I'm going to use the words of C.S. Lewis to help me out here. I want to
make a case for comic books and super-heroes as a legitimate and worthy
storytelling device, and not as something "childish". Lewis's quotes, to
me, make the best illustration for literature as a whole, and then to
the same degree, to literature for kids. "Graphic illustration", or
whatever jargon you want to apply, crosses the span of all things. It
started out as a child's medium, but it has really grown to an all-ages
(and by all ages, I mean ALL ages) medium, with subject matter for any
level of maturity.
To be honest, there are a lot of problems that I've spouted off about before about comic books and comic book "fanboys", but if I didn't find more good than bad about it--far more good than bad--I wouldn't be a reader of graphic novels and funnybooks. And I'm not interested in focusing on the bad here at all. I've done it before, I'm sure, and that's not what this post is for.
I've heard arguments that "super-heroes aren't real". And this is true. It's hard to argue that there is really no one who flies around and bounces bullets off his bare chest. It doesn't happen, no one is arguing that it does. But I look to Lewis talking about St. George the Dragonslayer, and how heroic St. George was. He said that the fact that George did slay the dragon, that boys would be able to slay their own dragons, that the story may embolden them because of George's courage.
And I think that this is why Spider-Man is inspirational to a lot of kids. Peter Parker was nerdy. A nerdy kid with glasses, who was into science and math got pushed around by the big jock in the school, but once he pulled his mask on, he was actually the bouncy, acrobatic Spider-Man, who was always quick with his mouth as well as his web-slinging.
I think Barack Obama is probably the first ever comic-reading president, citing Superman comics and Conan the Barbarian in his speeches.
I was actually talking about this during the school year with my students. He was telling me about a book series he's reading, The Lightning Thief series. All I know about this series is that it's about the Greek gods, and he was quizzing me on how much I knew about Greek mythology, which led to the discussion (this was a pretty bright class) about whether or not you'd really want to have as much power as a god. Most said they wouldn't really want the responsiblity of Zeus, but admitted that maybe having the powers of Hermes would be cool. During a reading conference with one student in particular one day, I said, "It's like Spider-Man's uncle told him before he died, 'With great power...'", and he finished the sentence for me: "...comes great responsibility."
This is the kind of thing that kids learn by reading about super-heroes. While Superman is invincible, he's a great role model for everyone--from farm kids to anyone who believes in the American Way. Batman shows the potential of what you could really become as a human being. Wonder Woman is a strong woman, and a great role model for little girls. I know that personally, as a teacher, I'd rather have a girl admire Wonder Woman or Black Canary than admire a Kardashian.
--C.S. Lewis, On Three Ways of Writing for Children
They're great. As an artist, I'm often pulled in by the artwork, but more often than not, I'm pulled in by a great story, and I think this is a great way to tell a story. I'm a reader of books of all kinds. It's too bad that the "jock-straps" (a term coined by a skater student of mine years back) look down on the comic book "nerds". It stems from ignorance or a lack of understanding. But just know that the comic book is a wonderful, under-utilized medium which grows day by day. There is much more to it than I touched on here, such as manga, and I could go on and on about it, but honestly, that's dissertation material.
Just know that the comic book is a very worthy medium to tell a story.
And don't worry, jocks. Tomorrow, I'm planning on defending you to the comic fanboys.
To be honest, there are a lot of problems that I've spouted off about before about comic books and comic book "fanboys", but if I didn't find more good than bad about it--far more good than bad--I wouldn't be a reader of graphic novels and funnybooks. And I'm not interested in focusing on the bad here at all. I've done it before, I'm sure, and that's not what this post is for.
I've heard arguments that "super-heroes aren't real". And this is true. It's hard to argue that there is really no one who flies around and bounces bullets off his bare chest. It doesn't happen, no one is arguing that it does. But I look to Lewis talking about St. George the Dragonslayer, and how heroic St. George was. He said that the fact that George did slay the dragon, that boys would be able to slay their own dragons, that the story may embolden them because of George's courage.
And I think that this is why Spider-Man is inspirational to a lot of kids. Peter Parker was nerdy. A nerdy kid with glasses, who was into science and math got pushed around by the big jock in the school, but once he pulled his mask on, he was actually the bouncy, acrobatic Spider-Man, who was always quick with his mouth as well as his web-slinging.
I think Barack Obama is probably the first ever comic-reading president, citing Superman comics and Conan the Barbarian in his speeches.
I was actually talking about this during the school year with my students. He was telling me about a book series he's reading, The Lightning Thief series. All I know about this series is that it's about the Greek gods, and he was quizzing me on how much I knew about Greek mythology, which led to the discussion (this was a pretty bright class) about whether or not you'd really want to have as much power as a god. Most said they wouldn't really want the responsiblity of Zeus, but admitted that maybe having the powers of Hermes would be cool. During a reading conference with one student in particular one day, I said, "It's like Spider-Man's uncle told him before he died, 'With great power...'", and he finished the sentence for me: "...comes great responsibility."
This is the kind of thing that kids learn by reading about super-heroes. While Superman is invincible, he's a great role model for everyone--from farm kids to anyone who believes in the American Way. Batman shows the potential of what you could really become as a human being. Wonder Woman is a strong woman, and a great role model for little girls. I know that personally, as a teacher, I'd rather have a girl admire Wonder Woman or Black Canary than admire a Kardashian.
"Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves."
They're great. As an artist, I'm often pulled in by the artwork, but more often than not, I'm pulled in by a great story, and I think this is a great way to tell a story. I'm a reader of books of all kinds. It's too bad that the "jock-straps" (a term coined by a skater student of mine years back) look down on the comic book "nerds". It stems from ignorance or a lack of understanding. But just know that the comic book is a wonderful, under-utilized medium which grows day by day. There is much more to it than I touched on here, such as manga, and I could go on and on about it, but honestly, that's dissertation material.
Just know that the comic book is a very worthy medium to tell a story.
And don't worry, jocks. Tomorrow, I'm planning on defending you to the comic fanboys.
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