What comes to mind when one hears the words comic book or graphic novel?

Images of superheroes throwing each other through buildings? Middle aged men still living in their parents basement, perhaps? Considered to be a bit too nerdy by the mainstream public and childish and simple by more intellectual types, the comics industry seems to always be getting the short end of the stick. As an avid fan of this particular medium since I was a little girl, I can assure you that comic books and graphic novels are indeed valid mediums of art and literature with much to offer to anyone and everyone. But men in spandex saving the world from certain death once a month just isnt my thing, you might say. Well thats perfectly alright! Comics come in almost every genre under the sun; from gripping autobiographies like Marjane Satrapis Persepolis, which details her upbringing and experiences in 1970s Iran, to Bryan Lee OMalleys quirky series Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, a fantasy adventure chock full of geeky humour, genre-savvy characters, and just plain fun. There are sombre and surreal stories like Neil Gaimans Death: The High Cost of Living, wherein Death spends a day as a human, as she does every 100 years, with much to learn and even more to teach, and comics that serve to continue the storylines of cult classic television shows like Firefly even after the networks decide to pull the plug. Even within the superhero genre there are quality tales like Frank Millers Batman: Year One, a classic book detailing Bruce Waynes first year as the caped crusader. The characters youll find in comics have also evolved a great deal from the early days. Way back when, to have their own comic book, a character had to be white, male, and be (or at least be portrayed as) attractive. Nowadays, though, you can find and eclectic mixture of three-dimensional characters of all different races, religions, sizes, genders, ages, sexual orientations, and abilities. Some notable examples include Storm and Northstar of the X-Men, the former being the first black superheroine and the latter being the first gay superhero; Kathy Kane, a former member of the military who now holds the mantle of Batwoman and is also one of the most prolific gay characters in comic history; Miles Morales, a half-African American half-Latino teen who is also the new Spiderman; Oracle, a former Batgirl who, after becoming paralysed from the waist down and wheelchair bound, continued to fight crime by becoming Batmans informant and using her incredible levels of intelligence to solve crimes and, a personal favourite of mine who was transferred from the silver screen to the comic shop shelves, Willow Rosenberg, a Jewish lesbian witch who has saved the world time and time again with her incredible power, and all while still remaining fully clothed, I might add. It goes without saying that none of these fantastic characters or rich worlds could exist without the talent and dedication of their artists. Contrary to what you may think, there is no set method on how to draw comics, so the end result is a tapestry of covers with their own unique styles and colours lining the store shelves. Even within the pages of the books, where they try to keep the art more uniform, it is still possible to see the fine touches and

idiosyncrasies of different artists. To anyone who simply dismisses comic art as low quality, I would ask them to go take a look at the photorealistic covers done by Jo Chen, the unique digital works of Adam Hughes, the gritty, pointed stylings of Tim Sale or the stunning watercolours painted by Dustin Nguyen and try saying that again. Even the more simplistic styles like those of Bruce Timm or Bryan Lee OMalley are still full of life and have their own distinct flavours. The artwork found in comics is just like any other type- it varies greatly and is subjective. Because of this, you cant generalize it. Every artist is unique, and if you really take the time to look, youre bound to find at least one style thats aesthetically pleasing to you. Aside from artwork and story, one thing I really love about comics is their accessibilityno matter your reading level, you are pretty much guaranteed to find something that is both interesting to you and at your reading level. You could even learn a thing or two, too. And Im not the only one whos realized this; many teachers are beginning to see what valuable educational resources comics can be. Trying to teach a class about the Palestine/Israel conflict? No perspective is better than an insiders perspective, and you can get just that from Sarah Gliddens memoir How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less. Graphic novels like Art Spiegelmans Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus can offer plenty of information while bringing the horrors of the holocaust to life in ways a textbook never could. Am I saying we should throw all our school books out the window and teach only with comics? Of course not, but you cant deny their benefits, especially when it comes to reluctant readers. The kids who are intimidated by the amount of text in traditional books or the ones who lack the motivation to read it all will often find a graphic novel much more inviting. Readers whose reluctance stems from an inability to decode text or visualize whats going on will find solace in the drawings that accompany the story. Also, since most kids dont consider comics to be real books, they are much more likely to pick them up. In reality, though, comic books are far from easier read; students must use high level reading skills to follow the art and text at the same time while also understanding the sequencing of each panel, not to mention the vocabulary is often varied and complex. Even the monthly issue comic books like Ultimate Spiderman and Batgirl, who wont go down in history as literary masterpieces or the best of their medium, can still offer all these benefits as well as some great entertainment value. With all the things comic books and graphic novels have to offer, its actually quite surprising that theyve been ignored by the mainstream public this long. While it is true that they are slowly inching into the limelight, what with all the blockbuster superhero films and the recent popularization nerd culture, were still not quite there yet. Educators still ban them in classrooms, parents still refuse to buy them for their kids, and peers still judge their fans. I hope that someday soon people will be able to recognize comic books and graphic novels for the diverse and wonderful mediums they truly are.