Tag Archives: health care

Medikidz Makes Healthcare Understandable Through Comics

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type-1-diabetes-2nd-edMedikidz has a unique mission. They’re out to create a global community of young people who are informed, empowered and health-aware. A lofty ambition for sure, but here comes the fun part…they are using comics to do it!

Comic as education is nothing new. However comics as innovative resources for medical professionals, patients, and caretakers around the globe is on a whole different level. To-date, the UK based company has distributed over 3 million copies of their unique comic books worldwide. In 2011, they took on AIDS in Africa reaching over 100,000 young people in clinics across Swaziland, a region plagued with the highest number of HIV patients in the world. In 2012, the company’s two FEMALE CEO’s were celebrated on International Woman’s Day as leader’s in the New Zealand medical field. In 2013, they went digital with MediKidz Explain Type 1 Diabetes available on both iOS and Android platforms, and they brought their team of 5 larger-than-life superheroes to the USA.

Their comics run a range of topics, from ADHD, cancer, depression, allergies and more, the comics take complicated topics and make them easier to understand for individuals. The content is written by and peer reviewed by medical doctors to make sure it’s accurate.

Their recent release,MediKidz Explain Epilepsy is a unique title for the brand. Thanks to the help from The Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey the company created a comic book around a real-life case study; a 14-year-old patient named Jack. Jack was brought on board to help advise the Medikidz team of medical and comic book professionals about the ins-and-outs of living with epilepsy as a teenager. The 32-page full color comic book has since become another invaluable resource for people of all-ages diagnosed with epilepsy. In fact, thanks to a MediKidz presentation at Jack’s school late last year, a female classmate who read the book realised that she was also experiencing seizures, and is now getting the right treatment for her own epilepsy diagnosis!

You’ve got to like a comic that educates and can help folks out as well! This is a company that takes the idea that the hero “saves the day” literally.

Medikidz_in_action

Around the Tubes

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It’s new comic day tomorrow! What are folks looking forward to checking out?

Around the Tubes

The Mary Sue – DragonCon Co-Founder Ed Kramer Pleads Guilty To Molestation Charges, Is Sentenced – Ok then.

Comic Vine – CW Allegedly Working on Live Action Young Justice Show – Could be cool.

BBC News – What’s up, Doc? How comic strips are improving bedside manner – Cool to see.

Houston Chronicle – Film on black stereotypes in comic books to be screened Dec. 19 – This could be cool to see.

Kotaku – ​If Batman Were Broke – Ha.

 

Around the Tubes Reviews

CBR – Indestructible Hulk #16

CBR – Thief of Thieves #18

Comics By and For African Teens

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Coat of arms of Namibia.

My Heroes is a new social-issues comic aimed for African teens. This totally non-profit project is for the Namibian government and is currently a joint project between volunteers from the non-profit Pact (which gets some funding from the U.S. Agency for International development) and some teenagers from a government-run gome in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. The final book will teach orphaned and vulnerable children all over Namibia how their children’s homes should be run.

Namibia has the seventh-highest rate of HIV worldwide, which adds to its large number of orphans and vulnerable children: about 250,000 in 2010, an estimated 28% of whom were orphaned by AIDS. By 2012 there were 849 children living at children’s homes.

The final book is scheduled to be published in 2013. You can find some examples of what’s being put together at http://spin-doctors.tumblr.com which posts regular artwork and behind the scenes material.

Indian Government Publishing Comic Books to Raise Health Awareness

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The Times of India is reporting that the Indian government has turned to comic books to raise awareness about health in the country.  The government health department is using the comics to target and educate school age children.  One topic is aimed at young girls and plans teach them as to the proper age for marriage and pacing of child birth.  In some areas of India up to 60% of girls are married before the age of 18.

This is just one step in a multi-pronged initiative to raise health awareness in young children.

Around the Tubes

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If you missed last night’s episode of Graphic Policy Radio, you can catch it online.  While you’re listening, here’s some more news for you to check out.

Around the Blogs:

Otago Daily Times – Comic books to help young patients – A great article about Medikidz comics and how they’re being used in healthcare.

20th Century Danny Boy – Original Art Stories: Steve Geppi’s Million Dollar Art Deal Gone Bad – An interesting article about a fairly controversial figure on the comic book industry.

Kotaku – Sunday Comics – Each week Kotaku brings us some great web comics.

Con Coverage:

Time Out Chicago – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 2011 | Photos + wrap-up

Around the Tubes – It’s Time to Get My Geek On!

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Today is the first day of Gen Con!  Expect lots of coverage of the next four days with photos and reviews of games I demo.  So much going on, and so much fun as I do the usual and meet up with my Buffalo buddies to cause absolute mayhem.  While I cause trouble and do my best to not get my press pass revoked, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

The Times of India – Comic books curb obesity in kids – Another positive about comic books.

Geekweek – Laurence Fishburne Is MAN OF STEEL’S Perry White – And the haters came out again.

ICv2 – Marvel Says New Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Is Not Gay – Interesting how all of the news sources that says he’s gay are conservative that parrot each other.  Nope, information doesn’t flow from one to the other at all.

Courier Journal – U of L library plans comic-book exhibit – The university is displaying a 2,000 issue collection.

The Beat – Spurlock’s Comic-Con documentary to premiere at Toronto Film Festival – I really want to see this.

Bleeding Cool – IDW To Continue UK Transformers Continuity By Simon Furman And Andrew Wildman – Now, this is interesting.

ICv2 – Superhero Body Count Is Growing – Sigh….

Con Coverage:

MTV Geek – Gen Con: Fantasy Flight Games Snags Star Wars License, Announces Two Titles

Around the Tubes Reviews:

ICv2 – Fighting American

CBR – The Infinite #1

Blog Critics Books – The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti

Benzinga – We Shall Never Forget 9/11 “The Kids’ Book of Freedom

Bleeding Cool – Wednesday Comics Review: Punisher #1 and Severed #1

MTV Geek – Image Reviews: The Infinite #1, Severed #1, and Pigs #1

Bleeding Cool – Wednesday Comics Review: Ultimate Fallout #4 And Batman Knight Of Vengeance #3

Complex – Review: Does Marvel’s Relaunch Of “The Punisher” Give The Character New Life?

Around the Tubes

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It’s the beginning of a new week and the ticker is counting down until San Diego Comic-Con, and we’ll be there!  Wee!  As you get settled for work, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

The Mary Sue – Medikidz Comic Opening an Office in the United States – An example of comics being used for educational purposes.

The ComiChron – Where did comics numbering come from? – Some nice history about comic book numbering. Always great to see articles like this.

Kotaku – Sunday Comics – Each week Kotaku brings various web comics.

Con Coverage:

Bleeding Cool – Joe Harris To Debut Issue One AND Issue Two Of Spontaneous At San Diego?

Bleeding Cool – Retailer Swag From Diamond At San Diego Comic Con

Robot 6 – Comic-Con International rolls out Sunday programming

Bleeding Cool – San Diego Sunday Programming Strikes Back!

DesMoines Register – ComicCon, Iowa style, proves modest

Around the Tubes Reviews:

Comicsgirl – Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures

Comic Book Movie – Superman Earth One

Health Care Policy Explained in Comic Books

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Jonathan GruberJonathan Gruber is a MIT economist and adviser to President Obama.  Gruber was also part of President Obama’s health care reform.  He was convinced, particularly by his 16 year old son, to attempt to explain the rather complex health care law through comic books.  But this avenue is also giving him the opportunity to defend the law from the “ugly, evil rhetoric.”  Saying that when people are explained the law they like it.

Gruber is experienced in health care law.  He worked with former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney on Massachusetts’ 2006 health care law which was an influence on the national law.  He has also worked as an adviser to Obama and serves on the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority Board, which oversees the state law.

The book, due to hit the shelves in September, is being published by Hill & Wang, a subsidiary of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Twitter Tuesday

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Each week, we bring you the politically charged tweets from those in the comic book industry to show it’s not all tights and capes.

Twitter Tuesday

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Each week we dig into the more politically motivated Tweets from the comic book industry to show it’s not just capes and tights on their minds.

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