Comic Life 3

Creative tool for visual storytelling through comics

Learning rating

Community rating

Based on 16 reviews

Privacy rating

Expert evaluation by Common Sense

Grades

3–12

Subjects & Skills

Arts, Communication & Collaboration, Creativity, English Language Arts

Great for

Assessment, Creating Media, Media Literacy, Presentation

Price: Free to try
Platforms: Web, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

Pros: Offers a creative outlet to demonstrate concepts in all content areas.

Cons: Lacks some features for classroom use; kids may spend too much time playing with the program and not completing a project.

Bottom Line: Comic Life 3 helps students apply their understanding with a creative approach, but guidelines are needed to ensure success.

Teachers can use the Comic Life 3 application to help kids develop skills in storytelling, writing, vocabulary, reading skills, and self-expression. In addition to language arts, templates cover other content such as science and social studies; historical events can be sequenced visually, and scientific processes can be demonstrated through images. The templates are easy to personalize and challenge students to demonstrate their understanding visually in a creative format. Examples of finished projects could include steps in a science experiment or report, examples of character traits with trading cards, or a graphic novel about a social issue. While Comic Life 3 is great for demonstrating knowledge of information, teachers who are looking for more classroom-ready features might want to also consider Pixton. 

Comic Life 3 provides students with an easy way to demonstrate learning through comic design, with customizable options and predesigned templates. Students can use many types of images -- either stock art, pictures they've drawn (using other programs), image files stored on a computer's hard drive, or even snapshots from a computer's webcam. The program is intuitive, but a help pop-up is available with additional information.

The robust drag-and-drop editor allows students to add filters to images while adjusting the style and size of the text. Word bubbles can be added for a creative element to each frame. Final projects can be saved in an image format or a PDF and work with Google Drive.  

The Comic Life 3 application is a great way for students to create their own comics and graphic novel-style narratives. The library of templates is versatile and can help students design projects sequencing images and text to retell a story or demonstrate an understanding of learned materials. A handy script editor offers students a way to develop and brainstorm ideas prior to creating the visual product. Text can easily be dragged from the editor onto the comic area. Comic Life 3 will help budding artists work on the design, layout, and other visual literacy techniques. Students will also learn presentation skills, and they'll become more aware of their audience as they write and create comic-like projects.

Students will need guidance and specifics when using the program (such as limiting their project to two template options) so that time isn't wasted trying to decide on a beginning template. Also, classroom-ready features are missing, including assignment creation, embedded rubrics, and peer feedback and collaboration. 

Learning Rating

Overall Rating
Engagement

The tool is easy to use and provides control in the design process; students will enjoy creating a visual representation of concepts learned in class.

Pedagogy

Comic Life has tools to create an environment for meaningful, kid-directed learning. The program allows students to apply learned concepts visually.

Support

An interactive comic is available that offers a step-by-step guide to creation. As part of the final process, students need to save a document and share it as a PDF with others.

Common Sense reviewer
Sandy W.
Sandy W. Teacher

Community Rating

Great App for Visual Engagement

This app was user-friendly. Although I have not yet used it in a classroom, I believe that students will be engaged.

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Privacy Rating

Data Safety How safe is this product?

  • Unclear whether this product supports interactions between trusted users.
  • Unclear whether personal information can be displayed publicly.
  • Unclear whether user-created content is filtered for personal information before being made publicly visible.

Data Rights What rights do I have to the data?

  • Unclear whether users can create or upload content.
  • Processes to access or review user data are available.
  • Unclear whether this product provides processes to modify data for authorized users.

Ads & Tracking Are there advertisements or tracking?

  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays traditional or contextual advertisements.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.

Continue reading about this tool's privacy practices, including data collection, sharing, and security.

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