By: Jean-Michele Frederic
When Digital Lizards of Doom – Level 1: Dizzy Doom was named a Winner of the Story Monsters’ Certificate of Excellence in Literature, the team didn’t throw a glitter-soaked waffle or melon party. They went back to work, because it didn’t just signal an achievement for an indie middle grade title—it marked another step in what could become a quiet takeover of classrooms everywhere.
While the world sees a quirky comic book adventure about a lizard named Dizzy, classrooms across the country appear to be discovering something much bigger.
“It feels like the little train engine that could,” said Trevor Barber of Dizzy Doom Media. “We’re not loud. We’re not on billboards. But somehow we found our way into classrooms, into Boys & Girls Clubs, and even caught the attention of Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Research & Reform in Education.”
Yes, you read that right. Digital Lizards of Doom, paired with the Dizzy Doom Kids curriculum—a hybrid of comic storytelling and character education—is now part of classroom studies by Johns Hopkins exploring its impact on student growth. Meanwhile, teachers are experimenting with it as a springboard to teach empathy, self-awareness, and storytelling. And the results are showing potential.
Photo Courtesy: Dizzy Doom Media
One example? A student named Malia, who writes that Dizzy Doom “seems to be helping her recognize inner conflict” and “explore what it means to be a hero.” Another student used the book to process sibling rivalry, calling it a moment that “felt like a step toward becoming a great problem solver.”
“We hope to become a defining voice in children’s literature,” Barber said. “But not just to entertain; our goal is to encourage thoughtful discussions where they matter. To help shape better people.”
That may sound lofty. But then you look at the classroom walls. Colorful charts. Kids’ handwriting analyzes conflicts like “Person vs. Self” and “Person vs. Setting.” Adorable character drawings of Dizzy, Commander EKO, and Fat Cat Rogers. And lesson plans that look more like production boards from a Pixar film than anything out of a dusty textbook.
Photo Courtesy: Gabriel Valentin
“We’re in an exciting time for kid creativity,” said Barber. “We just tried to build the launchpad.”
Presented in a one-of-a-kind format of text messages and in-game chat on the left, and cinematic full-page art on the right, Digital Lizards of Doom isn’t quite a comic, and it’s not a traditional novel. It’s a graphic novel exploring something entirely new. And that originality seems to be resonating in classrooms across California.
“We had a feeling this book would feel different,” says Barber, who comes from a background of deep narrative world-building and Manhattan-based advertising agencies. “It was built for the digital-native generation, the kids who live in group chats, game lobbies, and story worlds. We wanted them to see themselves: how they talk, how they feel, how they process the world.”
The Story Monsters award is just the latest in a series of milestones: a growing presence in public schools, an increasing amount of student art and essays, and now scholarly curiosity.
Where’s it all going?
“It’s hard to say for sure,” says Barber. “But wherever it is, it’s gonna be limitless, lizardy, and led by kids.”
One student at a time. One page at a time. One unconventional book that’s challenging the rules.
Published by Jeremy S.
