The Cartoonists Club: A Graphic Novel

Makayla is obsessed with a fantasy video game and is always doodling scenes from it, and her friend Howard is always doodling, but has trouble making up stories. When the two come up with a fun idea for a story, Tofu Pup, they camp out in the library to work on it after school. Luckily, the school media specialist, Ms. Fatima, also loves comics, and agrees to help them set up a club. They recruit the shy and slightly troubles Lynda as well as the nonbinary Art, who likes all manner of crafts. Ms. Fatima has the group do all manner of creative exercises to help them with their work, and after some research, lets them know that there are no specific rules or standard ways to create comics. All of the members doubt various aspects of their skill sets; Makayla still struggles with capturing her thoughts, Howard's father doesn't like comics and dissuades him from spending time on them, Lynda is a perfectionist who gets stuck on minutiae and also doesn't want to share her sad backstory with others, and Art has trouble sticking to just one project. His father introduces the group to small comic books and zines, and they are soon producing their own and selling them at school. The Cartoonists Club applies for a table at a small local comics convention and gets one. At first, they don't have many people stop by, but buoyed by the support of a popular author, they persevere.

A comic about making comics, and finding friends along the way. Although Makayla, Howard, Lynda, and Art don't seem to have a ton in common, with a little encouragement from their school librarian, the soon to be comic-club companions learn to channel their imagination to make some awesome comics.

Each of the kids is navigating their own challenges at school and at home, but overall this story is light on drama and keeps a heavy focus on positivity and strengthening relationships through art. Comics can be lots of fun, but they can also be a lot more than that, allowing the creator to communicate their thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams. As the kids learn, the one rule for comics is there are no rules. You can come to comics as a meticulous artist, a doodler, a writer, or something else, and every one is valid and brings their own strengths.

Pick this up for a school story about making cool stuff, a shy kid finding a group of friends, and artists supporting each other.