Learn English with comics, read aloud
Comics are a friendly way to practice English: short lines of everyday speech, with pictures that show what is going on. LiveComics adds the sound. Every speech balloon is read aloud in English, in reading order, while its words show on screen, so you can read and listen at the same time and slow the voices down until you can follow. Try it on a real comic page below, free and with no account.
Read along with a real comic page
Press Start to hear one page of a public domain comic from the free streaming shelf, in the same reader LiveComics members use. Every balloon is read aloud in English, the line you are hearing shows as a subtitle under the art, and the balloon being read pops out of the panel. Turn your sound on.
How the read-along works
Hear every balloon in English
Each speech balloon is read aloud in English in reading order, one panel at a time, with the drawn sound effects and a score under the scene, and the panels turn by themselves. On the free streaming shelf every character has a voice of their own, so you can tell who is talking by ear.
See the words as you hear them
Turn on Subtitles (CC) and the line being spoken shows under the art in plain type, one line at a time. Turn on Pop out balloons too and the balloon being read pops out of the panel, enlarged, so your eyes are on the right words. The balloons are found automatically, so one can be missed or come out of order.
Slow the voices down
The voices start a little faster than normal speed, at 1.35 times. The Voice speed slider, behind the speaker button in the reader, goes from half speed up to three times, so you can slow the English down until you can follow it and speed it back up whenever you like.
Hear a panel again
Pause in the middle of a panel and Replay panel starts it over from its first line. Step back a panel and it plays again. While you are paused nothing moves on, so you can stay on a panel for as long as you need.
The comic stays in English, the menus speak your language
An English comic is always read aloud in English, whatever language the app is set to, so you hear the words that are on the page. The buttons and menus can be in Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and several more languages, so the only English on the screen is the comic itself.
Where can I read English comics for free?
Start with the free streaming shelf: classic public domain and openly licensed comics, every issue read aloud in English, free to stream in your browser with a free account and no card. Much of it is American comics from the 1940s to the early 1960s: horror, science fiction and giant monsters. They were written decades ago, so expect some old-fashioned words and expressions next to everyday English.
Can I use my own English comics?
Yes. Upload the English comics you own as CBR, CBZ, PDF or EPUB files to a free shelf, which holds 1 GB, about 20 issues, and read them panel by panel for free. Having one read aloud is priced per issue, and you see the price before you buy. A male and a female narrator read every line, matched to each speaker, and Full cast, a voice for every main character, is a paid upgrade.
Do comics help you learn English?
Researchers have tested it. In one study of ESL students, published in TESOL Quarterly in 2004, lower intermediate learners who read a difficult English text with a comic strip beside it recalled more of it than learners who read the same text alone, while the comic strip made no difference for higher level students. One study is not a promise, and nobody can say how fast you will learn: what LiveComics gives you is English comics to read and hear at your own pace.
Questions learners ask
Are comics good for learning English?
They can be a good fit. The art shows what is happening, so you can follow the story when a word is new, the balloons are short, everyday speech, and a good story keeps you reading. Hearing each line read aloud while you read it adds the sound of the words. How much it helps depends on your level and how often you read.
What are good comics for English beginners?
Short stories with a few words in each panel, in a genre you already enjoy. Anthology comics, with several short stories in each issue, let you finish a whole story in one sitting. When a page has too many words, slow the voices down and read along with subtitles.
Can I slow down the voices?
Yes. Voice speed, behind the speaker button in the reader, slides from half speed up to three times normal, and the reader keeps your setting for the next comic.
Will the comic be read in my language?
No. An English comic is read aloud in English, whatever language the app is set to, so you hear the words on the page. The free streaming shelf always plays in the language each comic was published in.
Can I see a translation of the English?
Not on the free streaming shelf, which plays in English. For a comic on your own shelf, a dub is sold per issue: every line is translated and read aloud again in the language you pick, the words on screen follow it, and you can switch back to the English original at any panel.
Do I need an account to try it?
No. The page above plays with no account. Streaming the whole shelf and uploading your own comics take a free account, with no card.
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