Image Text Story
Image Text Story
Image Text Story
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Why Comics?
Comics and
There are at least three reasons why comics and graphic novels are
useful teaching tools: (1) there is a great deal of student interest in
this genre; (2) they are inexpensive to obtain; and (3) the vocabulary
is not difficult so they are easy to read (Wright & Sherman, 1999).
Most important in the art room, comics create opportunities for
Graphic Novels
teachers to engage students in meaningful discussions about visual
perception, drawing and design, art history, and content on multiple
levels (Berkowitz & Packer, 2001).
in the
Teachers who skillfully use comics and graphic novels in their
curriculum present numerous opportunities for students to decon
struct these texts on multiple levels. This layered deconstruction may
include examining the story; the creator's intention, characters, and
Classroom
context; as well as the relationship between the design, words, and
images. While words, images, layout, and story are all elements in
these texts, none dominate the act of "reading." Students are usually
comfortable decoding (reading) the visual system of letters and
words. Pairing visual images with words is an easy way to help
students develop stronger visual literacy. Comics offer an opportunity
for students to scrutinize how interdependent images and words can
create a strong sequential narrative. These texts do not dictate what
students notice first, how or what they "read." Like scanning a work
of art, the reader can decide where to begin and how long to look.
Readers can choose to look at the words or the images first, or take
the page in all at once as an integrated design.
Figure 3. Adventures in Calving. Sara Thede, 2006. Courtesy of the artist. This comic, created by a preservice teacher, features a narrative about calving.
The heroine is called in to rescue a calf who is stuck in the birth canal. This student used elements from the typical superhero genre to tell a personal
and humorous story. Trained as a medical illustrator, Sara found that working in this way was challenging and pushed her highly honed naturalistic
drawing skills in a new direction.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the
Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at the
University of Iowa for giving me the time and
space to compete this and other works.
Figure 4. Bullregon. Hollie Reilly, 2006. This detailed comic, rendered in pencil, is based
on a rod puppet created by the student earlier in the semester. She turned her rod
puppet into a hero that makes her ex-boyfriend vanish. She used the comic assignment
to explore a potentially dangerous situation she was facing. This talented and
thoughtful student also found that the comic provided a natural connection between
subjects and media to use with future students.