Comic Books and Reading

I thought I wrote this piece a few years ago. I realized that literacy and comic books are topics that I discuss at least twice a day as a parent, sometime educator, and mentor. I talk about it so much, I believed that I must have written about it at some point. Every week, a teacher or parent asks me how to get children to read. Comic books is my first answer. Reading comic books are a great and easy way to get a child to read. Ask any librarian in the United States and they can recommend several comic books and graphic novels.

I have to point out that comic books are expensive. Even digital comics can put a huge dent in any one's budget. Most comic shops have dollar bins where they sell back issues for $1. I give away comic books to children I teach and mentor so dollar bins are a blessing. So for you educators, finding a dollar bin will help you tremendously.

Below are some comics I highly recommend to parents, educators, coaches, mentors, and other people who work with children:

Note: I am a Marvel head. So the small list is strictly Marvel. Both DC and Marvel publish children friendly versions of their flagship titles such as the Avengers, Justice League, Captain America, Batman, etc. I let some children and my own read them and they weren't too excited about them. The ones listed below are fast hits. Also, I don't read Manga and I know many teenagers who are into them. My list does not have any Manga either.

1. Ultimate Comics Spider Man – This series has ended and the story of the Afro Latino web slinger continues in Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider Man and the All New Ultimates where Morales is now the leader of. The thing is if you just jump into the latter two series you will be confused. Ultimate Comics Spider Man written by Brian Michael Bendis can be found on trade paper back (TPB) now. You might still be able to find some old copies in the dollar bins.

That being said, this is was an amazing run by Bendis with Sara Pichelli on the breakdowns. Bendis deals with race, class, and school inequities. It is a serious book that deals with middle schoolers. All of the children I gave these issues to never complained about the adult themes. At the same time Miles Morales seemed to have a good time being Spider Man right up until the end of the run where he realized he had to step up to the plate as a leader. (See also the Spider Men story where Miles Morales meets Peter Parker of Earth 616)

2. Ms. Marvel

This is another series I enjoy. Written by G. Willow Wilson and penciled by Adrian Alphona, it is about Kamala Khan, a Pakistani teenager who lives in New Jersey. Her parents are liberal. That part is my favorite but Khan is a teenage girl and it comes with so much baggage. As a parent of a teenager, I can only imagine what her parents go through. Add to the idea that she gains super powers during the events of the Inhumanity crossover after the Infinity situation where Thanos invaded Earth.

The best part of the story is that everyone thinks that the blonde haired Avenger named Captain Marvel is fighting crime in their small NJ town when in actuality its Khan. No matter what she does, she doesn't get the props she deserves. Yup, its a true teenage story.

3. Nova
   Dan Abnett breathed new life into Nova aka Richard Rider. Before Abnett, I got tired of Nova. Abnett did his thing with this character. When we thought he was killed off, I was not happy. When I heard there was going to be a new character taking up the Nova mantle, I wasn't too happy. It took me a minute to cop issue #1. I was very satisfied.

Sam has taken the mantle that was previously held by his father, Jesse Alexander, who he assumed was a crazed drunk. Once he wears the Nova helmet, he goes on some huge adventures. Its the stuff of dreams. I forget that Sam is only 15. Really none of the characters discussed in this post are over that age.

Again, I am a Marvel head and these are the titles that speak to me and the children I mentor and teach. I hope this list helps anyone out. Feel free to suggest any other ones in the comments section.

Why You should Read Miles Morales...

Despite the flak I throw at Age of Ultron, I am still a huge fan of Brian Michael Bendis. While I am behind on the Ultimate Spider Man (USM) series by a few issues and I am loving Dan Slott's run on Superior Spider Man (SSM), I find that USM is the best Spider Man story out there. I said it.

I am biased. Sara Pichelli's Miles Morales looks like my middle son (her pencils are amazing by the way). Morales attends a charter school like my younger two children. Morales' Uncle Aaron, who he believes he kills, reminds me of a particular uncle I have and my children have. We are Afro Latino like Miles Morales. So this Spider Man speaks to me. So not only is Bendis my favorite writer, it feels like he is writing to me.

However, if you want to discuss intersectionality, USM is where you need to be. In issue 2, the Morales family attends a lottery for the charter school Miles hopes to attend. This sounds familiar for many parents throughout economically deprived communities throughout the United States. Here we see Morales' moral compass as he is emotionally torn when he wins a slot for the coveted charter school and he watches other children cry when their name is not called as a lottery winner.

While Bendis kept the moral compass debate central to the story, Morales is definitely different. His parents are alive as well as his Uncle Aaron/The Prowler. The relationship between Morales, his father, and Uncle Aaron is fragile. While Uncle Aaron maintains his criminal career, Morales' father gave it up years ago and keeps it under wraps. Even Morales does not know what his father used to do or what made him give up that lifestyle. He is told to stay away from his Uncle Aaron which he disobeys. It's clear that Morales loves his Uncle Aaron dearly. His uncle also keeps his criminal career and history secret from Morales.

The twist is the entire story is that Morales becomes Spider Man due to Aaron's criminal acts. He steals a bioengineered spider that bites Morales. Aaron realizes Morales' powers earlier and decides to convince his nephew to help him take over the criminal underground. When Morales initially refuses, Aaron threatens to tell his father who is vocally anti mutant. While I don't think Morale's father would get a heart attack, Morales is only 12 and assumes that his father would disown him like any 12 year old child. Morales however refuses Aaron's offer and chooses to avoid his uncle. Eventually there is a showdown that ends in Aaron's death. While it was completely accidental, Morales accepts full blame. On top of the that, the media has also laid blame on Spider Man. This is the turning point in Morale's young life where he realizes that being Spider man is not a game.

I think when Bendis throws Steve Rogers into the mix, we see Morales really step up his game. During the Divided We Fall Ultimate Universe crossover, Morales joins the Ultimates and even saves Rogers' life again. This is seen on national television and throws folks behind Morales. He begins to see that doing the right thing does pay off.

While I think Bendis is going too fast with Morales and his powers (even though the Spider sting is something Morales is working on), he has done a good job of developing the characters around Morales' life. As usual Bendis really sets things up with his build up. Currently, they are going throgh the Venom storyline and the fight scenes are exquisite. While Dan Slott is doing a great job on Superior Spider Man, USM remains the best Spidey title out there.  

Ultimate Comics All New Spider Man #1

written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Sara Pichelli
Colors by Justin Ponsor

A great number of us held our breaths for this one. We saw the comments and the talking heads. There was a large amount of backlash and bigoted comments thrown around. Just last week, I went to a comic convention where someone said that Glenn Beck's statements were not that bad. It was crazy. To be honest, I don't think Marvel Comics or Brian Michael Bendis intended to have this backlash. I also don't think it was a marketing scheme. I think Bendis thought it was a good idea. I give him props for sticking his neck out.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. In Ultimate Fallout #4, we are introduced to Miles Morales but it was just a glimpse. Like many of my peers, I wanted more. In Issue #1, we are introduced to the Morales clan. Miles is raised by his mother and father. Despite his father's warnings, Miles hangs out with his Uncle Aaron who is some sort of high tech cat burglar.

Bendis rips a scene out of the documentary "The Lottery." It's a story about a lottery for a charter school in Harlem that was released before "Waiting for Superman." We see the tension between Miles' parents in that one scene. I love the fact that it takes place in Brooklyn.

I am not familiar with Sara Pichelli's work but I am impressed. Pichelli captures Norman Osborn's instability beautifully. The reader will be able to witness Dr. Markus' fear when Osborn threatens him. She captures the emotions of the parents and children during the charter school lottery. Pichelli gets the clothes right as well. It looks hip without being too campy. I hope Marvel keeps Pichelli on board for at least 20 issues.

While there isn't much action, I think it's a great introduction to the world of Miles Morales. If I know Bendis, his build up is just as good as his action. Bendis knows how to write about relationships and the day to day grind without sounding corny. I think everyone should give this book a try. And yes, the babies will enjoy this as well especially when they see the powers Miles manifests. Bendis, is this a shout out to Ralph Ellison?

Ultimate Spider Man: Miles Morales

The news hit the interwebs hard on 08/02/2011. I got the word straight from Brian Michael Bendis himself on twitter that morning. A picture was released later in the afternoon. I have to give it up to Marvel Comics for using the interwebs to build up hype for it. I called my usual comic book haunt and requested 2 but was advised that I could only get one when I arrived.

Why is it important?

In Tony Browder's "Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization," there is a picture of a little black boy looking into the bathroom mirror. He is wearing a towel with a cap. In the reflection is a broad shouldered white man as a superhero. That picture says it all when it comes to people of color and comic books in America. We have a love/hate relationship with comic books. It reminds me of the same relationship women of color have with hip hop culture. There are so many things to love about comic books: the stories, the artwork, the team ups, the characters, etc. However, most of it not all of the stories aren't about us. If we are shown, it is in a demeaning manner.

It is important to note, and this is something that many historians, culture critics, artists, and sociologists have pointed out, that comic books are America's mythology. Unlike places in Europe, Africa, or Asia, we don't have legends that are part of our cultural landscape. Christianity insured that we were not isolators in the literal sense. Sure we have stories of Paul Bunyan but they are not valiant stories of fighting monsters. The settlers all but destroyed much of the Native culture and to be honest, none of their mythology is taught in schools. African Americans have John De High Conqueror but his story has been watered down or quickly eroded from the landscape as well.

If you listen to any politician, artists, or person of influence, he or she makes several references to comic book heroes whether he or she talks about Spider Man, Superman, Batman (remember Morgan Freeman in "Lean on Me?"), or many others. Even J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI published comic strip and a comic book series called "G Men," to help propagandize the FBI's influence. Even people of influence understood that importance. Heck, librarians have been telling us for decades that comic books are literature.




Many of us grew to enjoy reading through comic books. While to many, comic books may seem juvenile but many of us were able to get into philosophy, literature, and science because so much of it was used in comic books. For us to understand those concepts, we had to learn a least a little bit of those things.

So wouldn't it be important for the people who read and spend good money on those comics see people who look like them in those pages? Shouldn't a nation's mythology be made of up of people who make up said nation? Ask any psychologist about the damage people of color have when worshiping a white Jesus. Deep, right?

Did I like the intro to Miles Morales?




To be honest, the only thing I expected was a full length story. I forgot that issue 4 of the Ultimate Fallout was really about how people reacted to Peter Parker's death. The reader will get about 9 pages of the new Ultimate Spider Man in action. On the last panel, he takes off his mask. It could have been better but to be honest, I don't know how Bendis could have introduced Miles Morales to us without a back story.