Comic Book Design Part 1

This is a project where my perfectionistic nature has reared its ugly head. Which is not fun at all, because I am not very artistically inclined whatsoever. Needless to say, thinking about and planning for this project has stretched my boundaries. I love to read comic books but never thought that I would be able to create one. 

I have given a considerable amount of thought to the topic and content for this comic book. In my "Real Life," I have been employed as a Juvenile Probation Officer for the past 10 years. I have handled thousands of cases for juvenile offenders. In all my experience some of the most common types of cases we handle at the Athens-Clarke County Juvenile Court are either affray or disorderly conduct at schools. Affray is a fancy word for fighting in a public place. Disorderly Conduct can be classified as causing a disruption. Frequently, children charged with Disorderly Conduct have interfered with the operations of a school, a business, or somewhere in the general public. Students can get charged with Disorderly Conduct if they are bystanders in an Affray case. 

For juveniles who are "first offenders," or those who have not gotten into trouble in over a year or two, these cases are handled outside of Court in an Informal manner. The great majority of these cases are referred to Athens Peer Court for the juvenile's peers to recommend the outcome of their cases. I follow through to ensure that they complete these requirements (community service, jury duty, apology letters, and the like). 

Essentially, I want my comic book to convey the process of incurring the charge, the Court processing it, and handling the case Informally with the outcome of Athens Peer Court. My main objective is to help juvenile offenders navigate this process in an easy manner. Yes, this is a very serious process, don't get me wrong. However, juveniles should have an understanding of what is going on their lives. 

This comic book will be geared toward the great majority of juveniles I encounter who incur affray charges, females. There is a rather large "Girl Fight" problem at both the Middle School and High School levels within the Athens-Clarke County community. This comic book will use language appropriate for Middle and High School students and will tell this story in a lively and appropriate manner.