Optimist Comics Academy gives young people across Chicago the opportunity to write, draw, publish, and sell their own comics and artwork. The books and prints in this shop are the culmination of that journey—original work created by young artists who took their ideas from the sketchbook all the way to publication.
 

Each year, our students are celebrated at Optimist Con, Chicago's all-student comic convention, where young creators get the opportunity to share their work, meet their readers, and experience what it feels like to be a published artist.

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When you purchase from the Optimist Comics shop, you're doing more than buying a comic or a piece of art. 50% of the revenue from student work goes directly back to the young artists who created it, giving students the opportunity to earn from their creativity while learning that their ideas—and their work—have real value.

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Buy the work. Support a young artist. Help us build the next generation of Chicago creators.