How it works
These 150 comic ideas come in three sizes: one panel, three to four panels, or one page. Each names the beat where the joke lands. They were written as comic ideas for kids, so every one is clean. Choose Funny, Cute, Superhero or School project to narrow the list.
Read the full guide
Pick the size before the joke
One panel is a gag cartoon: a single drawing, usually with a caption beneath. There is no pacing to get wrong, so start here if you want easy comic ideas. Three to four panels make a comic strip, and most short comic ideas live here; the simplest, like Two snails on a road trip, keep one view. The one page comic ideas run from four to nine panels (our suggestion, no rule), and each has a beginning, a middle and an end.
Where the joke lands
In the classic Japanese four-panel strip, panel one sets the scene, two develops it, three springs something unforeseen and four shows the result. Three-panel strips lean on the comic triple: two beats set a pattern and the third breaks it. For funny comic ideas, try leaving the panel before the punchline silent.
- Write the last panel first. If the ending is not funny as a sentence, three more panels will not rescue it.
- Letter the balloons before you draw the figures. Words need more room than you expect, and every tail must point at its speaker.
- Many of the cute comic ideas end on a small kind act, like the bear cub offering half its sandwich to the echo. Give that panel the most room.
Questions and answers
What are good comic ideas for a school project?
Choose the School project group. It holds simple formats, not facts: a guide character who explains a process in four steps, an object that tells its own life story, an interview, a timeline strip. Take every fact in a caption from your textbook or class notes.
How do I make superhero comic ideas my own?
Every hero on the list is unnamed, so the name, the costume and the city are yours to invent. Many start from a small or useless power, such as finding the end of the sticky tape, because a flawed hero is easier to write jokes for than one who always wins.
Can I use these as mini comic ideas?
Yes. A mini comic is a small comic you publish yourself, and no rule fixes the format. For a six panel page, fold two sheets in half and nest them: eight little pages, enough for a cover, one panel a page and a back. A single sheet folded in quarters has four faces, which fits a four panel strip.