So, I do think comics can be a useful tool in promoting literacy if you catch kids while they are young. They provide an entry way into reading, help develop reading skills and instill a sense of reading for pleasure.

Of course, giving teenagers comics to read because they find Moby Dick too boring for their MTV addled minds is another thing entirely. There’s no guarantee that by reading World War Hulk that they’d be more likely to read Moby Dick later on. But if they are way behind the curve as reading skills go, then, perhaps, comics would provide a way for them to catch up.

Similarly, not being assigned Silas Marner is exactly equal to a backrub and a $50 ebay gift certificate, and skipping the textbook chapter on the Civil Rights movement for a viewing of Dog-Town and Z Boys is exactly equal to three tickets to the Wu-Tang reunion tour.

WHO WILL SAVE THE CHILDREN FROM BEING ASSIGNED MOBY DICK???

good point, tom spurgeon. cause, you know, not requiring 7th graders to read ‘moby dick’ is pretty much the same thing as being orally pleasured and then served a hamburger.

We create user -friendly materials that kids respond to because they are non-intimidating and present information in a graphic story format that is easily understood. Our unique programs make learning and skill development easier. The main obstacle we have encountered so far is the resistance by many teachers and educational supplies companies to try this radically different approach to learning – comic books! ( gasp!) . Many people do not understand or appreciate the powerful impact that comic books can have – especially on teenage boys .

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Maybe we could continue to assign good books but after every chapter the student finishes, they would be orally pleasured and someone would cook them a hamburger.

Mike Judge was horribly optimistic.

That’s why I’ll soon be launching a new line of totally scorching hot “Resusci-Anime” dolls in Japanese-style schoolgirl outfits.

I blame my lack of interest in not retaining my CPR accreditation to my school not making Resusci-Annie as hot-looking as she might have been.

A powerful learning tool for me was the old POWER RECORDS dramatizations of SPIDER-MAN, HULK, CAPTAIN AMERICA, and others. Good production values, although I thought their choice of stories to adapt was strange, since they weren’t typical issues of the comics.

Comics can be educational. However, I will admit that I tended to ignore anything that wasn’t comic or superhero related for a long, long time. Use the comics to teach kids reading, but also introduce them to other types of material.