Using Superheroes to Visually and Critically Analyze Comics, Stereotypes, and Society

The purpose of this article is to provide teachers and students useful methods for utilizing the power of comic books as literacy sponsors in ELA classrooms. Given the continued boom in the popularity of comics in popular culture, this provides a relevant way to introduce students to visual and critical analysis. Engaging in meaningful analysis of comic superheroes can help students develop the skills required to critically analyze the stereotypes and social issues both within comics and within the world that surrounds them. Through the study of traditional and contemporary comic book heroes, students can critique society and begin to develop voices for social change. In this article, we discuss one way we have implemented comic books into literacy instruction in high school English language arts classrooms to help students practice and develop visual literacy skills and to scaffold students’ entrance into the weighty conversations that accompany relevant social issues. Using four comics, Gotham Central, The Shadow Hero, The Authority, and Ms. Marvel, we offer teachers examples and guidance for incorporating this approach into their own classrooms