Comic life

Comic life
makes comics from images and photos, eliminating the need for drawing.

Plasq web site

Context:
○ Maus was a memoir made into a graphic novel. Began in 1980, published 1991, pulitzer 1992
○ A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge - journalistic style

Comic Life can colorize/filter photos to make them look comic-ish
Contains layouts to speed up the process and help style

Curriculum projects:

Point of View comparison
• Different comics can show different points of view of one situation
• Assigned to different students or pairs
• Speech balloons out of frame = characters that are not pictured
• Can alter a few photos to make several different images
• Commentary on an issue

Memoir of person interviewed / oral history
• Can take photos of scrap book photos or scan them
• Take current photos, set up shots to imitate the experience
• Library of congress archive or other archive
• Color speech balloons to indicate questions/answers


Social Justice: prejudice and stereotyping
• Ex. Anne Frank (play version)
• Comics allows commentation to be demonstrated visually
• Used comic to create pre-assessment
• Altered photos
• Captions tell narrative, dialogue in speech bubbles
• Showing emotion in photos and facial expressions
• Create a comic version of play or story from certain point of view
• Quotes in bubbles more fun than writing a paper

Science application: DNA unit on scientists
• History of discovery
• Model of structure
• Famous photos, shape of molecule, etc.
• Ambition and competition driving progress?
• Who does data belong to? Public?
• Reading/film to prepare, documentary on scientists
• Filtering black and white photos for color differences
• Using quote from someone off frame is powerful. Who said that?


Followup: post online and comment on message board