Applied Cartooning Projects

Beyond Punishment: A Guide to Mass Incarceration

Beyond Punishment: A Guide to Mass Incarceration helps readers understand the history, structures, and lived impacts of mass incarceration in the United States.

Produced by the Applied Cartooning Lab in collaboration with Freedom Classrooms, this comic-style guide combines clear visual storytelling with historical context, personal accounts, and examination of how systems of punishment operate, as well as emerging approaches beyond incarceration. Like other graphic guides from the Applied Cartooning Lab, Beyond Punishment uses comics to support teaching and learning by presenting complex social systems in an accessible, engaging format for a wide range of audiences.

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Art & Courage: A Guide to Sustaining a Creative Path

Since its release in 1993, Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland has become an underground classic helping artists across various disciplines persevere through uncertainty and self-doubt and has become a staple in the libraries of many artists and creatives. 

With David and Ted’s blessing, the Applied Cartooning Lab created a comic book based on their book. Art & Courage also offers comforting practical advice and philosophical perspectives from two working artists and teachers (Emil WIlson ’21 and James Sturm). As David and Ted write, “the difficulties artmakers face are not remote or heroic, but universal and familiar.” 

We hope Art & Courage, like Art & Fear, will help readers feel a little more prepared for whatever creative journey they embark upon.

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Freedom and Unity cover

Free digital edition!

Freedom and Unity: A Graphic Guide to Civics and Democracy in Vermont

The Center for Cartoon Studies was challenged by Vermont’s Secretary of State office and Vermont Humanities to create a graphic guide about the past, present, and promise of democracy and civics in our brave little state. Freedom and Unity is the answer to that challenge.

Here in Vermont, freedom isn’t a free-for-all and unity doesn’t mean uniformity. From Town Meetings to cooperatives, and all the way up to the state house, Vermont’s approach to democracy is by turns unique, varied, and inspired.

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How We Read: A Graphic Guide to Literacy. Coming Soon.

How We Read: A Graphic Guide to Literacy

For many, learning to read can be a struggle. What are the five keys to learning? How does the brain learn how to sound out written words? Why was writing even invented? What are the benefits of reading? How do comics support literacy? How We Read: A Graphic Guide to Literacy is a charming, playful, and fascinating 32-page comic book that answers these questions and more. Whether you are trying to learn how to read or trying to help someone who is, this comic will help.

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Health Wealth cover

Health and Wealth: A Graphic Guide to US Healthcare

The goal of this concise and engaging 32-page comic is to provide a baseline understanding of the healthcare system so people can feel a little less intimidated by its complexity and cruelty, and more empowered to advocate for themselves and those they care for. We hope Health and Wealth will generate discussions around healthcare and healthcare reform.

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Let's Talk About It

Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide to Mental Health

Created for middle school students, Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health is a lively and educational 24-page comic book that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health. Created by mental health experts, educators, and cartoonists this comic provides knowledge and resources for students to help them be healthier and more resilient.

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This Is What Democracy Looks Like comic cover

This is What Democracy Looks Like: A Graphic Guide to Governance

Using the power of comics to teach teens about the way our government works This Is What Democracy Looks Like, A Graphic Guide To Governance is a 32-page comic book created by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). This short comic guide helps to bring democracy back to the hands of the people by explaining what democracy actually means and how the whole thing works. This guide will be a great jumping-off point to learn about our government.

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