Comics and Graphic Novels to the Rescue

Comic Nostalgia

When I was a child at sleepaway camp, I relished the escape comic books provided. I didn’t love living in a bunk with 20 other girls–it cut into my reading time. If I could sneak away for a few minutes, I often turned to these colorful stories. The Archie series was my favorite, with Wonder Woman and Richie Rich close behind. I can’t help but wonder: will any of my students enjoy reading comics this summer?

As I sit at my home desk, listening to the birdsong of Carolina wrens and house sparrows drifting in through the window, I glance at the comics resting on top of a book stack. They’re remnants from my last library event of the school year, Free Comic Book Day.

Free Comic Book Day

During this fourth annual event in May, we gave out dozens of comics to eager teenagers. Shiny red Spiderman characters; pale pink unicorns; orange fire storms; blue Superman covers. . .the graphics alone seemed to animate my teen library patrons.

Getting adolescents excited about reading is not easy. In many ways technology is stealing the attention of our youth; we need to work hard to get at least part of it back. Paul Register (2022), who started the Excelsior Award for comics and graphic novels in the UK, is a firm believer that this genre has the power to play a role. He feels that “graphic novels can increase motivation amongst all learners, improve analytical skills, and feed creativity” (Register 2022, 8-9). Though I’ve noticed high levels of student engagement during my March Book Madness and other similar events, I haven’t seen a large increase in circulation afterward. I do, however, notice more students checking out graphic novels as their independent reading books. Comic books and graphic novels may be the answer to lagging teen reading motivation.

Getting Ready

To prepare for our event, my colleague (a special education English teacher) and I reached out to our contact at Escape Pod Comics. Since we both live close to this store, we chose it as our source. Before each event, we discuss with the owner what types of comics we’d like. When he’s finished with his Free Comic Book Day (most national comic book stores hold this event the first Saturday in May), he puts together a box for us to pick up.

Now that we’ve been doing this event for years, our setup is simple. About a week before the event we hang Canva-created flyers around the school. I post announcements on my Canvas page, and we talk it up to the students. We send out an email to the staff, notifying them of the event and sharing related resources. Lastly, we arrange for the custodians to bring a large table to the library the night before.

Comic Game Day

On the day of the event, we set up the library with colorful displays of comics and decorations. Though our budgets may have covered some of the expenses, we used our own funds the first year to purchase props, which we reuse each year. These include:

A superhero tablecloth
Comic graphics to hang on walls and book displays
Colorful gadgets including notepads, pens, mini Rubik’s cubes, stickers, and cups (we have to refresh these giveaways each year)
A Large banner for photo ops
Graphic novels for raffle or contest prizes

On the day of the event, we invite all high school students to browse the comic table and graphic novel display. They can come in on their way to classes, during lunch periods, or with teachers who decide to take their students. Teens are each allowed to take a comic book of their choice. We encourage the students to stand by the large banner where they can take photos using masks and other props. There’s a display of graphic novels we point out to them. This year we included two graphic novels that were offered as prizes for a related haiku contest we created. The mini giveaways scattered across the table are always a hit.

Takeaway and Future Plans

While I don’t track which students read their comics, I can see the enthusiasm that this event brings. My goal for the future is to take it to another level. One teacher suggested we plan a schoolwide Comicon event; another said we should pair the day with an English project. I’d like to go even further and possibly create a community program that would meet once a month, which would enhance the reading motivation of all district students and others in the local area. Not only would participants be able to read comics and graphic novels, but they would engage in activities such as creating digital comic book covers, making book reviews with infographics, and writing their own multiple-panel stories. I’ll continue brainstorming all summer. In the meantime, my dream is that as the temperature hovers near 90 degrees, there are adolescents sitting under the shade of a tree or lying on a comfortable bed lost in a comic or graphic novel.