Overview: Comic Books

Photo of three rows of comic books laid side-by-side. The photo is at an angle, so that the middle row is displayed clearly but top and bottom rows are cut off at either end. Titles of comics include Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, The Defenders, Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Giant-Size X-Men.

A Facebook Timeline cover of comic books at the L.A. County Fair 2012 in Pomona, California.

Within the last ten years comic books have seen a great boom period in America thanks to the attention of the film industry. With that in mind, I thought it would be nice to finish the semester on a genre of American literature that both encapsulates all of the themes and motifs we have discussed so far, as well as create its own themes in the process.

Objectives

  • Respond to the weekly readings within the context of your own perspective. (Textual Annotations)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the major debate in American comic books in the 20th century. (Weekly Journal Entry)