Key Takeaways:

Comic books, both online and in print, are a fun and artistic manner of educating people about sex.

In the ever-evolving field of sexual education around the globe, conservative methods have been shown to fall short when it comes to educating and engaging the youth. The colourful, dynamic world of comic books can help combat this. There is a myriad of reasons why comics can serve as a great tool for sex education:

• Comic books have a purpose beyond entertainment, as they can convey emotion and nuance. Colourful art, relatable characters and diverse and inclusive storylines can present an interesting manner to learn about sexual health and terminology, as opposed to bland and concept-heavy textbooks.
• The visuals in a comic book for sex ed can be adjusted to make them non-threatening and comprehensive. 
• The characters in a comic book can delve into aspects of relationships that sex education tends to miss out on, such as communication, consent, boundary-setting, relationship dynamics, decision-making, etc. These characters can be role models for the readers.
• Cultural perspectives can also be incorporated into the comic book’s plot, by depicting a culture’s norms and values, while still being relevant 
• Comics can approach taboo and difficult topics of sexuality, gender identity, menstruation, masturbation and more with sensitivity and reduce stigma and shame

There has been a growing trend in digital comics and webcomics; this material can be easily accessed and shared online. This provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and sex education. There are several advantages to reading digitised comics:

1. Real-time updates 
2. Engaging features like animation, background music and other multimedia elements
3. Translation to multiple languages
4. Social media promotion and sharing
5. In-built engagement metrics such as page views, shares and time spent reading
6. Global reach and accessibility
7. Gamification options like rewards, quizzes and challenges
8. Collaborative opportunities with public health professionals, writers, educators and artists