A Key Moment for Graphic Novels and Comics in the Academic World

This past Saturday was an amazing moment in the evolution of the graphic novel and comics market.  Fordham University hosted a symposium called “Graphica in Education” which took place at the university’s Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan.   The event was amazing on a couple of levels.  For one, the event committee, led by Dr. Marshall George, was able to assemble more than 25 presentations in less than three months.  The depth of the programming was incredible.  Academics and teachers from across the country came in to discuss how the use of graphic novels is being used to enhance literacy, improve self-awareness, augment ESL programs and they showed how the format is helping to meet the needs of today’s students who are immersed in a world which demands a greater amount of visual literacy.

There were many favorite moments during the event.  Professor James “Bucky” Carter opened as the keynote speaker and he talked about comics and how they were the first books he read.  Jon Scieszka is another amazing campaigner for including comics in literacy, he is also the first Ambassador for YA Literature and a hilarious speaker.  The panel on the Power of Graphic Novels with Jimmy Gownley of Amelia Rules! and Dr. Michael Bitz of The Comic Book Project, was a great discussion on just what it is that kids love about comics and graphic novels.  The main point that came from this is that kids today are very critical about their sources of information and that translates into literacy for them.  Publishers, teachers and an entire market needs to deliver better information to this audience in a more efficient manner-or lose the market.

It was an amazing event and if it is an indicator of things to come, we really are on the cusp of another great change in our culture.