Most people think of fiction when they think of comics; it’s illustrated, it’s fun or serious, it’s made up. However, because turning classic literature into comics creates more readership and interest in the subject, the same concept is applied to non-fiction subjects, and voila—we have biographies for Barack Obama, Che Guevara, Betty Page, Kiss, Warren Buffet, the list goes on.

There are also autobiographies from survivors of war, such as Marjane Satrapi and Art Spiegelman, and there are illustrated histories of art form, film, and ancient figures. You can learn almost anything from a comic book these days, and because of that they’re becoming more and more popular in classrooms and libraries. The best part? You can feel mighty smug about absorbing the history of the Islamic Revolution (can you guess tomorrow’s book review?) in a sitting … and liking it.

xkcd, Randall Munroe

xkcd is “a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language” drawn with stick figures in plain old black and white. Although Munroe is a decent artist, as shown in his earliest strips, he has decided to stick (no pun, etc) to the basics with simple figures in his more recent work. I should guess this is not only to save time, but also to draw attention to the humor content, not the art, proving that it is indeed a webcomic of language and sarcasm. Although, for stick figures, even the art can be surprisingly sophisticated. Charts and graphs in a comic strip? Yep!

There is no continuous plot, and the few characters that reappear are unnamed, identified mostly by their props, such as hats, hair, or a computer desk. The content is extremely varied, ranging from several pop-culture fields, to obscure (at least for the average person) math references, to relationships, to really anything else that pops into the creator’s head. However, even if the reference is unknown, xkcd still manages to be funny, and rarely misses its mark.

Check out Munroe’s merchandise here.

Webcomics will always be a place for young creators to practice their skills and perhaps gain a bit of notoriety, but as publishers start to look to webcomics for print publication, they have suddenly become an avenue for a little or even a lot of income. Print collections of webcomics are made when there’s finally enough material built up, which makes a book collection part of the process rather than just the end goal, although many creators strive to be in print for the legitimacy it establishes. Webcomics allow the creator to experiment and grow while building a fan base, which eliminates a certain amount of risk before the publication of a volume. Creators are also able to move freely between self-publishing and commercial publishers depending on their preferences.

Although publishing a volume of webcomics that are available online for free seems counterintuitive, it has become clear that people are in love with stuff. They want to hold the comic in their hands and have it on their coffee table; it’s something to covet. With that in mind, t-shirts, mugs, and other loveable webcomic stuff is being made to supplement book income. Creators want to get their material out there as much as possible, which is excellent news for you, the never-too-over-stimulated reader.

Interested in producing webcomics yourself? Check out How to Make Webcomics.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde and Ian Edington

“Only shallow people do not judge by appearances.” –Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s only published novel finally hits the graphic novel genre, bringing along its notorious drama, wit, and shameless hedonism. Edington’s adaptation into the comic form captures the book’s gothic tone with thickly inked grayscale pages, coupled with simply drawn and heavily outlined characters. The art reflects the comic’s overall impression: dark, emotional, and stark. As Dorian falls deeper into his hedonistic world, I’m left wondering at the intricacies of his personality that would cause such a shift, seeing as before his wish of eternal youth is granted he is an upstanding, kind man. The comic is an enjoyable read, but only gives the reader a taste (as comic adaptations can only do) of the original novel; it left me wanting to read Wilde’s classic, which is excellent—after all the point of classic comics is to introduce readers to the world of literature and encourage them to continue exploring on their own. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a great visual romp through literature.

This comic is recommended for Teen readers, ages 13 and up.

Classic literature started working its way into comics in the 1940s with the Classics Illustrated series, and has really begun to bubble up in mainstream comics in order to appeal to younger generations. Masterpieces like The Count of Monte Cristo, Last of the Mohicans, and Shakespeare are available as less intimidating graphic novels; they can range from genuine text comics that quote the original novel verbatim, to plain text comics that summarize the original, much like an illustrated Cliffs Notes. Some comics, like our own Kid Beowulf series, even take classics characters and reimagine them in new stories and adventures. The purpose is to make classical literature appealing to everyone, and to use it as a teaching tool to get students excited about the dreaded dry masterpieces known as required reading. The UK site Classical Comics specializes in creating comics that educate, while Classics Central, a site for purchasing or downloading the original Classics Illustrated series, is aimed toward collectors. But classical comics aren’t just for young readers; they’re great for adults looking to have a more visual experience, or to have a more clarifying version of an intricate pièce de résistance.

Terry Moore and Steven Sears (the producer from Xena) are reportedly working together to create a live-action Strangers in Paradise TV show. Moore and Sears met when the Xena issue of SiP was published, and have since been biding their time and pooling their talent for creating warrior women. Moore is hoping that his movie deal for Echo (his “new favorite series”) will draw attention to Katchoo and Francine and bring them to the small screen with their metal-plated sister. Now that Moore has finished the SiP comic and can dedicate more time to this new pet project, he hopes that Hollywood execs will see that this is a match made in, well, paradise.

Read more about it on Moore’s blog.

Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland

by Alexis E. Fajardo

Coming in April 2010!

The Adventure Continues!

The Song of Roland launches twelve-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel into their second adventure, bringing readers along in their journey into literary history—this time, introducing the French tales of Charlemagne and his 12 peers. Wholly original, the Kid Beowulf series stays true to its inspired characters and histories while weaving new imaginings of “what if…” and capturing the imagination of kids and teachers alike.

Readers Anonymous, a reading group associated with Grant County High School, recently welcomed Visibility author, Sarah Neufeld, into their classroom. Well … sort of … Sarah attended the group discussion from her home via the modern marvels of technology! Thank you Skype! In the words of Caryn McGinty, who organized the discussion:

Just wanted to thank you for putting us in touch with Sarah so that our student book group could have a discussion with her. We had that this morning, and the kids LOVED it! She was wonderful to talk to – very informative and easy to understand, and great with a teen audience. The kids were really looking forward to this morning’s discussion and were very enthusiastic about it afterward.

That’s just what we like to see: kids enthusiastic about reading!

If you’re a teacher or a student interested in bringing an author into your classroom, please drop us a line!

Bowler Hat’s Fall ’09 internship will see an emphasis on website development. Interns will leave their mark on the Bowler Hat website and lay the foundation for future online publishing. This particular internship has the potential to continue through the Winter ’10 term if the intern can demonstrate capability and dedication to the tasks at hand and a desire to continue. If interested, please send a cover letter to Bo Johnson.

Interns will be responsible for:

• term project – determined based on the current needs of Bowler Hat and skill set of the intern. The ’09 Fall Internship will focus on the development of our website with an eye toward online publishing.
• generating weekly content for the website in the form of:
  • timely news (1 article per week)
  • book reviews (1 review per week)
• general publishing assistance – various tasks on an as needed basis, but most often marketing centric

Ideal interns will have:

• an interest in comics and young adult lit
• familiarity with HTML and Wordpress
• interest in online publishing
• access to their own equipment, software (Word is a must, Adobe Creative Suite is a bonus), and reliable internet service

Interns can expect to work 10–12 hours per week over the course of three months. Most work will be done from home. A minimum of biweekly meetings will be held at locations to be determined. The position is unpaid.

Bowler Hat internships roughly follow Portland State University’s quarter schedule. Upcoming Internship Schedule (actual start and end dates are flexible):

’09 Fall, Oct–Dec
’10 Winter, Jan–Mar
’10 Spring,  Apr–June
’10 Summer,  July–Sept

*Bowler Hat is also interested in exploring long-term internships attached directly to specific titles, overseeing all aspects of the books development from acquisition to publication to post-pub marketing. If this type of internship interests you, please contact us, but please be aware that we will be looking for a very strong skill set for these internships.

Check out the latest  review of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath from Fresno County Public Library. And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out some of their other reviews. After all, libraries tend to know what they’re talking about!