Comic Makers Club
Built from our popular Comics & Cartooning Workshop curriculum, this 12-week after-school or independent-study program invites 3rd – 6th grade students to make a new comic every single week. Minicomics, collaborative comics, action comics, silent comics. Each session starts with a blank page and ends with something finished and worth keeping. Along the way students build real skills in storytelling, creative collaboration, character design, literacy, and personal style.
The semester culminates in a class anthology comic, a curated collection of the best things they've already made. Students select their favorite pieces, clean them up, then print, bind, and sign each other's books at a closing celebration.
Whether your child is into Marvel, Babysitters Club, Dog Man, Wings of Fire, or manga, Comic Makers Club is a place for them to level up their understanding of comics and learn to make their own.
— Edutopia
Sample Curriculum
Week 1
Lesson: What are comics, how are they made, and what makes sequential art work? We'll look at favorites and talk about how pictures and panels tell stories.
Activity: Original Minicomic — Create a character or use one you love and tell a simple story in 8 pages. Every student takes home the minicomic they make.
Week 2
Lesson: How does your drawing style work with or against the story you're telling? We'll look at how different artists' styles shape the feel of their books.
Activity: Collaborative Comic — Students work in pairs, alternating panels to build a story together. Everyone goes home with two comics they co-created.
Week 3
Lesson: What makes something funny? We'll break down comic timing, the setup/punchline structure, and how cartoonists use expression and body language to land a joke.
Activity: Comedy Strip — Students write and draw a 3 to 6 panel comedy strip. Finished strips are shared with the group.
Week 4
Lesson: How do comics create energy, movement, and tension? We'll explore action lines, dynamic angles, and how panel-to-panel transitions build momentum.
Activity: Action Comic — Students create a short action sequence, putting this week's visual tools to work on the page.
Week 5
Lesson: How do comics create energy, movement, and tension? We'll explore action lines, dynamic angles, and how panel-to-panel transitions build momentum.
Activity: Pacing — Students create a short action sequence, putting this week's visual tools to work on the page.
Week 6
Lesson: What does it actually take to make and publish a graphic novel? A working graphic novelist joins the club to talk about their process, share their work, and make comics alongside the students.
Activity: Published Graphic Novelist Visit - Guest-led drawing or storytelling activity.
Week 7
Lesson: Show don't tell — what happens when you take away all the words? We'll talk about how silent comics use expression, body language, and visual flow to tell a complete story without a single caption or speech bubble.
Activity: Silent Comic — Students create a short wordless comic that tells a clear story using only pictures.
Week 8
Lesson: Comics don't have rules. We'll look at experimental formats — accordion folds, circular panels, comics that read in multiple directions, stories told entirely in maps or diagrams — and talk about what happens when you break the grid.
Activity: Genre/Format Challenge — Students pick a format or genre they've never tried and make something in it. Anything goes.
Week 9
Lesson: Comics don't have rules. We'll look at experimental formats — accordion folds, circular panels, comics that read in multiple directions, stories told entirely in maps or diagrams — and talk about what happens when you break the grid.
Activity: Editors’ Eye — Students pick a format or genre they've never tried and make something in it. Anything goes.
Week 10
Lesson: What makes a piece worth keeping? We'll talk about editing your own work — what to refine, what to leave alone, and how to prepare original art for print.
Activity: Class Comic Anthology Prep Part 1 — Students review everything they've made and select their favorite piece or pieces to include in the class Anthology. Cleanup and refinement begins.
Week 11
Lesson: Getting print-ready. We'll talk about contrast, clean linework, and why comics drawn for print look different from comics drawn for fun.
Activity: Class Comic Anthology Prep Part 2 — Students finish cleanup, finalize their selections, and prepare their pages for scanning and layout.
Week 12
Lesson: How are comics printed and published? We'll talk about DIY printing, zine culture, and what it means to self-publish your work.
Activity: Class Comic Anthology Celebration! - Students print and saddle stitch bind the class Anthology together. The session closes with a book reveal where students sign each other's Anthology Comics.
— Dr. Michael Bitz,
Columbia University's
Teachers College
Instructor Bio:
Blake Lemons has been working in sequential art for 20+ years as a story artist, animation director, and creative producer for Netflix, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, and Disney. He was a contributing artist and the editor-in-chief of Pratt Institute’s comic anthology “Static Fish”. Blake believes everyone has a story worth telling.
contact@spotspotstudio.com
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