Text Required: Comic Books

March 24, 2005
By Alvaro Macias
Staff Writer

Smack! Pow! Boom! This may seem like the language one might expect to see in a typical Batman comic book.   This is not the case for an old, tired Bruce Wayne who hates Superman and who comes out of retirement one last time as a vigilante.  The language of comics has certainly matured, as have the audiences.

The students of St. Ambrose University spoke and now The Language of Comics: Image and Meaning is a course that’s here to save the day.  St. Ambrose students can now learn the history about the comic books, significant contributors and developments within the field.

“Where they come from, what they mean, the social context of them, the ways that sort of segues into pop-culture, and what that says about us as a society,” instructor Dr. Terri Switzer said about the content of the class.

Comics are representative of our culture and times. The history of comics begins around the 1800s before they were actually called comic books.  Some comics deal with issues like race relations and the holocaust. There are even some comics that talk about the Sept. 11, attacks. The class requires three texts and the choice between either "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller or "The Watchmen" by Alan Moore and David Gibbons.  These two graphic novels revolve around what happens to super heroes when they get old and the issues they have with one another.

“For so many years they were seen as literature for kids only, and now that’s no longer the case,” Switzer said.

The class was first offered during the 2004 spring semester due to student interest.   Switzer doesn’t consider herself an expert in comic books but she did her research and learned some things from last year’s class.

“Comics, growing up for me were kind of a big deal, like a getaway kind of fantasy thing,” student Matt Glick said.

He took the class because he enjoys comic books.

“Terri is a great teacher and even if you are not into comics she might be able to get them interested in history and the art,” Glick said.

The art department has created a new 18-credit minor in art history.  The comic book history is one of the courses offered under the ART 320.  There is also a course offered on Russian art history and a course that analyses the way heroes and villains are portrayed in our culture.

The comic book class is not a blow-off option.

“Ask the students how much reading they’re doing and how much writing,” Switzer said.

The class will be offered again in the 2006 spring semester.

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