Why? Because comic books are the #1 way to create great readers and clever people!
I know, a pretty bold statement, but most studies seem to agree.
Superliterate is a California-based non-profit that collects unused comic books and shares them with children in underserved neighborhoods, foster care, and juvenile detention centers. Our primary goal is to facilitate the positive impacts of comic-based learning and level the playing field by helping as many young adults as possible.
With your help, we can bring comic books to kids and young adults that don’t have easy access to them. Our first objective (since post-Covid relaunch) is to bring FREE COMIC BOOK DAY to DTLA, Joshua Tree, 29 Palms, Pioneertown, Morongo Valley, and Yucca Valley!
Free Comic Book Day is traditionally a national event where comic shops buy publisher-subsidized, low-priced issues as promotional copies to bring people into their stores, foster new readers, and develop the fan base for the titles. In most instances, this is done exclusively at comic book shops. Our closest individual book retailer is in Palm Springs. But we believe it is such a fun, great idea, that creates so much benefit that we are dedicated to bringing it to areas that DON’T have a comic shop. Like here in the Morongo Basin which is now our base of operations.
Link to their site. Free Comic Book Day
As we develop as an organization we intend to dramatically increase the communities we serve. We are also focused on working with teachers and libraries in order to publish books and develop curriculum that can inspire the next generation of avid readers, writers, and creators while closing the literacy and life skill gap created by the underfunding of education and negative impacts from other social challenges.
Step ONE: Collect comics from old stock, unwanted collections, unsold inventory, etc. DONE!
Step TWO: Pop Up Comic Shop with said items for sale to help cover expenses as the program is expanded and the search for donations, grants, and sponsorships begin. We can hopefully find some local volunteers and also raise awareness. Locations and times TBD.
Then Step THREE: Almost immediately, it’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY in the high desert where we’ll be giving out thousands of comics. We’ll add spots for distribution as we can. For our first event, we’ll focus on the Morongo Basin but also include Skid Row in Los Angeles as it is a perfect example of a community that can use this help. Inner City Arts in downtown Los Angeles is an inspiration and we are so proud to be collaborating on this.
Eventually we’ll be launching a Kickstarter to secure a base of operations that will include a brick-and-mortar retail shop. We desperately need more room to sort out donations and stuff our giveaway bags. Once opened, besides now being able to self-fund the program by selling donated comics as well as the pop art collectibles and clothing that the Comic Convention world enjoys, it’s our objective to use this space as a comic/gaming community center as well. Reading clubs via ZOOM combined with local participation can truly add to the experience and development of a positive social atmosphere. Gamers and all other nerdy pursuits may find an HQ there too. In the meantime, we’ll try to provide some entertaining and informative podcasts, some art prints, funky t-shirts, and maybe sell some of the donated stuff online in order to keep this project alive.
For further research, here are a couple of links (of hundreds) that back up our thoughts on how and why comic books are so incredibly successful in teaching kids a variety of skills, talents, and abilities.
For example, some simple search results include Scholastic.com being quoted for the question “Are comic books good for learning?”
The response was, “These (comic books) offer a plethora of learning benefits – critical thinking, sequencing, imagination, storytelling, and creativity. Just think, every time that your child reads the book, it will be completely unique.”
Read more at Scholastic.com
See how Government agencies agree!
There are so many results as to why comics are such great teaching tools. Harvard, Yale, and many others have all come to the same conclusion. It is an amazing learning tool. You may be overwhelmed. Look…
A quick reference for journalists
Who: Superliterate. Founded by Rex Edhlund, formerly of San Diego and now of Pioneertown after a short stint in Los Angeles. Rex is a pop culture writer, publisher, and raconteur that worked in this colorful design world for longer than he is willing to admit. He also credits his avid comic book reading as 100 percent vital to the career he was able to enjoy that led to this.
What: Bringing Comic books to areas that do not have them readily available. Tagging along with the already successful nationwide promotion Free Comic Book Day.
Where: The high desert and DTLA, locations to be updated, announced here and via social media
Morongo Valley– FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Spot
Black Luck Vintage
49950 Twentynine Palms Highway, Morongo Valley, CA 92256
Saturday, May 6th, 2023, 10AM–5PM (Remaining grab bags would be made available during regular business hours on the following days- google them)
Yucca Valley– FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Spot
GOAT MOUNTAIN CO
55940 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA 92284.
Saturday, May 6th, 2023, 12AM–5PM (Remaining grab bags would be made available during regular business hours on the following days- google them)
Joshua Tree– FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Spot
The Station
61943 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Saturday, May 6th, 2023, 10 AM–6 PM (Remaining grab bags would be made available during regular business hours on the following days- google them)
29 Palms– FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Spot
Table-Top Heroes
73481 CA-62, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Saturday, May 6th, 2023, 11 AM–8PM (Remaining grab bags would be made available during regular business hours on the following days- google them)
Pioneertown– FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Spot
Wooden Nickel Craft Fair at the Wild West Theatre just across the street from Pappy + Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace
53688 Pioneertown Rd, Pioneertown, CA 92268
Saturday, May 6th, 2023, 11AM–5PM
Skid Row–DTLA-FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Spot
Inner-City Arts
720 Kohler St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
To be distributed at their discretion to the many lives that they improve.
Why: We need more smart human beings. We need a positive future. We need to make improvements in the lives of so many people, and we can.
When: Now. The first giveaway will be at a half dozen locations on May 6, 2023! The ongoing management of this passion project will be attended to most afternoons after our founder handmakes adobe bricks for the home he is building in Pioneertown (yes, another passion project).
Side benefit? This project expands the comic book market with new readers! So it’s absolutely beneficial to the industry that brings us all so much entertainment.
