Planarian worms, shock generators and apathetic witnesses: Teaching psychology and graphic novels Paul A. Aleixo & Claire E. Norris Comics and graphic novels have made a greater impact on popular culture in recent years and can be used for enhancing the learning experience of psychology students. One of the best known and respected comic book writers of the last 30 years is Alan Moore, who has included a number of detailed references to psychological studies and experiments in three of his best known comic book works. These are described in context and the psychological work they refer to examined with a view to using this material as starting points for the study of the psychological phenomena by students. Keywords: Comics; graphic novels; teaching; psychology; Alan Moore; Watchmen. OMIC BOOKS have undergone a and rich quality that was arguably missing change of image in recent times. Their from the majority of Anglo-American comics. C‘re-branding’ as graphic novels has led Part of Moore’s success and popularity could to the acceptance of comics as a more legiti- lie in the cultural and literary references that mate art form worthy of academic study. The litter his work. He is clearly well read and recent creation of two academic journals informed on a variety of subjects. His work devoted to the study of comics suggests how references a number of topics including the far the medium has advanced from its occult and magic, Victorian fiction, environ- perception as a children’s reading material mental issues, political ideology, erotica, and that is worthy of little serious attention. comic book history. It is undoubtedly this Comics are also now a major influence level of detail that imbues an Alan Moore on popular culture, especially in Hollywood, story with a high level of interest and involve- where blockbuster movies of comic book ment. Moore has stated that he is interested characters attract large mainstream audi- in stories that have some sort of meaning ences that may never have experienced the attached to them and clearly referencing source material. This is one of the influences these different areas goes some way to that is likely to have contributed to the eleva- fulfilling this goal (Moore, 2003). tion of comics’ image since, as Gravett In several of Moore’s early works, specific (2009) has suggested, even poor film adapta- references are made to psychological studies tions of comics will bring new audiences to and ideas that are not very well known the originals. In addition, since the 1980s, outside of academic psychological circles. comics have also attracted more serious This suggests that Moore also has some fairly creators who want specifically to work in specialised knowledge of psychology and its comics. Successful screenwriters and novel- inclusion is interesting from an educational ists, for example, have written a number of point of view as it affords the opportunity to high profile comic book stories. However, introduce students of psychology to these within comics one writer’s name stands out, studies and be a launch pad for further that of Alan Moore. study. The incredible impact of Alan Moore’s The idea of using comic books to teach is work on the field of comic books and graphic not a new one. There have been various novels is difficult to overestimate. His scripts suggestions such as teaching science have brought to mainstream comics a literary (Cheesman, 2006) and history (Aiken, 36 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 19 No. 1, Spring 2013 © The British Psychological Society Graphic novels and psychology 2010). Indeed we have previously discussed the creators’ knowledge and interest in a how comics may help children to enjoy variety of different ideas and topics. He also reading (Aleixo & Norris, 2007) as well as notes that Alan Moore was more knowledge- investigating the possibilities of comics as able in many areas than many others. educational materials (Aleixo & Baillon, Although beyond the scope of the present 2008; Aleixo & Norris, 2010). text, it would be interesting to explore the However, the idea in the present article is origins of Moore’s knowledge of psychology to explore the possibilities of using Alan in more detail and the implications this has Moore’s works to help students study certain for the influence of psychological work on aspects of psychology. We aim to explore popular culture in the present day. Moore’s use of psychological research in three key texts (all readily available in Graphic Novel 1: V for Vendetta and reprint format), detail some of the research Obedience to Authority that is referenced and provide some sugges- Alan Moore first made his name as a comic tions as to how these may be used in a book writer in the British anthology comic teaching environment. Warrior. Moore wrote two strips: Marvelman (later published in the US as Miracleman) Alan Moore and Psychology and V for Vendetta. It is the latter that refer- In the three texts discussed herein, Moore ences experimental psychology. Written by uses real psychological work to create realistic- Moore and drawn by British artist David sounding backgrounds for his characters. It is, Lloyd and serialised in all 26 issues of Warrior therefore, interesting to speculate why Moore between 1982 and 1985, V for Vendetta is a has chosen academic research as a basis for complex political thriller set in a future his character’s origins. American super-hero where Britain is a fascist police state. The characters are often endowed with motivating strip garnered a number of awards within origins. For example, Batman is motivated by the comic book industry. It remained unfin- the death of his parents and a need for ished in Warrior and was completed by revenge against criminals, and Spider-Man is Moore and Lloyd and published by DC motivated by failing to act when he could have Comics in 1988 (see Gray, 2010, for a brief prevented the death of his beloved uncle. description of the strip’s history). V for Moore goes further and uses real evidence Vendetta deals with issues of anarchy and the and theories of human behaviour to motivate individual responsibility for the governance his characters. of a country, while still remaining an enter- There is evidence from early on in his taining melodrama. The narrative involves career that Moore clearly had (and indeed the character known only as ‘V’ and his may still have) an interest in psychological attack on the state. Near the beginning of work. In a short science-fiction story the story, V targets all those individuals who published in a December 1981 issue of the were involved in his earlier incarceration. classic British comic 2000AD, Moore refer- In Chapter 10 of book 1 (originally ences the ‘autokinetic effect’ as a way to make published in Warrior in 1983), V visits and a character sound very intelligent (Moore & kills Doctor Delia Surridge using a lethal Tiner, 1981). David Lloyd, artist on V for injection. This doctor had been responsible Vendetta and part of a group of influential for carrying out experiments on V and other comic book creators in the UK in the early inmates in a concentration camp several 1980s, suggests that there was a conscious years previously. Before she dies, she calmly effort by those creators to move away from attempts to explain the reasons for the what he calls, ‘the usual comic capers’ to horrific acts she committed. It is at this point produce stories that were drawn from real-life that Moore references psychological work to and that were a product of and influenced by provide this explanation: Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 19 No. 1, Spring 2013 37 Paul A. Aleixo & Claire E. Norris ‘I heard of an experiment once, one the feedback condition). Colman (1987) Americans did. They had volunteers working a provides a good summary of both the history shock generator. The volunteers were told that it and the research in this area. was wired to a patient in an adjoining room… It wasn’t, there was only an actor, whose voice Graphic Novel 2: Swamp Thing and the could be heard through the intercom. The Biology of Memory volunteers were instructed by a doctor to start Alan Moore’s work for Warrior led to his first administering electric shocks. They were told to work in the US. This was to write the Saga of gradually increase the voltage. The ‘victim’ the Swamp Thing for DC Comics. Swamp began begging them to stop. They were told to Thing is not well known outside of comics increase it again. This time the victim started and was originally created by Len Wein and screaming. After a while the screams were Bernie Wrightson in 1971 as the main choked off to be replaced by silence. The protagonist of an on-going horror story. volunteers were told to increase the voltage once The basic premise of the character was that more… Nearly 80 per cent of those tested carried Dr Alec Holland was involved in an accident on administering the shocks after the ‘victim’ that turned him into a monster made of begged them to stop. Nearly 60 per cent vegetation. His early adventures featured his continued even after they believed that they’d quest to find a way to turn himself back into killed him. They were ordinary people and they a man and ran until 1976 when the comic were prepared to torture a stranger to death just was cancelled. The character was revived in because they were told to by someone in his own comic book series in the early 1980s authority.’ (Moore & Lloyd, 1988, p.15) to mixed success.