COMIC BOOKS

BY

ER

IN K

OW

ALS

KI

THE SUPERHERO OF MULTIMODAL LITERACY

EVOLVED.

I N T H E 2 1 s t C E N T U R Y , O U R C O M M U N I C A T I O N P R A C T I C E S H A V E

Where we once communicated

predominantly through the written

word, we now heavily incorporate

the use of imagery.

We experience everyday multimodality —

in the things that we hear, see, read, and

communicate.

PHOTO CREDIT JENS KREUTER

W H I C H M A K E S S E N S E , A S W E A R E A

VISUAL CULTURE L I V I N G I N A D I G I T A L E R A .

PHOTO CREDIT TRACY THOMAS

I N A T I M E I N W H I C H W E A R E S O

HEAVILY INFLUENCED B Y A V I S U A L , M U L T I M O D A L E X P E R I E N C E …

F r o m 2 0 0 3 t o 2 0 1 3 , l i t e r a c y r a t e s i n C a n a d a d r o p p e d f r o m a b o v e a v e r a g e t o a v e r a g e ( c o m p a r e d t o o t h e r c o u n t r i e s )

4 9 % o f C a n a d i a n s h a v e i n a d e q u a t e l i t e r a r y s k i l l s

C a n a d i a n y o u t h ( a g e d 1 6 - 2 4 ) a r e u n d e r - p e r f o r m i n g i n l i t e r a c y

C a n a d a r a n k s 1 1 t h i n t h e w o r l d w h e n i t c o m e s t o l i t e r a c y

L i t e r a c y s k i l l s a r e d i r e c t l y l i n k e d t o e m p l o y m e n t : 8 0 % o f a d u l t s ( a g e d 1 6 - 6 5 ) w i t h t h e h i g h e s t l i t e r a c y l e v e l s a r e e m p l o y e d v s . 5 7 % w i t h t h e l o w e s t l i t e r a c y l e v e l s

S i n c e 1 9 9 8 , t h e d e m a n d f o r e d u c a t e d w o r k e r s i s u p 1 9 % , w h i l e t h e n e e d f o r l o w - s k i l l e d w o r k e r s i s d o w n 1 1 %

* S T A T I S T I C S F R O M O E C D P I A A C 2 0 1 3 S U R V E Y 1

… W E A R E H A V I N G T O C O M B A T

DECLINING LITERACY R A T E S I N C A N A D A .

I N T H E F I G H T T O P R O M O T E R E A D I N G ,

COMIC BOOKSH A V E E M E R G E D A S T H E S U P E R H E R O O F M U L T I M O D A L L I T E R A C Y .

PHOTO CREDIT COOMBESY

PHOTO CREDIT GIULIA BERTELLI

W I T H R E A D I N G F O R P L E A S U R E A T T H E A G E O F 1 5 B E I N G K E Y T O

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT,

I T I S M O R E I M P O R T A N T T H A N E V E R T H A T R E A D I N G B E E N C O U R A G E D A M O N G T O D A Y ’ S Y O U T H . 2

E V E N M O R E S O C O N S I D E R I N G T H A T T H E B I G G E S T

KEY INDICATORA S T O W H E T H E R O R N O T A C H I L D W I L L T H R I V E I N S C H O O L I S I F T H E Y R E A D F O R P L E A S U R E . 3

PHOTO CREDIT JUAN RAMOS

PHOTO CREDIT ERIKA WITTLIEB

D E S P I T E C O M I C B O O K S H A V I N G B E E N A S O U R C E O F

MORAL PANICI N T H E 1 9 5 0 s 4

G R A P H I C N A R R A T I V E S A R E P R O V I N G T H E I R

MERITI N T H E E D U C A T I O N A L A N D L I T E R A R Y L A N D S C A P E S .

PHOTO CREDIT WOKANDAPIX

“Lurking beneath the literal meaning of [comic] strips…is the chance to capture

the curiosity of a student who might never have otherwise given a term like

existentialism a chance.” 5

S H A R O N F . W E B S T E R - H I G H S C H O O L L I T E R A C Y C O A C H

PHOTO CREDIT JACQUELINE MACOU

U S I N G M U L T I M O D A L T E X T S I N E D U C A T I O N A L S O P R O V I D E S N U M E R O U S

BENEFITS.

C O M I C B O O K S T E A C H S T U D E N T S T H A T A M E S S A G E C A N B E C O M M U N I C A T E D I N

MORE FORMS

PHOTO CREDIT IAN ROBINSON

T H A N J U S T L A N G U A G E A N D T E X T . 6

PHOTO CREDIT LUCAS GALLONE

T H E Y A L S O H E L P S T U D E N T S T O

DECODE AND INTERPRET

T H E R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N V I S U A L I M A G E S A N D W R I T T E N L A N G U A G E . 7

A R E C E N T S T U D Y A L S O S U G G E S T S T H A T C R I T I C A L T H I N K I N G S K I L L S A R E U S E D A T

GREATER LEVELS

PHOTO CREDIT TACHINA LEE

W H E N R E A D I N G C O M I C B O O K S C O M P A R E D T O R E A D I N G L I T E R A T U R E T H A T D O E S N ’ T C O N T A I N I M A G E S . 8

PHOTO CREDIT RYAN MCGUIRE

F U R T H E R M O R E , C O M I C B O O K S A R E A N

ENGAGING CHOICE

W H E N I T C O M E S T O I N D E P E N D E N T R E A D I N G .

A N D I T ’ S I M P O R T A N T T O C U L T I V A T E A

PASSION

PHOTO CREDIT Mi PHAM

F O R R E A D I N G E A R L Y O N .

“Reading is an acquired skill. If you have negative experiences early on when

reading, you just quit.” 9

M I C H E L E G O R M A N - A U T H O R A N D L I B R A R I A N

PHOTO CREDIT ALEXIS BROWN

T H E A B I L I T Y O F C O M I C B O O K S T O I G N I T E

CULTURAL CONVERSATION

F U R T H E R A D D S T O T H E I R M E R I T .

A K I N T O G E N E R A L I N T E R E S T M A G A Z I N E T I T L E S ,

COMIC BOOKS

PHOTO CREDIT ANNA VANDER STEL

I N S P I R E C O N V E R S A T I O N A N D G I V E P E O P L E T H I N G S T O T H I N K A B O U T . 1 0

PHOTO CREDIT INSPIRED IMAGES

W H E R E C O M I C B O O K S W E R E O N C E R E G A R D E D A S H O L D I N G L O W C U L T U R A L V A L U E , A S M U L T I M O D A L T E X T S , T H E Y A R E F I N A L L Y

GAINING RESPECT

I N T H E E D U C A T I O N A L C O M M U N I T Y .

PHOTO CREDIT ALEJANDRO ESCAMILLA

P A R T I C U L A R L Y B E C A U S E E N G A G I N G W I T H M U L T I M O D A L T E X T S P R O V I D E S C H I L D R E N W I T H A S K I L L S E T

GEARED TOWARDST H E K N O W L E D G E E C O N O M Y O F T H E 2 1 s t C E N T U R Y . 1 1

PHOTO CREDIT ANDREW MARTIN

I N T H I S C O N T E X T , C O M I C B O O K S A R E A P O W E R F U L M E D I A F O R M .

T H I S P O W E R C A N B E S U M M A R I Z E D B Y A N I D E A C U L L E D F R O M T H E U S E S & G R A T I F I C A T I O N T H E O R Y —N A M E L Y , T H A T M E D I A D O N O T D O T H I N G S T O P E O P L E ,

PEOPLE DO THINGS

W I T H M E D I A . 1 2

PHOTO CREDIT ERIKA WITTLIEB

A N D W E A R E S E E I N G P E O P L E D O G R E A T T H I N G S W I T H C O M I C B O O K S .

THIS SUPERHERO IS RESHAPING THE LITERARY GAME.

Botanica

1. ABC Life Literacy Canada, “Facts and Research,” accessed March 1,

2017. http://abclifeliteracy.ca/workplace-literacy-facts.

2. Sidneyeve Matrix, “Print Media: Books,” Lecture, Queen’s University,

Kingston, ON, February 7, 2017.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. “Using Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom,” NCTE The

Council Chronicle (September 2005), accessed February 24, 2017,

http://www.ncte.org/magazine/archives/122031.

6. Renee Krusemark, “Comic books in the American college classroom: a

study of critical thinking,” Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 8:1

(2017): 60, accessed February 24, 2017, http://dx.doi.org/

10.1080/21504857.2016.1233895.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid, 69.

9. Greg Toppo, “Teachers are getting graphic,” USA Today, May 3, 2005,

accessed February 26, 2017, http://usatoday.com/life/books/news/

2005-05-03-educational-comics_x.htm.

10. Sidneyeve Matrix, “Print Media: Magazines,” Lecture, Queen’s

University, Kingston, ON, February 14, 2017.

11. Jackie Marsh et al., “Young children’s initiation into family literacy

practices in the digital age,” Journal of Early Childhood Research 15:1

(2015): 2, accessed January 10, 2017, http://journals.sagepub.com/

doi/10.1177/1476718X15582095.

12. Sidneyeve Matrix, “Media Use Research,” Lecture, Queen’s University,

Kingston, ON, January 17, 2017.

R E F E R E N C E S

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