Teaching with comics

Happy New Year 2024! I am always so jealous when people post their book lists at the end of the year and I look at my disorginized bookshelves and just don’t know where to start! I will be posting the books I am reading this year as I complete them, in order with the first book at the top and most recent at the bottom. I will not be using a rating system of any kind - just my thoughts and musings, perhaps even some classroom teaching ideas. If a book does not meet my criteria, then I just won’t list it here. I’d hate to turn someone away from a book just beause of my opinion and a lower rating - we all have different tastes. I will not post every comic that I read as I read a dozen or more a week, but I will make note of ones that really wowed me. This page is more for full-length books - including prose, trade collections of comics, graphic novels, and a smattering of history books as well. This page will then give me a place to begin re-organizing this website and placing titles in the correct categories on the other pages on this website. This page won’t always be new books, but books I am reading this year and some that I will be rereading as well. Happy reading and I hope I inspire you to buy a book or two. I have to say that I treated myself to a new wireless mouse for this endeavor - it is a totally rad Ironman mouse that even has light up eyes! LOL. I love that it does not make those annoying clicking noises when pushing the buttons. As always - reach out to me if you have a need for me to write a teacher guide/curriculum, to give a keynote, or professional development - historycomicsguy@gmail.com.

Manga in Libraries, Jillian Rudes author. 2023. I have personally learned so much from Jillan and love following her on social media (@JRLibrarian) and visiting her website - https://mangainlibraries.com/ .

I have bought many titles for my classroom based on her reviews and am thankful for her super efforts to bring this medium to us all. She is a fierce advocate of literacy and the inclusion of Manga and presents on this topic around the country. The opening to this book speaks volumes about her passion and personal experiences with readers. The first paragraph is reason enough to purchase this book - “Readers should have access to manga in their libraries because of its emotional and epic storytelling, its unique and breathtaking artwork, its relatable and transformative stories about humanity, and the endless variety of genres, characters, conflicts, and plots found in its pages. Manga is by far the most-read medium in my library, and readers visit multiple times a day to borrow it from the collection. There is definitely no one type of manga reader; patrons of every age, gender, background, and reading level read manga. So, if readers want to read mange, your library should provide them with access to it.” WOW!!!! Such a great opening to a book that should be on every librarian’s desk. Visual literacy and connecting to how we consume media and information today. Escapism. Stress reduction. Manga allowing us to become emotionally involved with the characters, experiencing many walks of life. Empowering readers. Fostering a love for all things literacy. -These are just some of the opening salvos to why we need manga in our libraries. Each chapter provides information on resources for further reading and have served as an inspirational jumping off point for my research. I LOVE that this is a personal book from Jillian – integrating her personal experiences and joy. Other topics you will explore in Jillian’s book -

               Manga 101 – history and explanation of the medium. (I really appreciated this chapter as a social studies teacher!) How to Read Manga – invaluable. Reading in this format is different than in western comics. Tips on supporting novice Manga readers and an introduction to the different genres in this medium. Ratings and warnings, depending on age level, etc.

               Manga Collection Development – knowing your library, budget, and audience. Tips on how to begin a manga collection and where to begin. (This chapter included wonderful interviews with some of my favorite people – Deb Aoki and Sara Smith.) Also tips on preparing for possible challenges and ways to perhaps even stop them before they begin.

               Other chapters include: Representation in Manga, Social-Emotional Learning connections and choosing manga books, manga programming for libraries (LOVE!!!!!), teaching with manga (including tips on getting course/curriculum approved and a sample curriculum), and more.

Watership Down, graphic novel adaptation. 2023. Richard Adams, author. Adapted and illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin. Ten Speed Graphic, publisher.

I have to admit to never haven read the original book or even seen the movie! But that is often the power of a graphic novel – the cover instantly pulls me in and does the same for many of my students. I can imagine a great text to text to text lesson having students read/view all versions! The other reason I bought this book was that Nate Powell and Tillie Walden gave book blurbs for the back cover and I adore both of these inspiring creators!  I have always loved a good map to open an epic story and this book does not disappoint. I was immediately wondering how the story would connect as I look at the pace names and connections to different chapters/events. Within just the first nine panels, I was hooked as I saw what would be a grand vista to a rabbit and such emotion and empathy in the eyes of Hazel and Fiver. By the fifth page of the story, I feel terror through the eyes of Fiver as he came across evidence of humans. The speech bubbles changed to become wavy and full of fear as his eyes widened and we see what he sees. Ominous and foreboding. At the end of the page, he says to Hazel – “It’s coming closer. We can’t stop it. Look, Hazel…” – wow! This is the power of the comics medium – I am immediately hooked, I feel empathy with the main characters, and I am hesitant to turn the page.  Throughout the book, the illustrations make the background/setting such a powerful character in the story. The coloring added such emotion. Not having read the prose book (yet), I don’t know that I would be as drawn in (pun intended) with the humanity of these rabbits. The point of view is most often that from the rabbits (and I felt as though I were in the group of rabbits), but then we are taken out to a wider view, and then close to focus on one animal. The wordless panels gave a unique timing to the story, giving us time to relax (to appreciate nature), ponder, but also to wonder what would happen next as there were so many visual clues.

               An absolute epic story and an adaptation that adds such meaning and depth to it! I’ll be adding this book to my classroom library. I will also give this to my daughter, who grew up absolutely loving the Warriors series from Erin Hunter (they also have comics versions of these as well!)

Earthdivers: Kill Columbus. Stephen Graham Jones author ( Blackfoot Native American), Davide Gianfelice artist, Joana Lafuente colorist, Steve Wands letterer, Rafael Albuquerque cover artist. IDW, 2023. (Folktales, Fairytales, Mythology, Native American)

               The great “what if” of history is a compelling way to open conversations in a history classroom and forces students to see historical events in multiple ways and on a deeper level. I often assign articles I have collected over the years and have my students analyze and discuss, such as what would have happened if Martin Luther had not been kidnapped and was instead burned at the stake? Of course, the idea of going back in time and killing baby Hitler always comes up, and while we can never definitively prove what has not happened, the topic is fascinating. This book will add to that discussion and is all the more powerful as it forces the reader to see history from the point of view of Native Americans and to analyze the myth of Columbus as hero. I also began reading up on the earth diver stories and will be including them in my folklore/mythology/nationalism unit as students create their own tales after studying others for around the world.

               I loved this story and was inspired to do further research into these Earthdiver tales and Native Americans. The main characters are Native Americans (Blackfeet) and they send one back in time to kill Columbus and keep the United States from being created. This is not only to prevent the Native American genocide, but also to protect the environment as well. The characters memorize and use Columbus’ own journals to know where he will be and to impress Columbus upon meeting him. It’d be neat to have students has his logs open and read along with the comic. Columbus’ men are the main enemies in the story, but history is also acting against this intended change. Absolutely fascinating. I don’t want to give away details of the story as it will take away the surprises when reading, but I loved it. As a fan of Assassin’s Creed, as are many of my students, this would make an interesting video game as well. There were several provoking panels that really made me think and put the book down for a moment to think.

               I will be integrating this book into my fairytale/folktale lesson where I have students create their own modern stories based on historical ones, as was done with this book.

               Bloody and violent. A few curse words. Nothing over the top and fine for high school students, IMO.

Resources for more research into the earth diver mythology

 - https://www.native-languages.org/earthdiver.htm

https://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths_7.html

https://prezi.com/6fk1wgkjuqxe/creation-myths-earth-diver/

https://nerdfighteria.info/v/T6f1-nEjDdM/

Above are books I already have on preorder that will be published this year. Can’t wait to read them!

The Vision: the Complete Collection. 9781302920555. Tom King, author. Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Michael Walsh, artists. Jordie Bellaire, color artist. Clayton Cowles, letterer. Mike Del Mundo and Marco D’Alfonso, cover artists. EISNER AWARD WINNER! Teen + for violence and adult situation – fine for high schoolers.

                A few words that were jolted from me as I read – unsettling, familiar, strange. As always, Tom King made the ordinary extraordinary and the extraordinary believable and relatable. This is no easy task in a comic. Such introspective and intelligent musings as we, along with Vision and his family, question what it means to be human. What is it to be “normal?” To be “real?” What is real? The forever problem of being “othered” by a judgmental, misinformed, and scared population. To be afraid of what we do not know – both as humans and robots. One can’t help but make connections to Frankenstein’s Monster as Vision is simply seeking to be accepted by an inhuman humanity and to create loved ones that are like him. Many references to Shakespeare and Cervantes as well – in a multi-layered approach to our condition. I fell in love with Vision and felt like I was able to get to know him in these pages – I wept with him, laughed with him, and wanted more. The artwork allowed to me to see the snark and attempts at humor, the love, the frustration, and the fear. It wasn’t long before I began seeing Vision and his family as the humans in this story.

                I don’t want to take anything away from the brilliant art and lettering in these pages, but Tom King continues to prove to be an inspiring and thought-provoking author. I will be writing about a lot of his work on this page this year (if you haven’t caught his current Wonder Woman run – you need to get to the comic book store STAT!). Tom continues to prove comics are indeed literature and I am always having to put down his comics as I read them, as I am forced to silently think, contemplate, and muse about the universe, myself, and the human condition. I don’t say this lightly – Tom King’s writing is truly that brilliant.

               I had the honor of being an Eisner nominee this past summer (2023) and was in the Eisner Awards ceremony and was delighted to hear Tom speak from the awards platform – giving encouragement to all of us in the industry. I did not win the Eisner, but his words will forever fill me with inspiration and the will to keep on writing. To keep hoping. Tom’s humanity comes across in both his writing and as a person.

Lunar New Year Love Story. Gene Luen Yang, author and Leuyen Pham, artist. 2024. ISBN 9781250908261.

What does love mean? What does it look like? How does it appear on social media and in our minds? Does true love exist? Should it?

I cannot wait to get this book into my classroom! A wonderful story that includes so much culture in the characters, both people and settings. An excellent way to have conversations about Lunar New Year and to have students see themselves in the classroom literature (I LOVED learning about the dragon dance!). But this is also a story about all teens. About all families. Loss. Being a parent, being a child. Trying to find oneself and one’s community. To fit in. To be seen, to be loved and accepted by a special someone, a friend, by your family. All of our relationships are messed up, stressful, and even irrational at times. But this story tells us that it’s worth the risk of getting hurt. Of not giving up. To find that someone with whom you simply want to be – that not taking a risk and not getting hurt, also means to never find the embrace of love from those around you. Although this is a story with fairy tale vibes (a haunting and creepy St. Valentine adds a certain eerie touch), it is also realistic way to view life and love.

               The empathy inducing artwork and vibrant coloring added much to the story – including many visual clues to the various twists in the story. There were pages that I could actually hear in my head! There were pages that I had to stop reading, look around the room, and really take time to fully feel certain panels as there was much to take in at one time.

               My final take-away – Love comes in many forms, if you are brave enough to let it in.

Buckle Up. Lawrence Lindell. Random House. This is an ARC - the final comic will be in full color and due to be available Summer 2024.

I can’t wait to see the final version of this book in full color! This is a comic unlike any I have read before - Lindell’s use of negative space, of worldless panels, of “simple” and approachable art, of giving space to emotion and thought… all while mostly taking place in a car… yet absolutely devestating emotional interactions filled with anger, frusration, loss, acceptance, and love… it’s sublime. We get to know this famliy in a way that prose alone simply cannot offer and allows us to truly see the emotions of each as they try to mend a confusingly new divorce. Parts of the story deal with the expected issues of living in two homes, sibling rivalry, embarrassing parents, acting out in school… but others about LGBTQIA issues with both kids and adults… of being Black… of the power of words/actions and owning them… of being your true self… Wow - just so much going on in so few pages and with so few words. Lindell uses the interior space of a car to show us emotional space - they seem to get closer or farther apart, depending on the understanding between parent and child. Such a powerful message of taking the time to listen and take time for quiet reflection - to understand one another. That we are all going through something. That a father willing to learn something new and put it into practice makes all the difference with his struggling son. I also loved that comics, and the comic book store, proved to be a bridge between generations! The messages in this book will resonate and will be a powerful addition to a classroom, to opening up conversations in families…

The Magic Paintbrush. Kat Zhang with Eric Darnell, author. Phoebe Zhong, artist. ARC - on sale May 21, 2024. RHC Books.

An absolute love letter to art, creativity, and magic! “There’s magic in art.”

This is an epic prose story (wonderfully illustrated throughout) that lovers of art, creativity, and mythology will adore. I will be including this book, although target for younger readers, in my high school classroom as we research mythology/folktales/fairytales from around the world as cultural artifacts and then create our own in comics form. I learned about Chinese mythology while reading this story and was excited to do even more research, as I know my students will want to do as well. The main characters are in 7th grade and this is a story that can be read from 4th grade on up.

I love how the discussion focuses on a character who has art anxiety – one who has fallen out of love with drawing as school and societal pressures (and her own inner monologue) have it that art must be more “serious” and exact as one ages. Her mysterious grandmother, her Lao Lao, helps her to understand that are means different things to different people, and that drawing from the heart, drawing what one sees, is the key to making art (and in this case, saving the world). Lao Lao poses an important point, especially vital for an educator, to stop asking what one is good at drawing and, instead, asking what one enjoys to draw! Love this! Amy loves drawing her imaginary friend, a being she let go as she “grew up”, but who will then become her most important real-world friend in this journey as he comes to life through a magic jade paintbrush.

There are epic battles between huodou and taotie – mythical Chinese beings that are both terrifying and wondrous. Great AAPI culture and history.

Lesson ideas –

*Ask students to draw the one thing they could if they knew it would become real.

*During a turning point/challenge in this story (or even the climax), have students draw what they think could best help to achieve success in the story – either from the hero or villain.

*Research the history and culture behind huodou and taotie – have students design and draw their own.

*Have students draw what they would want to be their family’s protector.

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris. Love this and am incorporating it into my Fairytale artifact high school lesson - because big kids need picture books too! An important lesson about point of view, family, forgiveness, and understanding. Thank you, Shawn Harris!

Loving this book by Yobe Qiu. ! I will be putting this fun, informative, and stunningly adorable book into my high school classroom library!

HiLo: Rise of the Cat (Book 10). Judd Winick. 9780593488126.

The right amount of weird and imaginative zaniness, laugh out loud hysterical hi-jinks, brilliant illustrations and vibrant coloring… with powerful lessons on civil rights/access to education, acceptance and love, being a good friend, getting in the way and changing the system from within, and the dangers of othering. As a high school social studies teacher with a Masters degree as a Reading Specialist - I always get frustrated when I hear elementary schools giving a few weeks to social studies and then a few weeks off to teach about reading, science, etc. We need more exporation of social studies in the early grades and cannot separate reading instructing from content. It just makes sense to do both together and so to have more time for both. This book would be such a great way to open comversations about “othering” and then launch into research the Little Rock 9, current education disparities, etc.

Fall Through. Nate Powell. 2024. 9781419760822.

Wow! Punk meets Twilight Zone with some Zen Buddhism and sci-fi in the mix. Love that I could see Nate in these pages and am grateful he shared his journey and eerily heart-felt imagination with us. I had to stop and think many times and am a bit changed by the universe contained within these pages, yet on a personal level. Now I need the soundtrack… I have never read a book like this and Nate’s emotionally charged art (as always) just made the entire experience something for all my senses. I was made to feel uncomfortable and nervous, yet also safe and wanting to be on the journey. I have read the book several times, getting something more with each read and I am not sure that I yet competely understand it - a mark of an introspective and fascinating story. I look forward to sharing this story with my kids who love March and all of Nate’s work - just be aware of some cursing in the story. This is such an inspiring journey for us all - that Nate was able to take a personal passion, and personal history, and turn it into someting completely imaginative and different, yet familiar and even wistful. It made me look back on my youth and journey and wonder about those who fell out of my story… about those who impacted me for life… about those who I worshipped and wondered about…

Death Strikes: the Emperor of Atlantis. Dave Maass, Patrick Lay, Ezra Rose, Richard Bruning. 2024. Drak Horse Comics. 9781506737300.

I am truly thankful to the team who created this book - who is helping to bring this mind-blowing story and the historical process of its creation to us. This is a graphic retelling of the opera, Der Kaiser von Atlantis oder Tod-Verweigerung by Peter Kien and Viktor Ullmann. These two men were in the Nazi concentration camp/town of Terezin in modern day Czech Republic, from 1941-1945. This was a place the Nazis used as a showcase to the world as to how they were treating their Jewish victims “humanely” as part of their vast and disturbing propaganda machine. This was an opera full of sarcasm and dark humor, in a time of such death and evil. A look at when Death goes on strike because he can’t keep up with the modern war machine.  A strike against the machinations and plans of the Emperor Overall and his desire to implement his twisted mathematical plans for humanity. This story has such important lessons for us today as we see totalitarianism and hatred rising in an age of constant warfare and strife. We see the character of Life working alongside of Death - not that Death is evil, but this is a normal and inspiring part of the human condition - creating art, love, laughter, and an appreciation of being alive. It’s when humans twist this relationship in an orgy of Death worship, that Death feels the need to end his role. As no one can die, the meaning of life is lost. I think about this when thinking of what the men who wrote this opera were seeing and experiencing all around them. A need to make sense of what was happening and a world that had abandoned them. The graphic adaptation is, in a word, haunting. I guiltily laughed at parts - the sarcasm of Death is wonderful - but also lost myself staring into the eyes of Death as well. This adaptation has left a deep impact on me and I will be integrating it into my classroom. That we see the Holocaust through the eyes of two men, two artists, ordinary people in unimaginable times, makes this all the more powerful. This wonderfully researched adaptation allows us to see original lettering, comics, and images from these men. I can see integrating this books as a centerpiece of a cross-curricular lesson involving social studies, English/Language Arts, German classes, art, and music classes. We can listen to the opera as we read. We can create in our minds and perhaps bring other stories to the world. Art as a method of resistance and survival.

Magic Girls: Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess. Megan Brennan. 2024. 9780593709894

SO MUCH FUN! Wow – loved the art style in this wonderfully zany book! So many great messages throughout and I am very much already looking forward to book 2. This is the perfect story for my own daughter who does love the occasional sparkly outfit, struggles a bit with social anxiety and finding herself – yet also loves exciting adventures, video games, and interstellar ponderings.

No matter the planet, 7th grade is 7th grade. Boring worksheets. Dodgeballs to the face in gym class.  Trying to find out what makes you special. Trying to reinvent yourself and make new friends. Having that one person who seems to be your arch-enemy. But maybe, just maybe, you are getting in your own way…

But then… When you make a wish upon a star and a space princes crash lands in your backyard… an inter-planetary battle and missions to be planned… I want q cutie magic wand that channels my sparkle energy to nullify evil! And, of course, the cutie Headband that goes with it…

Vampires, fantastical beings of so many types. Battling mermaids. Flying flowers. Magic. And amazing outfits – always the importance of looking splendid. Like a video game – collecting more sparkle energy in brave deeds leads to powerups. Becoming the Cutie Hero Champion of Love to fight against the Fairytale Fighter. Secret identities.

The art style is like watching an anime movie – lovers of anime and manga will feel at home.

The importance of being a true friend. Oh, and don’t forget that even space princesses have to deal with sibling rivalry and impressing mom when fighting against evil on other planets.

Out of Left Field. Jonah Newman. 2024. 9781524884826.

An emotionally honest look at the struggles of a teen trying to find his place in school, sports, and life. Newman uses the power of comics to allow us to see the growth of Jonah, through inner monologue, dreams, hopes, and how this interacts with the people and world around him. An important, human, and approachable story that can allow an emerging gay teen to see he is not alone in this struggle, but also to understand that so much of being a teen is struggling to find ones true identity. It is an important reminder to adults, especially in education, to understand the importance of truly seeing the individual in front of us and to help where and when we can. Any one of us can be that one adult that makes a major postive impact on a young person seeking acceptance and love. Toxic masculinity is damaging on so many levels and this honest look helps us to approach, discuss, and end this ridiculous mindset.

My wife, my best friend, snuggled up to me in front of the fire as she heard me chuckling while reading. Such a wonderful collection of moments to remind us to slow down and appreciate one another - sometimes in spite of ourselves. Thank you @catanacomics for the reminder.

Happily Ever After & Everything In Between. Debbie Tung. 2020. 9781524850661.

An endearing, loving, hysterical look at the moments that happen when we aren’t paying attention. I could see my wife in I in these comics and we both had many chuckles while reading together. I love that, while seeminlgy disconnected events, the book becomes a warm story and we really get to know the couple - I want to read more as they go through other stages in life.

The Black Mozart. Walter E. Smith. authorHOUSE. 9781418407964. 2004.

I can let the preface speak for itself. I learned a lot that I will be incorporating into my Elnightenment, French and Haitian Revolutions units. A prose book that is not only eye-opening, but also wonderful in its honest approach to historiography. The author speaks to the reader about his research process and what has to be taken for fact, and that which is more speculative and even guess-work. That even ones enemies can impact the historical record. I was able to read this in one sitting and I am now doing further research and will have my students do the same.

The Solvers: a Math Graphic Novel. Jon Chad. 9781523512065. 2024. Workman Publishing.

Wow!!!! Where was this when I was in school!?! The visualization aspect of seeing math really would have helped me. And it’s all wrapped in a fun and engaging storyline with creative problems that need to be solved with math. Bravo Jon Chad !

Thank you @KeezyBees for this stunningly beautiful and honest look that will help so very many. Each page is wall hanging art that will impact your soul. A journey I do not know, but can now appreciate from afar, and will be shared in my classroom for others.

Eowulf: of Monsters & Middle School. Mike Cavallaro. First Second, 2024. 9781250846433.

LOVE! Dungeons and Dragons meets superheroes meets Scooby Doo meets mythology meets middle schoool! This book is a love letter to all of us nerds! Imagine if, while playing D and D with your friends, that they’d never suspect that you were also a real-life monster hunter… descended from none other than Beowulf! So much imaginaiotn and wonderfully illustrated. There are many sudden twists as the mystery unfolds. Moral lessons of not being too quick to judge who the real “monsters” are, the importance of being honest and facing your inner demons, good and evil are not so easy to define, looking at things in a new perspective, the importance of family and friends, and how to be a true-life hero and knowing that sometimes, those who most need our help just don’t know how to ask for it. I will be adding this into my high school social studies lesson on reimaging fairytales and folklore for a modern audience! What a great resoure for Language Arts classes as well - that we can take ownership of beloved stories, reimagine them, and make them our own. Love it!