The environmental, racial and political issues of yesterday and today are brought to life colorfully and creatively through the popular medium that has stood the test of time for more than 60 years. Comic books and graphic novels do more than create a fantasy world where good simply conquers evil through the superheroes created by companies like DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Through the interdisciplinary course, Race and Graphic Narrative in the Postwar United States, students and professors alike at Misericordia University are exploring multiculturalism and other important social issues that are addressed in comic strips, comic books and graphic novels. Allan Austin, Ph.D., associate professor of History, and Patrick Hamilton, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, designed the English 415/History 320 course by utilizing their common interest and professional backgrounds.

â’One day, Patrick came into my office and asked if Iâ’d ever seen the â’˜New Guardiansâ’,â’â’ Dr. Austin recalls. â’He showed me a blog that was just horrific. Out of that, we started saying thereâ’s something to teach here.

â’Weâ’re both really interested in issues of race, ethnicity and identity, and weâ’re trying to find ways to draw students in,â’â’ adds Dr. Austin, an avid collector and reader of comic books since he was six years old. â’It seemed we could use comic books as a medium to discuss how terribly wrong multiculturalism went in 1980s comic books as well as other issues of race since mid-century.â’â’

The new course has been fully rostered for the spring 2008 and spring 2009 semesters. Coursework includes required readings of â’La Perdidaâ’ by Jessica Abel, â’Citizen 13660â’ by Miné Okubo, â’Green Lantern/Green Arrowâ’ (Vol. 1) by Dennis Oâ’Neil and Neal Adams, â’Maus: A Survivorâ’s Taleâ’ ( Vol. 1 â” â’My Father Bleeds Historyâ’â’) by Art Spiegelman and â’American Born Chineseâ’ by Gene Luen Yang, and writing brief weekly papers, longer essays and classroom participation.

Each text allows students to view relevant social issues through a different prism. â’Supermanâ’â’ comic strips and â’Citizen 13660â’ engages them in Japanese American concentration camps during World War, for example, and spawns scholarly discussion on the controversial topic. â’I was very surprised that ethnocentrism played a role in some of the comics,â’â’ says Marissa Miller â’09, an English major who is enrolled presently in the course. â’I was aware from reading a few graphic novels on my own that the environment and multiculturalism can be found in this written form, but I was happily surprised to find depth and focus.

â’Miné Okuboâ’s â’˜Citizen 13660â’ deeply moved me and I gained a great amount of knowledge about the â’˜internmentâ’ camps that the Japanese Americans were forced into because it had never really been addressed in depth in any of my other history courses in college or high school,â’â’ she adds.

In recent years, comics and graphic novels have been looked at more critically in academia, similar to the way traditional literature is reviewed. Instead of stereotyping the boom!, bam! and splats! of action comics, high school teachers and college professors are using them as a gateway to engage their students in discussion, debate and scholarship.

â’We try to get them to look at these with a more critical eye in terms of what sort of ideologies and ideas they are exposing,â’â’ says Dr. Hamilton, who began collecting Marvelâ’s â’Avengersâ’ series as a young child.

Before the spring semester, the majority of their students didnâ’t believe comics addressed race, ethnicity or event historical movements. â’The things that we look at are immensely a product of those same issues that we often see comics and pop culture in general divorced from,â’â’ Dr. Hamilton explains. â’Things like the â’˜New Guardianâ’ series that we deal with are an attempt at multiculturalism that goes horribly awry. They donâ’t exist in a vacuum and I think that ties into breaking down boundaries.

â’Whether itâ’s literature, comics or film,â’â’ he adds, â’they are products of whatâ’s going on in culture generally. What are the intellectual, social issues?â’â’

Through the course, Misericordia students become more critical consumers of media by understanding historical context and literary criticism, and are able to apply these tools, according to Drs. Hamilton and Austin.

â’It is vitally important that one never writes off a form of information based on its outside form,â’â’ says Miller, explaining the lessons she learned from the unique course. â’My grandparents were initially very shocked that I was taking a course on comics and graphic novels because they didnâ’t understand the hidden depth and history behind the works.

â’After sharing what Iâ’ve learned with my family and friends, theyâ’ve accepted that I am genuinely learning from a worthy academic course. I firmly believe that if an individual is to grow they must step outside of the confines of a set environment and venture into unknown territory,â’â’ she adds.

Personal Thoughts

Aren’t comics more mainstream?  It is not necessarily paperback or graphic novel itself that has made it seem comic books are more popular. I do believe that the internet has opened doors for collectors, reader and movie producers to interlink.

There has, is and always will be a market for comic books, yes even before motion pictures.  The best comic books have always been on the cusp of social issues and comentary.  For example:  Iron Man fought during the Korean War and was hit by a bullet scrapnel in the heart, Captain America was all into WWII, and now we have Obama comics.

If that were not enough, Michelle Obama is getting her own comic book. This one-shot features the United States’ latest First Lady, Michelle Obama. A mother, political force, and now, wife of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, it’s obvious that Michelle Obama has lived a life many have only dreamed of. Continuing Bluewater’s examination of strong female  figures in politics, this visual biography will examine Michelle’s life in detail to help find her context in modern history.

The new popularity meter, is there a comic book with your name on the cover?

“People need money and we’re here to give it to them,” says Bailout Bill, Founder of BailoutBooth.com. “Times are tough and the government is taking a long time to get their act together, so while they’re letting politics get in the way of helping people, we’re here to give bailouts to as many people as possible.”

Will the Stimulus Bill Money Reach Your Pocketbook?

NO

What is the actual impact of the Stimulus?

You will not feel it!  This is not about who is in office (I wanted Barr) it is about decision making.  President Bush bailed out the corporations in hopes of maintaining productivity, jobs and profit . . . it didn’t work.  Layoff and unemployment is up and will rise until the United States understands one simple thing :

Any country that doesn’t produce any product that is wanted/needed/dependent globally it will be a poor country.

The only true commodity of ‘The States’ is it’s workforce, the number of individuals with the ability to go to work daily is astounding.  Allow me to point out two things:

• Ability doesn’t mean willing
• Individuals doesn’t mean US citizens

Until all US citizens have jobs that will impact their ability to have the three musts for survival : food, clothing and shelter.  Those three survival needs have nothing to do with owning a home, having a television nor spending $100 for sneakers or jeans.  The basics of ‘The States’ has been perverted into greed and high priced items.

The only way the stimulus package will make any difference is for ‘The States’ and its citizens to place food, clothing and shelter back on the priority list . . . and only be the list for the next 5 years. Until then, ‘The States’ will suffer a long hard financial crisis.

Solutions to Survive

• Shop only local owned and operated stores.
• Avoid box stores and franchises.
• Carpool or alternative transportation to work (bike, walk, public transportation)
• Remove your television cost.
  • Cut the cable/satellite bill down to $0.00 and start hooking up that antenna.  The conversion has already started and you will not miss a local sporting event.
  • If you need anything, it is internet.   Everything is available online . . . everything.
• Victory Garden
• Cook from scratch
  • Making your own soup is cheaper than any Cambells soup.
• Stop redundant technology
  • Do you have an stove, toaster, toaster oven, pizza oven, and microwave?
    • If you have an electric stove . . . that is all you need, seriously.
  • Do you have a home phone, work phone, cell phone?
    • Get skype or just a cell phone.
  • Do you have more than one automobile?
    • If you live in a city, you do not really need one.  Rent for long trips.
    • If you live in the country, you only need one car.  If you can’t make it work, then think about telecommuting a few days a week.
  • Do you have more than one television?
    • One question. Why?
• Socialize
  • Eat at home before going to the local pub to watch sports
  • Have a potluck at your home
  • Join a group, they are free (not on the internet).
  • If there isn’t a club or group that interests you . . . organize one.
• Food doesn’t have to be plenty.
  • You just need three meals a day to maintain a healthy diet.
  • Control yourself  and and actually make your own meals.  Eating out (even fast food) should be considered a luxury.
  • A good meal is plated 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch and 1/2 vegetables

To survive and succeed in a financial trouble times *drink* it takes determination, outlook and self control.  Not one of the US citizens’ strong trait.  That is OK.  The rest of the world will get richer and stronger.  Maybe UK will bring the colonies back into the fold.

“Watching President Obama address our nation — and feeling the pride that is in every American’s heart — it’s worth pausing to celebrate our nation’s achievements. Yet even as we mark this historic event, we recognize the deep problems that continue to face our nation. Republicans are eager to work with President Obama on the challenges he discussed, especially restoring fiscal responsibility and growing our economy.

“After last year’s State of the Union, then-candidate Barack Obama asked the nation to imagine a time when a President’s agenda would draw standing ovations from both sides of the aisle. That sort of bipartisanship is an admirable goal — and one that unfortunately continues to elude Washington. The Democratic leadership in Congress must be willing to work with Republicans to stop out-of-control spending, promote the creation of jobs, and to keep our troops properly funded.

“Now would be a good time for this young Administration to ask the Democrat leaders in Congress to actually consider working in a bipartisan way to solve the real problems Americans are facing.

“I am more confident than ever that the American people will stand up for the principles our nation was founded on and will hold their representatives accountable to overcome the challenges that this nation faces.”

“While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.

“The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.

“We have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.

“Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.

“Now is the time to act boldly and wisely – to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about tonight.

“The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short-term. But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our responsibility.

“In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs. I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for America – as a blueprint for our future.

“My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession.

“Given these realities, everyone in this chamber – Democrats and Republicans – will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me.

“But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges. I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity.

“Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we’re starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade.

“In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them. We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use. We will root out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.

“I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.

“But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary.

“I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ‘I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn’t feel right getting the money myself.’

“I think about Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community – how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay. ‘The tragedy was terrible,’ said one of the men who helped them rebuild. ‘”But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity.’

“And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp. The letter asks us for help, and says, ‘We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters.’”

Jason Viles had just gotten settled in a tanning bed in a salon in Regina, Sask., Canada, when he realized it was on fire. “I couldn’t kick it open. I had to knock the stereo off the wall and crawl out of the back,” he said, taking about a minute to get through the narrow gap. “Anyone bigger wouldn’t have gotten out.” He grabbed his clothes, alerted salon staff to evacuate, and barely escaped with his life. Viles said he’ll still use tanning beds, but never the Leonardo “high intensity” model again.
(Regina Leader-Post)

Police in Boulder, Colo., were called to a sushi bar after a man allegedly hit a bus boy and ran out without paying for his meal. Officers chased the man until he dove under a parked car. They said they would use pepper spray if he didn’t come out, and he wouldn’t. After a few blasts, he still wouldn’t budge, so officers said they’d flush him out with a police dog. He still refused to come out, so a dog was sent to drag him out. Daniel Axford McKeever, 30, who the newspaper was careful to point out was from California, was finally placed in custody. When asked why he ran, he told officers it was “exciting” and “You have to admit, this is why you do this job,” and said he’d write a letter to the department to praise them for “a job well done.”
(Boulder Daily Camera)

Thousands of people with official tickets to attend President Obama’s inauguration were turned away in various snafus. One was campaign volunteer Gabe Cohen, 29, of Denver, Colo., who recruited members of a 5,000-member Facebook group of disgruntled ticket-holders “to make the best of an unfortunate situation,” he said. Cohen invited them to gather on the Capitol steps — or as close as they were allowed to get — and replay Obama’s swearing-in from iPods and laptop computers four days after the first one.
(Washington Post)