Whether you look for translations of your favorite English comic strips or find comics that were originally published in Spanish, reading Spanish language comics is a fun way to test your reading comprehension and increase your vocabulary.
Learning with Spanish Comics
Comics are often more interesting than dry textbooks, especially for those who enjoy reading comics and graphic novels. This can
help provide a low-stress environment that encourages learning.
As an advantage over text materials, visuals can help provide context for unfamiliar vocabulary. If you select a comic that has an English equivalent, you can use the English version as a translation resource. In addition, reading the Spanish translation of a comic you typically read in English can help you understand new words because you will be familiar with the overall context of the story and the main attributes of the characters.
Spanish comics featuring Latino characters also offer additional insight into the Spanish-speaking world. From Tia Carmen’s love of telenovelas and use of folk remedies in Baldo to Yenny’s daily life in Puerto Rico, readers gain tidbits of culture while developing their language skills.
Finding Comics in Spanish
Online Comics
GoComics Comics en Español includes translations of several popular English-language strips, such as Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, FoxTrot, Cathy and many more.Baldo and Yenny both feature Latino characters, and even in their English-language incarnations sometimes includes bits of Spanish.The site also features several imports.Ronaldinho Gaucho is a Brazilian comic about the fictional childhood of a famous Brazilian soccer player of the same name.Gaturro is an Argentine comic strip about a humorous cat.Condorito is a Chilean comic in Spanish starring a condor living in a world of humans.
Books
Some publishers create Spanish comics specifically as language learning aids.For instance, Laugh ’n’ Learn Spanish includes comics in Spanish from the popular For Better or For Worse series.Find Beginning, Moderate, and Challenging strips along with vocabulary and language notes, review activities and English translations of the strips.
Mafalda , the popular Argentine comic of the ’60s and ’70s, appears in several collections of strips.
MercadoLibre offers books and comics, from Archie to Batman to the Walking Dead.
Visit the Revistas Cómicas y Novelas Gráficas section of Amazon.com’s Libros en Español.Browse the selection or search for a favorite title. Unfortunately, many books are more expensive than their English counterparts because they are either out-of-print or imported from Spanish-speaking countries.
Whichever source you choose, reading comics in Spanish should provide an entertaining educational experience.
