It was interesting to read of the process involved in actually creating a comic as Sousanis described it. I was particularly interested in how he gained inspiration from a conversation he once had with his father.  Hearing about his experience and using a past conversation as a base on his art-making shows how ideas can develop and manifest into a visual form over time. What may seem inconsequential actually has all the possibilities of being an influential piece of inspiration in our own art-making- we just need to stay aware of such things and events.

These readings lead me to think more about comics as a resource in learning. I feel that often times they are overlooked as not something that can be academic and teach much. But the use of imagery is an extremely interesting approach and can at times help convey an idea better than words can. One of my favorite examples of utilizing comics as an educational resource is “Maus”by Art Spiegelman. It is a comic that depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor during WWII. The imagery of the comic is key to telling the story andhaving a comic format itself helps engage readers who otherwise may not be interested in reading such a story.

Comics use imagery as a visual language that anyone is able to read and decipher.  The very making of comics is all about the visuals.  As Sousanis describes it, there is an “attention to the size, shape, and location of the panels on the page – where they are and what they’re next to – really a consideration of the entire composition as a whole experience”. This could not be more true. For many years, I worked at an art camp in which cartooning was a given subject for the campers. In that, the students learned about designing their own comics and how to set up a panel that convey information successfully.  They learned how the visuals of a comic alone can tell a story and the overall power of imagery.  It also taught them, similar to Sousanis’ process, how to sketch out their ideas beforehand and let them develop as they are working.

I also found the timing of this reading to be interesting  as just this past week, I was reading Carpenter and Tavin’s graphic depiction of the reconceptualization of art education (2010. “Drawing (past, present, and future) together: a (graphic) look at the reconceptualization of art education”. Studies in Art Education, Vol. 51, No. 4., pp. 327-352).  While it was a topic that I was familiar with, the inclusion of imagery and visuals made it all the more interesting and engaging.  The power of imagery is really extraordinary and there are time that with the current push for academic writing in schools, I forget just important and influential images can be.