The Badge Archive

Plan a Comic

Activity Description: Scouts explore how comic panels tell a story, then plan a four-panel comic using expressions, body language, and panel transitions.

Info Needed: A sample comic should fit into four panels and use facial expressions or body posture to show what’s happening. Each panel should move the story forward, even without words. You can focus on how characters feel, move, or react.

Items Needed:

  • Pens or pencils
  • Scrap paper (plenty for each Scout)
  • Sticky notes (plenty for each Scout)
  • (Optional) Expressions reference sheet – Expressions by The Badge Archive

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 40 min):

  1. Think about a comic strip and count how many panels it uses. (5 min)
    • Scouts learn that each panel is a snapshot of part of the story.
  2. Use a short, silly story to explore how to choose which moments go in each panel. (5 min)
    • (Optional) Use a story like walking to the fridge and encountering a pie-throwing squirrel.
  3. Explore different types of panel transitions. (5–10 min)
    • Moment-to-moment: showing every step of an action
    • Action-to-action: showing key actions
    • Subject-to-subject: shifting focus between characters
    • Scene-to-scene: changing the environment
    • Aspect-to-aspect: showing different perspectives or details
    • Non sequitur: unexpected or unrelated elements
  4. Choose a challenge and plan how to tell a story in four panels. (2–5 min)
    • Scouts use a real-life event.
    • Scouts use a scene from a book or movie they know well.
    • Scouts create a new story idea and keep it simple.
  5. Outline a comic for their chosen story type. (5–10 min)
    • Scouts decide how to use expressions, body posture, or both to show what’s happening.
    • Scouts should use simple outlines and sketches for their comic. If they want to do detailed drawings, plan an extra 30 minutes to give them enough time to complete their work.
  6. (Optional) Use sticky notes to sketch each panel and rearrange them. (5 min)
    • Scouts test how the story flows and make changes before finalizing.
Tia Kennard