Comic Connections

Comic Connections: Building Character and Theme is designed to help teachers from middle school through college find exciting new strategies to help students develop their literacy skills. Each chapter has three pieces: comic relevance, classroom connections, and concluding thoughts; this format allows a reader to pick-and-choose where to start. Some readers might want to delve into the history of a comic to better understand characters and their usefulness, while other readers might want to pick up an activity, presentation, or project that they can fold into that day's lesson. This volume in Comic Connections series focuses on two literary elements-character and theme-that instructors can use to build a foundation for advanced literary studies. By connecting comics and pop culture with these elements, students and teachers can be more energized and invested in the ELA curriculum.

Sandra Eckard is a professor of English at East Stroudsburg University, where she teaches writing, works with English Education students, and directs the Writing Studio, a space to help student writers. She specializes in teaching writing, tutoring writing, and using popular culture in the classroom.

Preface: Becoming a Teacher
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Building Character and Theme, Sandra Eckard
1: Tales and Dreams: Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and Critical and Creative Thinking in the English Classroom, Carmela Delia Lanza
2: Marvelous Families, Epic Dysfunction: Combining Norse Mythology, the Thor Comics, and Marvel Films in a General Education Literature Course, Holly M. Wells
3: Flip the Hero Script: Kamala Khan and Katniss Everdeen Search for Agency, Purpose, and Identity, Mary T. Christel
4: Marvel's Civil War: Interrogating Vigilantism and the Superhero Myth in the Post-9/11 Era, Jane Coulter and Keith McCleary
5: From Marvel's Daredevil to Netflix's Defenders: Justice Is Blind?, P.L. Thomas
6: Comics and Philosophy: Batman and the Nature of Evil, Jon Ostenson
7: Discovering and Discussing Tall Tale Elements Through Lemke's Tall Great American Folktales: The Comic Anthology, Jennifer Toney
8: Finding the Panther: Marvel Comics' Black Panther Socio-Historical Roots and Their Influences on Character Development, Scott Honeycutt, Karin Keith, Renee Rice-Moran, LaShay Jennings, Huili Hong
9: 21st Century Creature: Analyzing Frankenstein in the Medium of Comic, Jeffrey Hayes
10: Word from Krypton: Analyzing the Character of Superman, Richard Harrison
About the Authors