AI is the access point.Your creativity is the point.
Cooley Comics helps people of every age and ability create, write and print their own comic book. We use AI as Accessible Intelligence: a way in for anyone who has ever been told they can't draw, can't write or can't create. Our facilitators guide every step. The ideas are always yours.
Bringing a group? See options for organizations and for teams. Creating for yourself or someone you support? Start here.
Trusted by schools, libraries and community organizations
We see AI as an accessibility tool.
Making a comic used to mean you had to draw, write or read well. AI changes who gets to take part.
People with disabilities, people in recovery, and people who can't draw, read or write can now see the characters in their heads come to life, and share them with the world. In every Cooley Comics session, participants invent a character based on who they are, write its story, direct AI tools to bring it to life, and hold the printed comic at the end.
AI is a new frontier, and it raises real questions. We don't shy away from it, and we don't ignore them. We work with environmental and subject-matter experts to keep learning about AI's impact, and a human imagination always leads. How we think about AI
Five skills, hidden inside a comic book
A partner librarian calls it “the hidden vegetable”: people are having too much fun to notice how much they're learning.
AI and digital skills
Participants learn to direct AI tools with clear, descriptive language, and to judge what comes back.
Storytelling and writing
Every comic needs a character, a world and a plot. Literacy practice that doesn't feel like work.
Communication
They pitch ideas, give feedback, and present a finished book to a room.
Self-discovery
Characters are built from each person's own strengths, values and struggles.
Job skills
Deadlines, teamwork and a portfolio piece. Some participants go on to paid roles with us.
AI Comic Labs: 18 months of creativity across Rochester
Over about 18 months, AI Comic Labs brought 2,000+ young people and individuals into nearly 100 workshops with 30+ community groups, and turned their ideas into 600+ original comic books.
- 2,000+kids and individuals took part
- ~100workshops hosted
- 30+community groups partnered with us
- 600+original comic books created
- 7,000+printed books in people's hands
- ~18months, from one workshop to a citywide movement
It made me feel good! It made me feel like I got something done. It made me feel like I dove into my brain a little bit. I dug something out and got it done. I worked for it.Jaymari, workshop participant
More stories from our community
Batavia Elementary
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~3,260 people reached Clarissa Street Legacy
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~275 people reached The Talented 10th
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~270 people reached EnCompass Leadership
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~175 people reached Devices and the Cooley Comics app
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~1,038 people reached NYSAA and the Library Digital Media Lab
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~570 people reached Multi-School Universe Building
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~1,100 people reached School 33 Dads and Donuts
Read the storyWhat partners and participants say
The kids were all so grateful and more engaged than I have ever seen them. This is something very special.Rebecca C., Rochester, NY
I liked being able to make my character look the way I imagined.Sammy, 15, workshop participant
They're getting job skills, they're getting social-emotional support, they're getting literacy support, and they're doing it in a way that's fun and doesn't seem like work to them.Miranda Stefano, Program Librarian, Rochester City School District
The technology is new. What matters isn't.
Be Seen. Be Heard. Have Fun. That's our promise to every participant, partner and team member, and it's what a room feels like when someone holds a book they made.
Facilitators sit beside every participant. About half of our staff and participants are neurodivergent, on the autism spectrum, or part of the disability community, and every session is built to be accessible.
Our mission and valuesLet's find your fit
Watch your people show up, speak up and create something they're proud of. Answer a few quick questions and we'll suggest the experience that suits your group, team or goals. Then book a free 30-minute call.
Not ready for a call yet?
New program dates, participant comics and ideas for funding creative work. About one email a month, and you can leave any time.