What? Why? How?

Made possible in part by a family literacy grant from the New York State Library, New York State Education Department

What?

Why?

How?

•Same format as comic books

•Text & illustrations present information

•Book-length, usually contain one story

•Medium, not genre

Thought Balloon

Sound Effect

Panel

Gutter

Dialog Balloon

Caption

Major TypesMajor Types

Humor

Non-Fiction

Fantasy

Adaptations

Spin-offs

or

Realistic Fiction

Personal Stories

Toon BooksToon Books• For emerging

readers age 4+

• Can be read to or by children

• Vetted by educators

A little historyA little history• Comic Strip = grandfather of Graphic

Novel

• Around since end of 1800s

• Originally used to draw people to Sunday paper

First comic stripFirst comic strip

• Appeared in New York World: 1895

• By R. F. Outcault

• Increased sales

• Eventually endorsed soap-whiskey

Katzenjammer KidsKatzenjammer Kids

The Katzenjammer Kids is an American comic strip created by the German immigrant Rudolph Dirks and drawn by Harold H. Knerr for 37 years (1912 to 1949)

• Used word balloons• Used multiple panels to tell story

The Comic BookThe Comic Book

• 1933-reprints

• Initially free

• 1935-new comics & original characters

• 10 cents each

Popular comicsPopular comics

• Superman– First superhero– On newsstands:

1938

• Superheroes big during World War II

• After WWII: crime, science fiction and horror comics

1950’s: comics in crisis!1950’s: comics in crisis!

• Frederic Wertham

• Comics examined by US Senate

• Comics banned and burned

A New BeginningA New Beginning

• Late 1950’s: Justice League of America born

• 1961: Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, & Spiderman

• 1960’s: Self-published underground comics

• 1978- Will Eisner coins term

• 1986- Batman: the Dark Knight Returns

• 1987- The Watchmen

Milestones in the Graphic Novel

World

• 1992- Maus: A Survivor’s Tale wins Pulitzer

• 2005-”Graphix” imprint launched

• 2006- American Born Chinese named NBA finalist for Young People’s Literature

• 2007- American Born Chinese wins Printz Award for excellence in YA literature

• 2007 The Invention of Hugo Cabret finalist for NBA

• 2008 Invention wins Caldecott

• 2007-YALSA creates new annual booklist: “Great Graphic Novels for Teens”

• 2009-NYT Graphic Books Bestseller List

President Obama

admits to collecting

both -

Spider-Man

&

Conan the Barbarian

comics

MangaManga

Manga historyManga history

• Manga = comic books

• Period before WWII = beginning of modern manga

• Mid 1990s = came to US

• “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka

• Hayayo Miyazaki: anime & manga

• Manga read by ALL

How to read a Manga PageHow to read a Manga Page

Unlike traditional books, Manga is read “backwards” from back-to-front

Often, if you start at what looks like the front of the Manga, you will see a message like this

Panel Order Panel Order & & DialogDialogBalloonsBalloons

Panels and dialog balloons are read

“reversed”

13

4

2

8

5

6

7

10

9

11

Manga TermsManga Terms

• Shonen: teenage boys

• Shojo: teenage girls

• Shonen-ai / Yaoi=boys love

• perceived as subversive = attractive!

• Ratings

• Read by?

2/3 of GN market = manga

75% = 13-17 y/o girls

Why Graphic Novels & Why Graphic Novels & Manga?Manga?

• 6.3 million secondary school students are reading below grade level.

• Average American age 15-24 spends only 7 minutes of daily leisure time reading.

• Students with access to a variety of reading materials have higher average reading scores.

• Present complex material in readable text

• Serve as a bridge to more difficult reading

• Challenge readers of more traditional literature

• Embrace nature of multimedia world

• Fulfill NCTE’s “21st Century literacies” (multiple streams, simultaneous information)

Graphic Novels & Manga: Graphic Novels & Manga:

Learning more about Graphic Learning more about Graphic Novels!Novels!

School Library Journal

Library Journal

Diamond Comics Bookshelf

Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Reviews & More

• Get Graphic!

• First Second Books

• Public Square Books

Learning more about Learning more about Graphic Novels!Graphic Novels!

Creating Comics on the WebCreating Comics on the Web

• read*write*think comic creator

• MakeBeliefs Comix

• Stripcreator