Graphic novels, comics and manga can play an important part in encouraging reading for pleasure amongst students of any age and also have a role in teaching in many subject areas. I'm going to offer a small snapshot of the least well known of these, manga, below, but want to start with a few general points about the comic strip medium ..

Gibson, Mel

English

Northumbria University Research Portal

‘So what is this mango, anyway?’ Understanding manga, comics and graphic novels.Dr Mel Gibson. Literacy Consultant and Senior Lecturer, University of Northumbria.Graphic novels, comics and manga can play an important part in encouragingreading for pleasure amongst students of any age and also have a role in teaching inmany subject areas. I’m going to offer a small snapshot of the least well known ofthese, manga, below, but want to start with a few general points about the comic stripmedium.Graphic novels, comics and manga are often seen as texts specifically for youngermale reluctant readers, but such an assumption underestimates this enormouslyflexible medium, as it can be used to create complex works of fiction or non-fiction foradults and young adults, male and female, as well as humourous stories for the veryyoung.The comic strip has been used to create a range of work that encompasses thesuperb Alice in Sunderland, by British creator Bryan Talbot, which explores memory,history and the nature of narrative, drawing on poetry, plays and novels, as well asother comics from around the world, as well as the slapstick humour of The Beano,with it’s cross-generational appeal and playful approach to language and image. Italso includes television spin-offs, most notably, perhaps, The Simpsons andFuturama, which offer clever, witty takes on family, relationships and media, as wellas genres that have generated spin-offs in other media, like superhero comics,themselves capable of addressing a huge range of ages and abilities.Further, they may be ‘text light’, containing few words, so offering a comparativelyquick read, or ‘text heavy’ offering challenges to the skilled reader. In all cases, thegrammar of the form itself, with speech balloons, panels and, of course, the skillsneeded to read the images as well as the words, something explored in depth inScott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, mean that texts in comicstrip form can offer engaging, and demanding, reading experiences.Consequently, it is possible to build a manga and graphic novel collection in a schoollibrary which challenges the good reader whilst supporting those less enthusiastic.This is the key strength of the medium in a school or library setting. They can beacquired simply to broaden current leisure reading material, while certain titles canbe used to support specific areas within the curriculum.Comics and graphic novels have been approached with caution by both libraries andschools in the past, as their content has often been seen as controversial (there aremany works created in the medium for adults, but the common cultural assumptionabout in Britain is that comics are aimed solely at children, so making material foradults seem shocking to some). Most recently this response was evoked by manga,where material for younger readers comprises around 57% of the market, as PaulGravett states in Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics. Manga publishing isfocused on markets differentiated by age and gender, and I’m going to touch on titlesfor teenage boys and girls below.Manga is growing in popularity, particularly amongst young adult readers in Britain,who tend to read material aimed at their age group. It offers a useful opportunity inthe classroom to talk about cultural difference and globalisation, amongst many otherissues. There are initiatives tapping into the enthusiasm of younger readers forJapanese culture, one of the first being Manga Mania, which was run by TheReading Agency. This passion is also shown in Neo magazine, the main source ofinformation about the adoption of Japanese culture in Britainhttp://www.neomag.co.uk/ and so a useful primer for staff.There is a key difference between manga and graphic novels in that the readershiphas a different gender balance. Whilst American titles tend to have readerships whichare predominantly male, Japanese comics, which also draw in both male and femalereaders, typically have a readership which is around 60% female. This is, in part,because of the genre of shojo manga, titles published specifically for girls, althoughthis will not stop some boys reading them too.The appeal of some titles will be startlingy familiar to some older women. Many of thestories include romance, or adventures with magical companions, or lonely girls whohave to battle with injustice, either in school, or at home, or narratives about groupsof friends. If this reminds you of Bunty, or Jackie, or Girl, then you are already in aposition to understand why manga might appeal to girls. These narratives, however,may be up to 22 volumes long, so you can see that manga can ask for a great deal ofcommitment from the reader. One of the key titles here is Fruits Basket by NatsukiTakaya where central character, Tohru, a sunny and optimistic student, is bothorphaned and homeless. Feeling both sorry for her, and desperate to end their daysof slobbish living conditions, the Sohma family offer her their spare room in exchangefor cooking and housework. However, she also discovers and then protects theirsecret, which is that they are possessed by the animal spirits of the Chinese Zodiac,something which is activated when they are hugged by the opposite gender, or whenthey are under stress.For older readers there are titles like Miwa Ueda’s Peach Girl which follows theromances and friendships of the heroine, Momo, who is bullied for her distinctivelooks. Although the narrative unfolds across eighteen volumes, so involving thereader in a complex narrative, the nature of serial publication, and the tendency tofinish each book on, in effect, a cliff-hanger, will also be familiar to those brought upon narratives that typically unfolded, in Bunty for instance, over fourteen weeks.For boys, shonen manga encompass adventure, but also themes about growing up,and the responsibilities thrust upon younger people by their parents, in scenariosranging from sports to science fiction, for instance in Neon Genesis Evangelion byYoshiyuki Sadamoto. You will find some male students as enthusiastic about thesematerials as the more familiar superhero genre, or British humour comics, or titleslike 2000AD.To give an example of ways to work with manga, one school I have worked withinvolved the whole school, and every subject, in a Japan week. Here there werebooktalks about manga and graphic novels in the library for students in every year, ina tightly themed version of a school book week. In addition, however, Art and Englishworked together, analysing and then creating manga, often drawing on student’senthusiam. This was stimulated by use of a wide range of titles, including the MangaShakespeare version of Romeo and Juliet, which were contrasted with other comicand filmic versions of the plays. Further, given that Japanese was an increasinglypopular ‘A’ level, the students from that course offered lunchtime sessions in basicJapanese. There were also screenings of Studio Ghibli films, such as My NeighbourTotoro and Spirited Away, which generated discussion around animation in MediaStudies. There were also explorations of other aspects of Japanese food and culturein displays and activities around the school.Less ambitious, but equally successful, are the growing number of reading groupsbased around graphic novels or manga. Obviously, these groups can be used toreview material, as well as discuss them, but they often move into creating mangaand comics too, allowing different memebers, with varied skills, roles as artist, authoror editor. The youngest group I have met were all aged 10, were creating a shojo titleand were also selling their manga, for which there was an eager audience.This small snapshot, suggesting some basic understandings about comic stripmaterials, offering some information about one particular type of comic andsuggesting some ways of working with the medium, can only offer a taste of what ispossible by drawing on student enthusiasm and devloping an understanding of themedium.To further support work across the curriculum, and offer support to staff in developingtheir knowledge of the medium and to develop collections I’ve developed two internetresources. The first, working with Learning and Teaching Scotlandhttp://www.ltscotland.org.uk/literacy/findresources/graphicnovels/section/intro.asp, isfocuses on the classroom specifically, whilst the second, Dr Mel Comics, where I canbe contacted, http://www.dr-mel-comics.co.uk/, offers resources and links forlibraries, universities and schools, supporting research, collection development, andpromotional activities about the medium.

'"So what is this mango, anyway?" understanding manga, comics and graphic novels (Primary and Secondary'

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Citation: Gibson, Mel (2008) '"So what is this mango, anyway?" understanding manga, comics and 
graphic novels (Primary and Secondary'. NATE Classroom, 5. pp. 8-10. ISSN 1753-6162 
Published by: National Association for the Teaching of English
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‘So what is this mango, anyway?’ Understanding manga, comics and graphic novels.
Dr Mel Gibson. Literacy Consultant and Senior Lecturer, University of Northumbria.
Graphic novels, comics and manga can play an important part in encouraging
reading for pleasure amongst students of any age and also have a role in teaching in
many subject areas. I’m going to offer a small snapshot of the least well known of
these, manga, below, but want to start with a few general points about the comic strip
medium.
Graphic novels, comics and manga are often seen as texts specifically for younger
male reluctant readers, but such an assumption underestimates this enormously
flexible medium, as it can be used to create complex works of fiction or non-fiction for
adults and young adults, male and female, as well as humourous stories for the very
young.
The comic strip has been used to create a range of work that encompasses the
superb Alice in Sunderland, by British creator Bryan Talbot, which explores memory,
history and the nature of narrative, drawing on poetry, plays and novels, as well as
other comics from around the world, as well as the slapstick humour of The Beano,
with it’s cross-generational appeal and playful approach to language and image. It
also includes television spin-offs, most notably, perhaps, The Simpsons and
Futurama, which offer clever, witty takes on family, relationships and media, as well
as genres that have generated spin-offs in other media, like superhero comics,
themselves capable of addressing a huge range of ages and abilities.
Further, they may be ‘text light’, containing few words, so offering a comparatively
quick read, or ‘text heavy’ offering challenges to the skilled reader. In all cases, the
grammar of the form itself, with speech balloons, panels and, of course, the skills
needed to read the images as well as the words, something explored in depth in
Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, mean that texts in comic
strip form can offer engaging, and demanding, reading experiences.
Consequently, it is possible to build a manga and graphic novel collection in a school
library which challenges the good reader whilst supporting those less enthusiastic.
This is the key strength of the medium in a school or library setting. They can be
acquired simply to broaden current leisure reading material, while certain titles can
be used to support specific areas within the curriculum.
Comics and graphic novels have been approached with caution by both libraries and
schools in the past, as their content has often been seen as controversial (there are
many works created in the medium for adults, but the common cultural assumption
about in Britain is that comics are aimed solely at children, so making material for
adults seem shocking to some). Most recently this response was evoked by manga,
where material for younger readers comprises around 57% of the market, as Paul
Gravett states in Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics. Manga publishing is
focused on markets differentiated by age and gender, and I’m going to touch on titles
for teenage boys and girls below.
Manga is growing in popularity, particularly amongst young adult readers in Britain,
who tend to read material aimed at their age group. It offers a useful opportunity in
the classroom to talk about cultural difference and globalisation, amongst many other
issues. There are initiatives tapping into the enthusiasm of younger readers for
Japanese culture, one of the first being Manga Mania, which was run by The
Reading Agency. This passion is also shown in Neo magazine, the main source of
information about the adoption of Japanese culture in Britain
http://www.neomag.co.uk/ and so a useful primer for staff.
There is a key difference between manga and graphic novels in that the readership
has a different gender balance. Whilst American titles tend to have readerships which
are predominantly male, Japanese comics, which also draw in both male and female
readers, typically have a readership which is around 60% female. This is, in part,
because of the genre of shojo manga, titles published specifically for girls, although
this will not stop some boys reading them too.
The appeal of some titles will be startlingy familiar to some older women. Many of the
stories include romance, or adventures with magical companions, or lonely girls who
have to battle with injustice, either in school, or at home, or narratives about groups
of friends. If this reminds you of Bunty, or Jackie, or Girl, then you are already in a
position to understand why manga might appeal to girls. These narratives, however,
may be up to 22 volumes long, so you can see that manga can ask for a great deal of
commitment from the reader. One of the key titles here is Fruits Basket by Natsuki
Takaya where central character, Tohru, a sunny and optimistic student, is both
orphaned and homeless. Feeling both sorry for her, and desperate to end their days
of slobbish living conditions, the Sohma family offer her their spare room in exchange
for cooking and housework. However, she also discovers and then protects their
secret, which is that they are possessed by the animal spirits of the Chinese Zodiac,
something which is activated when they are hugged by the opposite gender, or when
they are under stress.
For older readers there are titles like Miwa Ueda’s Peach Girl which follows the
romances and friendships of the heroine, Momo, who is bullied for her distinctive
looks. Although the narrative unfolds across eighteen volumes, so involving the
reader in a complex narrative, the nature of serial publication, and the tendency to
finish each book on, in effect, a cliff-hanger, will also be familiar to those brought up
on narratives that typically unfolded, in Bunty for instance, over fourteen weeks.
For boys, shonen manga encompass adventure, but also themes about growing up,
and the responsibilities thrust upon younger people by their parents, in scenarios
ranging from sports to science fiction, for instance in Neon Genesis Evangelion by
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. You will find some male students as enthusiastic about these
materials as the more familiar superhero genre, or British humour comics, or titles
like 2000AD.
To give an example of ways to work with manga, one school I have worked with
involved the whole school, and every subject, in a Japan week. Here there were
booktalks about manga and graphic novels in the library for students in every year, in
a tightly themed version of a school book week. In addition, however, Art and English
worked together, analysing and then creating manga, often drawing on student’s
enthusiam. This was stimulated by use of a wide range of titles, including the Manga
Shakespeare version of Romeo and Juliet, which were contrasted with other comic
and filmic versions of the plays. Further, given that Japanese was an increasingly
popular ‘A’ level, the students from that course offered lunchtime sessions in basic
Japanese. There were also screenings of Studio Ghibli films, such as My Neighbour
Totoro and Spirited Away, which generated discussion around animation in Media
Studies. There were also explorations of other aspects of Japanese food and culture
in displays and activities around the school.
Less ambitious, but equally successful, are the growing number of reading groups
based around graphic novels or manga. Obviously, these groups can be used to
review material, as well as discuss them, but they often move into creating manga
and comics too, allowing different memebers, with varied skills, roles as artist, author
or editor. The youngest group I have met were all aged 10, were creating a shojo title
and were also selling their manga, for which there was an eager audience.
This small snapshot, suggesting some basic understandings about comic strip
materials, offering some information about one particular type of comic and
suggesting some ways of working with the medium, can only offer a taste of what is
possible by drawing on student enthusiasm and devloping an understanding of the
medium.
To further support work across the curriculum, and offer support to staff in developing
their knowledge of the medium and to develop collections I’ve developed two internet
resources. The first, working with Learning and Teaching Scotland
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/literacy/findresources/graphicnovels/section/intro.asp, is
focuses on the classroom specifically, whilst the second, Dr Mel Comics, where I can
be contacted, http://www.dr-mel-comics.co.uk/, offers resources and links for
libraries, universities and schools, supporting research, collection development, and
promotional activities about the medium.


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'"So what is this mango, anyway?" understanding manga, comics and graphic novels (Primary and Secondary'

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