Utah State Today press release, Thursday, October 20, 2011

Ka-Pow! Graphic Novels and Their Use in Academics

Starting Monday, Oct. 24, the atrium of the Merrill-Cazier Library will be taken over with different types of graphic novels, along with a 6-foot model of Spiderman who will hang from the stairs. All are featured in the exhibit “Ka-Pow! Graphic Novels and Their Use in Academics” provided by University Libraries at Utah State University.

Narrowly defined, a graphic novel is a story presented in a book in a comic strip format. Vicki Read, head of circulation at the library, said as long as the story is told with sequential art panels, it can be considered graphic. “The New York Times said they are a new literary form,” Read said. “They are a literary, visual, political and cultural artifact.”

Graphic novels have been used in the classroom by many Utah State professors because they use both written word and visual images to convey ideas. The combination of media appeals to students who have different learning styles. One professor is using A.D. New Orleans to showcase Hurricane Katrina and the effects it had on the United States. Another professor is using In the Shadow of No Towers to discuss 9/11 and the impact that event had on history and the world. Other professors are using Safe Area Gorazde and It was the War of the Trenches to discuss wars in general, genocide and the effects of political unrest, Read said.

There are 10 panels in the display from different graphic novels, representing different genres. The panels focus on race, gender, ethnic issues and other world issues. The display features regional authors and artists as well as international examples. There are extra copies of the displayed novels, as well as 60 others, available for check out at the library’s circulation desk.

To kick off the exhibit, there will be an opening reception Thursday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. in Merrill-Cazier Library, Room 101. USU professors will discuss the use of graphic novels in their curriculum and the Spiderman display will be raffled at the reception. The exhibit is until Dec. 10 at Merrill-Cazier Library during library hours.

Writer: Megan Allen