Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom This page intentionally left blank Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom Essays on the Educational Power of Sequential Art Edited by CARRYE KAY SYMA and ROBERT G. WEINER Foreword by ROBERT V. S MITH Afterword by MEL GIBSON McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Graphic novels and comics in the classroom : essays on the educational power of sequential art / edited by Carrye Kay Syma and Robert G. Weiner ; foreword by Robert V. Smith ; afterword by Mel Gibson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-5913-1 softcover : acid free paper 1. Comic books, strips, etc., in education. 2. Graphic novels in education. I. Syma, Carrye Kay, editor of compilation. II. Weiner, Robert G., 1966– editor of compilation. LB1044.9.C59G73 2013 371.33—dc23 2013010027 BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGUING DATA ARE AVAILABLE © 2013 Carrye Kay Syma and Robert G. Weiner. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover illustrations—clockwise from upper left: “Thimble Theatre” comic strip panel, E.C. Segar, 1921; superhero © 2013 Digitalvision; female fire spirit © 2013 Antonis; zombie © 2013 Aaron Rutten; anime eye © 2013 Hemera; man in office © 2013 Dorling Kindersley Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com Acknowledgments The editors would like to thank Dr. Robert V. Smith and Dr. Mel Gibson for their foreword and afterword. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to take part in this project. It is an honor to work with you both. We would also like to thank all of the reviewers who also took time out of their hectic lives to take a look at these essays. We hope this is a volume of which you can be proud to have contributed. * * * I would like to dedicate this volume to my husband, Jake Syma, and our children, Lella and Jacob. Thank you for being so patient with me and for your continued love and support. I would also like to thank my colleagues who have aided me throughout this process. A special thanks to all of the authors who contributed to this volume. I would like to thank Kevin Jones for his amazing art work for the graphic short we created. Rob, this project has been interesting, to say the least! —Carrye Kay Syma * * * I would like to dedicate this volume to the memory of my father, Dr. Leonard Weiner, who was at the forefront of the computer revolution (having worked at IMB in the 1960s and helped with founding the Computer Science department at Texas Tech). Your contribution to the world of education and to the community is not forgotten. I remember all those late nights you stayed up grading. You were a true inspiration as an educator. I also dedicate this volume to the memory of my prairie dog Poncho (who warmed my heart). You were my con- stant companion for nearly eight years and the best pet I ever owned. Thanks to all my other critters still with me especially Sweet Girl, Mr. Eddie, and Blossom. Thanks to Dr. Jessica Thomas, Dr. Jimmy Gleason, Todd Klein, Nick Yanes, Matt Mceniry, and Denise Caspell. Love and thanks to my mother Marilyn May Weiner (who is also an educator and inspiration), Larry and Vick Weiner, Tom Gonzales, Joe Ferrer, John Oyerbides, and Sara Dulin. Thanks also to Joe Gulick, Shelley and Ian Barba, the deans of Texas Tech University Libraries, Dean Dyal Laura Heinz (for good advice), my colleagues in RIO (Ms. Cynthia Henry, Ryan Cassidy, Dr. John Hufford, Brian Quinn, [dedication to the memory of Sandy River], Sheila Hoover, Sam Dyal, Esmeralda Rodriguez, Jake Syma, Arlene Paschal, Innocent Awasom, Tom Rohrig, Kimberly Vardman, Minerva Alaniz, Jack Becker, Donell Callender), Mr. Ryan Litsey, Connie Kitten, Dulcinea A., Christiana P., Selena Kyle, Shannon Jones, Kevin Jones, Kaley Daniel, Ms. Amy Kim, Karin Slyker (thanks for your continued support), Eobard Thawne, Norrin Radd, Erik Lehnsherr, Max Eisenhardt, Jim Hammond, Bart Hill, Mark Todd, Doug Campbell, Cord Scott, Lance Eaton, Mr. B. Quinn, Ron Thomas, v vi Acknowledgments Richard Graham, Kevin Flanagan, Patrick Grzanka, Liorah A. Golomb, Roberto Delgadilo, Jessica Olin, Alison Mandaville, Karen Gavigan, Gwen Evans, Francisca Goldsmith, Vivian Howard, Arianne Hartsell-Gundy, Phillip Troutman, Miss K. Vardeman, Barbara Mcarthur, and Dr. Rodney Donahue. Thanks to the Document Delivery Staff at TTU, LTMS depart- ment, Southwest Collection and all the faculty and staff of TTU Libraries, thanks to Joan Ormrod, David Huxley. Thanks to John Cline, Susan Hidalgo, Carol Tilley, Lan Dong, Jacqueline Edmondson, Robert Moses Peaslee, Cindy Miller, Amy Nyberg, Elizabeth Figa, James Bucky Carter, and Chris Angel. It is a privilege to work with you. Thanks to all the authors in this volume for their patience; it’s been a long time com- ing. Lastly, thanks to my co-editor, colleague and friend Carrye Syma for all her hard work. It’s been great working with you. Thanks for believing in this project. I hope we do more together! —Robert G. Weiner Table of Contents Acknowledgments V Foreword ROBERT V. S MITH xi Introduction ROBERT G. WEINER and CARRYE KAY SYMA 1 Part I: Significance of Graphic Novels and Comics: Then and Now Using Comics to Teach the Language Arts in the 1940s and 1950s CAROL L. TILLEY 12 Stigmatization, Multimodality and Metaphor: Comics in the Adult English as a Second Language Classroom ALICE LEBER-COOK and ROY T. C OOK 23 The Attitudes of Some Students on the Use of Comics in Higher Education CHRISTINA L. BLANCH and THALIA M. MULVIHILL 35 Part II: Teaching Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom “I can get college credit for reading Batman? That’s a joke, right?” Confessions of a Fanboy Professor Teaching Comic Books DAVID WHITT 50 “What the—?” Pre-Service Teachers Meet and Grapple Over Graphic Novels in the Classroom JAMES BUCKY CARTER 58 Teaching Intertexuality and Parody Through the Graphic “Supertext”: Martin Rowson’s The Waste Land (1990) KEVIN M. FLANAGAN 73 Part III: Graphic Novels and Comics, Beyond the Text “Remember, remember the fifth of November”: Using Graphic Novels to Teach Dystopian Literature DANIEL IAN RUBIN 84 vii viii Table of Contents Exploring the Art in Sequential Art: An Art Historical Approach to Teaching Comics ABRAM FOX 91 On Teaching Comics and Graphic Novels in the Medieval and Renaissance Classroom CHRISTINA C. ANGEL 101 Leagues, Evildoers and Tales of Survival: Graphic Novels and the World History Classroom MARYANNE A. RHETT 111 “Indisciplinary” Teaching: Comics Studies and Research Writing Pedagogy PHILLIP TROUTMAN 120 Part IV: Specific Graphic Novels and Comics and Their Application in Educational Settings Teaching “The Auto-Graphic Novel”: Autobiographical Comics and the Ethics of Readership REBECCA SCHERR 134 Teaching Theory Through Y: The Last Man TIMOTHY D. ARNER 145 Approaching Literacy Features Through the Graphic Novel Logicomix MARIANNA MISSIOU and YIANNIS KOUKOULAS 154 Manga, the Atomic Bomb and the Challenges of Teaching Historical Atrocity: Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen JEREMY R. RICKETTS 174 Information Comics: Risks and Pitfalls FELIX KELLER and DOROTHEA OECHSLIN 184 Graphic N-extbooks: A Journey Beyond Traditional Textbooks JEREMY SHORT, DAVID KETCHEN and JEFF SHELSTAD 200 Part V: Cultural Implications of Graphic Novels and Comics Beyond Borders: Teaching Global Awareness Through the Graphic Novel LAN DONG 220 The Benefits of Writing Comics DIANA MALISZEWSKI 233 Multicultural Education Through Graphic Novels REBECCA M. MARRALL 245 Table of Contents ix “So, Joss, why do you always write these strong women characters?” Using Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men to Teach Feminism ERIN HOLLIS 251 Sequential Art for Qualitative Research MARCUS B. WEAVER-HIGHTOWER 260 Afterword MEL GIBSON 274 About the Contributors 277 Index 281 This page intentionally left blank Foreword ROBERT V. S MITH If you are like me, when you pick up a newly published or newly acquired book, you fan through the pages, stopping here and there to look at the illustrations—be they diagrams, photographs, or comic images. They all draw us in! But, the comic illustrations often have the greatest impact because they are frequently used to vividly express ideas, emotions, and action in the context of the narrative. You are then presented with the mental invitation to start reading the text and if it is interesting, compelling, and coherent you’re “hooked.” In this volume, Syma and Weiner provide us with a series of essays describing robust associations among authors and illustrators to produce graphic novels, novelettes, textbooks and other curricula materials. Through the collective works we are offered suggestions that graphic creations have enhanced power to engage and instruct learners of all ages, but perhaps most importantly the visually inspired members of the Millennial generation. More- over, trends in the use of graphic aids and instruction throughout all walks of life and across many cultures, suggests an increasing, not diminishing, use of graphics in the future—all based on an abundance of scientific studies that support facilitated learning through com- binations of image and text. From a personal perspective, I attest to the power of graphics and specifically comic graphics to illustrate and reinforce meaning of the written and spoken word. Beginning in the early 1980s, and in a series of personal and professional books on topics from graduate research in the sciences to management of academic research groups to leadership develop- ment of professionals in private and public workspaces, comic illustrations have played key roles.