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BIG NEWS! In November 2024 we will be announcing a recommended graphic novel list for both National 5 and Higher English course in Scotland. Please email if there is a text you feel strongly should be included for either course for producing a critical essay in the exam. 

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BIG NEWS! In November 2024 we will be announcing a recommended graphic novel list for both National 5 and Higher English course in Scotland. Please email if there is a text you feel strongly should be included for either course for producing a critical essay in the exam. 

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The proposal is that there is a Graphic Novel section included in the Critical Essay section of the English exam for the National 5 and Higher Paper.

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The proposal is that there is a Graphic Novel section included in the Critical Essay section of the English exam for the National 5 and Higher Paper.

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NB: Critical Essay section on pg. 34

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NB: Critical Essay section on pg.26

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We're an award-winning UK publisher creating graphic novel adaptations of classic literature for education and making the classics relevant, accessible and fun. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

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The home page of Classical Comics. Since 2007 we've made graphic novels and teaching resources to encourage reading and literacy in schools.

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Resources for teaching classic adaptations

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Resources for teaching classic adaptations

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In order for you to experience our 3-tier approach to Shakespeare for free, here you can download sections from 4 plays (with 4 sections for The Tempest). Presented as lineart, these documents are quick to download and simple to print.

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Growing up in the war-torn DRC, Etienne Kubwabo found his home in Scotland after moving here as a refugee.

The filmmaker and DJ went to Clydebank College to follow his passion for the arts and has been interested in superheroes ever since he was young.

Growing up though, superheroes didn't always look like Kubwabo.

But now he is setting out to change that with his comic book Beats of War, which he says tells the story of Scotland's first black superhero.

"Growing up I loved storytelling," he says. "I remember I used to get into a lot of trouble from my parents after watching too much TV. I remember when I was young, trying to act out scenes from Spiderman or Superman.

READ MORE: Marvel announce new British superhero team as tensions rise across UK

"When I moved to Scotland, coming from a country that's affected by war, I wanted to share my view of my country, where I come from but I also wanted to pay homage to the country that I live in right now which is Scotland.

"The story is set in Glasgow, but the alien world where the superhero is from is a reflection of my home country."

It follows the tale of how Scotland's first black superhero battles with the country's notorious razor gangs, with real Glasgow places used in the book.

And that's not where the realism stops - even the characters are all based on real people.

He continues: "All the characters in my comic book are people who are alive right now or who I lost growing up. I wanted to keep those people alive.

"Scotland is my second home now, so I wanted to write something that was personal to me, that highlighted the stories of Scotland and where I grew up.

"I remember when I went to New York, people were saying when you think of Brooklyn you think of Spiderman. I want to bring that here so when you come to Scotland or Glasgow you think of that superhero that represents and stands for what's right in your city.

"It's really important to me because growing up I saw a lot of characters who didn't look like me and I felt like I wanted to make one who represented people like me, who are black, who are Scottish, who people can look up to."

As well as representing black Scots in comics, Kubwabo (above) is keen for Scots to learn more about his culture as the comic blends elements from Scotland and the DRC.

And it's been well-received, with 5000 copies having already been sold - and largely through word of mouth and support from fans, Kubwabo says.

He adds: "I started writing it in 2018 but when Black Panther came out I saw how they paid homage to Africa that was when I thought let's do something quite personal.

"But most people were still quite sceptical at the start so I gave out 500 copies for free but when they read it they shared it and recommended it to other people.

"And people have been enjoying it. Young black Scots love it. They say to me, 'How come no one ever thought about this before?'"

Kubwabo is confident that change in terms of diversity within the comic world is happening and that the success of his book shows that.

"There is a huge change that is coming," he says. "With how well my comic book has done, selling 5000 copies with minimal marketing, you can feel a change is coming."

Those interested can find a digital or physical copy available at https://mileawayfilms.com/product/beats-of-war-comic-book/

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'How come no-one thought of this before?': Meet the first black Scottish superhero

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IT may be 4500 miles away, but one writer has brought Scotland and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) together to create the first black...

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​A poetic take on the Scottish childhood of writer Sean Michael Wilson, in comic book form, drawn by lovely Swedish artist Hanna Stromberg. The book mixes together 13 intimate and interesting childhood stories and adventures, with a touch of magical realism.

My childhood autobiographical story, set in Scotland.

​Pages from the book can be seen at the bottom of the page.

This is a poetic take on my own childhood. It mixes an accurate account of certain small scale personal events with an element of magic realism in the presentation. It's all set in one specific location - the woods and streets near my childhood home in Edinburgh, Scotland, late 70's and early 80's. All the action will take place in that wood or the streets around it, a conscious decision to narrow the story to just THAT one area. It gives the story as sense of place and anyway, many interesting things happened there. No adults will be seen in the story, or following the old cartoon tradition of Tom and Jerry, only their feet and lower body will be seen - this is a world of children.

It's not one continous flow, but several interesting anecdotes sewn together, with some 'over' narrator aspects woven in. Meaning that their will be some reflections from the later me, the adult me as a ghost like presence, as captions ending or introducing the anecdotes. A fluid interweaving of the childhood visuals with adult narration in a poetic way, to juxtapose the words and visuals. The book has an introduction showing the adult me going to the childhood area, and beginning the reflection process. It is drawn together at the end also, as we see the adult me having gone through this process and leaving his childhood place behind.

This is not an autobiography about some terrible time, such as war, or coping with a debilitating disease or living in a dictatorship. Quite often comic book autobio books are about those unusual times and places, and that is fine, they are very interesting. But what about all the ordinary little things that happen in normal lives? All the small triumphs and adventures , laughs and sadness that fill the life of most children - that is interesting too. Once upon a time in Morningside is that kind of book.

It is also about the sense of loss and melancholy that we often feel when thinking back to our childhood time - that's what the adult 'ghost Sean' is feeling as he observes these old childhood scenes. But, in the end, he comes back to present reality and gets on with his life, his responsibility to look after his son, who is now in childhood himself.

Facebook page Please LIKE it and we'll keep you up to date on developments with this book:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Once-Upon-A-Time-In-Morningside/524046781034147
Nice of well known Scottish writer, Ian Rankin, to tweet about our book.

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Warren Pleece's graphic novel, Freedom Bound, follows the interconnected stories of three enslaved people living in Scotland before Scots Law proved slavery illegal. From mountainous countryside to the inner city, Freedom Bound explores Scotland's unsettling history of slavery and the injustices perpetrated through the decades.
About Warren Pleece
Warren Pleece is a UK based comics illustrator with over twenty years of experience. He has worked for DC Comics, Vertigo, 2000AD and many more throughout his career, creating both comics and graphic novels. Pleece engages with a range of genres in his work but has a passion for historical fiction.
About the Project
Freedom Bound was created in conjunction with the University of Glasgow with the purpose of educating Scottish young people about the history of slavery in the country. A special school edition of Freedom Bound will be delivered to every Scottish school child and will be the centre of educational plans and classes, broadening their understanding of Scotland's uncomfortable connections with slavery.

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Warren Pleece's graphic novel, Freedom Bound, follows the interconnected stories of three enslaved people living in Scotland before Scots Law proved slavery illegal. From mountainous countryside to the inner city, Freedom Bound explores Scotland's unsettling history of slavery and the injustices perpetrated through the decades.

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Why Digital Graphic Novels and Comics cater to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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Why Digital Graphic Novels and Comics cater to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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In today's world, people's lives are complex. Race, religion, caste, sexuality, gender, and many other aspects play prime roles in the modern reader's identity. The market seeks answers to diversity, equity, and inclusion obstacles, interactive graphic novels and comics can be a catalyst for change.

People usually think of graphic novels and comic books as a form of storytelling to people coming of all ages. Interactive comics can be a valuable agent that provides inclusions to the writings of BIPOC, people in the LGBTQIA+ community, people in marginalized groups, and differently-abled people, and helps learners to bring their stories to the world.
1. Makes Reading Inclusive
Digital graphic novels and comics transfer information without the use of too many words. Because of this stories are made accessible to people whose comprehension level is not up to a certain standard or those who don't have an educated support system to guide them.
2. Promotes R.A.C.E
Graphic novels or comic format is not just limited to new-age readers. Information from such literature can be retained by asking the reader to Restate, Answer, Cite, and Explain (R.A.C.E). Such activities help to capture the viewpoint of the learner.
3. Improves Vocabulary
Comics, like any other type of literature, can offer vocabulary information in many ways. Readers come across new words through context clues, in addition to illustrative support. Due to the visual nature of the style, a higher level of comprehension can be brought to lower-level readers.

We are on our journey towards uncovering more about how to make learning diverse, equitable, and inclusive. To check out our data-informed frameworks for DE&I in learning, speak to us at https://www.magicedtech.com/contact-us/.

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3 Reasons Why Digital Graphic Novels and Comics cater to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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In today's world, people's lives are complex. Race, religion, caste, sexuality, gender, and many other aspects play prime roles in the modern reader's identity. The market seeks answers to diversity...

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Recommended Reading List from the Comic Laureate Stephen L Holland

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Recommended Reading List from the Comic Laureate Stephen L Holland

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Comics Laureate Recommended Reading List | Lakes International Comic Art Festival

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To reach new people accessibility is all, so this isn't a guide to the cleverest comics ever created (although they are all exceptionally clever); it's a selection of the very finest and most beguiling which have proved to be perfect introductions to those curious about comics during my 25+ years as curator of Page 45, so often kick-starting a lifetime's newfound adoration and exploration of our beloved medium.

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Teaching graphic novels: practical strategies for the secondary ELA classroom, by Kate Monnin

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Teaching graphic novels: practical strategies for the secondary ELA classroom, by Kate Monnin

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https://www.wowbaggerproductions.co.uk/

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Not All Robots by Mark Russell, Mike Deodato Jr. and Leigh Loughridge 

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Not All Robots by Mark Russell, Mike Deodato Jr. and Leigh Loughridge 

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Current Key Question (Please make suggestions by commenting)

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Current Key Question (Please make suggestions by commenting)

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What techniques, specific to graphic novels, should be discussed in a critical essay?

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The latest instalment of Alice Oseman's LGBTQ+ young adult Heartstopper series has become the UK's fastest-selling graphic novel ever.

Heartstopper Volume 5 sold 60,012 copies in the first three days since its release on 7 December. This made it the overall best-selling book of the week in the UK across all categories including adult and children's fiction and non-fiction.

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman. Photograph: Hachette

The Heartstopper series follows the love story of two fictional British schoolboys, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, and explores friendship, coming out and mental health.

"I am completely blown away by the news," said Oseman. "Heartstopper is a story I care so much about and for it to break records is something I could never even have imagined.

"Heartstopper is a story that centres joy, love and queerness, and to see it embraced in this way by so many readers, young and old, gives me a real sense of hope," she added. "I am extremely grateful to all the fans who have supported me and the Heartstopper journey, it all feels incredibly special."

Oseman's latest book sold around 15,000 more copies than the second-placed book in the charts, Pinch of Nom: Express. The Heartstopper title also became the highest-selling children's book in over two years.

The previous launch-week record across adult and children's graphic novels was held by Joe Sugg, Amrit Birdi and Matt Whyman for Username: Evie, which sold nearly 14,000 copies in its first week on sale in September 2015, according to trade magazine the Bookseller.

The Heartstopper novels have been adapted into a Netflix series written by Oseman, the first two seasons of which have been released. A third season is currently in production. The first season won five Emmys in the inaugural children's and family awards.

Oseman's success is "well-deserved", said Bea Carvalho, head of books at Waterstones. The author's "portrayal of friendship and young love is wholly positive, relatable, and never patronising, garnering an incredibly loyal fanbase amongst teens and older readers alike.

"It has been great to see the sales of the books spike as a result of the successful and faithful TV adaptation: following the first week of broadcast sales rose by over 220% across the whole series", she added.

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Oseman is the third best-selling graphic novelist since Nielsen records began in January 1998, having sold £11.5m worth of copies. This comes in behind Alan Moore, the creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, at £13.1m, and Robert Kirkman, creator of the The Walking Dead, at £15.2m.

The initial four volumes of the Heartstopper series hold the first four positions in the all-time sales chart for adult and children's graphic novels. 1.1m copies of the five volumes have been sold in the UK since their release.

Philip Stone, who works for Nielsen BookData, the company that publishes the UK book chart, said that "sales of graphic novels have boomed in recent years, helped by the popularity of adaptations on both the big and small screens. None more so than Heartstopper, the adaptation of which has become a global hit, earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and propelling a boost in sales for its source material."

The Heartstopper series was initially written as a web comic, published to Tumblr and Tapas. Oseman had begun the series during the final year of her English degree - a project that felt like "a very weird hobby" at the time, she told the Guardian last year. Oseman crowdfunded an initial limited print-run edition, meeting her fundraising goal in less than two hours, and Hachette Children's Group published the first volume in 2019.

"We could not be prouder to publish the Heartstopper series," said Hilary Murray Hill, chief executive of Hachette Children's Group, who called Oseman a "once-in-a-generation" writer and illustrator.

"It has been a delight to see the graphic novels break new ground and change the publishing landscape. Reaching this milestone is a real testament to Alice's incredible talent," she added. "We recognise how important it is for teenagers to see themselves and their lives reflected in the stories they read."

In April, Oseman announced that there will be a sixth part of the Heartstopper series, which she said would be the final volume.

"Heartstopper is now a truly global phenomenon, selling over eight million copies to date in 37 languages and counting, and the series continues to be embraced by readers everywhere - and of all ages," added Hill. "Heartstopper is published for teenagers but seems to have a huge appeal for older readers too. It's for everyone."

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Alice Oseman's Heartstopper becomes the UK's fastest-selling graphic novel ever

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First three days of sales also made the fifth volume of the LGBTQ+ young adult series the overall best-selling book of the week across all categories

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The latest instalment of Alice Oseman's LGBTQ+ young adult Heartstopper series has become the UK's fastest-selling graphic novel ever.

Heartstopper Volume 5 sold 60,012 copies in the first three days since its release on 7 December. This made it the overall best-selling book of the week in the UK across all categories including adult and children's fiction and non-fiction.

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman. Photograph: Hachette

The Heartstopper series follows the love story of two fictional British schoolboys, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, and explores friendship, coming out and mental health.

"I am completely blown away by the news," said Oseman. "Heartstopper is a story I care so much about and for it to break records is something I could never even have imagined.

"Heartstopper is a story that centres joy, love and queerness, and to see it embraced in this way by so many readers, young and old, gives me a real sense of hope," she added. "I am extremely grateful to all the fans who have supported me and the Heartstopper journey, it all feels incredibly special."

Oseman's latest book sold around 15,000 more copies than the second-placed book in the charts, Pinch of Nom: Express. The Heartstopper title also became the highest-selling children's book in over two years.

The previous launch-week record across adult and children's graphic novels was held by Joe Sugg, Amrit Birdi and Matt Whyman for Username: Evie, which sold nearly 14,000 copies in its first week on sale in September 2015, according to trade magazine the Bookseller.

The Heartstopper novels have been adapted into a Netflix series written by Oseman, the first two seasons of which have been released. A third season is currently in production. The first season won five Emmys in the inaugural children's and family awards.

Oseman's success is "well-deserved", said Bea Carvalho, head of books at Waterstones. The author's "portrayal of friendship and young love is wholly positive, relatable, and never patronising, garnering an incredibly loyal fanbase amongst teens and older readers alike.

"It has been great to see the sales of the books spike as a result of the successful and faithful TV adaptation: following the first week of broadcast sales rose by over 220% across the whole series", she added.

skip past newsletter promotion
Discover new books with our expert reviews, author interviews and top 10s. Literary delights delivered direct you
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion

Oseman is the third best-selling graphic novelist since Nielsen records began in January 1998, having sold £11.5m worth of copies. This comes in behind Alan Moore, the creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta, at £13.1m, and Robert Kirkman, creator of the The Walking Dead, at £15.2m.

The initial four volumes of the Heartstopper series hold the first four positions in the all-time sales chart for adult and children's graphic novels. 1.1m copies of the five volumes have been sold in the UK since their release.

Philip Stone, who works for Nielsen BookData, the company that publishes the UK book chart, said that "sales of graphic novels have boomed in recent years, helped by the popularity of adaptations on both the big and small screens. None more so than Heartstopper, the adaptation of which has become a global hit, earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, and propelling a boost in sales for its source material."

The Heartstopper series was initially written as a web comic, published to Tumblr and Tapas. Oseman had begun the series during the final year of her English degree - a project that felt like "a very weird hobby" at the time, she told the Guardian last year. Oseman crowdfunded an initial limited print-run edition, meeting her fundraising goal in less than two hours, and Hachette Children's Group published the first volume in 2019.

"We could not be prouder to publish the Heartstopper series," said Hilary Murray Hill, chief executive of Hachette Children's Group, who called Oseman a "once-in-a-generation" writer and illustrator.

"It has been a delight to see the graphic novels break new ground and change the publishing landscape. Reaching this milestone is a real testament to Alice's incredible talent," she added. "We recognise how important it is for teenagers to see themselves and their lives reflected in the stories they read."

In April, Oseman announced that there will be a sixth part of the Heartstopper series, which she said would be the final volume.

"Heartstopper is now a truly global phenomenon, selling over eight million copies to date in 37 languages and counting, and the series continues to be embraced by readers everywhere - and of all ages," added Hill. "Heartstopper is published for teenagers but seems to have a huge appeal for older readers too. It's for everyone."

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Alice Oseman's Heartstopper becomes the UK's fastest-selling graphic novel ever

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First three days of sales also made the fifth volume of the LGBTQ+ young adult series the overall best-selling book of the week across all categories

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Comics - How to use them in your classroom

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Comics and graphic novels are a much more versatile teaching tool than you might think...

With homegrown comic artists like Jamie Smart flying off the booksellers' shelves, it's easy to see that comics and graphic novels, are experiencing a renaissance among readers in primary schools across the UK.
But how can schools harness this excitement for the greatest impact across their curriculum?

Something for everyone

As a starting point, get some comics into class and see what's out there that interests your group. If you aren't sure, ask the children. You are likely to have a budding comics fan in your class. They'll be bursting to share the joy of their reading passion with you!

Comics are a brilliant way to support less engaged readers in developing a love of story and a confidence in independent reading.

Many children find the combination of word and image a satisfying way to access stories independently. However, we shouldn't limit comics to the less engaged readers. They cover all genres and challenge levels, and should be available to form part of everyone's reading diet - including teachers'!

With the launch of the government's latest Reading Framework (July 2023), the importance of a reading for pleasure pedagogy has been placed firmly alongside phonics as a key part of a school's reading provision.

Building a comics and graphic novel collection as part of your book stock is a great way to start making use of this fun and accessible format.

Weekly subscriptions to comics like The Phoenix and are a great way to build excitement in the library or reading corner. They often present great value for money, as children pass them around the class again and again.

From great starter series like Mark Bradley's Bumble and Snug or Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly (great for Year 2), right up to complex and heartfelt autobiography like Pedro Martin's recent publication Mexikid, there is a wide range of titles out there to both entertain and challenge all levels of reader.

Say it loud!

Comics' reliance on dialogue provides an ideal way to develop a group's understanding of how you can use well-written dialogue to both develop character and move the action forward in a scene.

Take a look at some famous duos: Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin and Haddock or even Batman and Robin. If you looked only at their dialogue, would you be able to tell who was speaking? How has the author shown each character's identity in their speech?

This line of questioning can stimulate some powerful discussions and help demystify what 'good writers' do.

Alternatively, flip this task and prepare a comics page with the speech balloons blanked out. Ask the group to complete the speech, thinking about both character and what's happening in each panel. These tasks can be more challenging than you'd expect. They offer a great segue into developing the quality of dialogue in prose writing, too.

A space for silence

In recent years, wordless picture books have grown in use in the primary classroom. We shouldn't underestimate the importance of developing appreciation of visual literacy and its role in reading and writing. The comic equivalent of a wordless picturebook, the silent comic offers another opportunity to explore the rich offering of visual narratives.

Silent comics can open a world of complex and subtle narratives to a much broader range of children.

Though easier to access, the level of discussion you can garner from visual texts has the potential to be in-depth and high-level. Without the barrier that written words can sometimes create, discussion can focus on the richness of the material, the intent of the creator, and character motivation.

For a starting point, take a look at works such as Gustavo Duarte's Monsters, or Peter Van Den Ende's stunning comic The Wanderer. Although they contrast in style, both these titles excel in silent storytelling.

If you're interested in teaching art using silent comics, Little LICAF's free downloadable planning for The Wanderer is a great place to start.

The sessions develop approaches to mark making inspired by Van Den Ende's iconic black and white illustrative style. They build from there to produce a collective artwork based on the story.

Comics in the wider curriculum

Across the curriculum, graphic narratives can be a great tool for both acquiring and demonstrating knowledge. Various studies working with different age groups have shown that material presented in comic form boosts engagement and information retention. This is when compared to reading a standard text.

There are more and more non-fiction comic titles available to support use of the form across the foundation subjects. Titles like Emma Reynolds' Drawn to Change the World and Mike Barfield and Jess Bradleys' A Poo, A Gnu and You series are just two examples of using comics to convey complex non-fiction information in an accessible and memorable way.

Writing non-fiction comics in order to demonstrate subject knowledge is another way to challenge a class. Elements of history, science and geography all lend themselves to being depicted in a sequence of words and image.

You may be surprised by how details in the pictures demonstrate subject understanding. For example, children may pick up the wider historical context in the illustrations. Or they might demonstrate the concept of a sequence by displaying progression between panels.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the possibilities for comics in the primary curriculum.

Comics are a form that covers all genres. They can be silly and anarchic, and deeply poetic. They can present complicated information in an accessible form, or themselves be incredibly complex to make sense of. This versatility and range offers huge potential for educators.

Just for fun

Comics clubs and dedicated 'writing for pleasure' time, either in or outside of school, can provide a great opportunity to nurture reading for pleasure.

Use comics as a hook to bring groups of children together to collaborate on a creative project. This offers a perfect opportunity to involve children who don't see themselves as writers, or artists, in the process.

Embrace children's exploration of existing characters from their favourite books, games and TV shows. When writing for pleasure, they should have the opportunity to draw from the stories and pastimes they love, to create whatever they wish. There's no need to start from scratch if they're feeling overwhelmed by the idea. This freedom to reinvent characters or storylines from existing stories and put them together in inventive mashups is well used throughout the history of comics. It offers another way to break down the barriers that might put children off writing in their own time.

Lucy Starbuck Braidley is the producer and host of Comic Boom - The Comics in Education Podcast and is senior programme manager for Reading for Enjoyment at The National Literacy Trust.

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Comics - How to use them in your classroom

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Comics and graphic novels are booming, but how can primary schools harness this excitement for the greatest impact across their curriculum?

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"Tt's a must for anyone interested in topics of war, social class and identity. It follow the story of Marjane Satrapi in Iran during the years of war and revolution. Compelling stuff!"

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"A true noir masterpiece told via anthropomorphic characters. Explores corruption, past evil deeds, conspiracy and deceit amongst friends."

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"Podcast turned comics. The McElroy family are terrific story tellers and understand the joy of adventure, mayhem and silliness. It's engaging, joyful and sometimes questions the consequences of the hero actions."

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"I wouldn't normally recommend a manga as many aren't great for concise stories but this is based on a written novel by Darren Shan and it's a world known series about a boy that becomes a vampire to save his friend. Ideal for topics of betrayal, unwilling main characters and the concept of born evil."

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"This is personal favourite. There are three short stories all on dark topics, particularly the last one that deals with grief, the loss of a child, depression and moving on."

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"Fables follow the lives of fable characters that fled their homeland to live in the human world and have done for centuries. It's a long series but this first book is a good self contained story following Bigby Wolf, the big bad wolf turned detective who needs to solve the murder of Rose Red, snow White's sister. Excellent story for redemption characters, character dynamics and public domain usage."

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"Little is known about the writer as he's pretty much a recluse from interviews but his works are easily recognised and his ability to convey deep, dark emotions with relatively low emotive characters is impressive. This is a great detective series that has an old fashioned noir theme dealing with loneliness."

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A window to the world: Graphic Novels in the Secondary English Language Classroom

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A window to the world: Graphic Novels in the Secondary English Language Classroom

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Falling In Love with Teaching Graphic Novels. 

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Falling In Love with Teaching Graphic Novels. 

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One of the most important choices that many English teachers make each year is which books to center in their classroom for whole-class reading.

No, not all teachers have a say in this-and yes, there are quite a few controversies at the moment about which books teachers are allowed to teach and which ones are being wrenched from their shelves.

Still, while acknowledging myriad exceptions, teachers do often have some say in what books the entire classroom experiences. And over the last half-decade, I now look back and recognize that one of my biggest mistakes was overlooking the value that a graphic novel could bring into our classroom.

Especially in a classroom full of sophomores at vastly different skill levels as readers and writers, tackling a graphic novel whole-class this year was transformative-a word that I really don't like to use because of its overuse but, in this case, feels, well, useful.

There are lots of great resources out there regarding strategies to bring graphic novels into the classroom, too, so I don't plan on being exhaustive here. Rather, I want to point out three things I prioritized and why I believe they worked so well:

1. We were intentional about reading together as much as possible as a classroom community, allowing for more support as well as collaborative discussion

2. We emphasized structural technique analysis with models and guided practice, equipping students with different lenses to use for commentary

3. We shifted to a meaningful summative assessment by having students create their own graphic novel panels and analyze them (and the results, as I'll showcase below, were simply mesmerizing.)

(Note: even if you stop right here without reading through our full processes and reasoning with graphic novels, I'd encourage you to consider this takeaway: if you are an educator who currently assumes that a graphic novel has little to offer within a classroom, I urge you to reconsider that mistaken assumption -as I have this year.)

Looking back, one of my errors last year with a choice-based approach for this graphic novel unit was how thin I found myself stretched trying to read and prepare to support for several graphic novels simultaneously-often resulting in me reaching a point where students were just embarking on their own. We would begin our independent reading and I would quite literally watch every student in the room moving at their own pace with their own books.

That's fine! We all read differently-but there is something lost about the classroom learning experience when everyone is discussing a different text at a different pace. Further, graphic novels create the temptation to read far more quickly than one ought to. (I even found myself doing this last year when trying to stay simultaneously updated on the several choices students were offered!)

The result was that when we tried to come back together as a classroom community, students had a difficult time collaborating meaningfully given their vastly different reading experience-which meant missing out on the genuine, important learning that comes from engaging with different perspectives on a single text.

So how did we try and adjust for this during our experience this year with our graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, being read by everyone at once?

1. Modeling what close-reading of pages/panels can look like early and often collectively-noting not just the dialogue but also the imagery and structural choices available to observe and analyze (more on that in next section, too)

2. Pacing out the readings in short, structured chunks (usually 15-20 minutes of reading max before we came back together) with individual work to purposefully complete/share with small groups before...

3. Prioritizing whole-class debriefs in a way that brought the entire classroom community back together to discuss what they read. Often times this began with something as simple as them reflecting on what panel they found to be most meaningful and moving around the room to share this finding with peers-and then we'd launch from there in our classroom conversation.

( Here is how their spiral was often set-up for these type of sequences, too, if that is helpful to visualize!)

This all made a difference, especially compared to last year. There is something really powerful about moving through a book together as a class, and when books like graphic novels are automatically tossed into "personal-choice" units or even literature circles (small groups reading the same text), something is lost.

Once we slowed the pace of reading down deliberately and set norms of how intentional and precise our analysis would be, the next shift was to bring in specific tools for students to use as lenses: structural techniques.

As someone who also teaches AP Literature, a lot of these techniques overlap into that way of reading/thinking- but the beautiful thing is that they are much easier to teach with a graphic novel. (And huge credit here to the remarkable text that is They Called Us Enemy, which makes doing this work with students all the more accessible and meaningful.)

Color symbolism/archetypes? Jump off the page.
Parallelism? You visually can see it happen.
Juxtaposition? Piece of cake. I mean...

(note: if you'd like the Google Slides we used to introduce/practice each of these techniques, here they are! feel free to use/adapt)

Were students engaged in the reading and discussion? Yes, without question. And that has immense value by itself.

However, another very important takeaway I had from this unit was that this was some of the most across-the-board, high-quality analytical writing around structural techniques I've seen in my entire career. Students showed out even in the most rigorous and formal assessments we moved through, a reminder that my previous doubts about the impact graphic novels would have were completely unwarranted.

Without a doubt, the shift in genre to a graphic novel enhanced the learning and skills of students-and their assessment results proved as much.

The best part, though? It didn't stop strictly with their analytical writing in response to Takei's text. It kept going into our summative projects:

Following the more-traditional constructed response analyzing the text itself at the midway point of the unit, students were then given a chance to try their own hand at not only creating a graphic novel page of their own but also utilizing the very structural techniques we had been observing and commenting upon throughout the reading.

The kicker? They then had to turn around and write an analytical commentary on the choices they themselves made in their own narrative version of a graphic novel page.

Did they step up to this challenge in the best of ways. (Seriously, click on that link and check out what students created and then how they self-analyzed. They were incredible.)

Plus, as much as I loved-loved-loved the visual creations from students-which featured some of the best artistry I've seen in 11 years of teaching- the quality of analysis from students explaining their own choices was what honestly blew me away.

... The middle at the foreground of the graphic novel page is also cut off by the bottom right to show the tension between the person in power, and the only person who sees past his facade.

...Another choice I made was to color my last panel in black in white to show how the darkness of after graduation is slowly coming upon me. Most importantly, this panel juxtaposed against my first panel that I colored with bright colors that shows how excited I was to receive TAG as a label; this demonstrates that by graduation I am more melancholic by seeing those achievements fade away into nothing.

...The change in perspective as well as my absence from the panel was meant to show how when I take a step back, I see that these things I get so frustrated with are often largely irrelevant, but I can only see that when I myself am separated from the task.

Just a few snippets:

I mean, this was more than cool.

So how did we set this project up, aside from our work with the graphic novel within the unit? 1) students were given three different samples to look at ( )-though now I very much intend on replacing those with this year's student samples going forward; 2) students moved through various brainstorms, including a poetry reflection early in the unit using Clint Smith's "Something You Should Know"; and 3) students had a hard copy template that was only 7.5" by 7.5" to work with, a constraint but also a structure that felt like the right amount of space for students to fill purposefully.

I want to emphasize, too, that it wasn't just the "high-flyers" who excelled at this; on the contrary, this project resulted in some of the highest-quality critical thinking and analytical writing from students at all levels in our classroom.

If you're curious about more details regarding this unit and especially this end-of-unit project, let me know and I'm happy to share more! Though it has been over a month since we moved on from this unit, it is one of the lasting memories of my school year as far as convictions I'll take with me going forward-and part of that conviction is helping others to realize what I did this year: graphic novels belong in the classroom because graphic novels help students belong in the classroom, opening the eyes of students to a different way of reading and thinking and writing and reflecting.

What more do we want in our rooms, after all?

With several weeks left in the school year, a lot of my time will be taken up by giving feedback to final projects and trying to make sure our classroom communities come to a meaningful, affirming close.

However, my guess is that once the dust settles on another fantastic year in the classroom, there will be ample time to reflect and converse for both Jim and I-and if you have any suggestions of topics you'd like us to center on The Broken Copier podcast, let us know!

Finally, for those who are even nearer to the finish line than I am, I wish you the best! It is a minefield of emotions at this point, and this year has been as exhausting as any I've encountered.

You're seen and appreciated, and I wish you the best of closings no matter the arc your year travelled within the classroom and beyond it.

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Falling in Love With Teaching Graphic Novels

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Including why I was wrong for overlooking this powerful genre as an English teacher

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BBC KS3 / KS4 English Language: Comic strips and graphic novels

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BBC KS3 / KS4 English Language: Comic strips and graphic novels

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ANTHONY HOROWITZ:Hello, I'm Anthony Horowitz. When it comes to books, creative writing doesn't have to just mean words printed in straight lines on a page.

ANTHONY HOROWITZ:The way a story is presented can be a part of writing's creative process. And amongst the best illustrations of this are comics, picture books and graphic novels, which, over the years, have been taken more and more seriously and looked on as real works of literature.

ANTHONY HOROWITZ:One example is The Savage, by writer David Almond and illustrator Dave McKean which combines text and drawings brilliantly and even throws correct spelling out the window.

NARRATOR:'Does the illustrated book for older children have a future? 'The recent publication of The Savage, indicates that it does.

NARRATOR:'Written by David Almond, with artwork by Dave McKean, 'The Savage combines traditional storytelling and illustration, 'with modern forms of narrative and layout. 'What emerges is a work of great power and originality.'

DAVID ALMOND:"I stared into the Moon. I felt sad, small, frightened, furious, bitter, lost, lonely but like I said, there's no words that can say how I really felt. I stared into the Moon and stared into the Moon.

DAVID ALMOND:Then I switched the light on again and I got my notebook and my pen and I started writing fast and hard."

NARRATOR:'The savage is a tale of imaginary revenge 'against the torments of a bully. A sometimes shocking read.'

DAVID ALMOND:'It's a book about bereavement. 'It's about a boy kind of exploring his grief. 'It's about a boy getting his own back on a bully.'

DAVID ALMOND:It's about how a family can kind of reconstitute itself after something tragic had happened to them. It's about all of those things.

NARRATOR:'The language that David Almond employs 'is deliberately illiterate and fractured for effect.'

DAVID ALMOND:'When I got to the bit where Blue is writing his own story' I did it in this kind of sketchy handwriting style and then messed up all the... all the spellings with the help of my daughter who said, "No he wouldn't spell it wrongly like that dad, he would spell it wrongly like this."

DAVID ALMOND:"And it wasn't long before he was standing at another gate and sniffing the air and this time it was the gate of Hopper's house and the smell there was justb-blank-blank-blank-blank-blank horrible."

NARRATOR:'Artist Dave McKean takes inspiration from the past 'and that most ancient of artforms, 'calligraphy.'

DAVE MCKEAN:'It's about a boy that is very primal 'and so it needed that sort of strong... 'statement visually. 'I ended up redrawing the faces many, many times. 'Especially the big sort of angry, shouty ones.'

DAVE MCKEAN:Just to try and undraw them in fact, to try and take the finesse away and try and take all the little touches that you put in to try and get it right.

DAVE MCKEAN:Try and get rid of that and try and get to the point where almost like a calligraphic you know, Japanese symbol, you can do it in one and once you draw it 20 times your hand kind of goes in the right place and all of those sort of subtle, pretentious bits and bobs fall away.

NARRATOR:'In the way that his illustrations are presented on the page 'McKean acknowledges a debt to the modern art of the comic strip.'

DAVE MCKEAN:'That style of work is very good at 'dealing with stories that are very internal 'that are about your private thoughts or private dreams.'

DAVE MCKEAN:A bit strange because a lot of comics usually are bigger, flashy adventure stories and everything's out on the surface but personally I think they're at their best when they're like handwriting they're like a private letter 'or a personal little story which is what this boy writes.

DAVE MCKEAN:'Sometimes the words lead the pictures, 'sometimes the picture is off in charge, 'and sometimes they sort of buzz against each other 'and create a third thing.'

NARRATOR:'Doyenne of the picture book, Shirley Hughes 'recognises the significance of this work. 'By combining past and present, The Savage looks to the future.

SHIRLEY HUGHES:'The Savage is really a breakthrough. 'It's an extraordinary book' because it's drawing very much on graphic novel strip cartoon but it isn't a strip cartoon, there are no speech balloons for instance but it's very filmic. It points the way in which maybe the illustrated book is going.

DAVID ALMOND:"Yes the savage was starting to learn about words, yes the savage was learning about what it felt like to be human and yes the savage was learning about good and bad in people but the savage was still a savage and sometimes he was nothing but a savage."

ANTHONY HOROWITZ:The Savage won awards, high praise and was later adapted into a stage play and a musical.

ANTHONY HOROWITZ:Another example of a book turning into something else can be found in Eoin Colfer's tales of the teenage genius and criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl

CHILD:'How does one describe Artemis Fowl? 'Various psychiatrists have tried and failed. 'The main problem is Artemis' own intelligence. 'He bamboozles every test thrown at him.'

NARRATOR:-'Artemis Fowl shows how the book can be a flexible friend. 'It began life as a words-only bestseller 'but then it's comics-loving author 'decided to turn it into a graphic novel 'as an alternative way of storytelling 'to reach a wider readership.'

EION COLFER:I think we're going into a whole new market as well. There is a lot of kids out there who just read graphic novels or primarily read graphic novels so hopefully they will get to know Artemis now as well

EION COLFER:and maybe they'll go back and read the book if they're sufficiently interested in it. So it's kind of given a shot in the arm to the book as well.

NARRATOR:'The comic strip format was the ideal medium for this modern reinvention 'of the adventure story.'

NICOLETTE JONES:'It was originally described as "Die Hard with fairies" 'was the shout line when it was originally promoted.

NICOLETTE JONES:'It's a high-tech adventure, involving fairies, 'with a boy antihero'and the appeal of it is that it's got a bad guy boy protagonist 'and we enjoy him being evil.'

EION COLFER:'I wanted, in the opening chapter of Artemis 'for the modern world, to collide with the ancient fairy world 'and I thought I'd like to go to Ho Chi Minh city.

EION COLFER:'So I sent Artemis there, with Butler, his bodyguard 'and they track down this little sprite and he wants to find her book 'which is her fairy bible.

EION COLFER:'He has Butler photograph it with a digital camera 'and that, for me, was the moment, when this digital camera 'was right beside this fairy book,

EION COLFER:'where the human world and the fairy world, 'the modern and the ancient, came together 'and hopefully when this happens, the reader would think, "OK, this is something different."

NARRATOR:'The phenomenal cult appeal of Artemis Fowl 'has also given it a virtual new life in hyperspace.

EION COLFER:'What's happening now is fan movies, which go on YouTube. 'You'll get these kids with camcorders 'and make their own little movies of the book 'and post them up on the internet and they're fantastic.

EION COLFER:'The readers, they're making their own websites, 'talking about the books. Like there's something like 80,000 'Artemis Fowl fan sites around the world, which is unbelievable.'

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KS3 / KS4 English Language: Comic strips and graphic novels

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David Almond and Eoin Colfer explore flexibility of form in contemporary narrative writing. Suitable for teaching at KS3 and KS4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 3rd and 4th Level in Scotland.

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Research: How Comics Help to Teach Shakespeare in Schools

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Research: How Comics Help to Teach Shakespeare in Schools