Mang-huh? Comics in your

libraryA presentation by

Cathy Kyle Youth Services

LibrarianParma Public Library

Supporting a Mutant-based Curriculum

From the comic Unshelved: http://www.overduemedia.com/

COMIC BOOK/COMIC

• term used to refer to any sort of literature that combines story and art.

• Examples: Peanuts & Calvin & Hobbs

GRAPHIC NOVEL• comic book longer in format than the

usual “pamphlet,” and typically contains a complete story unto itself.

• Examples are: Bone or Fashion Kitty

Japanese Comics• ANIME is the Japanese contraction

and pronunciation of the English word animation. Many times people mistakenly think that the comics are anime, however comics are..

• MANGA - the closest translation is Graphic novel though they are not at all like novels in the Western sense, nor are they comparable to Western comic books. Manga cover a wide range of topics, from fantasy & adventure, to sports & cooking.

SHOUJO• the Japanese word for girl. This also

defines the titles that are specifically created for young girls. These works often have very complex stories and character interaction.

• Examples: Yotsuba and Fruits Basket

SHOUNEN• the Japanese word for boy. This defines

titles that are created with young boys in mind and are filled with lots of action, adventure, and giant robots.

• Examples: Naruto and Dragon Ball

Naruto• Demon leaves trail of destruction

throughout a Hidden Leaf Village• Leader of the Hidden Leaf Village

sacrifices himself and seals the demon in a baby (Naruto)

• Naruto grows up, an orphan, an outcast and a very obnoxious child

• Naruto goes to Ninja Academy and saves his sensei from being killed

Naruto “Hidden Villages”Or, what are those things their

wearing?

• Hidden Leaf VillageHead Ninja: Hokage

• Hidden Mist VillageHead Ninja: Mizukage

• Hidden Rock VillageHead Ninja: Tsuchikage

• Hidden Cloud VillageHead Ninja: Raikage

• Hidden Sand VillageHead Ninja: Kazekage

In the Naruto anime series, they are several Hidden Villages. Each Hidden Village is apart of a country, where each leader

or Head ninja stands matched against ruling landlords of each country.

Typical Age Ratings for Manga

• ALLGenerally acceptable for children. No Nudity. Possible mild violence.

• 12+, 13+ May contain violence, brief nudity, and/or mild language. May suggest sexual situations, but no situations are shown. Parental discretion advised.

• 15+,16+,17+ Strong violence and strong language. Prevalent Nudity may be contained within the picture. Mild sexual situations may be shown.

• 18+ Extreme violence, Explicit Nudity, and/or Extreme Language may be contained in the picture. May contain sexually explicit material. Absolutely not for anyone under 18 years of age.

Some differences between “American” & “Japanese” comics

• Manga is written “backwards” to what we are accustomed to. That means that you start from the back of the book and work your way to the front. You also need to read from the right to the left

• once you have taken the time to read a few of them with your aspirin in hand, you’ll begin to get more comfortable with the format.

• By encouraging them to read differently than they are accustomed to, they are gaining more than just reading skills. They are also learning to think in a new way.

Imagine you’re watching a movie

According to Amy Kim Ganter, author of Sorcerers and Secretaries

Reading Manga is like watching a movie. When there is lots of action and confusion or something , the picture is big and zoomed out so that you can see everything.

When something minor or an emotion is being expressed, the picture is small and zoomed in.

Whenever the love interest is shown, the picture is big and airy so that you can see his whole face and you know that this guy is important to the main character.

from Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki http://eprentice.sdsu.edu/F034/rvasquez/teacher_wip.html

Maybe we’re not so different after all?

But what about the biggest difference…

And the BIGGEST difference is...

Content!

The Japanese view of the world can sometimes be very different from the American view

The biggies: NUDITY and VIOLENCE

Sushi anyone?

We can use this as a wonderful opportunity for educating our students by exploring Japanese culture such as learning more about their language and customs

Children’s Publishing

Publishers are beginning to realize that comics aren’t just for teens and adults anymoreComics are being adapted for children and some companies are making comics just for kids

Bambi’s a what?

Movies and novels are now being made into comic books specifically aimed at children

They can even be educational!

Kids can learn phonics, about history or about famous people and have fun doing it

Can’t forget those Classics!

Spiderman, Superman and Batman are as popular as ever!

Now publishers are making comic books just for kids, especially targeting new readers with easy to read comics

Easy Ways to keep informed

• Check out public libraries, bookstores & comic book stores and talk to the staff or librarians

• Talk to your students! • keep an eye on the age ratings

printed on the backs of the books, and use your judgement

More time consuming ways

• Make a connection with the local public librarian and share ideas

• Check out websites. You can start here:http://gnforlibrarians.wordpress.com/

http://www.spurl.net/discover/user/gnforlibrarians/

• Finally, we need to take an active role and (gasp!) read as many of these as we can

And remember, if we make kids think comics are bad...

They’ll want to read them even more!