BP9 Comic Sketch

Comic Sketch is a fun little interactive Web 2.0 site where anyone can create a comic strip or a series of comic strips. It is easy to read the comic strips. By moving the mouse from right to left over the strip, you can control how fast each panel scrolls. There is a rating system in place for the comics created that range from one to five stars that even the general unregistered person can vote with.

Creating a comic strip on this site can be time consuming. I thought it would be simple with ready made pictures but that is not so. It is much like a regular computer paint program where I had to draw the pictures on the computer by hand. The tools are a bit primitive and can create somewhat cheap looking comics with that homemade feel, although other artists have created some amazing anime comic strips and comic books.

The comment feature is a little different than other comment features I’ve seen anywhere else. Anyone can include a drawn comment or picture instead of (or with) the usual written comments. That adds a personal touch that any comic artist could appreciate.

I had one student play around with this site and he enjoyed it so much that he did not want to go to lunch without finishing his creation. The picture above is the beginning of his incomplete comic strip. He decided to create his own account when he got home. Anyone interested in creating comic strips can create an account and sign up as an artist and exchange ideas with other artists on the site. They could also play around with the program and create without an account.

I enjoyed this site and so did my student. This is definitely one Web 2.0 site I will use in my classroom. I believe that collaborating with others on this site can help foster my students’ creativity.