Evil Twin Comics a key contributor to New York City public schools' Civics For All Comics Group

Since 2020, Evil Twin Comics' Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey have been collaborating directly with The New York City Department of Education to create the Action Activists comic series for their middle school social studies core curriculum, using the creative duo's acclaimed "real facts, fake jokes" approach to non-fiction comic book storytelling.

Action Activists teaches readers what civics is, how it works (and how it doesn't!) and how citizens can become civically engaged through activism, protest and even running for political office. The series also tells the story of significant moments in the activist history of New York City, profiles several famous immigrant activists throughout US History and even gives a look at what history might have been like without specific moments in civic action. A spin-off title How To Be An Action Activist is a special introduction to civic action for early readers starring the series' popular squirrel and pigeon narrators.

Action Activists was the launch title of Civics For All Comics Group, the New York City Department of Education's original comics publishing initiative. 100,000 printed copies of each issue have been distributed for free to New York City middle school students as part of their Social Studies core curriculum, and digital downloads are available as a free teaching resource (or to read just for fun - they're pretty funny).

“The Civics for All group found us through our Comic Book History of Comics and Action Presidents series, and they have let us pretty much have free rein as long as we stay within the boundaries of the program's needs,” said [Evil Twin Comics co-founder Fred] Van Lente. “We've done annual Zooms with hundreds of kids and their teachers when the comics come out, and the feedback we get from the students is always fun and exciting. Besides, how many comics pros can say each comic of theirs "sells" 80,000 copies per issue? That's how many Action Activists go out at Civics Week each year. It's been an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Evil Twin Comics are currently in production of 3 new titles for the Civics For All Comics Group to be published in 2025 - Action Activists #4, How To Be An Action Activist #2 and Hidden Voices: Jack Kirby.