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Graphic novels KA-POW! into English classes at JC

Craig Crouden, Contributing Writer
Published: May 14, 2009

Superman. Ironman. Wolverine. It’s hard to discuss comic books or graphic novels without conjuring images of heroic, muscular super-humans in Spandex saving the world from Evil with a capitol “E.”

However, SRJC professor Judith Friscia taught her students this semester that graphic novels have more to offer than tights and masks.

Friscia, who began teaching at SRJC in 2006, teaches “Persepolis,” a graphic memoir by Iranian artist and author Marjane Satrapi. She felt so drawn to the graphic novel that she chose not to teach this year’s Work of Literary Merit, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

“I just got very excited about teaching ‘Persepolis,’” Friscia said. “It was a text that definitely was one I was passionate about.”

“Persepolis” chronicles author Marjane Satrapi’s childhood before and after the revolution that turned Iran into a fundamentalist Islamic state. Satrapi begins with an introduction chronicling 2000 years of Iranian and Persian history to put her story in context. Through disarmingly simple black and white illustrations, she proceeds to tell the story of her liberal family and how they coped with increasing social restrictions in Iran.

“She writes about it from the perspective of a child growing up first with liberty and then as it’s systematically stripped away,” Friscia said.

Though the pictures could be mistaken for those of a child, the story conveyed is mature.

Increasingly, college professors and departments are recognizing the literary value of graphic novels and teaching them in classes. Many schools incorporate graphic novels into English classes, while some schools like Sonoma State University offer classes specifically to study graphic novels.

Graphic novels are long-form comic books. While comic books are serialized month to month, graphic novels are conceived as a whole with a beginning, middle and end, said Kathy Bottarini, owner of the Comic Book Box in Rohnert Park.

However, a strict definition is difficult because monthly comic books are often assembled as complete stories in trade paperbacks, which look the same as graphic novels and are bookstore-friendly,

Bottarini said. Bottarini sells graphic novels and comic books to customers ranging from children to people in their 80s. There are long racks of comic
books covering one wall and large book cases almost overflowing with graphic novels covering the opposite wall. Although graphic novels are a good chunk of her business, comic books still make up the majority of her sales.

“Both are wonderful mediums,” Bottarini said, “If you want to have just the more dedicated read, the graphic novel is the better bang for your buck.”

At first Professor Friscia was dismissive of graphic novels, but colleague Jean Witherow at Louisiana State University suggested she read “Persepolis.” LSU assigned the book as a summer reading project for all undergraduates, with a workshop incorporating lectures from English, Psychology, History, and Sociology departments, Friscia said.

“When my friend suggested this and said it was a graphic novel, I was being polite at first,” Friscia said. “Then I thought I should just check it out.”

While graphic novels have become more acceptable in recent years, only within the last three years have specific classes about graphic novelsbeen available, said Sonoma State University professor Heidi LaMoreaux.

LaMoreaux, who has a PhD. in Geography from the University of Georgia, teaches a class called “Graphic Novels” through the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at SSU and is largely selfeducated.

She first started using graphic novelsin her lower-division classes, most notably a compilation in response to September 11. The positive response from students and faculty led her to create a class dedicated to graphic novels, LaMoreaux said.

“When I first started thinking about doing the course, I didn’t know what books to include,” LaMoreaux said, “I had this interest in graphic novels and I had some background, but I wasn’t an expert.”

She got help from Kathy Bottarini at the Comic Book Box, and over the past six years has taught graphic novels like “Swamp Thing” by Alan Moore,“The Sandman” by Neil Gaiman and “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud, is a graphic novel about how to read graphic novels and the closest thing to a textbook on the subject for many years.

She also included Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” the basis for the 2009 film and voted one of the top 100 novels of the 20th century,

LaMoreaux said. “Watchmen” was originally released as a 12-issue comic book series in the 1980s. Many consider it a classic of graphic novel storytelling because of the compelling humanity of the characters.

“Characters started, in the late ‘80s, becoming very human: Daredevil started chewing Vicodin; they started having a darker undercurrent, being a lot more relatable, a lot more human,” LaMoreaux said.

Although comic books started growing up 40 years ago with R. Crumb’s X-rated “Zap Comix”, memoirs and personal narratives are changing the perception of graphic novels today, said LaMoreaux. Books like “Persepolis” and “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang, or Art Spiegelman’s holocaust narrative“Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” are longer, sustained stories. They change the perception about the types of stories graphic novels can tell.

LaMoreaux said: “Publishing a graphic novel is not something your colleagues laugh at you for. It’s actually seen as a legitimate piece of literature or artwork.”

The spring semester was Friscia’s first time using “Persepolis” and the first time teaching a graphic novel. She was pleasantly surprised with the sophisticated student responses. Students realized right away that “Persepolis” was going to be a deeper read, Friscia said.

Because of the positive response, Friscia is eager to teach the book again and is expanding her library with graphic novels.

“I think it’s an interesting way to depict very heavy social struggles,” Friscia said. “I wonder if it makes it even a little less intimidating for people in general.”

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