Image, Text, and Story: Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Why Comicsl There ...r~ ar jeasr rhree reasons ",,'hy com ics and graphic novels are useful teaching tools: ( I) there is a great deal of student interest in this genre; (2) they are inexpensive 10obtain ; and (3) the vocabulary is nOI difficult so the)" are eas)"to read (Wright & Sherman, 1999). ~losl Important in fhe art room. comics create oppor tunities for teachers to engage students in meaningful discussions about visual perception, drawing and design, art history, and content on multiple levels (Berkowitz & Packer, 2(01). Teachers who skillfull)"use comics and graphic novels in their curr iculum present numerous opportumttes for students to decon struct these te-x ts on multiple levels. lhis layered deconstruction may include examin ing the story ; the crt.llor's intent ion, characters, and context; .aswellas the relationship between the design, words, and il11.!gn"While words. im.agn.I..your. ..nd story are all elements in these texts, none dominate the act of ·r~ading.· Students are usually com fortable decoding (reading) the visual system ofl~lters and words. Pairing visual tmages with words is an easy Wil)· to help students develop stro nger visual literaC)·. Comics orfer an opportunity for students 10scrutinize how tmerdependent images and words can create a sirong sequential narrative. These texts do not dictate what students notice first, how or what Ih~y ·~ad.· Like scanning a work of art, the reader can decide whereto he-gin and how long 10look. Readers can , hIKISeto look at th eword s or the images first. or take the page in all 011once as an int(gratl.'d deslgn. C omics and graphic novels are powerful leaching tools; reading and making comics encourages students to become more skilled at critically consu ming and creating texts that examine complex concepts (Frey & Fischer, 2004; Morr ison. Bryan. & Chilcoat. 2002; Berkowitz & Packer. 200 I), Students and teachers can use comics 10 examine person al experiences in the form of narratives related to empowerment and empathy. Brent Wilson (2005) agreed thai embracing comics is one way 10 blur the bounda ries between visual culture, the classroom, and the practice of contemporary' studio artis ts. In this art icle. I present a rationale for com ics in the classroom, discuss the connection between comics and the MArt" world, and share informat ion about mr experience teaching comics" Finally. I make a case for why comics are the perfect med ium f crossing boundaries. creating empathy. and ed ucating students about th ar tistic produ ct ion and consumption of powerful fext .