1.
COMIC
BOOKS
BYERINKOWALSKI
THE SUPERHERO
OF MULTIMODAL
LITERACY

2.
EVOLVED.
I N T H E 2 1 s t C E N T U R Y ,
O U R C O M M U N I C A T I O N
P R A C T I C E S H A V E
Where we once communicated
predominantly through the written
word, we now heavily incorporate
the use of imagery.

3.
We experience everyday multimodality —
in the things that we hear, see, read, and
communicate.
PHOTO CREDIT JENS KREUTER
W H I C H M A K E S S E N S E ,
A S W E A R E A
VISUAL CULTURE
L I V I N G I N A D I G I T A L E R A .

4.
PHOTO CREDIT TRACY THOMAS
I N A T I M E I N W H I C H W E A R E S O
HEAVILY
INFLUENCED
B Y A V I S U A L , M U L T I M O D A L
E X P E R I E N C E …

5.
F r o m 2 0 0 3 t o 2 0 1 3 , l i t e r a c y r a t e s i n C a n a d a
d r o p p e d f r o m a b o v e a v e r a g e t o a v e r a g e
( c o m p a r e d t o o t h e r c o u n t r i e s )
4 9 % o f C a n a d i a n s h a v e
i n a d e q u a t e l i t e r a r y s k i l l s
C a n a d i a n y o u t h ( a g e d 1 6 - 2 4 ) a r e
u n d e r - p e r f o r m i n g i n l i t e r a c y
C a n a d a r a n k s 1 1 t h i n t h e w o r l d
w h e n i t c o m e s t o l i t e r a c y
L i t e r a c y s k i l l s a r e d i r e c t l y l i n k e d t o
e m p l o y m e n t : 8 0 % o f a d u l t s ( a g e d 1 6 - 6 5 )
w i t h t h e h i g h e s t l i t e r a c y l e v e l s a r e
e m p l o y e d v s . 5 7 % w i t h t h e l o w e s t
l i t e r a c y l e v e l s
S i n c e 1 9 9 8 , t h e d e m a n d f o r e d u c a t e d
w o r k e r s i s u p 1 9 % , w h i l e t h e n e e d
f o r l o w - s k i l l e d w o r k e r s i s d o w n 1 1 %
* S T A T I S T I C S F R O M O E C D P I A A C 2 0 1 3 S U R V E Y 1
… W E A R E H A V I N G T O C O M B A T
DECLINING LITERACY
R A T E S I N C A N A D A .

6.
I N T H E F I G H T T O P R O M O T E R E A D I N G ,
COMIC BOOKS
H A V E E M E R G E D A S T H E S U P E R H E R O
O F M U L T I M O D A L L I T E R A C Y .
PHOTO CREDIT COOMBESY

7.
PHOTO CREDIT GIULIA BERTELLI
W I T H R E A D I N G F O R
P L E A S U R E A T T H E A G E
O F 1 5 B E I N G K E Y T O
COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT,
I T I S M O R E I M P O R T A N T
T H A N E V E R T H A T R E A D I N G
B E E N C O U R A G E D A M O N G
T O D A Y ’ S Y O U T H . 2

8.
E V E N M O R E S O C O N S I D E R I N G
T H A T T H E B I G G E S T
KEY INDICATOR
A S T O W H E T H E R O R N O T A
C H I L D W I L L T H R I V E I N S C H O O L
I S I F T H E Y R E A D F O R
P L E A S U R E . 3
PHOTO CREDIT JUAN RAMOS

9.
PHOTO CREDIT ERIKA WITTLIEB
D E S P I T E C O M I C B O O K S
H A V I N G B E E N A S O U R C E O F
MORAL PANIC
I N T H E 1 9 5 0 s 4

10.
G R A P H I C N A R R A T I V E S
A R E P R O V I N G T H E I R
MERIT
I N T H E E D U C A T I O N A L A N D
L I T E R A R Y L A N D S C A P E S .
PHOTO CREDIT WOKANDAPIX

11.
“Lurking beneath the literal meaning of
[comic] strips…is the chance to capture
the curiosity of a student who might
never have otherwise given a term like
existentialism a chance.” 5
S H A R O N F . W E B S T E R - H I G H S C H O O L L I T E R A C Y C O A C H

12.
PHOTO CREDIT JACQUELINE MACOU
U S I N G M U L T I M O D A L T E X T S
I N E D U C A T I O N A L S O
P R O V I D E S N U M E R O U S
BENEFITS.

13.
C O M I C B O O K S T E A C H
S T U D E N T S T H A T A M E S S A G E
C A N B E C O M M U N I C A T E D I N
MORE FORMS
PHOTO CREDIT IAN ROBINSON
T H A N J U S T L A N G U A G E
A N D T E X T . 6

14.
PHOTO CREDIT LUCAS GALLONE
T H E Y A L S O H E L P
S T U D E N T S T O
DECODE AND
INTERPRET
T H E R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N
V I S U A L I M A G E S A N D W R I T T E N
L A N G U A G E . 7

15.
A R E C E N T S T U D Y
A L S O S U G G E S T S T H A T
C R I T I C A L T H I N K I N G
S K I L L S A R E U S E D A T
GREATER LEVELS
PHOTO CREDIT TACHINA LEE
W H E N R E A D I N G C O M I C
B O O K S C O M P A R E D T O
R E A D I N G L I T E R A T U R E
T H A T D O E S N ’ T C O N T A I N
I M A G E S . 8

16.
PHOTO CREDIT RYAN MCGUIRE
F U R T H E R M O R E , C O M I C
B O O K S A R E A N
ENGAGING
CHOICE
W H E N I T C O M E S
T O I N D E P E N D E N T
R E A D I N G .

17.
A N D I T ’ S I M P O R T A N T T O
C U L T I V A T E A
PASSION
PHOTO CREDIT Mi PHAM
F O R R E A D I N G E A R L Y O N .

18.
“Reading is an acquired skill. If you have
negative experiences early on when
reading, you just quit.” 9
M I C H E L E G O R M A N - A U T H O R A N D L I B R A R I A N

19.
PHOTO CREDIT ALEXIS BROWN
T H E A B I L I T Y O F
C O M I C B O O K S T O I G N I T E
CULTURAL
CONVERSATION
F U R T H E R A D D S T O
T H E I R M E R I T .

20.
A K I N T O G E N E R A L
I N T E R E S T M A G A Z I N E
T I T L E S ,
COMIC BOOKS
PHOTO CREDIT ANNA VANDER STEL
I N S P I R E C O N V E R S A T I O N
A N D G I V E P E O P L E T H I N G S
T O T H I N K A B O U T . 1 0

21.
PHOTO CREDIT INSPIRED IMAGES
W H E R E C O M I C B O O K S W E R E
O N C E R E G A R D E D A S H O L D I N G
L O W C U L T U R A L V A L U E , A S
M U L T I M O D A L T E X T S , T H E Y
A R E F I N A L L Y
GAINING
RESPECT
I N T H E E D U C A T I O N A L
C O M M U N I T Y .

22.
PHOTO CREDIT ALEJANDRO ESCAMILLA
P A R T I C U L A R L Y B E C A U S E
E N G A G I N G W I T H
M U L T I M O D A L T E X T S
P R O V I D E S C H I L D R E N W I T H
A S K I L L S E T
GEARED
TOWARDS
T H E K N O W L E D G E E C O N O M Y
O F T H E 2 1 s t C E N T U R Y . 1 1

23.
PHOTO CREDIT ANDREW MARTIN
I N T H I S C O N T E X T , C O M I C B O O K S
A R E A P O W E R F U L M E D I A F O R M .
T H I S P O W E R C A N B E S U M M A R I Z E D
B Y A N I D E A C U L L E D F R O M T H E
U S E S & G R A T I F I C A T I O N T H E O R Y —
N A M E L Y , T H A T M E D I A D O N O T D O
T H I N G S T O P E O P L E ,
PEOPLE DO
THINGS
W I T H M E D I A . 1 2

24.
PHOTO CREDIT ERIKA WITTLIEB
A N D W E A R E S E E I N G
P E O P L E D O G R E A T T H I N G S
W I T H C O M I C B O O K S .
THIS
SUPERHERO
IS RESHAPING
THE LITERARY
GAME.

25.
Botan
ica
1. ABC Life Literacy Canada, “Facts and Research,” accessed March 1,
2017. http://abclifeliteracy.ca/workplace-literacy-facts.
2. Sidneyeve Matrix, “Print Media: Books,” Lecture, Queen’s University,
Kingston, ON, February 7, 2017.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. “Using Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom,” NCTE The
Council Chronicle (September 2005), accessed February 24, 2017,
http://www.ncte.org/magazine/archives/122031.
6. Renee Krusemark, “Comic books in the American college classroom: a
study of critical thinking,” Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 8:1
(2017): 60, accessed February 24, 2017, http://dx.doi.org/
10.1080/21504857.2016.1233895.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid, 69.
9. Greg Toppo, “Teachers are getting graphic,” USA Today, May 3, 2005,
accessed February 26, 2017, http://usatoday.com/life/books/news/
2005-05-03-educational-comics_x.htm.
10. Sidneyeve Matrix, “Print Media: Magazines,” Lecture, Queen’s
University, Kingston, ON, February 14, 2017.
11. Jackie Marsh et al., “Young children’s initiation into family literacy
practices in the digital age,” Journal of Early Childhood Research 15:1
(2015): 2, accessed January 10, 2017, http://journals.sagepub.com/
doi/10.1177/1476718X15582095.
12. Sidneyeve Matrix, “Media Use Research,” Lecture, Queen’s University,
Kingston, ON, January 17, 2017.
R E F E R E N C E S
© E R I N K O W A L S K I , 2 0 1 7
F I L M 2 4 0 | Q U E E N ’ S U N I V E R S I T Y
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