Whether you’re planning activities for Banned Books Week, trying to read more, or looking to engage with others during the spring and summer, there are few things that bring as much joy as starting a comic book club. Check out this post for free resources like handbooks, lists of comics to read, and discussion guides.
Handbooks
Learn how to start and make the most of book clubs for comics and graphic novels with the Comic Book Club Handbook, a resource produced by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in collaboration with Comic-Con International. Designed for librarians, retailers, and individuals alike, the Comic Book Club Handbook goes inside the how’s and why’s of creating a graphic novel book club. The handbook provides proven strategies for getting started, selecting books, engaging your community, managing discussions, and much more, including a helpful table of books to get you started.
Download a PDF of the Comic Book Club Handbook here.
Hard copies of the Comic Book Club Handbook is available in the CBLDF Rewards Zone here.
The Manga Book Club Handbook is invaluable resource, created in partnership with VIZ Media, that will help you start and make the most of book clubs for manga! The Manga Book Club Handbook lays out the basics of manga and provides the tools you need to start a book club for manga, including suggested readings to get you started!
Download a PDF of the Manga Book Club Handbook here.
Hardcopies of the Manga Book Club Handbook are available in the CBLDF Rewards Zone here.
Book Clubs for Parents
For parents out there thinking about starting a comic book club, consider picking on comics which have been frequently challenged or banned in recent years. This is one way to see what sort of material is most frequently threatened, and explore why, and how people can best protect it. Check out this article on the recent history of comics on the ALA’s Top Ten Most Challenged and Banned List , to pick up great suggestions to get you started.
Not sure what to talk about? Check out CBLDF’s Discussion Guides! They offer a basis for starting interesting and rewarding conversation on some of the greatest comics in the modern era. For more in-depth looks at the comics, consider checking out Using Graphic Novels in Education, an academic look at important works of sequential art that will provide a more detailed reading of the material.
