ABSTRACT
Building off the argument that comics succeed as literature—rich, complex narratives filled with compelling characters interrogating the thought-provoking issues of our time—this book argues that comics are an expressive medium whose moves (structural and aesthetic) may be shared by literature, the visual arts, and film, but beyond this are a unique art form possessing qualities these other mediums do not. Drawing from a range of current comics scholarship demonstrating this point, this book explores the unique intelligence/s of comics and how they expand the ways readers engage with the world in ways different than prose, or film, or other visual arts. Written by teachers and scholars of comics for instructors, this book bridges research and pedagogy, providing instructors with models of critical readings around a variety of comics.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part Section 1|36 pages
Materiality and the Reading of Comics
chapter 3|17 pages
Multimodal Forms
part Section 2|32 pages
Comics and Bodies
chapter 4|13 pages
Illustrating Youth
part Section 3|32 pages
Comics and the Mind
chapter 7|16 pages
Christian Forgiveness in Gene Luen Yang's Animal Crackers and Eternal Smile
part Section 4|48 pages
Comics and Contemporary Society
chapter 9|15 pages
Can Superhero Comics Defeat Racism?
part Section 5|4 pages
End Points