One of my new favorite images

Superman Turns 70!

Comic Book Resources is reminding us all that February 29 was Superman's 70th birthday. First introduced to the masses in 1938, he's now a super-senior citizen. CBR is asking folks to detail their most visceral Superman experience. I don't really have one. What I respect most about this character is that he tries to be moral, forthright, honest, and self-motivated. He has the power to crush Earth's enemies and the power to vanquish anything that bugs him, really. But he's a study in self-control and genuinely humanist values.

I've been taking some heat from female academics lately for studying comics and graphic novels. They tell me the sequential art form is too dominated by men, that the characters are poor representations of femininity, and that the images and portrayals of women in comics are degrading and immature.

They're right -- to some degree. Often within these bereavements, though, these critics make blanket statements or assumptions: assuming the traits of super hero comics are found in all sequential art, mistaking the commercial comics as the standard bearers of the form, failing to consider that male representation in mainstream comics is often just as immature and exaggerated as is female representation, and assuming that there can be no value in what they see as a flawed form.

I'm unapologetic when I say I actually care and think about issues concerning young men. As the father of two boys, a career educator, and an informed citizen, I read the research and see with my own eyes -- have experienced in my own life -- how we're losing our young men, especially our young men from backgrounds of poverty, to unchecked appropriations of hyper-masculinity via media and possibly media-created or government- spun notions of "culture" and acceptable behavior (all of which which usually boil down to having no real humanist masculinity in them at all).

Knowing this has only increased my respect for characters like Peter Parker, Steve Rogers, and Clark Kent, characters who have the power to do amazingly terrible things, but who have decided that being supermen doesn't mean having amazing powers, but actually means rising above the banality and perversion that can be the animalistic human existence, the one bent on domination, ego, and violence. Superman is the Greek and Neoclassical ideal: Everything in the proper moderation, tempered by reason and logic, and infused with a strong moral core. He's super not only because of his alien powers, but because of how he embodies the best of humanity.

I make a habit of buying my young male relatives a Superman t-shirt at least once in their lives. As I tell my wife, "There's a time in every little boy's life when he wishes he could be Superman." I hope I'm still right, and that we're looking up to Supes for generations to come, not just because he's faster than a locomotive or could hurl our planet into the sun at any moment, but because he embodies potential power filtered through rational thought, a sincere caring for all of humanity, a balanced point of view on all things constituting the human experience, and a resolve to use his potential for the shared benefit of others.

Do I want my sons to grow up looking like Superman? Not especially, but would I be happy if they embodied the best of his character? Absolutely.

Now, I could easily embark on philosophical notions of gender, morals, and humanity here, or I could examine whether or not I'd be just as happy to have a daughter look up to the best in Superman, or I could extrapolate on the commercial character-building process that is the super hero comics' m.o. and thereby say either that it is silly to look up to a character that is the conglomeration of so many influences or suggest that the communal aspect of Superman's creation and continuing development actually supports the notion that "it takes a village" to raise children with good moral cores by showing that our group mentality, our group morality, must come into play when teaching our children right from wrong, what traits are admirable and which are not, or I could berate myself for speaking of a fictional character with such praise.

But, instead, I think I'll simply say "Happy Birthday Superman! And keep doing what you do best: Reminding us that our best selves are the potential super-men (and women) in all of us."

NCTE Considers 21st Century Literacies

The NCTE Executive Committee adopted a definition of 21st century literacies on February 15, 2008. Well, they adopted a move toward a definition, anyway.

The committee basically made a statement that as society evolves, so does the definition of literacy. Since 21st century living requires many more skills for one to be considered even functionally literate than were needed even twenty years ago, teachers need to consider expanding their notions of what it means to read and live successfully. It's great to see NCTE leading the way in getting this idea in the public consciousness.

A focus on visual and multimedia texts is also presented in the committee's statement. I think as more people peel back 20th century (or maybe even 19th century) ways of thinking, seeing, and reading, the gaphic novel is going to take a much more prominent place in education -- as a middle ground between traditional print and multimodal textuality, as an exemplar of the visual-print connection (everything's a text), and as a true art literature. By "art literature" I suggest that the graphic novel, as it helps us see that letters and forms are equally textual, all there to be read, coded, decoded, comprehended and shared, also helps us to see that our distinctions between art and literature are just as arbitrary as our distinctions between seeing the pictograph "A" as a letter -- something to be read -- but other pictorial images as illustrations to be viewed rather than read.

In other words:

Reading = reading words
Reading = reading images
Words = images
Images = texts
texts=images
Reading = reading images.

Art is to be read
Literature is to be read
Reading is a specialized viewing
Viewing is a specialized reading
Reading may = viewing
Art can be read as literature
literature can be read as art
Art may = literature
Literature may = art

Possible New Outlet for Aspiring Comics Creators?

From the site itself: "Launchpad is a new literary and arts magazine dedicated to publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, and artwork by children ages 6-12. The magazine will appear six times a year...."

Could this be a great new outlet for young students wanting to share their work in sequential art narrative? I think it has some potential!

Scott McCloud Goes (to) SPLAT!

SPLAT 2008 Announces Librarian and Educator Workshops for March 15th Event.!

Just got this forward from the folks at SPLAT. Looks like a neat program they've lined up!


The New York Center for Independent Publishers today formally announced th eaddition of four graphic novel workshops for educators and librarians to take place during the inaugural SPLAT 2008 Graphic Novel Symposium on March15th.

Workshop coordinator, John Shableski of Diamond Book Distributors, says,"This selection reflects the growing acceptance and use of graphic novelsand comics in the public library, the classroom and in the academic setting.We are excited to host workshops that demonstrate the value of this excitingformat with some very engaging and knowledgeable instructors. If you wantto see how the books can be used in the classroom from the teacher'sperspective, or how to build a lesson plan using graphic novels, this is definitely a great opportunity. We have also included a great course onusing manga and anime in the public library setting. Manga represents far and away the most explosive genre in the world of graphic novel publishing.To round out the program there will be some great insight on how graphic novels are finding a home in the academic world."


Who should attend? Professionals from all levels in retail publishing,editorial, writing and creation as well as the educators and librarianfields.

Guest presenters are as follows:
Karen Green, Columbia University: Graphic Novels in the Academic LibraryPeter
Gutierrez, Graphic Novels in the Classroom: Creating Lesson Plans
Margaux Del Guidice and Michael Lizari, Comics.In A School? Using GraphicNovels to Enhance Student Achievement
Christian Zabriskie: Why Anime and Manga Belong in Your Collection

The conferencewill feature some of the movers and shakers from the graphic book worldincluding: Jim Killen; David Saylor, Raina Telgemeier, Ted Rail, CBCebulski, Bob Mecoy, R Sitayak, Nick Bertozzi and Charles Brownstein. [and Scott McCloud will be there too! That's a great line-up!!!]

There will be three different tracks of insightful panels, seminars andworkshops scheduled between 9am to 5pm, to be followed by the SPLAT GalaReception. Including the afore mentioned librarian and educators sessionsthere will be a track featuring panels on topics including "Who Reads Graphic Novels" and "How to Get Published". Another third track, willconsist of hands-on workshops on subjects such as "Story Telling" and "Where to Start with Art".

The cost of the day long Symposium will be $125; this will include lunch andthe Gala Reception. For more information regarding the Symposium and registration, contact theNYCIP at 212-764-7021, visit www.nycip.org, or e-mail Executive DirectorKarin Taylor at nycip@nycip.org.

BUCKY IS CAPTAIN AMERICA!

No, I haven't flipped my lid and gone completely megalomaniacal. In the title of this post, I'm referring to Marvel Comics' latest issues of Captain America, in which Cap's former kid sidekick, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, steps up to become the new Captain America. Steve Rogers, the original Cap, was assassinated months ago, leaving the country without its sentinel of liberty.

I'm really torn about it, too. As you might imagine, as a lifelong comic book fan and someone who sports a name quite similar to Barnes', I have a deep emotional connection to the Bucky character. Hell, when I was a pre-teen, I once even convinced some friends of mine that the character was based off me. We were about the same build, had the same hair color and style and silly grin.

But being connected with Bucky Barnes wasn't always so cool. Comic book readers already had a tendency to be considered geeks or nerds when I was growing up -- back when it wasn't cool to be unique or geeky -- and I actually found myself being poked fun of by those who didn't read comics and by those who were comics readers. You see, Bucky was seen as a dorky character, THE kid sidekick cliche, even less appealing than Robin, who had at least grown up to make something of himself instead of eventually dying in a pitiful attempt to catch a baddie, leaving a legacy of guilt for his best friend Steve.

Bucky was even one of the few comics characters who had died that fans actually wanted to stay dead. For me, I took this sort of underdog, sidekick, campy role and internalized it. I was always one to root for the little guy anyway, and being a quirky kid, it came natural to connect with the Barnes through a mutual characterization that was deeper than our shared names and looks.

When I was in grad school, I even assistant-taught under a Captain America fan who everyone knew was going to be a star. I was his kid sidekick, the neat but weird fellow in his shadow and happy to be there.

Now he is a rising star in academia. But, all of a sudden, I see I'm finding my own way too; I'm on the cusp of doing well for myself and starting my own possibly stellar career. And guess who else has been revitalized? Bucky Barnes. First his mission and death were retconned such that it was revealed he was a black ops soldier who did the dirty work that Cap couldn't do -- work like killing and maiming the enemy. Cap was the "boy blue" soldier who could subdue the Nazis, but the little boy in the blue togs was the one doing that Greek drama thing and slitting their throats off-panel. Further, his body was salvaged after his apparent death; he was nursed back to health, brainwashed by the Soviets, and transformed into "The Winter Soldier," a super-spy bad-ass who can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the Marvel Universe. Iron Man, Wolverine, anybody.

And now this: honoring Cap's final wishes, an adult and recently deprogrammed (or is that reprogrammed?) Bucky Barnes has taken up the title and role of his former mentor. Bucky is Captain America. For now, he has the potential to become THE superhero, the noblest of noble, the flag-draped symbol of all that is good in America.

Me? I'm getting ready to finish my degree and could be offered a tenure-track job any day now, meaning I could be living my American dream. There's even the possibility that I could become the departmental colleague, the equal, if you will, of the Cap fan I once sidekicked under.

Is that why I'm so afraid Bucky Barnes will screw up in his new role? Do we both seem destined to fail? Or are we both afraid to succeed? Are we both actually more comfortable doing dirty work, even if it's good work, off-panel while others get the glory? Bucky can never be Steve; no one knows that more than he does, but can he be his own man and do well at it?

If he succeeds, it'll be a nice little American Dream: the once scurrilous scamp kid makes good. Sort of sounds like my own story: The kid from Nowhere, NC, rises up from abuse and poverty, from low expectations and ridicule, to become an exemplar in his chosen profession. If he fails, does it suggest I'll fail too? I'm just as close to ending this job season with no offers as I am to procuring one, just as apt to have to do more work as I am to pass my dissertation. There's a lot of evidence to suggest the American Dream is a myth, after all, that the best way to get ahead in America is to start ahead, thereby indicating that those who start with nothing are quite likely to finish with only a little more than that, regardless of what we do and how hard we work.

Bucky, Bucky, Bucky: You're so close. Don't f*ck it up. Please, lord, don't let others f*ck it up for you. Be the Captain of Whitman's "O Captain, my Captain." At the very least, be the best you can be, and hope to God it's good enough...

Fresh from the 1.23.08 NCTE Inbox...

NCTE continues to help keep graphic novels on educators' radar by sharing yet another example of a local paper giving sequential art narratives some love. See what this Kansas City paper had to say, and check out who is being featured in the story: high school students! Ahem..ahem.... ;)

Daily Bits Free Graphic Novels Viewing

Thanks to Lou Novacheck for sending this link via the comics scholar listserve. It offers a look at 17 graphic novels -- for free! This is a neat way to acquaint one's self with the format.

Satrapi Speaks on Border Crossing with Bad Info

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, both a graphic novel and now a feature film, recently published a piece in The New York Times about the cultural conflicts and confusion that come with border crossing via panels and real life. We've got some contact zones going on here, as we usually do when we think about border crossings, and tons of educational value, as one might expect.

Check out what she has to say about conflation, misunderstanding, and outright obfuscation in "Defending My Country."

Another Company Entering the Children's GN Market

Thanks to Lou Novacheck for this forward from IDW:

IDW PUBLISHING LAUNCHES NEW CHILDREN'S DIVISION AND IMPRINT
Signs Distribution Agreement with Renowned UK Children's Publishing Firm; Pacts With Top Hollywood Screenwriters To Create Children's Books

(San Diego, CA and Newark, NJ; January 10, 2008) -- In a precedent-setting move, IDW Publishing, a division of IDT Internet Mobile Group and an established leader in the comic book and graphic novel arena, is launching a children's division called Jonas Publishing and a new imprint, Worthwhile Books. The move will allow IDW Publishing to expand its library of successful print titles, which to date has been particularly focused in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, such as 30 Days of Night and The Transformers. To launch the imprint, IDW Publishing has inked a significant agreement with a renowned UK children's publisher and is striking deals with top Hollywood writers to create children's books.

Worthwhile Books has finalized a first-look arrangement with UK children's publisher Meadowside Books (http://www.meadowsidebooks.com/), known for its unique character-driven picture books for young readers. Worthwhile will be the exclusive U.S. publisher of selected Meadowside titles and will retain domestic film and television rights on those properties. The first Meadowside Books title in the deal, Michael Recycle, by Ellie Bethel, follows the escapades of a "green-caped" environmental hero and will be released in March by Worthwhile Books. Worthwhile expects to issue approximately 10 Meadowside titles over the course of the first year, including William's Dinosaurs, by Alan Baker, which tells the tale of a little boy who finds more than trees in the dark woods near his home.

Worthwhile's Hollywood outreach is tapping into the top ranks of movie and television writing talent to bring original literary stories to the young reading audience. The collective credits of the entertainment writers include some of the industry's most successful television series and movies. These writers include:

· David N. Weiss, whose writing credits include Shrek 2, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and both Rugrats movies

· David Sacks, a writer/producer on The Simpsons, producer on Malcolm in the Middle, and writer on 3rd Rock from the Sun

· Dava Savel, an Emmy Award- winning comedy writer with credits on shows such as Grace Under Fire and Will & Grace, in addition to being an executive producer on the children's program That's So Raven

· David Steinberg, whose producing credits include Meet the Robinsons, Home on the Range and Cats Don't Dance

· Robert Kurtz, who wrote for the movie Everyone's Hero and has written for such shows as Boy Meets World and Grace Under Fire

"Our growth strategy calls for continued expansion into other areas of the entertainment sector," said Ted Adams, IDW co-founder and president. "Creating and controlling successful

children's properties helps us in those endeavors. Meadowside's books are playful, empowering, smart and exciting and the artwork is simply breathtaking. These are children's picture stories in the classic tradition with a central character that is relatable to today's kids."

In speaking of the outreach to Hollywood writers, Robert Kurtz, vice-president and creative director at Worthwhile Books, said "Every writer I know who works in television or movies has a children's story inside him or her that they've wanted to tell for years but for a variety of reasons never were able to get out into the marketplace. We want writers to think of Worthwhile Books as the one-stop destination for that kind of project. It is designed to be a writer-driven company and we think that will be very attractive to these talented artists."

ABOUT IDW PUBLISHING:Idea and Design Works, LLC, (DBA IDW Publishing) is a division of IDT Internet Mobile Group (IIMG). An established leader in the comic book and graphic novel marketplace, particularly in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW Publishing also owns Jonas Publishing and its children's imprint, Worthwhile Books. IDW lists some of the most successful and hottest print titles in the industry in its portfolio, including: television's #1 prime time series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Sony's Underworld; Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's 24 and Angel, and Hasbro's The Transformers. The feature film version of IDW Publishing's graphic novel, 30 Days of Night, recently topped the box office when it premiered in October. The company also works with foreign licensing agents to sell their comics around the world, with titles being published in multiple languages and crossing dozens of regions.

ABOUT IDT INTERNET MOBILE GROUP:IDT Internet Mobile Group (IIMG), a division of the Fortune 1000 telecommunications firm IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT, IDT.C), is a leader in the development, management and growth of cross-platform consumer entertainment, distribution and financial services. From providing mobile content to consumers in over 200 countries through the mobile content portal Zedge ( http://www.zedge.net/) to the creation, development and distribution of top graphic novels through IDW Publishing, and providing cash remittance services via mobile phones to millions of people living abroad, IIMG is dedicated to turning innovative ideas and companies into products and services that span various industries.
In this press release, all statements that are not purely about historical facts, including, but not limited to, those with the words "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "target" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements and risk factors included in this document are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to IDT as of the date thereof, and IDT assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or risk factors.

UF Comics Links

The University of Florida is one of the, if the not the, premiere place to study visual rhetoric as it relates to comics. So, it's not a surprise that they have an impressive list of links and resources on comics and graphic novels. In addition to hosting the comics scholars listserve, UF also is the home site for ImageText, an online journal of excellent repute that examines image-print relationships and more. Click here to see what they have to offer on the teaching of comics, etc.

UB Jammin' on Comics

I just returned from a very pleasant stay at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. They do great work with multimodal literacies there, and maybe I'll have the opportunity to join their staff (we'll see!).

Among my joys was meeting long-time graphic novel advocate Michael Lavin, a librarian who has been spreading the message that graphic novels get kids reading. So, as a tribute to him and a nice 2.5 day stay, I ask you to check out the UB links on comics and graphic novels.

Mouly & Spiegelman Announce Toon Books

Just months ago I was using Art Spiegelman as an example of an artist who should produce his art without having to feel like he had to offer pedagogical potential. Finding teaching opportunities in the work of artists was the job of educators, I claimed. Now Spiegelman, and more specifically his wife Francoise Mouly, are getting into the kids comics game like never before, and they're using pedagogy research to help them build upon their already respectable repuations for producing high-quality comics for youth.

They've been producing the excellent Little Lit series for younger readers for years now, but their newest project, Toon Books, extends those efforts.

With the goal of "Bringing new readers to the pleasures of comics," Toon Books is seriously considering pedagogy as part of its marketing. From the website:

"TOON Books are the first high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up. Each book in the collection is just right for reading to the youngest but, perhaps most remarkable: this is the first collection ever designed to offer newly-emerging readers comics they can read themselves. Each TOON book has been vetted by educators to ensure that the language and the narratives will nurture young minds. Our books feature original stories and characters created by veteran children’s book authors, renowned cartoonists and new talents, all applying their extraordinary skills to fascinate young children with clearly told tales that will welcome them to the magic of reading...."

"Comics have always had a unique ability to draw young readers into a story through the drawings. Visual narrative helps kids crack the code that allows literacy to flourish, teaching them how to read from left to right, from top to bottom. Speech balloons facilitate a child’s understanding of written dialogue as a transcription of spoken language. Many of the issues that emerging readers have traditionally struggled with are instantly clarified by comics’ simple and inviting format. As a matter of fact, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, is planning to use the TOON Books in K-3 classrooms as part of the Maryland Comic Book Initiative.

As one of our advisors, Barbara Tversky, professor of Psychology at Stanford University, explains: 'Comics use a broad range of sophisticated devices for communication. They are similar to face-to-face interactions, in which meaning is derived not solely from words, but also from gestures, intonation, facial expressions and props. Comics are more than just illustrated books, but rather make use of a multi-modal language that blends words, pictures, facial expressions, panel-to-panel progression, color, sound effects and more to engage readers in a compelling narrative.'”

Those quotes show a pretty strong commitment to making sure potential buyers know their purchases are beneficial to the children in their lives. The Toon Books blog, a fun and interesting resource, continues this sort of pedagogy-pinching by referencing intriguing studies on comprehension and visual development.

Whether done singularly for marketing purposes or with an altruistic aim of proving sequential art's pedagogical potential, I find it exciting that such high-quality creative minds are making a serious effort to produce excellent comics for kids. And make no mistake -- they are focusing on the young ones. Not teens, not tweens: kids. They even end the introductory piece from which I quoted above by saying "Comics -- they're not just for grown-ups anymore," a wink and a nod to all of us who are sick of articles wanting to extol the virtue of sequential art by saying things like "comics have grown up" and "they're not just for kids anymore."

More power to Mouly and Spiegelman. I hope Toon Books is a great success. Am I worried about artists using educators to help sell their products? Maybe just a little, but having seen the quality work that Mouly and Spiegelman have put together in the Little Lit series, I can't help but be excited.

And, heck, if experts in education help sell books that help kids develop both a love of reading and their appreciation/awareness for visual conventions of communication, isn't that the type of synergy we should celebrate? So often folks ignore what education research says about things. If a savvy publisher has decided to build ethos while also letting folks know that certain companies are paying attention to what education researchers have to say in their independent research, I know I'll take note of it -- with a critical eye, of course -- but I'll still note the effort and the names and studies mentioned.

21st Century Literacy Skills & the Contemporary College Student

If this doesn't get you thinking about the need for educators to realize the changing nature of literacy, living, and thinking, I don't know what will.




I love the opening McLuhan quote about 19th century pedagogy. I've seen it with my own eyes: administrators, veteran teachers and newbies alike resorting to what they feel are "tried and true" methods of toe-the-line literacy instruction. I remember learning that my former school district received a $1,000,000 technology grant. I was happy that the school was getting smart boards, etc., but I couldn't help thinking, "What good is 21st century technology if it encounters 19th century pedagogy?"

And pay attention to the "I'm one of the lucky ones" sign, too. This deals with college kids -- those fortunate enough to make it past secondary ed. And here's hoping some test-makers in high positions read that scantron note!

The Difference Between Graphic Novels and Comic Books

The Simpsons does it again. Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman, and Dan Clowes join Bart, Lisa, and Comic Book Guy in illuminating the differences and intersections among mainstream comics, super-hero comics, the indies, and those considered graphic novels.



*embedded via Youtube embed function; all rights reserved by the proper authorities/owners; buy The Simpsons DVDs and The Simpsons Movie;watch the show; visit the Quick -E- Mart. Invest in Youtube.*

Comics and Social Issues Site

The sequential art format has long been used to examine social issues and to promote social standards in health and living. Sometimes this happens in the context of on-going series; sometimes "special issues on special issues" are published. Adam C sent me this great link to a site that has a collection of such special issues.

All are meant to be serious efforts at combating social ills or educating the public. Taken out of context, they can seem tongue-in-cheek and certainly more than a little lame. But, with a little respect for making an effort and an eye on history, we see that comics and graphic novels have a distinguished history of grappling with hot-button topics.

Graphics Classics & The Inscrutable Mark Twain!

Just got this press release from the company that markets its graphic novel adaptations of canonical literature as "Classics You'll Want to Read!"

TALES OF WIT & WONDER, ILLUSTRATED!

Eureka Productions is pleased to announce the publication of the revised second edition of the long-out-of-print GRAPHIC CLASSICS: MARK TWAIN, the eighth volume in the GRAPHIC CLASSICS series of comics adaptations of great literature. This edition contains 38 pages of new material, including a never-done-before comics presentation of “Tom Sawyer Abroad,” Mark Twain’s little-known sequel to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” with adaptation by Tom Pomplun and George Sellas. Returning from the first edition are “The Mysterious Stranger” by Rick Geary, “A Dog’s Tale” by Lance Tooks, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog” by Kevin Atkinson, and “The Carnival of Crime in Connecticut” by Antonella Caputo and Nick Miller. Also “Is He Living or Is He Dead?” “A Curious Pleasure Excursion,” and eight women artists interpret Mark Twain’s “Advice to Little Girls.” With a dramatic cover painting by George Sellas.


GRAPHIC CLASSICS: MARK TWAIN is available for schools and libraries from Diamond Distributors, Baker & Taylor, Ingram and other distributors, in bookstores, or direct from the publisher at http://www.graphicclassics.com./

“Many of the stories contain some of Twain’s most cynical, acidic works of satire. Even the adaptation of the little-read “Tom Sawyer Abroad,” written from Huck Finn’s simple-but-secretly-sophisticated point of view, contains a number of digs at religion, science, and imperialism. George Sellas’ cartoony style is a nice match for what is also a rip-roaring adventure story... there’s a propulsive quality in both prose and art that leaves the reader breathless as they flip from page to page.”— Rob Clough, SEQUART.

GRAPHIC CLASSICS: MARK TWAIN(Second Edition) Edited by Tom Pomplun. Published December 2007, Eureka Productions. Distributed by Diamond Book Distributors(ISBN 978-0-9787919-2-6)144 pgs, 7 x 10", paperback, b&w, 4c cover, $11.95

The Graphic Classics series:GRAPHIC CLASSICS: EDGAR ALLAN POE (978-0-9746648-7-3)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (978-0-9746648-5-9)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: H.G. WELLS (978-0-9746648-3-5)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: H.P. LOVECRAFT (978-0-9746648-9-7)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: JACK LONDON (978-0-9746648-8-0)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: AMBROSE BIERCE (978-0-9712464-6-1)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: BRAM STOKER (978-0-9787919-1-9)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: MARK TWAIN (978-0-9787919-2-6)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (978-0-9746648-0-4)HORROR CLASSICS: Graphic Classics Volume Ten (978-0-9746648-1-1)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: O. HENRY (978-0-9746648-2-8)ADVENTURE CLASSICS: Graphic Classics Volume Twelve (978-0-9746648-4-2)GRAPHIC CLASSICS: RAFAEL SABATINI (978-0-9746648-6-6)GOTHIC CLASSICS: Graphic Classics Volume Fourteen (978-0-9787919-0-2)

Transforming English Education with Graphic Novels

I'm pleased to announce that my article, "Transforming English with Graphic Novels: Moving toward Our “Optimus Prime,” has been published in this month's English Journal (97.2). Here's how NCTE describes the article:

James Bucky Carter argues for the transformative potential of graphic novels in the English classroom. He advises teachers to be actively aware of the newer and lesser-known graphic novels and suggests approaches for examining the complex social issues the novels address.

EJ has a circulation of around 25,000 and an acceptance rate, if I remember correctly, of around 10%. So, I'm very happy to be included in this issue on "Transforming English Education."

Norman Rockwell Museum Rocking the Graphic Novel!

Oh, to live in Stockbridge, MA! The museum is actively promoting its LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel exhibition to educators! "Hey, why not an invite for your ol' pal Bucky, Normie?"

Click the title of this post to read about the direct marketing being done for the 11/09/07 and 01/12/08 activities.

Looks like more and more folks are noticing how graphic novels and education can work together!

And here's a preview of the collection itself.

Not Hatin' on NHCTE!

A second state branch of NCTE has asked me to be a special speaker at their state conference. Iowa contacted me about being a keynote speaker a few weeks ago. Now representatives of New Hampshire's affiliate, NHCTE, have asked me to present two sessions at their Spring get-together held in Manchester, NH. As I have friends who are into the comic book scene in New Hampshire and had my edited collection mentioned in a recent policy document from the NH Department of Education, I am very excited about this trip. Plus, I've always wanted to visit the state. Heck, I wouldn't mind living there, if any New England colleges or universities are reading! ;)