Long the perceived realm of the nerd, the geek, or the social outsider, comics and graphic novels have in recent years regained a prominence and social acceptance they have not seen since their golden age in the 1940s. This return to acceptability, however, has not been adequately mirrored in academic use. The field of comics scholarship remains vanishingly small, and their use as a teachable primary source material rarer still.

While the reticence to use comics in the history classroom has many contributing factors, one of the most salient is the simple barrier to entry posed by use of a new medium. This workshop builds on ideas developed in the World History Association’s “Under the Baobab” series to introduce scholars and especially instructors to new concepts and practical skills in how to use comics. By providing teaching tools, digital resources, practical guidance, and lesson planning demonstrations, this workshop will help to alleviate apprehension about the use of these incredibly diverse and global source materials.

The skills this workshop hopes to teach are not restricted simply to the American superhero comic. Sequential art reading skills are as equally applicable to ancient examples such as Trajan’s Column, modern Middle Eastern political satire, a Scottish nationalist propaganda piece, or a Chinese graphic memoir. By aiding instructors in the development and use of these sources, this workshop aims to bolster the available tools in the history classroom and generate further interest in these versatile and valuable graphic resources.