It’s like the detractors of comic books think that people who read them lose IQ points or something but in fact, it’s a style issue: they don’t like getting information in this form and so, project that on everyone.

I don’t read comic books much but I do love the form and I know that getting information in this highly contextualized form can be just the ticket for some people who struggle to read.

Of course, I also agree that comic books should be a stepping stone to more complicated text and to building comprehension in text without pictures. However, there is no reason why a child cannot continue to read comic books and enjoy them. My husband is 29 and has read most classics in English and French literature but I always marvel at the pleasure he still gets from curling up with a good comic book.

So, let’s use comic books, they’re an little-used treasure of reading:)

As far as pictures aiding in vocabulary development by supplying context clues, this is a bad thing…why?

Comic book characters actually are characters, by the way, and they grow and develop — they aren’t one-dimensional “heroes.” Spiderman is a different individual from the Wolverine or Batman or Green Lantern, for instance.

He loves specific words and lyric poetry and I am certain that as he matures he will begin to read conventional books. But in the meantime, the wry and ultraviolet humor of some of the graphic novels and the excellent artwork supplements the complex story lines that some of these books support.

And, psychologically, once a child has gotten used to reading a 300-page comic book, a 300-page regular book looks less daunting.

The object of the game in the early grades is to get them reading and keep them reading. As far as I’m concerned, anything will do. The juvenile delinquents I used to prosecute did not hang out at the book section of the library (or even the comic book store). But many of my peers at university who majored in comparative literature were avid comic book collectors.

What’s interesting is that people who read fluently sometimes have a hard time reading comic book format and it makes them feel uncomfortable (uh, hello, how do they think dyslexics feel reading English?) and so, poo poo the format. But, in fact, the format is a useful scaffold for pieces of learning how to read. You’re right, it’s not gonna teach you phonics but it might actually allow a bit of content through. Nothing wrong with that. Thanks.

MAUS is incredibly powerful on so many levels, and the cartoon aspect adds to its depth–literary analysis through comics! I actually read it in college–it was part of a Jewish history course I took. Comic books can have a surprisingly high reading level. One good example (though not always p.c.) is the Tintin series.

Another plus for comic books is how they help kids who have trouble with visual tracking. Instead of having to keep your place on a page filled with lines of letters stacked on top of each other, a comic book’s frames help separate units of text. Kids are less likely to lose their place, making for a less frustrating reading experience–so they’ll keep reading instead of giving up.

Comic books can even be used to develop oral reading fluency–an area I’ve found my students struggle with. Just think of the expression and voices you could encourage kids to use!