Fawn is a good artist who doesn’t know comics. And Kit digs writing stories, but art, not so much. Are there exercises and games that will help these two and others create their own comic books? Yes, yes there is.
Fawn is a good artist who doesn’t know comics. And Kit digs writing stories, but art, not so much. Are there exercises and games that will help these two and others create their own comic books? Yes, yes there is.
Puma loves teaching young kids about creating comics. And she has devised games and fun exercises to help these young comic book-making wannabes get past their mental roadblocks.
For instance, Ducky absolutely loves reading comics, but the idea of drawing one with his scribble-like artwork is kinda scary. Fawn, on the other hand, is pretty great at drawing but knows zip about comics. Kit just loves writing stories. Joey is a huge comic book fan, but he gets bored easily. And Pup is just part of the comics class because, well, his mom signed him up.
Can Puma help them all learn to keep trying and working hard? Can she come up with cheery exercises and games that will teach them about story and art and creating crazy, fun things?
In other words, can Puma get all these kids on the same page?
Well, it seems that she definitely can. And young readers can learn the basics of comic creation right along with Ducky and Fawn. There are games they can play and templates they can make copies of, too.
All it takes is turning the first page and picking up some paper and markers.
None.
Puma definitely has the belief that anyone can create something fun with the right mindset. And she gets the kids to see that pushing past “I’ve never done this” to “that was easier than I thought” is just a game away.
Puma is a good teacher who encourages ideas and fun through redirection and helpful tips. For instance, for those who think they can’t draw, she sets up an Animal Mash-Up game with a pair of six-sided dice.
Puma gets the kids to list six simple animals, then rolls out the two dice. Then the kids get two minutes to draw out any creative mash-up of the two resulting animals. The results will probably be silly and well worth laughing over. But everybody gets to make something funny and outside the box.
A scribble game is another fun, beginning art exercise. Kids are told to close their eyes and make a simple scribble on paper. Then everybody has to grab a pencil and turn that scribble into something else, such as an animal, a person or an imaginative thing.
Other than Puma and Joey’s dad, who seems like a fun-loving father, we only meet the kids. The young campers all have their own personality types. Joey is rambunctious, Fawn is a little shy, and Ducky is pretty nervous about everything he tries, for instance. But the kids soon become friends and begin to explore one another’s strengths. They help each other to overcome their fears (much like the playful characters they draw in their comics).
None.
None.
Have you ever thought about creating your own comic book? It seems kind of complicated, doesn’t it? Do you think that Puma’s games have made the process a little easier?
Now that you’ve read the book, do you want to give comic books a try? What kind of fun character do you want to make your comic book story about?
Did you know that the Bible tells us that God fills us with His Spirit and provides us with creative skills? Take a look at Exodus 35:31-32 and 35, and see what you think.
Fox River Comics Camp is a colorful graphic novel that tells a fun story about anthropomorphized kids learning how to overcome creative challenges through fun exercises. But it’s also something of a well-designed activity book that kids and parents can use at home, crafting their own comic book masterpieces step-by-step.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
