Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes

Through an analysis of published graphic novels and comics created by schoolchildren, and building upon Rudine Sims Bishop’s literary metaphors, we discuss how comics serve as compasses and kaleidoscopes that allow readers/composers/educators to center justice in the storying process. We argue that...

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Main Authors: David E. Low, Francisco L. Torres
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Oklahoma Libraries 2025-05-01
Series:Study and Scrutiny
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.shareok.org/studyandscrutiny/ojs/studyandscrutiny/article/view/1187
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author David E. Low
Francisco L. Torres
author_facet David E. Low
Francisco L. Torres
author_sort David E. Low
collection DOAJ
description Through an analysis of published graphic novels and comics created by schoolchildren, and building upon Rudine Sims Bishop’s literary metaphors, we discuss how comics serve as compasses and kaleidoscopes that allow readers/composers/educators to center justice in the storying process. We argue that the comics medium provides readers and authors specific affordances (interiority, multiperspectivity, fragmentation, ambiguity, juxtaposition, and focalization) for bending reality and framing stories of the unseen, unheard, and hidden in the margins. We address teachers directly in exploring what’s possible when texts are read kaleidoscopically to engage the multiperspectival/multiversal/liminal nature of a robustly multimodal medium.
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series Study and Scrutiny
spelling doaj-art-4684985d527c4ca2857f28ea85cf625f2025-08-25T20:53:03ZengUniversity of Oklahoma LibrariesStudy and Scrutiny2376-52752025-05-017110.15763/issn.2376-5275.2025.7.1.254-290Comics as Literary Compasses and KaleidoscopesDavid E. Low 0Francisco L. Torres1California State University, FresnoKent State University Through an analysis of published graphic novels and comics created by schoolchildren, and building upon Rudine Sims Bishop’s literary metaphors, we discuss how comics serve as compasses and kaleidoscopes that allow readers/composers/educators to center justice in the storying process. We argue that the comics medium provides readers and authors specific affordances (interiority, multiperspectivity, fragmentation, ambiguity, juxtaposition, and focalization) for bending reality and framing stories of the unseen, unheard, and hidden in the margins. We address teachers directly in exploring what’s possible when texts are read kaleidoscopically to engage the multiperspectival/multiversal/liminal nature of a robustly multimodal medium. https://journals.shareok.org/studyandscrutiny/ojs/studyandscrutiny/article/view/1187teaching graphic novelscomics analysisrepresentationmultimodal textscritical visual literacysocial justice
spellingShingle David E. Low
Francisco L. Torres
Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes
Study and Scrutiny
teaching graphic novels
comics analysis
representation
multimodal texts
critical visual literacy
social justice
title Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes
title_full Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes
title_fullStr Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes
title_full_unstemmed Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes
title_short Comics as Literary Compasses and Kaleidoscopes
title_sort comics as literary compasses and kaleidoscopes
topic teaching graphic novels
comics analysis
representation
multimodal texts
critical visual literacy
social justice
url https://journals.shareok.org/studyandscrutiny/ojs/studyandscrutiny/article/view/1187
work_keys_str_mv AT davidelow comicsasliterarycompassesandkaleidoscopes
AT franciscoltorres comicsasliterarycompassesandkaleidoscopes