remembered why I was there and started working on it, a new problem arose - everything I wanted to include in my comic besides my avatar in a handful of generic poses was locked and required a paid plan to access. I found the entire Pixton experience very unsatisfying and would not attempt to use it again. Here is what I finally ended up with since I couldn't do much else:
Librarian Snark, version 3.

Honestly, I did not enjoy creating comics and have no plans to add them to my repertoire of professional tools. I will not be creating them for my teachers or students, but at least now I have some experience with it if any of my teachers express an interest in using comics in the classroom. In that case, I would recommend that they have their students use ToonDoo to create their own comic strips as it strikes the best balance between ease of use and availability of options for customizing your masterpiece.


Comments

  1. Mrs. GoadApril 28, 2019 at 6:35 PM

    WOW! Thanks for you extensive exploration of ToonDoo and feedback. This vetting is helpful. I know our tech apps teachers uses this site from time to time so I will be sure to let her know she'll need to monitor students closely when using it. I think I settled on MakeBeliefsComix for the app I would use in the library.

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