comic books, graphic novels, and literacy

Comic books have graduated from pulp entertainment to literature and even historiography. Their role in literacy development as both medium and message has become uncontested, with both traditional superhero comic books unique graphic novels being included in school libraries (Griffith 181). Whereas comic books were once derided when compared with non-illustrated texts, now educators, librarians, and sociologists recognize the value and importance of comic books as a pedagogical tool.

Schwarz notes that graphic novels can "introduce students to literature they might never otherwise encounter," stimulate interest in reading in general while also providing substantive content for literary analysis (" Graphic Novels for Multiple Literacies," 282). In " 'He's Gotta Be Strong, and He's Gotta Be Fast, and He's Gotta Be Larger than Life,': Investigating the Engendered Superhero Body," Taylor uses a gender studies perspective to demonstrate the value and importance of superhero comics in understanding processes related to the social construction of gender.

Taylor claims that superhero bodies, even when they seem to pander to prevailing gender norms and stereotypes, actually expose the "artificiality of enforced male/female differentiations," because "super bodies continually transform, continually surprise, and are ever vigilant against the threat of normalizing tyrannies," (358). Both in terms of their role in literacy development and their role in social and psychological development, comic books can be tremendously beneficial tools. One of the ways comic books can benefit child development is their accessibility.

Graphic novels are widely available, visually and thematically appealing to young learners. As school librarians are increasingly adding comic books and graphic novels to their shelves, the accessibility of graphic media is increasing with each successive school year. Even graphic novels, which have been described as the "longer and more artful version of the comic book bound as a 'real' book," are "popular, available, and meaningful," (Schwarz "Expanding Literacies," 58).

Although useful for all ages, comic books may be particularly important for including in high school curricula because as children get older, their recreational reading decreases (Snowball 43). Teenagers tend to be more interested in graphic novels and comics partly because of the multimedia world in which young people grow up with and are immersed in (Snowball 43-44). Thus, another reason why comic books are accessible is that they are essentially a multimedia format with the potential to expand into digital media too.

Moeller confirms that graphic novels resemble film more than traditional text-only literature, making them especially relevant to younger generations. Because graphic novels appear in different cultures around the world, the medium is also more accessible and meaningful to a diverse audience. Japan is the most obvious producer of graphic novels in languages other than English but the production of comic books in other languages means that all students can relate to and respond to graphic novels.

Therefore, graphic novels and comic books should be incorporated into classroom environments in order to appeal to a wide range of students. Graphic novels can "increase and diversify the voices that our students experience in the classroom," which is why graphic novels can be critical for helping students develop cross-cultural awareness and social skills (Schwarz, "Expanding Literacies," 58). Because of their diverse appeal and ability to transcend stereotyped domains, comic books can aid personal psychological and social development.

For example, Taylor argues in favor of superhero comic books because of their portrayal of empowering gender norms and aesthetics. Comic books can likewise be used to help students develop self-awareness and communicate with a diverse group of their peers. In fact, comic books can help distill complex, controversial, or difficult subjects so that they are more easily digestible, age-appropriate, and easily understood by young readers. Graphic novels like Maus show how difficult subjects like the Holocaust can be communicated through the medium of graphic novel.

Using the graphic novel may help teachers or parents to broach difficult subjects, encouraging critical and creative thought and inquiry. Similarly, the graphic novel can help enhance the emotional, ethical, and social learning elements of childhood development. Comic books and graphic novels can achieve what traditional verbal media and especially textbooks cannot. As Griffith points out, "The graphic novel format also enables some students to read materials that were previously too difficult in length or in use of language," (184).

Furthermore, their visual dimension means that comic books can be used as second language instructional materials to help with language acquisition. For example, Moeller notes that graphic novels can be used to "help improve reading skills among students whose first language is English and students who participate in English as a Second Language programs," (476). In fact, comic books may become instrumental in reaching students with specific developmental or learning disabilities.

Research has shown that comics " can aid in vocabulary development for elementary students with language and learning disabilities," (Moeller 185). Because comic books offer a visual as well as a verbal dimension, they appeal to multiple literacies that can help develop different cognitive processes. One study shows how comic books can promote "metacognitive reading comprehension strategies,"(Brenna 1).

Comic books can also enhance students' development as readers in general for several reasons: children are more likely to read what they are interested in and also, the medium of the comic books adds a visual component that aids in comprehension in general. Therefore, comic books and graphic novels have the potential to help children learn in different ways and think critically and creatively. Comic books and graphic novels can be implemented in different ways to promote social learning and cognitive development in children.

One way to use graphic novels or comic books is as a primary work of literature that can be analyzed and discussed in class for its manifest content, artwork, or symbolism. Another way to use the medium of comic books or graphic novels is as Taylor does in " 'He's Gotta Be Strong, and He's Gotta Be Fast, and He's Gotta Be Larger Than Life,'" which uses comic books to discuss the broader issues related to gender, stereotyped masculinity, and the aesthetics of the male form.

A growing body of empirical evidence shows that the instructional and cognitive value of comic books can be integrated into emerging pedagogical methods. For example, Schwarz shows that graphic novels and comic books are being used increasingly to promote children's critical thinking as well as literacy skills ("Expanding Literacies," 58). Likewise, Moeller states that graphic novels are "a tool in the development of multiple literacies, such as verbal and visual literacy," (476).

Other types of literacies that comic books and graphic novels can stimulate include media literacy, as graphic novels can bridge multiple media formats when characters appear in print, video, film, and games. Moeller adds that comic books have the potential for expanding cultural literacy, especially when Japanese manga is studied to supplement and enhance learning about Japanese culture (185). Furthermore, graphic novels and comic books use different narrative structures and formats in storytelling.

There is less need to rely on linearity or chronology in the narrative framework and also, the visuals provide ample information about a character's inner world that would be less effective when described verbally. The limitations of a strictly verbal narrative format can be overcome, encouraging students with multiple literacies to develop their own graphic novels or comic books instead of writing essays. Comics essentially prove that pictures can tell a thousand words.

Images can potentially liberate the brain from having to process pages of verbal coding and semantics, allowing readers to better grasp the core subject matter and themes of the text. Comic books can address several different subjects, and the medium of the comic book can be used in any subject to enhance the delivery of instructional material or even as the primary method of subject delivery. Graphic novels can be either fiction or nonfiction, just as traditional printed text can be.

As Hall and Lucal point out, comic books have gone beyond the traditional genres of superhero and horror to be able to discuss "sophisticated " subjects in fields as diverse as philosophy and science (60). Classic graphic novels like Maus have been systematically integrated into cross-disciplinary studies to teach difficult issues related to history, sociology, and intersectionality. Comic books are beneficial to child development because they can stimulate interest in literacy development, literacy, and learning different subjects. Because of the.