Graphic novel Spread - National Council of Teachers of English

Introduction—Carving a Niche 15
Figure 1.1. Spider-Man asks Freak and Max if they want to exchange
burdens.
an ambiguous abstraction called simply the “Wonder,” and the lack of
a readily identifiable mascot to accompany the odd name troubled me
since I know students take pleasure and comfort in having a school identity.
I created an African American superhero clad in the school’s colors
and whose nemesis was named after the school’s rival institution (see
Figure 1.2), and I used these icons to help engage my students in creative
writing and in gaining an understanding of the concept of characterization.
We watched the superhero spoof film Mystery Men and noted the
elements of superheroes, an easy enough task since the movie pokes fun
at superhero clichés. We then applied our learning to create a group
vision of our school hero’s origin, powers, gadgets, and adventures. We
examined heroes again as we awaited the arrival of Alice Childress’s
novel A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ but a Sandwich. I created template drawings