Getting Graphic with the past

Abstract

Increasingly, people are using comics, or “graphic novels,” as valuable resources for teaching and learning about the past. Comics such as Maus: A Survivor’s Tale(1986 & 1991),Persepolis(2003),Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography (2003), and The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book (2010) are fast becoming classroom staples. Comics are certainly not perfect pedagogical tools; the incomplete nature of the comics medium requires a high level of reader engagement and awareness to make sense of the limited text and sequential images. However, despite the limitations of comics, noted American historian and creator of many historical comics Paul Buhle argues that scholars should still take comics seriously. He suggests that in terms of capturing student interest and generating historical engagement, comics can be useful additions to an already diverse historical toolkit.