When Michelle Tregoning was in grammar school, comic books were something you hid behind your math text. If you got caught with a comic, the teacher threw it out. Now, teachers are handing them out. Tregoning should know. She's one of the teachers doing it, as part of an extracurricular reading program she coordinates at LeConte Middle School in Los Angeles. That program, dubbed Bridges, is a nationwide initiative designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. Bridges was designed by CrossGen, a Florida-based publisher of comic books.
ONTLEZING
"Child literacy is in a real crisis situation today. Kids just aren't reading. As a literacy coach, I wanted to find materials that would really engage the students," says Tregoning. Comics turned out to be an ideal solution, but not for the reasons you might think.
"There's a persistent belief out there that comics are the lowest form of literature, so of course kids will read them--they're the forbidden fruit. But the truth is, comics are a natural tool for reaching the current generation of kids," says Tony Panaccio, senior vice president of product development for CrossGen's Bridges program.
Comics have struggled with a perception problem ever since the 1950s, when the outcry against violence in comics led to public comic-book burnings and even congressional hearings into the effect of comics on juvenile delinquency. Since then, comics and graphic novels (essentially, novel-length comic books) have won critical praise and awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 to Art Spiegelman's Holocaust memoir Maus. Despite these accolades, many adults still view comics as being long on violence, crude humor, and innuendo and short on redeeming social, educational, or moral value. Here, experts and educators discuss the virtues of the medium and share ways to find great comics to inspire kids.
WOORDENSCHAT
From the start, comics were always a learning tool. "When you ask most adults how they learned to read, most will point to the Sunday funnies," says Maggie Thompson, editor of Comics Buyer's Guide, one of the industry's most respected publications. "They've been around for so long, most adults have had some exposure to them, in the newspaper or in books."
As child literacy became an issue, educators experimented with using comics in the classroom, and with good reason. In a 1993 study in the Journal of Child Language, researchers concluded that the average comic book introduced kids to twice as many words as the average children's book, and five times as many words as they were likely to be exposed to in the average child-adult conversation. Even so, educators approached comics with a somewhat defeatist attitude.
"The typical response was, 'At least the kids are reading something,'" laments Scott McCloud, comic artist and writer as well as the author of Understanding Comics, which educators point to as the best primer for explaining the medium and its potential. McCloud's Web site, www.scottmccloud.com, also showcases a range of innovative online comics. "We needed to find superior work, not just stuff kids were finding on their own. You wouldn't teach an English literature class based exclusively on the books that kids liked and picked for themselves. We shouldn't do that with comics either," he says.
Dan Tandarich, an English teacher at PS 124 in Brooklyn, New York, agreed. So he set about identifying off-the-rack comics that he felt were superior and started using them in class. "When I decided to become an educator, I realized that comics were a perfect tool, especially for kids who might be having trouble reading. With comics, if your reading skills aren't up to speed, you've got the visual cues, the pictures to help you fill in the blanks."
BEELDCULTUUR
Here, Tandarich has put his finger on why comics work so well. It's not just that they expose kids to more words. It's the unique interplay of text and pictures that makes them an ideal educational medium, especially to a generation of children for whom visual input--from television, computer, and movie screens--has become the standard for imparting information.
So, Tandarich put comics to work at his school with a curriculum called C.O.M.I.C.S.--Challenging Objective Minds: An Instructional Comicbook Series, which he developed with the New York City Comic Book Museum. Currently, nearly a dozen schools nationwide are using the program (for more information, go to the museum's Web site at www.nyccbm.org).
CrossGen's Bridges program, meanwhile, was based on two of its most literate titles: Meridian, the fantasy-adventure saga of a young girl who fights to save her peaceful kingdom, and Ruse, a mystery series about a brilliant investigator and his amazing team of associates. CrossGen hired a team of their own: education experts who crafted teacher's guides for use in either a classroom or homeschooling environment (for more information, go to www.crossgen.com/education).
WAAR MOET JE STRIPS OP BEOORDELEN?
Despite some educational benefit, comics are still a medium of entertainment. "Kids love comics because they're escapist fantasy. It's important not to lose sight of that," says Thompson. "But that doesn't mean you can't direct your children to the good stuff." That can be tricky, though, for the average parent who isn't a die-hard comic-book fan.
"As with books, television, and movies, or Internet content, it's still critical for parents to take an active role in helping kids find material that's suitable for them. If you want to find appropriate books, TV shows, or films, there are some fairly established ways to do that," says Thompson. "But with comics, the resources to help parents make good choices for their kids haven't always been there." Here are a few guidelines to help.
Don't judge a comic by its cover. Just as you might preview a TV show or look through a book or novel before you'd let your kids have it, so must you with comics. "You have to read them. And with comics especially, you can't just go by what's on the cover," says Bill Jemas, president of Marvel Comics, publisher of some of the most popular superheros, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk. "I'm a dad myself. I-spend a third of my life telling my kids 'No.' But I try to understand what it is I'm saying 'no' to. It's the same with comics. You can't just look at one page and approve or discard a comic on the basis of that," Jemas says. That cover might have what seems like a violent scene to you, but inside there could be a powerful story about resisting violence, or firearm safety, or saying "no" to drugs. You won't know unless you look.
BIBLIOTHEEK
Ask your local librarian. "Comics and graphic novels are absolutely the fastest growing area of interest for libraries," says Stephen Wether, director of the public library in Maynard, Massachusetts, and author of The 101 Best Graphic Novels. In addition to his own book, which is a useful guide for parents and librarians, Weiner says that professional journals like Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal offer reviews of graphic novels. "Librarians use these reviews to make decisions about future acquisitions, so they're likely to have a pretty informed opinion," Wether says.
The same is increasingly true of booksellers. National chains, such as Barnes and Noble, for example, now have a separate category and shelf space devoted to graphic novels, and staffers are just as likely to be reading the same journal reviews as librarians.
Avoid the double standard. We all know that great works of literature, critically acclaimed films, and television programs may contain violence, objectionable language, or varying levels of sexual content.
"As you're reviewing comics, think about the material kids are exposed to in the average hour of prime-time viewing or in the average PG-13 film," says Paul Levitz, president and punisher of DC Comics, home to hundreds of comic-book characters, including Superman and Batman. Most comics are a lot better than what you see in television or film, says Levitz. Try to apply consistent standards to the media your children are exposed to. What goes for TV or books should hold for comic books too.
MORAAL VAN SPIDERMAN
Look for the moral. In the four-color world of comic books, it's easy to get caught up in the plot and the dynamic artwork. But don't just read the stories. Look for the bigger themes and motivations driving the characters. You might be surprised by what you find. Consider Spider-Man.
"He's just the greatest character," says Brian Bendis, who has won multiple awards and is widely regarded as one of the best writers in comics today. He also happens to be author of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic. "When Peter Parker gets the powers of a spider, he becomes a TV star. He becomes so full of himself that he refuses to use his powers to help others. He lets a thief get away--he could have stopped him easily, but he couldn't be bothered. Well, that thief goes on to kill his beloved Uncle Ben, the man who was a father to him," says Bendis. And in that moment, Spider-Man learns a lesson that most comics fans can recite as though it were gospel: With great power comes great responsibility.
"Those are words to live by," says Bendis. "How can you not see the value of a moral lesson like that?" Look for what you loved. If you read comics as a kid, you'll be pleased to know that most of your favorites are still around. Superman and Batman and the rest of the superhero pantheon are more popular today than they've ever been. The beloved Walt Disney characters are once again being published in comic book form.
"Introducing your kids to the characters you enjoyed is a way of making a connection," says Levitz. Even spreading out on the living room floor and reading the funnies with your child is a great way to bond. "You can teach your kids to read, or if they already read, you can take turns reading, making up funny voices. It helps you be a child again, and it helps children get a little closer to mom or dad," says Thompson. "If comics can give you that, even a little bit, aren't they worth checking out?"
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