On Wednesday, October 16th, the Comic Con Book Panel: Teaching Comics in Colleges was held and moderated by Professor Paul Levitz alongside several speakers:
Ioana Atanassova, co-editor of the Journal of Comics & Culture, Pace University
Eliot Borenstein, Interim Vice Chancellor/Vice Provost of New York University
Matthew Brake, co-editor of the Journal of Comics & Culture, George Mason University
Klaus Janson, Eisner Hall of Fame writer and artist, Lecturer School of Visual Arts
The discussion was centered around how comics and graphic novels have become a controversial part of the education system in schools. Each speaker brought an individualized stance on the insertion of comic books into classes, but all responses were unique to the experiences and expertise of the speakers. Below are some thoughts that were expressed by the respective speakers.
Matthew
- Encourages students to look at comics as literature
- Uses comics to make connections with religion or philosophy
- Goal: to enchant the world of student’s minds and framing the way students look at comics
Klaus
- Discovered more about comics and opened the area of storytelling for him and the meaning behind the decisions you make when you lay out a page
- The mechanics of art are very important and solid
- Quote: There is no free lunch. If you want something, you have to give something up. It’s a ritual as old as time itself”.
- Quote: Are you willing to hit your head on the brick wall?
Elliot
- Proficient in Russian literature
- Took to heart the mission to take students and make them have an intellectual but fun art form aka comics
- Trying to get students to confront the power of form
- Talking about restrictions of what you can do with art form
- Think of comic as a relationship between form and content and how they influence each other
- Talked about how narrative manipulates students and how they feel during/after reading
Ioana
- Comics are a way to honor technique, execution, and how comics interact with history
Some of the highlights of the panel were their discussions regarding their philosophy when teaching comics, and the close connections one gets to establish with students when finding a common fandom or love for comics.
Teaching Comics
During the panel, it was mentioned that before there was not an academic vision on how to teach comics, then it started to be accepted by the academia due to the student’s interest in the topic, and nowadays, it has turned into a topic of huge cultural importance.
A lot of the panelists started their journey as avid comic readers, however, their teaching philosophies started changing according to their own education and styles. Matthew Brake shared that he likes to teach comics as literature, especially in relation to religious studies. Ioana Atanassova prefers a focus centered on art history and visual culture. Eliot encourages his students to confront the power of form, and the relationships between form and content. And Klaus focuses his lessons on the mechanics of the form, the rules of art and composition and how storytelling gets influenced by these factors.
“On of the joys of teaching comics is that it has not been explored. There is some collective wisdom of what the canon is but there is still so much to discover”
The joy of teaching comics
Another topic covered in the panel was the shared love for comics that both educators and students share. They are both fans and there will always be space for them to “geek out” about their favorite comics. This mutual fandom creates a “connection that goes beyond age limits”.
Overall, the discussion was thought provoking, informative, and we are glad that we were able to hear about the experiences of comic enthusiasts as they continue to share their knowledge in and out of classrooms. It is clear that the introduction of things that disrupt the status quo will always get people talking.