Comics can be educational; ideal for older children whose reading ability does not match their mental age
get across a diffi cult social or health message
in an engaging non-adult fashion. Jasper has written for just about every publisher
in the British comics industry, from 2000AD to The Beano, and an increasing number of American and international publishers, and his Battle Cries series of graphic novels is used in schools throughout the UK to improve literacy for 12 to 16-year-old readers. He points out: “Comics are very educational; ideal for high-low readers (older children whose reading age does not match up). Your brain processes visual information with the left-hand side of the brain and written or textual information with the right side. Comics which combine pictures and text, use both sides at the same time. In other words, putting text in a speech bubble makes it easier to read. Reading like this disempowers the problem of dyslexia.” Historically, teachers and parents didn’t agree.
Although comic strips have been published in newspapers since the 1890s, in the fi rst half of the last century, comics were frowned upon as not “proper literature”. A few titles survived – The Beano and The Dandy, but others such as Topper fell victim to paper shortages in the Second World War. The Seventies saw a move to “slicks” – comics printed on shiny paper, and more teenage in tone with the arrival of the Problem page and product placement. No wonder they weren’t encouraged by parents. The current revival seems to owe its existence to branding – another media to be exploited for characters made famous on children’s TV.
Yet, this style of writing (pictures + text) has positive benefi ts for children, says Professor Carol Tilley of the University of Illinois. She says: “A lot of criticism comes from people who think that kids are just looking at the pictures and not putting them together with the words. But you could easily make the same criticism of picture books.” She adds: “If reading is to lead to any
meaningful knowledge or comprehension, readers must approach a text with an understanding of the relevant social, linguistic, and cultural conventions. And if you really consider how the pictures and words work together in consonance to tell a story, you can make the case that comics are just as complex as any other kind of literature.” Children with dyslexia could even be reassured
by the appearance of characters such as Moose Mason in Archie Comics and Taki Matsuya, a mutant character from Marvel Comics, who have also been diagnosed with this problem. But perhaps most helpful is Moving the Goalposts – the tale of dyslexia-aff ected star goalkeeper Sam, who after being named Man of the Match, has to write the match report to read out in assembly – a task which fi lls him with dread. This thought-provoking look at the eff ects dyslexia can have on everyday life is written in suitably graphic novel style by Rob Childs.
Sam Hewitt must have happy memories from reading childhood comics. In the middle
of the present economic downturn, she is bravely launching a new comic called Sea Urchins, which focuses on the wonders of the deep. “I read Bunty and my brothers’ copies of The Beano, and loved
the conversations in bubbles. “I qualifi ed as a marine scientist, and last year
spent 12 months in Madagascar as a volunteer training people to dive. It gave me a lot of time to
42 FirstEleven Michaelmas 2011
www.fi rstelevenmagazine.co.uk
think and plan, and when I came home I knew I was going to launch Sea Urchins. I’ve tested it of course and hope to inspire other children with nature – as I was.” Sea Urchins is launched in January (four times a year; cover price £2.99; www.
seaurchinsmag.com). Anorak, a quarterly comic aimed at 7-12 year olds
(stockists:
www.anorak-magazine.co.uk; £5), also taps into that feel-good factor from the past without feeling remotely dated. Explains editor/founder Cathy Olmedillas: “We created it totally from the perspective of the child. So Anorak is full of stories often written by children, but illustrated by adults, plus games and places to visit.” She acknowledges that as the magazine doesn’t
carry a covermount (proudly), it is more likely to get picked up by parents than children, but says readers are then very loyal. Another new title on the market is Strip
Magazine: already available in one of the hundred or so specialist comic shops in the UK (such as Forbidden Planet), it hits mainstream newsstands next year. An action adventure title, Strip Magazine (stockists:
stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com; £2.99) is aimed at the over-eights; and combines traditional comic appearance with modern story telling techniques. Editor John Freeman explains: “For a kid, these magazines have the power to trigger their imagination and really help children to read on their own. But we never dumb down; good comics shouldn’t patronise their readers.” One of the major challenges to comics is surely the internet – do children even need to
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© Marvel Comics
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