Transcript A Super-Villain Ate My Homework

A Super-Villain Ate My
Homework
Using COMICS IN THE CLASSROOM
Nick Kremer
Columbia Public Schools
University of Missouri
[email protected]
Comics - Overview
THE LINGO:
• Sequential Art Narrative: a series of pictures
(with or w/o text) that tell a cohesive story
• Comic Strip: ~6 or less frames, on-going series
• Comic Book: ~24 pages, on-going series
• Graphic Novel: Full stand-alone book/album
THE PEOPLE:
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Writer – writes the script (story + dialogue)
Artist – draws/lays out the script
Letterer – adds text to the drawings
Inker – darkens the pencil drawings
Colorist – adds color to the drawings
Editor – the proofreader and business manager
THE HISTORY:
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History: Cave Painting, Heiroglyphics, Stain-Glass Windows,
Wood Carvings, Illustrations, Political Cartoons, etc.
1896: Richard Outcalt: Voice Bubbles + the Funny Pages (The Yellow Kid,
Krazy Kat, Pop-Eye)
1929: Picture Adventures (Dick Tracy, Tarzan)
1932-45: Golden Age of Superheroes (Superman, Batman, Shazam,
Wonder Woman, Captain America)
1945: Rise of the Rest: Horror, Romance, Western, Crime, “Adult Themes”
1950s: Seduction of the Innocent + Comics Code
1956-69: Silver Age of Superheroes (DC Revivals: Flash, Green Lantern,
Aquaman, Marvel Origins: Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, XMen, Daredevil)
1970s: Underground Comics + Weakening of the Code, Civil Rights
1980s: The Graphic Novel (A Contract with God, Maus, Watchmen)
1990s: The Gimmick Age, Image Comics (Spawn), Vertigo (Sandman)
21st Century: Corporatization and the Comic Book Renaissance
Comics: Troubleshooting
Comics aren't
intellectual!!
BUT REMEMBER…
• Stereotypical comic
books are only one
genre within the large
medium of Sequential
Art Narratives
• Texts rich in popular
culture and varying
formalist choices are
misleadingly complex
Looking at
Comics isn’t
reading!!
BUT REMEMBER…
• Images have to be
“read” using critical
literacy skills in the
same manner that
words do
• Research shows that
comics can help
improve literacy with
struggling readers
Comics are
misogynistic!!
BUT REMEMBER…
• Comics are products
of their culture and
reflect the social
values found therein
• While some comics
misrepresent various
demographics, others
empower them
Comics are
too
expensive!!
BUT REMEMBER…
• Class sets, grant
money, “sampling,”
and scanning are
cheap solutions
• Comics can also be
studied in single
images or excerpts
Comics Don’t
Fit into My
CURRICULUM!
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BUT REMEMBER…
• Contemporary
curricula stress skills,
not specific texts, in
an era of abundant
global multimedia
• Comics are rich
sources for literary
and writing lessons
Comics: Literature Lessons
#1) Literary Elements
• Comics offer short, accessible stories with
lots of concrete examples of abstract
literary concepts [Ex: Symbols, Point of
View, Character Types, Plot Structure,…]
#2) Denotation vs. Connotation
• Use comic images to practice visual
literacy skills: what literally do you see,
what does the image suggest, how/why
does it make you feel?
#3) Deconstruction
• Comics provide a visual context for
discussion on how artists elicit intentional
responses from readers using conventions
#4) American Mythology
• American comic books reflect our own
cultural values + hero myths and should
be studied alongside ancient mythology
#5) Dystopian Literature
• Graphic Novels are a popular medium for
contemporary dystopian literature.
#6) Classic Adaptations
• Comics provide visual references for
classic texts (Ex: Shakespeare), aiding in
student comprehension and engagement
Comics: Writing Lessons
#1) Descriptive Writing
• Students can practice attempting to
capture all the details of a picture in words,
or having pictures drawn from their writing
#2) Storyboarding a Paper
• Students can create storyboards to help
organize their writing and visually chart the
flow of their papers
#3) Dialogue
• Students can use comic scripting as
practice for incorporating dialogue into
their prose writing.
#4) Hero Narratives
• Comic Books provide models for students
to design their own hero myths: origins,
powers, battles, personal lives, etc.
#5) Sequential Art Narratives
• Incorporate interdisciplinary learning into
your Language Arts classroom by having
students create their own comics or adapt
existing literature.
Comics: Resources
Instructional Texts
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Understanding Comics – Scott McCloud
Comics and Sequential Art – Will Eisner
Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know – Paul Gravett
Drawing Words and Writing Pictures – Jessica Abel/Matt Madden
The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History – Mike Benton
Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels – Dr. James
“Bucky” Carter
The Comic Book Project
<www.comicbookproject.org>
The Graphic Classroom
<http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com >
National Association for
Comic Book Educators
<http://www.teachingcomics.org>
EN/SANE World
<http://ensaneworld.blogspot.com>
Comics: Reading Lists
NONFICTION
Maus
Art Spiegelman
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi
Safe Area Goražde
Joe Sacco
The 9/11 Report
Sid Jacobson
FICTION: FANTASY
Watchmen
Alan Moore
Sandman
Neil Gaiman
Marvel Firsts
Stan Lee et. al.
Marvels
Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross
Kingdom Come
Mark Waid, Alex Ross
FICTION: REALITY
A Contract With God
Will Eisner
Jimmy Corrigan
Chris Ware
Kings in Disguise
James Vance
ALL AGES
Bone
Jeff Smith
Mouse Guard
David Petersen
Robot Dreams
Sarah Varon
NEW STUFF!
American Born Chinese
Gene Yang
Satchel Paige - Striking Out Jim Crow
James Sturm
Pride of Baghdad
Brian K. Vaughan
The Arrival
Shaun Tan