World's First Grammar Superhero

The latest caped hero to appear on the city's skyline might not be as glamorous as Batman or Superman, but Grammarman is no less serious about his quest.

This comic, written and illustrated by EFL teacher Brian Boyd, aims to put some fun into the task of learning and practising grammar.

Boyd, himself a longtime comic book fan, had already been using comics in the classroom for quite some time before coming up with the novel idea. He noticed how much of their free time his students spent reading comics - mainly the Japanese Manga titles.

Whilst leafing through some old Spiderman issues, looking for possible classroom activites, the idea came like a bolt from the blue. It occured to Boyd that he'd never seen a comic book specifically targeted at those learning English.

Five weeks of furious scribbling, notes, sketches and inking later, a portfolio of six sample stories was ready.

Less than six months later, the stories have already seen print in the pages of TEFLAsia Magazine and the EL Gazette. Further publications are set to run the strips.

The comic stories, supported by games puzzles, jokes and other freebies, appear online at www.grammarmancomic.com - a website Boyd put together to raise awareness in the EFL community, and draw the attention of more editors.

If the start of the year is anything to go by, then big things are in store for the Correction Crusader. Is it a big yellow bird? Is it a small yellow plane? No! It's Grammarman!