Comic book artist and teacher Jerzy Drozd believes that in order to work in the comic book industry, one doesn’t have to be a good artist so much as a good storyteller.

“The funny thing is, I don’t really consider myself an ‘artist’ the way most people mean the word. Yes, I draw to tell my stories, but I’m most fascinated by finding the story itself. At that point, the artwork becomes one of several tools to that end,” said Drozd, 35, who lives in Ann Arbor with Anne, his wife of 10 years. He is the co-founder of Make Like A Tree Comics and his artwork has appeared in Antarctic Press’ “Ninja High School” and “Gold Digger.” He has been working in the industry since he was 19.

“I feel pretty strongly that one doesn’t need to be a great artist to be a great storyteller, and being a great storyteller is the primary skill of a comics creator. It seems a bit paradoxical, given that comics is a visual medium. But if you think of the drawing not as drafting and more as trying to visually capture tone, drama, emotion, and character, then you’re getting telling a story with images,” he said.

A vocal advocate of the industry, Drozd believes that people perceive it with this preconceived notion that it’s a kitschy medium for children and the illiterate, but can really be a proper teaching tool when used properly. In fact, Drozd is teaching comic-book workshops at the Ann Arbor District library this summer.

“The comics medium has been victim to some very misleading and sometimes pernicious misconceptions, and part of my mission as a teacher is to open up minds not only to the notion that comics are great, but also what potential it has as a storytelling vehicle,” said Drozd. “I also teach as a means to open up the creative process … one of the promises of the Internet age is the open and free access to information, and an implication of that promise is a coming age where we no longer live in a world where there are ‘talents’ with their hordes of ‘fans.’ When information and expertise can be shared so freely, we enter a time where we can all be participants in a medium. When we all participate, we all develop a deeper appreciation of this medium that we love.”

All of Drozd’s workshops are hands-on. Instead of lecturing, he engages students in interactive discussions about the mechanics of drawing comics, followed by activities demonstrating the principles discussed. Some of his students are teachers themselves.

“Comics can be used to teach any subject, not just art or storytelling. We read a comic by moving from one panel to the next, connecting each individual moment into a narrative. The moments left out, the white spaces in between the panels invite us to deduce what moments happened in between,” explained Drozd. “In other words, we infer in order to understand. That’s a key literacy concept. By asking students to retell a story in comics form, or to write a prose version of a comics story, you’ve engaged them in some deep thinking activities that will demonstrate their understanding of a narrative.”

Drozd, who was inspired deeply by DC Comics’ “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and “Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld” (created and written by East Lansing resident Dan Mishkin), believes that comics have become more mainstream. That is due to the fact that comics such as 1986’s “Watchmen” have received critical praise from mainstream publications like The New York Times and Time Magazine.

"Jerzy is one of those rare individuals who can not only draw comics well but can teach the skills. There are plenty of top-notch artists who can't actually articulate how they do what they do to another person. But Jerzy not only articulates it, he does so with infectious enthusiasm," Mishkin said.

“It is my hope that in the next 10 years we’ll live in a world where you will see as many people reading graphic novels on the bus as you do people reading prose paperbacks,” said Drozd. “As long as more people continue to enter the field to write stories that they are personally invested in, this future will come to pass.”

Jerzy Drozd plans workshops on digital coloring for kids and teens) from 1-3 and 4-6 p.m. Aug. 17 and older teens and adults) from 3-5 and 6-8 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch.

For more information on Drozd, go to www.mlatcomics.com.