A graphic storytelling genre; a series of drawings with short texts forming a connected narrative. The genre’s antecedent’s are generally considered to be W. Hogarth’s series of paintings (later engravings) A Harlot’s Progress (1730–31) and A Rake’s Progress (1732–35) and W. Busch’s drawings in the book Max undo Morita (1865). Contemporary forms of comics appeared in newspapers in the 1890’s and became widespread in the 1930’s, particularly the comics of W. Disney, the well-known producer of animated films. By the mid-century, comics became one of the most popular genres of mass culture. Most contemporary comics are no longer humorous but tell stories with a variety of themes and subjects, such as the “wild west,” superhero adventure, jungle adventure, animals, crime (the most “mass” variety), war,romance, science fiction, pseudo history, and classical literature in condensed and simplified form. The glorification in some comics of violence, cruelty, national superiority, and aggressive valour as well as the vulgarisation debasement of the classics are symptoms of the chronic and growing malaise of contemporary mass culture. In order to safeguard children, a number of countries, including Great Britain, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands, have officially forbidden the distribution of horror comics. Aesthetic learning a major issue in arts education. The ‘method of art’ is often expected to facilitate in-depth learning not only in the arts but across the curriculum. This article defines aesthetic learning in terms of a conceptual framework based on two dimensions, one representing the goal and the other the means of aesthetic learning. The goal is described as convergent or divergent. Convergent learning is goal-directed, focused and rational, while divergent learning is exploration, open-ended and intuitive. The means are described as medium-specific or medium-neutral. Medium-specific learning emphasises the forms of representation, for example words, pictures, algebra, dance. Medium-neutral learning emphasises instrumental aspects of learning, such as academic achievement or personal development. Combining these dimensions two-by-two, the author arrives at a suggested definition of what is meant by learning about, learning in, learning with and learning through the arts. The rest of the article investigates the potential utility of this framework in various contexts and for different purposes. First, the author presents two temporary ‘Culture-in-School’ projects. Secondly, the framework is used to study aesthetic learning processes in Lloyd (art & craft), based on student teachers’ portfolios in metalwork. Thirdly, the four modes of learning are compared to equivalent modes of teaching: the instructor, the facilitator, the advisory and the educator. Fourthly, there is a discussion on the role of aesthetics in a ‘balanced’ curriculum. Finally, there is an argument on the need for a variety of assessment tools based on the four modes of learning