Since my colleagues know that I am
interested in comics and graphic novels, I frequently get asked to recommend
graphica/comic books for classroom use and for adolescents to read for
interest. Recently, I have been thinking in particular about comic volumes and
graphic novels that have not yet been canonized the way such books as Art
Spiegelman’s The Complete Maus and
Marjane Satrapi’s The Complete Persepolis
have. These important graphic novels paved the way for the exploration of
comics and graphic novels in classroom settings. However, I am learning about
so many other options out there! At some of the NCTE panels and roundtables
related to Young Adult Literature and courses for pre-service teachers, I was
reminded of how important it is for educators to learn about high interest
readings for adolescents, so they can form a literary connection with their
students. Therefore, here are a few fresh selections of the comics/graphica
form:
Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous
Memoir by Stan Lee,
Peter David, and Colleen Doran: This graphic memoir tells the story of Stan
Lee’s life, from his early days in New York City growing up with a Romanian
Jewish immigrant family who struggled during the Great Depression to getting
his own star on the walk of fame in Hollywood, California. Lee’s story is a
true “rags to riches” tale of a person who lived the American Dream and who
read a lot and worked hard to make his own way in life. It would be an
inspiration to many students, particularly those who are not feeling motivated
in school and who do not have a lot of financial opportunities. Additionally,
Lee’s story is a testament to the power of the immigrant narrative, creativity,
imagination, and determination.
Super Black: American Pop Culture and
Black Superheroes by
Adilifu Nama: Currently, there are not a lot of books devoted to the
scholarship of African-American characters in comic books, but this is a very
well-written one. As a current reader, I am finding it accessible and also
informative. In particular, I am intrigued to learn about the Black Panther comics, the emergence of
Storm, and the Cloak and Dagger
series. I am learning about fascinating comics with important history that I
would not have learned about before, and how comics and pop culture truly tell
the narrative of American history. Many comics and films Nama discusses would
make for intriguing and critical class discussions.
The Midas Flesh Volumes One and Two, by Ryan North, Shelli
Paroline, and Braden Lamb: This two-volume comic is a fascinating mix of science
fiction and mythology. In an imagined universe, King Midas turned the planet
Earth entirely into gold, and beings from other planets are dealing with the
aftermath. This book is a gripping adventure stories with strong female
characters who defy gender norms and who want to fight for the greater good,
even if they do not always agree on the courses of action. I loved the
different representations of race and creed of the characters, and it does not
tell a single narrative. The pacing is perfect, and the conclusion at the end
raises important questions about materialism versus knowledge. Adolescent and
college students alike will love these books.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume One: This book will particularly
resonate with fans of the film and the television show, but even those who do
not have a past background in Buffy’s story will enjoy this and other volumes
of this series. Volume 1 tells more of Buffy’s back-story, and we learn more
about her life between the film and the start of the television show. In
addition, readers learn more about the history of key characters Spike and
Drusilla. Since Buffy helped pave the way for other female superheroes, this
book would be interesting to study for cultural implications, in addition to
being enjoyable to read.
Saga Volume One by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: I
am super excited about this series and plan to continue reading it! I think it
makes for a great class discussion about sociocultural issues and racial
relations. It’s about two soldiers who are on opposite sides of an
intergalactic war and who fall in love and, against all odds, bring a new baby
into a warring world. I think it’ll be fun to compare it to Joss Whedon’s Serenity comics. It’s a cool blend
between science fiction and fantasy, although I now tend to use the term
speculative fiction because I think the lines between sci-fi and fantasy often
blur, which will be fun to write about in one of my comps essays! My
undergraduate students who have read this book love it. It is labeled "M" for mature and is probably more appropriate for older high
school students than young teenagers due to some of the language and content.
References:
Lee, S., David, P., & Doran, C. (2015). Amazing fantastic incredible: A marvelous
memoir.
New York, NY: Simon
& Schuster.
Nama, A. (2011). Super
black: American pop culture and black superheroes. Austin,
TX: University of Texas Press.
North, R., Paroline, S., & Lamb, B. (2014). The midas flesh volume one. Los Angeles,
CA: Boom! Studios.
North, R., Paroline, S., & Lamb, B. (2014). The midas flesh volume two. Los Angeles,
CA: Boom! Studios.
Satrapi, M. (2007). The complete persepolis. New York: Pantheon Books
Spiegelman, A. (1996). The
complete maus. New York: Pantheon.
Vaughan, B. & Staples, F. Saga volume one. Berkeley, CA: Image Comics.
Whedon, J., Bennett, J., Brereton, D., Golden, C., Gomez, H.
Lee, P., …Richards, C.
(2007). Buffy the vampire slayer omnibus volume 1. Milwaukie, OR: Dark
Horse Books.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 2 by Scott Lobdell
