CATHARINA EVANS JOINS TGC

Comics continue to change the literature landscape with more and more educators using the mode to engage students in literacy and scholarship. Catharina Evans –– Chair of Language Arts and Upper School English Teacher at the Saints Peter and Paul School in the U.S. Virgin Islands –– joins The Graphic Classroom team this month. 

Evans is an accomplished author, writing many articles for journals since 2003. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and received accolades for her writing. Her debut review of ASTERIOS POLYP at TGC follows.

The staff at The Graphic Classroom welcome Evans to the team. We hope you will leave a comment welcoming her, too. 

ASTERIOS POLYP

By Catharina Evans

Staff Writer

STORY REVIEW

David Mazzucchelli’s first solo foray into graphic novels exquisitely blends a strong aesthetic voice and a complex, engaging story on the posturings of academia, the difficulties of intimacy, and the philosophy of design.

And to put it simply, one of the most visually provoking novels I’ve ever read.

Mazzucchelli’s main characters – protagonist Asterios Polyp (whose unusual last name was bequeathed to his father by a frustrated clerk at Ellis Island), his delicate wife Hana Sonnenscheie, and the ghost voice of his deceased twin brother Ignazio – interact in a kind of non-linear dream world which is both abstract and concrete.

Asterios, an architect and professor whose draftsmanship and design ideas are renowned, never builds any of his blueprints; he drifts along in a kind of cerebral prison, trapped in a golden cage of self-infatuation. 

Hana, the young and sensitive sculptor, falls for Asterios despite his nearly unbearable ego and little patience for Hanna’s quiet artistic genius. A love story for modern times.

ART REVIEW

The panel above illustrates the dissolution of Hana and Asterios’s relationship, and exemplifies how well Mazzucchelli unifies form and content: the dementedly-logical Asterios, depicted as a transparent combination of geometrical parts, exists in a world apart from Hanna’s penciled, pinkish, softly cross-hatched body.

Mazzucchelli’s aesthetic choices, from his palettes of warms and cools to panel placement and gutter width, invite rhetorical scrutiny. Most of the visual metaphors should not escape even the casual reader, though Mazzucchelli plays with a wide catalog of allusions.

IN THE CLASSROOM

ASTERIOS POLYP’s complex themes, allusions, and design concepts warrant placement in an advanced secondary or university classroom with some time to devote to both aesthetic and literary theory. However, for an ambitious high school teacher whose students exhibit familiarity with the basic vocabulary of comics, ASTERIOS POLYP may serve as a provocative medium in which to study visual rhetoric, art/color theory, as well as literary tropes like the tragic hero. A close look at Asterios’s flaccid bourgeois heroism, his inability to recognize his own flaws, and his decidedly detached approach to relationships may cultivate sophisticated discussion on gender and class. The book also acts as an introductory reader on the philosophy of design, which may take initiated students time to digest.

MY RECOMMENDATION

I highly recommend ASTERIOS POLYP for advanced high school and university classes whose curriculum centers on literature, art, design/architecture, and philosophy. The book contains some images appropriate only for mature readers, including nudity and bedroom scenes – however, they do not approach the realm of the vulgar.

OTHER INFORMATION

Author & Illustrator:  David Mazzuchelli

Publisher:  Pantheon Books

Genre: Fiction

Format:  Hardcover

Pages:  344

ISBN-13: 978-0307377326

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. PRINTABLE WRITING PROMPT

The image above is a small version. For the large type-able and printable click here.

If you are looking for a new and interesting way to approach Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Make Beliefs Comix posted a free MLK writing printable for teachers. 

Imagine you could tell the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. what he means to you and our country. What would you say to him?

The MLK graphic prompt is part of a new MakeBeliefsComix writing prompt feature called Digtal Write-Ables, which allows users to use their computer keyboard to write stories directly on the screen as they fill in the writing prompt. 

Students can then print out their writings. This graphic writing prompt makes a perfect springboard to writing a longer essay or story on the same subject. Don't forget the power of the Write-Ables for English Language Learners. 

HABIBI

By Chris Wilson

Editor-in-Geek

With the amount of critical acclaim, accolades and awards Craig Thompson’s Middle Eastern tome, HABIBI, has received, I can barely contain my awe and struggle to recommend this beautiful work highly enough. It is, by far, the greatest piece of comics literature I read this year, or last year, or the year before that –– maybe longer.

It is, in my mind, worthy of the ranks of MAUS and should be read, re-read, and prominently displayed in any literature lover’s library. I understand not all literati or academics accept comics as literature and I respect that opinion even if I disagree with it. However, even the most ardent traditionalists would be hard pressed to read HABIBI and not acknowledge the literary and artistic magnitude of this 672-page work.

The storytelling through text and art is magical. 

 Simply put: Get it; read it.

Now that is out of the way, let’s examine what you really want to know: How can HABIBI be used in the classroom? HABIBI is very sensual and sexual, making it extremely hard to use even on a high school level. It is better suited for more mature adults. I highly recommend it for the university level.

Dodola serves as both a prostitute and a concubine as well as enduring rape. 

Dodola's  adopted son, Zam, discovers new feelings and is confused by his newly budding sexuality.
The feelings of guilt plague him. 

HABIBI has a complex story line filled with mixed time lines. It offers deep literary and religious themes and metaphors exploring Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths. The characters are beautiful and are still walking through my mind and heart. Its female-centric protagonist offers a wide feminist exploration. Issues of slavery, sensuality and sexuality, traditional versus modern views, race, culture, and poverty make it an excellent book in several classrooms and disciplines.

Thompson infuses culture, religion, metaphor, and story into every single inch of the book. From the endpaper, to the table of contents, from the frames around panels to the use of color (black or white) behind the panels to the iconography and calligraphy, Thompson’s artistic detail is exquisite. I cannot think of a graphic novel that compares artistically.

Thompson not only depicts calligraphy but uses the story to explain the meaning behind
the words and describes the story leading to the visual formation of the writing.

The iconography in the book is important. Each shape in the turtle has religious
 and metaphorical meaning that is explained throughout the work. 

Thompson uses many pieces of iconography to tell his story in many layers.

All of this makes HABIBI dominant in a textual and artistic sense perfect for many classrooms: literature, religion, feminist studies, sociology, psychology, sexuality, minority studies, art, calligraphy, and graphic design.

The panel layout is intuitive and even readers, who have never picked up a comic before, will adapt to the flow easily. However, I think students will need to be reminded of two things:

1. Comics are designed to be read slowly. Don’t rush.
2. Read the pictures. Much of the beauty and depth of HABIBI is hidden in her art.
   
   
   

Thompson uses splash pages to invoke an emotional level to the story.  

The depth of storytelling and the intertwining of text and art in HABIBI set it apart from other works. It would be exciting to explore this comic using many different literary lens and perspectives in a class. It would, of course, require a very accomplished instructor. 

OTHER INFORMATION

Author & Illustrator: Craig Thompson

Publisher: Pantheon

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 672

Color: Black and white

ISBN-13: 978-0-375-42414-4

CHRIS’ RECOMMENDATION:

Highly Recommended

This is a mature book recommended for college students and adults.

COMICS CREATION IN FIRST GRADE

By Chris Wilson
Editor-in-Geek

Students amaze me. They have talents that, as a specials teacher, I may never see or know. This week one of my 500 students, Lauren, came into my room carrying an 11-inch by 17-inch stapled document. She handed it to me with a smile. "I made this, Mr. Wilson."

Title Page of Lauren's comic, MONSTER HIGH.

Page two. Notice the sequence of the story and the panel layout.

I read it in front of her and immediately asked her permission to reprint this at TGC. (I also contacted her mother for permission to publish her art and her first name.) This comic is on par with many of the comics created by my third and fourth graders. She has well developed sequence and complex panel construction. I was also impressed with her choice to create stick figures yet color the characters as if they were shapes.

It is also significant that she chose a title page. I find many students –– even older students –– Just cram a title onto the story page like a narration box. Not Lauren. Her literary and artistic was thought out. I can only hope Lauren will continue the comic and also allow me to publish the next installments.

I think this comic illustrates how comics literacy –– reading and creating –– can be used to teach literacy skills from the front end (reader) and back end) creator) point of view.

Beautiful. She's only in first grade.

THREE SHADOWS

By Adrian Neibauer

Staff Writer

STORY REVIEW

THREE SHADOWS by Cyril Pedrosa and translated from French by Edward Gauvin is the saddest and most moving graphic novels I have ever read. Louis and Lise are a husband and wife who are raising their young son, Joachim, in an unnamed rural, European landscape. Their small family is filled with simple pleasures and lots of love as they work together on their farm. However, everything changes when three mysterious shadows appear on the horizon haunting the family.  Never explicitly stated at first, we learn later that the shadows beckon for the young Joachim. Joachim’s father, Louis, flees with Joachim in a brave, yet foolish attempt to outrun his son’s fate: death.

Throughout the story, we learn just how far a parent would go to protect their child. Embedded within this story are deep and complex discussions about fate, life, and death; as well as plenty of opportunities for older readers to practice the skills of making inferences and predictions.

ART REVIEW

THREE SHADOWS is completely pencil-drawn. Pedrosa’s use of black and white charcoal prepares the reader for the dark tone of the story. Pedrosa is a former Disney artist/animator and this experience serves him well here. He writes little dialogue, yet conveys much action, movement, and emotion.  he characters seem to animate themselves as you turn each page. 

Pedrosa’s artwork forces the reader to stop and think. His attention to detail gives readers all the clues they need to make accurate predictions and to infer about the plot. Each page can be used as a talking point or a stand-alone example of the novel’s themes and symbols.

IN THE CLASSROOM

THREE SHADOWS is a more adult graphic novel that can be used effectively in any high-school literature classroom. That said, I always advocate taking grade-level appropriate sections/pages of any graphic novel in order to illustrate how to accurately use any comprehension strategy or model the use of these strategies. 

Making predictions, inferences, and then synthesizing this information takes practice to do well.  Often, students make superficial predictions, which lead to inaccurate inferences. THREE SHADOWS gives students a chance to analyze how the visual elements of the story contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of this text. For example, the beginning of this story has a set tone of simplistic happiness. This, however, changes very quickly and with only a few words.

Teachers can guide students to make inferences by asking questions like:

• What clues do we have that something bad is about to happen? Both visual and textual?
• What clues do we have about the character’s thoughts and feelings?
• How do you think the characters will respond to this change?
• What do the shadows want?

Teachers can teach inferences by modeling for students how to read with a particular question in mind. Keeping this question present gives students opportunities to chart any facts they find and the inference it leads to. For example, when reading these next pages, keep these questions in mind: 

• What do these figures want?
• What is the purpose of these figures?

Teachers can use a simple two-column chart with FACTS on one side and INFERENCE on the other in order to record students’ answers.

Synthesizing is about taking all reading and thinking practices and putting it all together to comprehend reading. In THREE SHADOWS, readers can synthesize in various ways:

• Describe how the narrator’s point of view influence how various events are described.
• Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in the story.
• Draw on specific visual and textual details

In a high-school literature classroom, discussion of literary elements and themes oftentimes plays a greater role than teaching specific reading strategies. THREE SHADOWS has such deep motifs and symbols, students can participate in rich discussions. For example, THREE SHADOWS explores themes such as mortality, fate, and fairness. The overarching symbols of life and death are throughout the story as well. Teachers can have students discuss questions such as:

• Can fate be changed? How?
• How does Louis’ decision to take Joachim away show strength? Weakness?
• How does Lise’s decision to stay show strength? Weakness?
• Why do the shadows come for Joachim?
• How does the shadows’ symbol change from the beginning of the story to the end?
• What does this change say about life and death?
• How does Joachim and Louis’ relationship mirror that of life and death?
• How would THREE SHADOWS be different if told from another character’s perspective?

MORE INFORMATION

Author & Illustrator: Cyril Pedrosa

Translated by: Edward Gauvin

Format: Paperback

Pages: 268

Color: Black and White Pencil

Publisher: First Second

ISBN-13: 978-1-59643-239-0

MY RECOMMENDATION

I would highly recommend this book for any high-school literature classroom.  Certain sections can also be used in the middle grades (6-8) for discussing the graphic novel’s major theme of fate.  However, due to some mild language and non-sexualized nudity, THREE SHADOWS is best kept in high-school literature courses.  

BEST EDITORIAL CARTOONS OF THE YEAR (2011)

By Kevin Hodgson

Staff Writer

SUMMARY

BEST EDITORIAL CARTOONS OF THE YEAR is a collection of, well, some of the best political and editorial jabs of the past year, and as you might expect, there are very few sacred cows left unscathed by the creative pens of these artists. Ranging from topics of presidential politics (President Obama gets skewered left and right here, mostly from the right) to the emergence of the Tea Party to education, the courts and the environment, this collection that is edited by Charles Brooks and put out by Pelican Publishing is interesting and thoughtful. Most of these editorial cartoons were published in daily newspapers, and while there is a dated quality to many of them (current events being not so current anymore), I love how the voice of the cartoonist comes across loud and clear. There’s no murky middle ground in these frames.

IN THE CLASSROOM

For any high school journalism class, BEST EDITORIAL CARTOONS OF THE YEAR should be an annual reference guide to how to get a point across with art and limited text. The concise nature of editorial cartoons makes for some great lessons around writing, and the partnership of art with words. Students might also ponder why some topics were included in the book and what topics might have been left out (the slow demise of newspapers, anyone?). It is helpful that each section comes with a short narrative introduction, giving a bird’s eye view of the topic before the cartoonists have their way with the subjects.

Another ripe topic for discussion is political point of view and fairness in editorials. (ie, Does President Obama get a fair shake in this book? I don’t think so, but I suppose no president escapes the wrath of editorial cartoonists).

MORE INFORMATION

Format: Paperback

Pages: 208

Publisher: Pelican Publishing

ISBN-10: 1589809017

ISBN-13: 978-1589809017

MY RECOMMENDATION

I would highly recommend this book for any high school civics or journalism classroom. The content would likely go over the heads of most elementary and middle school students. There is nothing inappropriate in here, unless you are sensitive to political satire.