Encourage a Love of Reading. “Comic book readers do at least as much reading as non-comic book readers, and the most recent research shows that they read more overall, read more books, and have more positive attitudes toward reading.” -Stephen Krashen, The Power of Reading

Add Vocabulary. Even though comics have fewer words than a prose-based book, they often have equally, if not more, challenging vocabularies. Adults are able to decipher the meanings of unknown vocabulary based on the context of the pictures.

Increase Inference. When reading a comic, the reader must be able to infer what is happening between each panel.

Create Confidence. Comics are often recommended for struggling readers because the combination of images with text leads to easier comprehension which creates confidence in reading skills.

Develop a Sense of Sequence. As with prose books, reading comics develops the ability to keep track of and understand a sequence of events.

Improve Visual Literacy. Our world is filled with images that have specific meaning tied to them, and reading comics makes a person more familiar and comfortable with understanding these visual clues.

Different Genres Match Different Interests. There are comics in all different genres: realistic, mysteries, historical, fantasy, and even non-fiction!

Develop an Appreciation of Art. Have a discussion with your some people about the art and its importance in the telling of the story: Why did the artist choose those colors? That style? That shape and size for the panel? The art isn’t there to simplify the work, but rather to clarify.

Great for Reluctant and Voracious Readers. All readers can become engaged in comics.

They’re Fun to Read! It’s great to read books to increase literacy skills, but the most important part of reading is to have fun with it. Comics are not meant to be a replacement of any other form of story but simply another medium to enjoy.