How to Make Comic Book Shoes

When I was a kid, I loved reading Archie Comics. My mom would buy one for me whenever we could go to the grocery store. I’d get my grubby, chubby hands on it and read the whole thing in one sitting. Now that I’m a little older, my tastes have changed — now I’m more into shoes than comic books. After all these years, I still have several issues of Archie Comics. I grabbed an old pair of shoes from my closet and decided to transform them into something completely different using my old comics.

If you want to do something similar, you’ll need a pair of shoes (leather, patent leather, vinyl — not fabric), Mod Podge, some comic books, a paint brush you probably don’t care about, and a craft knife.

I cut my comics three ways: by panels, by sounds (bam! crash! whoosh!), and by quotes. Whatever way you decide to cut up your comic book, make sure you have plenty of little pieces. (And make sure there’s not a fan on nearby to scatter all of them around. I know this from experience.)

If your shoe has laces like mine did, make sure to remove them before you start. Open your container of Mod Podge and dip your paint brush in. Dab a healthy amount over the back/side of the shoe — that’s where you want to start. Place your first piece and paint over with the Mod Podge.

Keep doing that for awhile. And then keep doing it some more. And don’t worry — the Mod Podge will dry completely clear.

When you’ve finished gluing comic pieces onto your shoe, paint on a couple more coats of Mod Podge. That will seal everything in. Let them dry for 30 or so minutes. Once they’re dry, take your craft knife (like an X-ACTO knife) and cut off any excess comic book paper along the edges.

And then decoupage the other shoe!

Once they’re both completely dry, put the laces back in, put the shoes on your feet, and show every person you’ve ever met because these shoes are the bee’s knees. You may also want to spray them with some clear coat if you plan on wearing them in the rain.