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.
One school in Batavia, New York
With support from the Genesee County Economic Development Center, John Kennedy Intermediate School brought Cooley Comics to its students.
- 200+students explored how AI is used in today's world
- 12student stories went from ideas to printed comics
We saw an opportunity to let them use their creativity to create something really fabulous and tangible, and something that they're proud of.Melissa Calandra, STEAM teacher, John Kennedy School
Having our kids have access to it, even in a creative way, will start to prepare them for their future.Paul Kessler, Principal
More stories from our community
~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
A few months ago I didn't know anything about digital art and now I'm getting paid to make comic books, all because of the AI Comic Labs.Justin, Rochester, NY
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.