Paper Comic - Academic Paper to Comic Generator

Transform academic papers into coherent educational comics, making complex concepts easier to understand through visual storytelling.

Usage

/paper-comic /path/to/paper.pdf
/paper-comic /path/to/paper.pdf --style tech
/paper-comic  # Then paste the paper content

Art Style Options

Output Structure

[output-dir]/
├── outline.md           # Storyboard and scene outline
├── characters/
│   ├── characters.md    # Character definitions
│   └── characters.png   # Character reference image
├── prompts/
│   ├── 00-cover.md      # Cover prompt
│   └── XX-page.md       # Page prompts
├── 00-cover.png         # Cover page
└── XX-page.png          # Comic pages

Output Directory:

• If source files exist: [source-dir]/comic/
• If no source files: comic-outputs/YYYY-MM-DD/[topic-slug]/

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze the Paper

1. Read paper content (PDF or Markdown)
2. Extract key information:
   • Paper title and authors
   • Research background and motivation
   • Core innovations (1–3)
   • Key methods/algorithms
   • Main experimental results
3. Automatically recommend an art style based on the paper field (or use user-specified style)

Step 2: Design Narrative Structure

Four-part structure (suitable for 8–12 pages of comic):

Step 3: Define Characters

Create characters/characters.md:

Required characters:

• Mentor: The explainer, wise and approachable
• Student: Represents the reader, asks questions and learns
• Concept embodiment (optional): A personified version of an abstract concept

Character consistency rules:

• Mentor and student must appear in ≥60% of pages
• Each page should clearly list appearing characters
• Character design must remain consistent throughout all pages

Step 4: Create Storyboard

Create outline.md, containing:

• Metadata (title, art style, page count)
• Cover design
• Panel layout and content of each page

Storyboard rules:

• Each page has 3–5 panels
• Note which characters, scenes, and dialogue appear in each panel
• All dialogue must be written in Chinese
• Formulas should be represented visually, not as text formulas

Step 5: Generate Images

Use genimg-gemini-web to generate images (requires Google account authentication):

# Get skill installation path (assuming installed via npx skills add)
SKILL_DIR="$HOME/.claude/skills/genimg-gemini-web"
# Or if located elsewhere:
# SKILL_DIR="$HOME/.codex/skills/genimg-gemini-web"

# Generate character reference image
npx -y bun "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/main.ts" \
  --promptfiles references/base-prompt.md characters/characters.md \
  --image characters/characters.png \
  --sessionId comic-[topic]-[timestamp]

# Generate pages (use the same sessionId for consistency)
npx -y bun "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/main.ts" \
  --promptfiles references/base-prompt.md prompts/XX-page.md \
  --image XX-page.png \
  --sessionId comic-[topic]-[timestamp]

Important: Use the same --sessionId across all runs to ensure consistent character appearance.

First run: Chrome will open for Google account authentication; cookies will then be cached.

Step 6: Generate Final Document

Generate [topic]-paper-comic.md:

# [Paper Title] - Comic Interpretation

## Overview
- **Paper**: [Title]
- **Art Style**: [Selected Style]
- **Pages**: [N]
- **Generated on**: [YYYY-MM-DD]

## Comic Pages

### Cover


### Page 1

**Content**: [Brief summary of this page’s content]

...

## Core Knowledge Points
1. [Concept 1]
2. [Concept 2]
3. [Concept 3]

Key Principles

Text Requirements

• All dialogue and narration must be in Chinese
• Professional terms: Chinese + English, e.g., “梯度下降 (Gradient Descent)”
• Text must be clear and readable

Formula Handling

• Do not write formulas as text
• Use visual or metaphorical representations instead
• Example: Gradient descent → draw a small ball rolling down a hill

Visual Consistency

• Characters’ appearance must remain consistent
• Scene style should be uniform
• Narrative logic should flow clearly and progressively

Reference Files

• references/base-prompt.md - Base prompt template
• references/styles/classic.md - Clean-line style
• references/styles/tech.md - Tech style
• references/styles/warm.md - Warm style
• references/styles/chalk.md - Chalkboard style