We must make kids want to read before we can make them read what we want. Jacquelyn McTaggart. Graphic Novels, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Teaching Visual Literacy. Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher, Editors.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

War Stories: A Graphic History

My husband came across the book at the library and brought it home. It's not for kids, but teenagers and above who are avid comic fans will find it a treasure chest of art and information. It includes seven chronological chapters: Historical Hostilities; American Blood, American Soil; World War I; World War II; Britain Goes to War; Korean and Vietnam Wars; and Modern Day Conflicts. This is a comprehensive look at the nature of comics and historical events. It has a comprehensive index of both artistic credits and historical content. It includes pirates, the American West, and Iraq. This is a trade paperback published in 2009 by Collins Design an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. Look at the Browse Inside feature of their website to see examples of this fine work.

The author, Mike Conroy, is a well known comic journalist and historian. He is the news editor of the U.K.-based trade paper Comics International, and the founder of the Eagle Awards, one of the comics industries major international prizes. His previous books are 500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes and 500 Comic Book Villians.