SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

February 19, 2020 by Esther Keller

Review: Maker Comics Draw a Comic

February 19, 2020 by Esther Keller   Leave a Comment

maker comic book cover

The Maker Comics series put out by First Second is a series of titles that allow readers to learn a new skill or brush up on a skill they already have. There are countless how-to books out in stores and libraries, but while some are heavily illustrated, most are not comic form.

Maker Comic Comics: Draw a Comic
By JP Coovert
2019. First Second. $20
Grades 5 and up

If you’re thinking this is another “how to draw a comic” book, then you’re mistaken. This title goes beyond the drawing because it mostly teaches readers how to lay out a comic and how they can reproduce and distribute their own comics. (Much like zines back in the day.)

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Using a story as a backdrop, where the reader is being hired as a library assistant, Maggie talks to the audience and draws them into the story. She is in charge of the library of comics her grandfather left behind. Dr. Carl comes along and claims he has bought the land the building that’s on it. He wants to turn it into a parking lot. Maggie goes on a quest with her dog to find the treasure that might save the library, taking her assistant (the reader) along, all the while teaching readers how to write and create a comic.

Unlike Adventures in Cartooning, this story doesn’t focus on drawing, and as with many nonfiction titles, the telling can get a bit stale. There are lots of details that might bore those who aren’t avid comics makers, like the detailed choice of pens used to ink a comic. Still, the story helps move the instructions along in most places and the details are there for a purpose.

The artwork is lively. Bright colors jump off the page. I love the purple hair. And while the different characters aren’t all that interesting story-wise, they are fun art-wise. For the most part, this is a book of instructions. A How-To.

I asked my 10-year-old what he thought. While he has not interested in drawing his own comic (he loves reading them), he did enjoy the format. He liked how the story took you through the how-tos, and he found the technique interesting. He particularly liked the idea of the T-Ruler. For kids who want to draw and produce their own comics, this is a great how-to manual.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
First SecondGraphic NovelsMaker Comicsreview

About Esther Keller

Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library's first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. She also curates the Graphic Novel collection for the NYC DOE Citywide Digital Library. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family's schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 4 and regularly reviews for SLJ and School Library Connection (formerly LMC). In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

July 2022

Review: Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?!

by Esther Keller

June 2022

Review | Mickey Mouse: Zombie Coffee

by Esther Keller

May 2022

Review: Red Scare

by Esther Keller

April 2022

How To Spot A Sasquatch | Review

by Esther Keller

April 2022

Review: Miss Quinces

by Esther Keller

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Newbery, Part Two-bery

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: Seen and Unseen by Elizabeth Partridge, ill. Lauren Tamaki

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Dewdrop | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

And now there are 70 Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Suggestions

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

In the Haunted Glen: Finding the Middle Grade in “Goblin Market,” a guest post by Diane Zahler

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

What’s New? (Part 2) with Meg Medina and Christina Soontornvat

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Superheroes Meet Real-Life Science in DC’s ‘Flash Facts’

Svetlana Chmakova Returns to a Magical World in ‘The Weirn Books’

LGBTQIA+ Graphic Novels for Young Readers | Stellar Panels

YA Books Reflect the Activism of Real-Life Teens

Graphic Novels Extend Their Frontiers

SPONSORED

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022