Graphic Novel.Com Updates with Creator Interviews, More

From the press release:

Creator Interviews

Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim

The long-awaited The Eternal Smile, new from Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, is finally here. Meet the two creators behind the book in this interview and learn how the two friends decided to work together-and whether their friendship can survive a Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate.

Ariel Schrag

Ariel Schrag documented her high-school years in four raw, unflinching memoirs. With the release of the fourth and final edition, Likewise, which chronicles her senior year, she talks about what it's like to share your coming-of-age with the world.

Mitch Clem

Mitch Clem started Nothing Nice to Say, a webcomic about "the awesomeness and the absurdity" of the punk rock scene, back in 2002. Here he talks about the recently released anthology of his popular and controversial series.

Domingos Isabelinho Posts Interview with Author of Exit Wounds

A student of mine recently read and reviewed Exit Wounds, a graphic novel on my "need to read" list, for our "Teaching the Graphic Novel" graduate course. As well, a previous guest speaker on campus, comics writer Jai Nitz, sang its praises. So, I'm posting a link to a youtube-style interview with the creator, Rutu Modan. Enjoy, and thanks, Domingos, for posting the video! :)

Diamond Bookshelf Interview with HS ELA Teacher Who Teaches Watchmen

Proof that they exist! John C. Weaver has been getting some deserved attention lately for talking about how he handles a complex and mature text(with dangling blue wangs) with his HS seniors.

NCTE 2009

I'll be on the program for the 2009 NCTE national convention. Some of the folks working on my next edited collection, a new colleague from Fordham, and I will be giving a roundtable talking about comics in the contact zone. More information as it develops. I've never been to Philly before, so I'm excited about visiting.

The Process of Adapting Prose into Comics

I readily admit that I prefer stand-alone graphic novels with multiple embedded literary elements to those that try to adapt classics, but here is a great article on the process creators, etc., go through when considering how and what to adapt.

For better or worse, there is a growing market for sequential art adaptations. Though I fear these will be the only graphic novels teachers will consider when given choices, essentially taking an easy way out and not really learning anything new, there's also the possibility that adaptations might pique interest in other types of comics.

More Obama in the Comics

In fiction and satire this time, no less. I'm starting to think publishers are going a little crazy with the Obama appearances. If he shows up as a member of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, I may never read comics again (and I voted for the guy!).

Sequel to Dalrymple's Pop Gun War Posted Online

Or part of it, anyway. While editing a chapter on Pop Gun War in my first edited collection, we mention this text as a sort of sleeper hit that would soon get much more critical and pedagogical attention. Well, that doesn't seem to have happened like I thought it would (yet), though the original is a great story and Farel Dalrymple has done well for himself since releasing it (I'm not even sure if it is still in print), but maybe the sequel will remind people of Sinclair and his magical realist flights of fancy.

Pop Gun War does have my highest recommendation, though, and if the sequel is a little longer and more complex than this hopefully-expert, I'll be eager to read it when it comes out in print. Or, perhaps the entire sequel will be a web comic. If so, I'll be reading then too!

Celebrating Cesar Chavez's Birthday

I've had the opportunity to work full-time at two universities that take unique holidays. One of the few good things about my time at USM was that we got to take Mardis Gras off. Not being Catholic or even much of a reveler (I'm not much for drunken crowds. Plus, there's that story my dad tells me about visiting Nawlins one year and meeting a nice-looking woman with whom he wanted to have relations, but it turns out dude looked like a lady). Now I'm enjoying UTEP, and here we get Cezar Chavez's birthday off as a holiday. I admit to not knowing much about this figure, but if I want to learn more, there are some graphic novels to help. Here's a review of one. Here's another.

"Panels don't Have to Be Square," and Neither do Books on Making Comics

A princess knight, Edward the horse, a fairy, a candy-stealing dragon, and the love of comic art make The Center of Cartoon Studies Presents: Adventures in Cartooning one of the best ever all-ages "how to" books on creating comics. Heck, one of the best ever regardless of audience.

By using simply-drawn characters who illustrate concepts such as page and panel breakdown, means of communicating spoken language and visual ques such as setting, emotion, and scale, James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost have created the most democratic and accessible comics tutorial yet published.

Perhaps I'll start using the book when I encounter teachers who proclaim "I just can't draw!" at my seminars. (Funny, k-12 students say this too but have always been quelled when I model my own silly drawings. Many practicing teachers are much more stubborn in releasing their anxiety). The book, which does have an on-going fantasy narrative enmeshed with the easy-to-understand lessons which hardly seem like lessons (learning when you don't know you're learning is perhaps the most effective kind of pedagogy!), will certainly make it on my favorites list when it comes to quick, accessible, and democratic texts on comics craft.

Fresno State Article on Comics/Comics Courses

Thanks to M.R. for drawing my attention to this article from Fresno State's The Collegian. Oh, I'm sorry: that's actually California State University, Fresno since this article isn't about a sports team. ;)

Hear Me Geek Out on Watchmen, Moore

UTEP student Matthew Munden interviewed me about many things Alan Moore and about the Watchmen movie a few weeks ago. Basically, we just geeked out, but it was really fun talking with him. :)

Mom Up in Arms Over Innuendo in Spider-Man Trade

A Nebraska mom thinks a Spider-Man trade paperback is marketing more than good guys vs. bad guys to her six-year-old. Of course, she doesn't mention details, and she apparently missed that Marvel, the company publishing the book, has rated it as appropriate for teens.

Good to see that censorship-related activity continues to be so predictable, because that makes it easier to handle. Of course, this isn't a case of schools or teachers vs. parents, just one mom getting more media coverage than she probably needed.

ICV2's reporting on this story can be found here. I'm still deciding on whether or not to write the school district. Typically, I try to send a little something....

UPDATE: Here's a copy of my letter to the superintendent of this school district.

Hi. I am James Bucky Carter, an assistant professor of English Education who focuses on comics-and-literacy-related issues.

I have recently read about the concerns over Spider-Man: Revelations. I own the individual issues which comprise the book and have revisited them this morning. I strongly urge you to keep the book in the library system of your public schools.

The first story in the book is Marvel's tribute to 9/11. It is a stirring tale with much emotion, as in Marvel's fictional universe, almost all heroes are set in NYC, and in reality, so are Marvel's offices. The text is as much meta-text as it is fiction, because those who write fantasy, and the heroes and villains they create, must come to terms with an event so horrific, it was once something thought only possible in comic books.

The next two stories deal with many social and family issues, such as identity, trust, forgiveness, and drug addiction. These are also two stories written during the time that Peter Parker was employed as a teacher. Surely the character study potential in these stories is great: Why would the man obsessed with the phrase "with great power comes great responsibility" be moved to teach?

The final issue does feature Mary Jane in appropriate clothing for what she is doing. She's in a nightgown while sleeping, a towel after bathing, and a bathing suite at a model shoot. But, the story is more about a complex relationship between two people who love each other in mature (as in complex but responsible ways) than it is about sex. This is also the "silent" issue, the comic where few words were used to tell the story. Teachers and/or students can learn much about composition by comparing the silent issues with those with word balloons or even by comparing the script at the back of the book with the art on this final issue of the graphic novel.

Again, I urge you to retain the book in your library system in one site or another. The book is best suited for those in middle school and beyond, so allowing those students the best access to it might be advisable.

As well, I am available to discuss comics-and-pedagogy-related material via e-mail, telephone, or through visits. I am associated with the NCTE Co-Sponsored Speaker program and have talked with public school teachers on comics in the classroom across the country.

Sincerely,
James Bucky Carter
my e-mail
my phone number

Coming Soon from Michael Bitz of the Comic Book Project

I just ordered my copy of this book, available in May. It's a 4-year longitudinal, qualitative study about how teens consume, create, and identify with Manga and comics. I know Dr. Bitz and his work, and I am very excited about this release! Order your copy now. Really, click the link to Harvard Education Publications Group, call'em up, and order a paperback copy for less than $30.

First-Ever Nickelodeon Comics Awards Winners Announced

Headline and story at the Beat.

National Writing Project article: "Digital comics Spur Students' Interest in Writing"

Thanks to MH for sending this along.

Article summary info from NWP:

By: Grant Faulkner
Date: January 29, 2009
Summary: Fourth grade teacher Glen Bledsoe has his students create comic strips together, which engages their creativity and teaches them writing, critical thinking, and other skills.

And the article has a nice sidebar of "Related Resources" too, if I do say so myself. :)

Quick-Thinking Fake Spider-Man Saves Real Boy's Life

My wife is a special education teacher, so I've heard of autistic students with the same sort of fascination with Spidey or Superman or Batman as the child in this must-read article. Mostly it's Spider-Man, though. Since autistic children often have trouble reading facial expressions, I wonder if Spider-Man's colorful costume but rather emotionally neutral (and therefore nonthreatening?) mask is a draw?

Thanks to Orion for drawing my attention to this moving piece of journalism from the BBC.

This is what the accountability/standardized tests push has Wrought

Congrats proponents of standardized tests-heavy public education, you've finally done it. You've created an atmosphere so averse to learning, made a test so anxiety-inducing, you've made elementary students cry.

This is truly a proud day in contemporary education.

You know, when I was ninish, I cried when Gwen Stacey died, but it was because I was overwhelmed with pathos and good storytelling. Marking A,B, C, or D was nothing compared to reading Spider-man trying to save the love of his life from a fall, only to snap her neck when his web reached her, saving her from hitting bottom, but with too much force for her to live through his rescue.

Some days, especially when I read stories like the one linked to in this post's title, I, like Spidey, just want to put my costume in the trash and call it quits on trying to save the world....

Alissa Torres talks about Influences for American Widow

Students in my "Teaching the Graphic Novel" graduate course recently read Alissa Torres' gripping memoir of her post 9/11 days riding the tensions between gratitude and frustration, helplessness and self-advocacy. I don't want to say too much more about American Widow because one of my awesome students will be posting a review in the next few weeks, but I do want to draw attention to this great article at Graphic Novel Reporter in which Torres talks a little about her work.

And check back in the coming weeks for my student's thought on this new and poignant debut graphic novel.

Underground Comix Show at UW-Madison

Want to learn about what some hesitant to incorporate comics in their classrooms might think of when they hear the word "comics?" Not all think super-heroes and funnies; some remember the Underground movement of the late 60s and 70s and think comics = sex, drugs, explicit nudity, sexism, racism, etc. The Underground comics creators had a "nothing is off limits" attitude and created some work that is worthy of study but that probably has skewed some opinions of the overall form and content of comics generally.

This show at Wisconsin (go Bucky Badgers!) will reveal to you what people mean when they talk about comics as "subversive." Of course, the problem is that many still see comics and comics reading as a subversive activity, and to some degree they can be, but it's not anything like it used to be when R. Crumb and his companions were throwin' it down in their primes.

I wish I could go to the show! If you do, post a reply and tell me how it went...

Comics, Power and Society

Professors Arthur Nishimura and Louis Schubert talk about a comics course they teach at the City College of San Francisco. See how Scrooge McDuck and Will Eisner coexist in such a class as Comics, Power and Society.