Kristen Duncan

A Plethora of Comics in One Spot: Would you dive into this comic?

For all of the graphic novel and reluctant readers, there’s a place for you! From an array of topics, Comics+ is North Atlanta’s new place to enjoy free and accessible digital comics. Dive into your favorite comics or a new comic series, in one place on your device. Webtoons, manga, you name it! Read further to see what you could do with Comics+!

When first opening the website, everything is on the homepage. You’re first greeted by “a river to navigate through”, filled with the popular and just added novels. At the top of the page, there is a list of numerous categories to start from and a search bar, if you’re looking for something in particular. Then there’s the real kicker… MyShelf. An area to store all of the books that you’re reading, complete with a progress bar to document how far you’ve gotten into your reading. When actually reading, however, you are met with specific instructions for how you want to read. Your typical options like 1 page, 2 pages, or tri-panels are given, as well as what page you’re on out of the total amount of pages. You can read a book about Invincible, Romeo and Juliet, Covid-19, Kamala Harris, pride, Latinx history, SEL, Moby Dick, and Halloween editions like Dracula and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg! “Basically anything you like in a book is here,” North Atlanta’s librarian, Lori McCall said. 

So…where did this website come from? Firstly, there’s a version of this in public libraries already, but that version is more geared towards adults. Then came, Comics+, a website from the company Library Pass bought for $3,000 to implement a platform towards teens. The students that frequent the library started searching for other areas to read graphic novels, even helping McCall with the process of adding more categories. “I wanted something that parents would be fine with and kids will be intrigued by,” McCall said. 

Wait a minute! Just who is this website for? Well, it’s for those who want a fun read without lugging something around in a backpack. It’s for those who have trouble reading, or understanding the more traditional versions of a book (looking at you Shakespeare!). It’s for a health class, a science class, or a literature class. Even teachers can use it for their students! However, there’s one thing that is needed for Comics+ to stay, and that’s constant viewers. “If not many people use it, then it will be gone,” McCall said, “I need to show certain statistics.”

Since Comics+ is a relatively new website, not many people know about it. It’s a one stop shop for comic book lovers, readers, and really any student with a MyBackPack account. If it’s truly important and useful for many students, then Comics+ will be here for a while. In a large and ever-changing world of comics, having everything at the tips of students’ fingers is a very special thing.