To communicate about relevant issues, share an opinion creatively, or even just induce a laugh, comic strips are a hallmark of a classic newspaper. Here at The Devil’s Advocate, we only produce quarterly print editions and primarily focus on posting articles on the website as well as coordinating episodes of The Devil’s Advocate TV (DATV). Yet what if The Devil’s Advocate took the classic newspaper comic strip and incorporated it into the pages of the student-run newspaper? 

Examining the possibilities that would emerge from a potential comic strip unlocks new creative opportunities for students to experience this aspect of multimedia journalism. The unique nature of a comic strip could easily result in an increase in content generated by the club. In the past two years or so, The Devil’s Advocate has lacked articles covering games and other aspects of the various Coginchaug sport teams, but a comic strip could solve that issue. Not only would a series of eight or ten drawings highlight the important aspects of the games, it would also engage audiences who may not feel as motivated to read a long play-by-play article of the entire game. 

Providing students with a way to creatively talk about and tackle controversial issues or problems at the school or in the world would become possible with the debut of a newspaper comic strip. With the literary elements of irony and allegories easily at their disposal, students gain the ability to discreetly express their take on an issue or use images to accompany their point. While the right words may not always be easy to find for someone to write about an issue that they feel passionate about advocating for, as cliché as it is, a picture can truly be those thousand words and more. 

The feeling of having your work published and being out there for someone to view is gratifying but can also be a daunting task to achieve, yet a comic strip for The Devil’s Advocate could assist students in their pursuits. This potential link between art and journalism built through a student-run newspaper comic strip could increase interest in The Devil’s Advocate and engage more students with a variety of interests and specialties. 

What if The Devil’s Advocate had a comic strip contest? Anyone in the school could make a short comic strip and send it to The Devil’s Advocate staff to vote on. Winner(s) could be featured in the print edition, the website, and The Devil’s Advocate social media. Or, if there is enough interest, what if the people interested in creating for The Devil’s Advocate comic strip formed a branch of the club, similar to how DATV is a branch of the newspaper? This small creative aspect could completely revolutionize the readers’ experience. With the news constantly littered with headlines about war, disease, climate change, inequality and more, a reason to smile in the form of a comic strip is something we all need. 

What do you think? Please take a minute to fill out this anonymous three-question survey regarding your thoughts on a potential comic strip for The Devil’s Advocate! Click here to fill it out! Your opinion matters to us regardless of whether you are a student, faculty or staff member, parent, or community member. Just let us know if you think this idea has potential and what type of content you would like to see!