Teaching Comics: Volume 1

by Alex Nall

Teaching Comics: Volume One is a 105 page, fully-colored graphic novel by Alex Nall. Teaching Comics explores the many experiences Nall encountered during his time as a teaching artist at two public schools in Chicago.

Genres: Graphic Novels

105 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me namedrop here and say in addition to knowing Alex Nall's comics, and comics teaching comics (yes, I know that is confusing. . .), I also know him because he works at my local library (yes, news flash: comics artists and other teaching artists are not independently wealthy). In fact, when I had one of his books from the library in my hands, he checked it out for me, introducing himself to me!

I'm--among other things--an English teacher, and a teacher of comics, but I've never done what he documents here, teaching comics-making to kids. In know a few people to do that, but he's kept a comics diary of his experience, and it is both funny and touching. He's self-deprecating, humorously documents his struggles and his love of the kids, though he also admits he has never had any classes about how to teach kids. But his heart comes through!

[J.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nall teaches drama and digital comics making to young kids. This collection of diary comics highlight the difficulty of teaching, with Nall often questioning whether it's even worth it.

[Lexi Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories, I read it in preparation for my first year of teaching. I related to a lot of the struggles shown. It was fun to read and made me feel less alone in the crazy world of working with students.