Abstract
This chapter provides a brief introduction to the history of graphic novels in American schools, followed by a review of the literature regarding past graphic novel use. The authors then turn their attention to the real possibilities for use in schools in several major categories as described by current researchers, specifically in English language arts, math, social studies, science, and internet research. The chapter closes with suggestions as to what must take place in order for teachers to integrate graphic novels more effectively in their classrooms and highlights research areas that need to be addressed to support them.
TopBackground
Brief Definition and History of the Development of Graphic Novels
Different graphic novel historians offer slightly different accounts as to the development of them. Comics artist Will Eisner is said to have coined the term as a marketing tool to sell his first full-length book Contract with God (1978); his definition was “sequential art” (Williams & Peterson, 2009). Eisner’s book was not the first graphic novel, but his use of the term led to its popularity. Although McCloud (1993) and others (Clark, 2013) have attempted more comprehensive definitions, Eisner’s is probably the most often cited. In contrast to the implication in the name, graphic novels are a format, not a genre; almost any genre can be represented in graphic novel format, a fact that in itself has created confusion around the term (Clark, 2013). For our purposes in this chapter, we define graphic novels as a literary format in any genre composed of sequential art and text, a subset of a larger category called graphica. Graphica is a more general classification that refers to sequential art that may or may not contain text and may or may not purport to be literary.
Graphic Novels in Popular Culture
Graphic novels are enormously popular among young readers (Brozo, Moorman, & Meyer, 2014). Over a decade ago, librarians became aware that they couldn’t keep graphic novels on the shelves. (MacDonald, 2013; Schneider, 2014; Williams & Peterson, 2009). A group of librarians met during the 2018 San Diego Comic Con to strategize how to capitalize on the burgeoning interest in graphic novels (Editor, 2018). The American Library Association now hosts an annual Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table (Coleman, 2019) which has a website, board of directors, and bylaws, and whose purpose is to “[a]dvocate for and promote comics and graphic novels” (Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table, 2020). Given evidence of such popularity, some librarians took steps to spread the word about graphic novels to teachers (Rick, 2011; Williams & Peterson, 2009).
So, graphic novels seem to be everywhere—except perhaps in reading class. While graphic novels thrive outside of school, they are not so prevalent in school classrooms (Boerman-Cornell, Kim, & Manderino, 2017), despite the calls of many researchers that they can be used to bridge the gap between in-school and out-of-school literacies (e.g., Cook, 2017; Serafini, 2014) or the gap between comics and traditional text (Thompson, 2008). Many teachers view them with wariness; researchers find that teachers fear they may lose credibility with their peers if they allow them as part of their curriculum (Clark, 2013; Dallacqua, 2020; Lapp, Wolsey, Fisher, & Frey, 2012; Marlatt & Dallacqua, 2019). This is a result of several misconceptions that have arisen in part because of the history of the format and a political attack it experienced in the mid-twentieth century.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Critical Literacy: The act of analyzing texts to perceive hidden or underlying messages.
Panel: A frame in comics or graphic novels containing an image and text in sequence with other frames or panels.
Synthesizing: The act of combining information from multiple sources to create new meaning or understanding.
Disciplinary Literacy: Literacy as it is actualized within a discipline, using language and habits of thought that are customary in the discipline.
Fluency: The ability to read accurately with appropriate speed and prosody.
Graphic Organizers: A visual display conveying how elements of a topic are organized in relation to one another.
Graphica: A general term developed in the last two decades to refer to sequential art of all kinds.
Four Resources Model: A model of reading that suggests an effective reader operates in four roles—reader as code breaker, reader as meaning-maker, reader as text-user, and reader as text critic.
Media Literacy: The ability to analyze and evaluate various forms of media to determine credibility and/or bias.
Gutter: The white space between panels which create a transition across the panels and across which the reader must make inferences.
Visual Literacy: The ability to interpret actions or images that are seen.
Dual Coding Theory: A theory of reading and learning that posits that learning is enhanced through the use of two modalities, verbal and non-verbal or words and images.
Graphic Novels: A literary format in any genre composed of sequential art and text.
Reading Processes: The cognitive and affective processes used to decode and interpret a text, whether print or non-print.
Inferencing: The act of using logic to deduce meaning from text that is not literally stated.
Visualizing: The act of creating mental images or critiquing the visual representations of others.
Literary Devices: Narrative techniques used to add texture, depth, and power to a piece of writing.
Balloon: A term, sometimes called a bubble, referring to the usually white, bounded structures within a panel containing words and indicating the speaker through a pointed extension of the structure.
Metacognition: The awareness and analysis of one’s thinking and understanding, especially when reading.
Comics: A term that refers to sequential art that usually includes text, often indicating comic books or comic strips; also used by some as a generic term for all forms of sequential art.