Comics books ? the educational perspective

However, considering the educational perspective, we could say that comics can play a role when it comes to preschool education. There are collectible comics that have characters such as Martin Luther King, Benjamin Franklin or have been written on the subject of the Civil War or James Baker, all destined to increased the level of literacy children and young minds. All you need is a comic book reader and you are good to go.
If we were to talk about parental involvement, then we would have to say that to buy comic books is a great decision as a parent. An online comic book that has Benjamin Franklin as the main character has a great educational value, whether we are talking about preschool education or a higher level. Comics books attract young minds and they promote reading, which is indeed one of the most important things, considering literacy children statistics. History can be taught through collectible comics as well and it is guaranteed that children will love them, as they are made to be fun to read.
If you have a little one at home and you are concentrated on his/her education, then you should consider buying comic books of this kind, demonstrating your own parental involvement. You have to be aware of the effect comics books have on children and blend education with pleasure. History is something that we should all know and it doesn't matter if some of the facts are learned through comic books. On the contrary, some children may be more inclined to read about Martin Luther King or the Civil War, if such subjects are found in comic books. Plus, these are collectible comics, which is an added benefit for each child out there.
So, there you have it. It's that simple. You buy comic books with historic subjects and your child will definitely read them. In the age of digital learning, you can choose a kind of preschool education that is unique and highly interesting. You can be the kind of parent that searches for distinctive ways for your child to learn, appealing to a professional comic book reader so that you can view the comics books together. The online comic book will probably appeal to you as well, even if you are an adult.
Our children represent the future generations. They are the hope of tomorrow and they deserve the best. By buying a comic book that has a historical subject, you may prepare your little man or lady for the years to come and for a potential successful career. You contribute to increasing the percentage of literacy children statistics and you promote parental involvement in children's education. All of these things are important and it is quite incredible that is all starts with comics books, those booklets that children adore so much.

Female Comic Book Characters and What They Mean to Comics

Early female comic book characters were limited to supporting roles or used as damsels in distress. They were the Lois Lanes and Lana Langs; characters that mattered to a certain extent, but not as much as the male leads. But since comics were primarily marketed to the male population, this was acceptable and expected.

With the role of women becoming more prominent in society in later years, though, more and more female comic book characters took on larger roles, like Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. These women were not simply supporting characters, but lead characters who took a backseat to no one as they trail blazed the way for the future of female comic book characters.

In modern times, female comic book characters are as diverse and plentiful as their male counterparts. Whether in the superhero genre or various other genres, more and more women characters are seen every day. This is especially the case in Manga, the Japanese comic book form, and Anime, it’s television equal. The bulk of these stories are primarily targeted towards a female audience and thus feature lead female comic book characters like Cardcaptor Sakura.

Traditionally, superhero comics with female leads have been hard sells for whatever reason. Many heroines have had their own series only to be canceled after only a few issues. There are a few exceptions, though, like Birds of Prey, a DC Comics book that features a team of female comic book characters fighting crime, which has lasted well over 100 issues. And Marvel Comics’ Spider-Girl, featuring Spider-Man’s daughter, May Parker, which was saved from cancellation three times thanks to fan support.

In the early 2000s, Crossgen Comics also created several books with strong female leads, like Sojourn, Meridian and Crux, that forced other companies to take another look at their own female comic book characters. Today, Ms. Marvel and Catwoman are both doing well with their own titles, and Image’s Bomb Queen has had several mini-series and continues to carry a strong fan base. And when mentioned female comic book characters, one can’t forget Aspen Comics’ Aspen Matthews and her book Fathom, which became popular in the 90s and still has a strong following even though it’s not currently producing many issues.

The rise of strong female comic book characters, especially in superhero comics, is obviously intended to extend the audience beyond the typical target market, giving female readers something to relate to as well. And with female characters stepping up even in male dominated team books, like Emma Frost and Storm in the X-Men books, should comic companies continue to cater to this growing audience it should reach its goal. And more readers for comics is always a good thing for the medium.

Comic book fans have been preaching it for years: comics are not just for kids. This should be old hat by now. So rather than trying to entice non-comic readers to read comics, let’s first explore the medium of comics and what makes it unique.

When you read a book, you are creating images in your mind based on the words. That’s why a good writer can convey a complex image easily and understandably. The beauty of books is that ten people reading the same book may come up with ten different images based on how their minds shaped the words.

Movies tend to be just the opposite. The pictures and dialogue are given to us with very little left to the imagination. Movies are straightforward and to the point. Those same ten people from the book example certainly saw the same images of a film.

Comic books are a unique combination of the two. Forget about content for a second. Comics can do what no other medium can; the combination of words and art in a sequential format tell a story and evoke feelings that other formats, in their attempt to conjure the same feelings, would have failed miserably. That isn’t to say comic characters can’t be in good movies. They can. However, the emotion and feeling from reading Grant Morrison’s Arkham Asylum could not be duplicated on the big screen. Same goes for Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Kurt Busiek’s Marvels. For further information on this unique medium, I highly suggest Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

Now, with that out of the way, here are five creators who have written several series and/or graphic novels that non-comics readers would enjoy and find thought provoking:

Alan Moore. Yes, Watchmen is on everyone’s list and yes, it should be. A fantastic use of the medium and an entertaining story as well. But Moore has such a rich bibliography that I hate to confine it to just the one classic. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell are also classics, and certainly not for children. His entire line of ABC Comics is worth a read. Even finding his individual stories (there are several compilations on the market) is worth it.

Grant Morrison. My personal favorite, he tends to be a little “out there” for some. But I find his stories to be contextually rich with symbolism and sequences that stay with me for days. I highly recommend The Invisibles, We 3, Seven Soldiers mini-series, and his run on Doom Patrol, Animal Man and Justice League. Graphic novels include Sebastian O, The Mystery Play and Arkham Asylum.

Neil Gaiman. Noted mostly for his outstanding Sandman run, which I highly recommend, Gaiman also wrote the underrated graphic novel Murder Mysteries.

Greg Rucka. I include Rucka on this list for his outstanding characterization in the Queen & Country series and the wonderful mystery, Whiteout. Both series have several moments where you realize that the comic medium was the only way to get these stories to work best.

Bill Willingham. A somewhat controversial pick for this list, however I wanted to include him due to his unbelievable work on Fables. It’s one of those concepts that have writers everywhere smacking their heads saying “why didn’t I think of that.” Entertaining and engrossing, this series will have you reading fairy tales to your children in a whole different light.

So there are several titles worth checking out (most available from local libraries), most of them worth reading over and over again. Remember, comics may have initially been directed at a young audience, but those days are over. Open your mind and enjoy the unique feeling that comics offer and you’ll be richer for the experience.

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I'm totally new to comic books, but I'm really interested in them, especially superhero ones. Since it's such a vast world, can any fan tell me what i should do and where i should start?

One of the things to come out of this electric age of easy to access software programs is motion comics. Some people are making their own, using programs like Flash to animate their webcomics. Others have used this technology to create adaptations of comics currently out there, such as the motion comics adaptation of the Watchmen comics. I've seen a couple recently that caught my eye. One was a indie made endeavor and the other is from a group with large pockets behind it.

The first was the intro to an online flash video game - Foreign Creature 2. The intro was pretty well done and was completely in a motion comic style. It worked very well for this free endeavor. The other is the latest release from Moving Picture Books with their Sesame Street collection. While not a comic per se, it was very much in the style and spirit of current motion comic books.

Of the two, the first was free (obviously) and the second costs $1.99 per book. Either way its a pretty cool way to see this kind of technology used. I've noticed that the whole motion comic thing really doesn't seem to be blowing up in the comic book world. The ones that do seem to be using it are in other pop culture realms such as the motion picture world to promote their movies or add extras to DVD's. I don't know where you stand on the topic, but I much prefer my comic the old fashioned way. I do like these bits, but they all have this sort of cheesiness to them that reminds me of the really old cartoons and the first motion comics to come out in my opinion. These videos were basically the original art from the comic cut out and had some basic motions added to them. I still just can't get past that feeling. Can you?

Image Copyright Moving Pictures Books

Comics Invasion!: Motion Comics originally appeared on About.com Comic Books on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 23:01:52.

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Starwatch consumer | Computer malfunction results in cut-rate comics on Amazon.com
An online run on comics Amazon.com ran out of some comic books after unintended price cuts caused by a computer glitch sparked a buying frenzy.

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I am a young adult who has not read comic books since I was a little kid, but I am going to the comic book convention in Chicago tomorrow and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about titles I should look for that would help me get interested in reading comics again.