Category: comics

Highlighting for Students the Process of Writing Comics

Speaking about writing Black Panther for Marvel back in 2016, Ta-Nehisi Coates, when asked about the challenges of writing comics, responded by saying, “It’s a very backwards — in my mind — process of writing. I mean, it’s the process of writing screenplays, of writing comic books, but it’s nmot the process of writing journalism.” Writing comics requires one to think about multiple aspects … Read More Highlighting for Students the Process of Writing Comics

Instead of giving up, what do you do when you care?: Gun Violence in “Dead Boy Detectives”

Last January, I picked up the G.I. Joe Compendium Volume 1, which contains the first fifty issues of the series from March 1982 to May 1986. As a kid, I didn’t collect comics, but when I saw a G.I. Joe comic or a Transformers comic on the rack at a grocery store, I’d pick it up. The compendium has been the first time I’ve read … Read More Instead of giving up, what do you do when you care?: Gun Violence in “Dead Boy Detectives”

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No One Escapes War Unscathed: Kantu Observing War in Don McGregor and Billy Graham’s “Panther’s Rage”

While T’Challa serves as the narrative center of Don McGregor, Billy Graham, and Rich Buckler’s “Panther’s Rage” story arc in Jungle Action Featuring: Black Panther, the series contains numerous supporting characters who have their own tragectories over the course of the arc. One of these is Kantu, a nine-year-old boy who appears in almost every issue of the arc. Early in “Panther’s Rage,” Killmonger’s men … Read More No One Escapes War Unscathed: Kantu Observing War in Don McGregor and Billy Graham’s “Panther’s Rage”

The Inevitable Cost of War in “Jungle Action” #11

Recently, I examined some of Billy Graham’s layouts and panels in Jungle Action Featuring: The Black Panther #11. Since then, I can’t stop thinking about this issue and the ways that it confronts the physical and psychological destruction caused by war and hatred. It reminds me, in some ways, of Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña’s Escape, a series I have written about over the past few months as well. While … Read More The Inevitable Cost of War in “Jungle Action” #11

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Reading Daniel Stein’s “Strange Fruit and Bitter Roots”

From the moment I heard about Daniel Stein’s recent book, Strange Fruit and Bitter Roots: Black History in Contemporary Graphic Narrative, I knew I wanted to read it, specifically because Stein examines numerous texts that I have used or plan to use in my courses. Stein offers a lot over the course of Strange Fruit and Bitter Roots, moving from an exploration of graphic … Read More Reading Daniel Stein’s “Strange Fruit and Bitter Roots”