What No Ones Telling Parents About Comic Books

Comic Books Are Combating Juvenile Crime

“Eighty-five percent of those who interface with the juvenile court system, and more than 60% of prison inmates, are functionally illiterate,” reports Illya Kowalchuk, Director of Education for the nonprofit organization, Pop Culture Classroom. “Penal institution records show that inmates have [only] a 16% chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% for those who receive none.”

That battle against criminal recidivism is why Kowalchuk takes comic books into prisons.

“Comics provide a wonderful bridge to develop reading skills,” he says. “Children and adults with reading disabilities, English Language deficiencies, and a lack of motivation are drawn to the multi-modal form (pictorial and textual) of comics…Reading comics is a much less threatening exercise for someone with reading difficulties.”

Comic Book Strengthen Family Ties

Yep, it’s true: Comics have become a family affair in America. Dr. Christina Angel, executive director of Denver Comic Con, has seen firsthand how comic book fandom draws parents and kids together. “[It’s] a diverse, interesting and welcoming culture that, when embraced, can be a great deal of fun and provide a bonding experience. I know that having nerd culture in common with my now-adult daughter has made us great friends!”

DC Comics writer, Christy Marx, agrees. “My parents were brainwashed into thinking comics were degenerate and worthless,” she says. “But a couple of generations have grown up reading and loving comics and are happy to pass that along to their children and grandchildren. I adore going to Cons and seeing a 5 year old girl wearing a Batgirl costume with a tutu.”

Comic Books Have a Moral Agenda

Like it or not, comic books teach moral lessons—something comics creators know and use to teach their values. Marvel Comics’ top editor, Axel Alonso says, “While parents should be role models for life, superheroes remind a child of the moral compass necessary to navigate a universe fraught with thrills and danger.”

Alonso adds, “I discovered comic books as a young boy. They taught me to read and helped shape my moral code - they are a part of my DNA. As Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics, I understand the importance of cultivating young readers that will have a similar experience. As the father of [a] boy who’s a big fan of Spider-Man and Deadpool, I’m thrilled to see my son have a similar experience.”

Comic Books Improve Reading Skills

In generations past, the Bible was a new reader’s primary text. Among recent generations, comic books often fill that role.

Novelist, Stefan Petrucha reveals, “Early in the 1960s, [a comic book] was how my grandfather taught me how to read…It was Jimmy Olsen’s birthday and the League of Super Heroes gave him a ring and their costumes that gave him their powers temporarily. I didn’t know who any of these people were, but I was totally fascinated. Gripped. And it went on from there.”

According Illya Kowalchuk, Petrucha’s experience is fairly common: “This form provides a much easier interaction with literature than a typical prose novel…The colors, exaggerated characters, and easily digestible stories work well for developing readers. [And] comics teach healthy reading habits such as character development, conflict/resolution, inference, and story progression.”

Comic Books Are Attracting Millions of FanGirls

Rob Salkowitz is a noted trends analyst and author of Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture. After conducting a national study on comic book fandom, he reported this:

“We found that the current audience for fan conventions (comics, gaming, anime and specialty fandoms) is about 45% female/55% male. But if you look at numbers for age 30 and under, it’s almost exactly 50/50. Facebook research shows millions of women are fans of comic and pop culture properties, approaching parity with men….The bottom line is that girls love the material as much as, or maybe more than, guys, and have formed strong communities online and off to express their fan interest.”

Comic Books Want to Change Society

According to editor Robin Herrera at Oni Press, using comics as agents of social change is a constant publishing goal. “It’s a high priority for us right now,” she says, “because we’ve noticed that a lot of comics, our comics, do not really have a whole lot of diversity in them. So that was something we wanted to actively change and work toward. It was something that was kind of missing in our line.”

Veteran comics scribe, Jim Zub, agrees - almost. “Stories are powerful and they can absolutely be agents of social change,” he says, “but I don’t think there’s a ‘should’ attached…That said, I think stories that make us think and communicate larger themes about who we are and the world as it could be have the greatest potential to last.”