Chester Comix - Comic books and graphic novels that bring history to life!

Welcome to Chester Comix! Inside this site you'll find fun samples of the way Bentley Boyd uses comix to spark interest in history for reluctant readers! Check what he's drawing now, go with him to weird historical sites across the country, or download a coloring page and put your own words into his drawings! This home page features my most recent news/blog entries. Learn more about my blog. Have fun! --Bentley Boyd

A fantastic review!

December 1st, 2008

Chester Comix just got a fantastic review on this web page devoted to helping educators find useful comic books for their reluctant readers! This is a great site for you to bookmark after reading this fun review. (At one point they note all the social studies concepts I’m packing in, and they add, “yet Boyd does it so effectively and with such good humor (using Star Trek analogies along the way, even) that I barely realized that I was learning new things as I was reading.” That’s the idea!!!

http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/11/comix-with-content-government-by-people.html

Tags: Bentley Boyd, Chester Comix, comic book, Graphic Classroom, reluctant reader, social studies, teacher
Posted in Graphic Novel Review | 2 Comments »

Chester Charity

November 23rd, 2008

My business model is to help students, teachers and parents, but I also want to use my time and business proceeds to help my community at large. In a good sign for the business, I’m getting more and more of those requests (Chester’s brand expands every time someone asks me to donate books for a charity auction!).

Last week I had a great time at a calendar signing for Beyond Boobs, a new nonprofit to help young women deal with breast cancer. (This photo includes some of the wonderful cancer survivors featured in the calendar — the two founders of the charity, Rene Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson, are on the left). I also gave them a check based on the sales my great friend, Wendy Owens, (to the right of me) got for me by running my booth at the Virginia school librarians conference earlier this month. Please visit the Beyond Boobs web site and buy a beautiful calendar!

www.beyondboobsinc.org/

Tags: Bentley Boyd, Beyond Boobs, charity, Chester Comix, Williamsburg
Posted in Author's Purpose | No Comments »

A Run to Roanoke

November 14th, 2008

The days after Barack Obama was elected to the presidency were an interesting time to hang out with urban students in Roanoke, Virginia. I had to design an Obama caricature in a hurry!!! Made me wistful for my political cartooning days . . .

But it felt good to add that breath of fresh air. Drawing Frederick Douglass endorsing Obama was just plain FUN (the contrast in their hair was the best!). I do tweak my presentation over the years — I’ve added new words, new ideas and new twists to the standard drawings I do in my “chalk talks.” But it’s all built on a simple idea that has been around since vaudeville days: the magic that appears as a guy brainstorms ideas with an audience and brings those ideas to form.

Plus the silly hat . . .

During my talk at Fairview Elementary in Roanoke, the 200 students brought pencils and paper to the cafeteria. I think it’s cool that they drew as I drew and we brainstormed together. I got some great renditions of Chester at the end of my talk. I don’t ask them to draw him, but Chester has proven the test of time to be an appealing and simply-formed character — like Snoopy or Mickey Mouse. I love seeing the variations that kids come up with!

Posted in Historical Travel | 5 Comments »

Comic books that bring history to life!