Comic Books Are Cool

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Batman. Wolverine. Green Lantern. Superman. The Incredible Hulk. Men in Black. Captain America. The Fantastic Four. Iron Man. Spider-Man.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've likely heard of all of these characters. You've probably even seen most of their movies. You know why? Because superheroes are cool. And where do superheroes originate from? Comic books. If you enjoy big superhero blockbusters, such as The Avengers or The Dark Knight, there's no reason you won't enjoy the stories from whence these adaptations came. There is a whole culture to explore surrounding comic books and their adaptations; why not join the fun?

These days it sometimes feels like mobile phones and tablets are the lifeblood of modern society, so it is essential that we get children interested in reading from a young age, whether it's reading books, magazines, graphic novels or comics. These will open the eyes of a child to the world of literature.

Lots of people, especially young readers who are struggling to improve their reading skills, can benefit from the visual format of comic books and graphic novels. With their intense visuals and focus on plot and characters, comic books can be much more engaging than other literary media, such as novels or short stories.

Comic books may also help people develop the reading skills required to comprehend texts with higher levels of difficulty. When people read comic books, they learn how to process information differently, as we'll explore in the following section. Further, comic books and graphic novels can help people learn information that they may otherwise find boring, such as stories from history or other educational information.

Some children may not be interested in books but they may enjoy reading comics

There is a category of comics called Manga which originated in Japan but are now published in USA. These are a style of Japanese comic and graphic novel which are characterized by stylised colourful art. There are six or seven different types of manga each having its own audience.

Okay, so maybe you're not into superheroes. That's fair. But did you know that you can read comic books and graphic novels about lots of other topics, too? There are tons of comic books out there sans evil villains or vats of toxic waste, such as the Scott Pilgrim series, The Walking Dead, The Sandman, and many more.

There are also tons of great graphic novels and graphic nonfiction books out there, such as Alison Bechdel's autobiography, Fun Home; Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis; and many more. Many of these stories, just like your favourite books, explore weighty themes and feelings.

The visual nature of graphic novels allows you, as the reader, to experience these themes in different ways than you do when reading a traditional book. Don't limit yourself to regular prose; explore everything the world of comic books and graphic novels has to offer. You probably won't like everything you encounter, but then again, you don't like all the books out there, either. You just have to explore and find what's right for you!

 Submitted By John G in Inchicore Library.