Although they began as a comedic escape, comic books have evolved into something far beyond strips in the Sunday paper. Graphic novels, as these materials are most often referred to today, have become their own genre (even though they are a format, not a genre) in bookstores and libraries alike. Popularity for them has skyrocketed in the past ten years or so, and graphic novels now compete as literary heavyweights for young readers and adults.
There are different branches of graphic novels, including manga, which have an age appropriate stamp on their back cover, and comic books, which are usually based on traditional superhero stories and have their own categories. Literature on the topic pinpoints three main ideas: the definition of graphic novels, the overall literary value of the format and their relevance in today’s society. Described as “combining visual art… with literary and cinematic techniques… raphic novels contain some of the most creative work in publishing today” and are a medium between the written word of books and the moving picture of movies. This paper will assess and investigate graphic novels in education. It is the goal of this research to show how graphic novels have advanced and how they are used in the classroom as well as the work place. THE ADVANCEMENTS Graphic novels have been around for a very long time. People argue that the first sign of comics were spotted in the early 1920’s, but, R. J.
Paradowski argues that the first signs of graphic novels can be found in ancient times. From cave drawings to hieroglyphics, these are pictures that tell stories. The author states “Many modern graphic novelists have acknowledged their debt to such early works, and they have drawn on several of the works’ techniques and themes. ” Graphic novels have only improved since then, they have started as small comic strips to full length stories with multiple volumes. In 1986, many new graphic novels were coming to light, and they called this the year of graphic novels.
This started a following and created diehard fans of these series, which are still continued to day. Many of these include superheroes like Batman or miscellanies stories like Maus. Now graphic novels are being used in an educational setting including Sat prep. Graphic novels in education The younger a child is the harder it is to get them to read, but recently teachers have been starting to ease children into graphic novels before chapter books. This experiment has been tested across the country and has been benefiting children.
Teacher, Brenna B, says “As the study progressed, the students began to demonstrate preferences for graphic novels within a practice of reading for pleasure, and particular graphic novels were cited as offering an opportunity for what comprehension strategies appropriate for use with other textual forms were modelled and utilized with respect to the students’ current graphic novel reading. “. At this school they have been using graphic novels to help children visualize the story as an example for when they move on to chapter books.
These experimental teaching methods have had a positive effect on students, and has been getting children excited about reading. Not only can it help with starting chapter books, but it also has been helping high school students with new styles of writing. Graphic novelist, Neil Babra, translated Shakespearian writing by giving them pictures to help understand the stories. He created the No Fear Shakespeare series which has stories like Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, etc. Graphic novels don’t only have to be used in the classroom to be educational, they can also be used in the work place.
J. C Short says “Graphic novels represent cool communication media that are high in participation because communication receivers must “fill in,” or use their imaginations to complete the communication. ” Companies have been using graphic novels to pitch business ideas and present new information and help employees understand business concepts. Pros to using this format is that is helps give specific details that prevent from having people misunderstand the concepts in which are being presented to them. It also draws your audience in with an interesting new perspective that will keep them entertained.
CONCLUSION In doing this study, the research information has really shown how far graphic novels have come. It has also shown how far literature has come with the diverse ways to go about educating and discussing different periods of writing. This study has been beneficial to understanding the graphic novel following. That is not to say that there are not inconsistencies throughout how they are used or why people like them.
Many of the problems in finding graphic novels had to do with diverse ages of fans of comics. It has been concluded that graphic novels are very important to today’s society with its advancements. While they are not thriving as of yet, they are on the move to becoming more welcomed reading materials for all ages. The question of whether or not graphic novels will become a widely used format is still up for discussion. Research shows that the future holds much promise for the format as it continues to rise in both value and popularity in the public.
