Webcomics for Middle School Literature

[griffon8]

Well, there's always Jack. It's a story about a green fluffy bunny and all the people he meets on his adventures.

That is so many kinds of wrong.

[sgtrock]

Hey, everybody.

I have a friend who teaches middle school English. She wants to use a webcomic this year for her students to read in order to discuss various literary elements (setting, characterization, etc.) in a written form other than novels. However, she has two major problems. 1.) She teaches 8th grade, so the material really must be appropriate. 2.) She teaches in the Bible Belt of America and so has to be careful about content. I had guided her to Gunnerkrigg Court, which looked super promising until (spoiler) Reynard possessed the stuffed dog's body (/spoiler).

Apparently she has students so religious that they cannot read Harry Potter, and a few of her students aren't allowed to celebrate Halloween (because it is the Devil's holiday).

So if you guys can think of interesting webcomics that she may be able to use in her classroom, she would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!
CJ

CJ;

I'm sorry, but every single webcomic that I can think of would probably insult one close-minded parent or another. Still, how about xkcd? PhD Comics? Evil Genius? Calamities of Nature?

See the problem? Comics have ALWAYS had a subversive side. Whether it's because artists are subversives by their very nature, or because it draws together disenfranchised, I don't know. I just know that I can't think of a single comic that doesn't somehow aim at upsetting somebody's point of view of the world.

Heck, that's true of most literature, up to and including the Bible. Incest, lust, murder, rape, idolatry, genocide, etc. All the big sins are in there, sometimes in very approving language.

How in Ghu's name do these people ever expect their kids to grow up and face the world if they insist on keeping them wrapped in candy-coated bigotry? (nm, that was a rhetorical question.)

[Mr. Brightside]

XKCD is usually pretty clean, but at one time or another it's had pretty much any objectionable element you could name...

[Alice Macher]

Still, how about xkcd? PhD Comics? Evil Genius? Calamities of Nature?

I'm not familiar with those last two, but with regard to the first two, remember that CJ's friend teaches eighth grade English. So xkcd, with its many math, physics, programming and assorted academic geekery jokes, would be beyond the comprehension of most if not all students at that level. (Plus, there's occasional foul language and discussion of sex, both no-no's within the sorts of households CJ describes.) As for PhD, while it sticks to tame language and avoids mention of sex, it deals with grad student, as well as research and publishing, issues which would be of little interest or relevance to eighth-graders.

My suggestions? Count Your Sheep, Little Dee (completed but still online), and Sheldon. (I haven't read much of that last one, but it's apparently of the "comic you could safely run in a newspaper your grandma reads" sort.)

[NobodySpecial]

I say run with Sinfest and take the firing manfully.

[bunnyThor]

I say run with Sinfest and take the firing manfully.

If it's a firing you're after, I'd go with either Sexy Losers or Kit n Kay Boodle.

(Nope, not linking them.)

[Valerie]

I say run with Sinfest and take the firing manfully.

If it's a firing you're after, I'd go with either Sexy Losers or Kit n Kay Boodle.

(Nope, not linking them.)

I am aware of both of these and you would be so fired.
Also, I think it's Kit n Kat, but I could be wrong.

[The Shadow]

Girl Genius is PG-13, light hearted, funny, good art, hilarious villains and the heroines all wear Victorian undergarments.

I'm actually a huge fan of GG, but I keep going back and forth on "Will 8th graders pretending to be Crips and Latin Kings enjoy this?"

Wait, kids are supposed enjoy school-assigned literature?! I knew my teacher was doing it wrong when she assigned The Catcher and the Rye!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. In all serious, I think most will enjoy it. It's funny, with giant robots, cute girl and romance. There's something for everyone.

There's also Piled Higher & Deeper which always falls into clean territory from what I've seen, though the title might not pass muster and it may not be what you're looking for.

[Mr. Brightside]

Hmm... if Girl Genius is okay, Schlock Mercenary probably is, too, being written by a conservative(ish) Mormon...

[bunnyThor]

Oh, hey. The Intrepid Girlbot is pretty SFW if IIRC.

[sgtrock]

Hmm... if Girl Genius is okay, Schlock Mercenary probably is, too, being written by a conservative(ish) Mormon...

Girl Genius won the first and second Hugos ever awarded for a webcomic, beating out Shlock both times. 2 very, very good comics. Very funny, great plots, and well drawn.

I'd say they are perfect for your friend except for a couple dealbreakers. Shlock is written by a Mormon, which is a dealbreaker for the kind of intolerant parents we're talking about here. That plus the fact that Shlock posits a standing reward for all attorneys delivered dead. Half of the parents would be cheering while the others would be calling for a lynching.

GG suffers from another problem. Not only is the girl in question a genius and the main protagonist, she consorts with all kind of creatures guaranteed to send these prudes running screaming into the night. What? Do you think that people who won't celebrate Halloween or let them read Harry Potter are going to accept their kids reading about Jaegers???

Sadly, all the really good stories are just too subversive for these kinds of people. While I'm not familiar with the ones that Alice suggested, they do sound about as unobjectionable (and as boring) as those parents wpuld be willing to tolerate.

Sorry.

[sun tzu]

Alice! finished years ago. Unless I mis-remember, it's fairly kid-friendly.

Yep. No lesbian subtext unless you look for it.

Hey, you can find lesbian subtext anywhere. (Warning: Is a Chick Tract. Read at your own peril.)

Well, there's always Jack. It's a story about a green fluffy bunny and all the people he meets on his adventures.

...You monster.
(I love Jack, but dear God...)

[Laafje]

Maybe http://www.sheldoncomics.com/ ? It's considered very family-friendly.. Although there are numerous references to Halloween and Harry Potter and, well... it involves a talking duck. I'd let my young kids read it but I'm not sure if hardcore Bible Belt Christian parents would approve of it.

[oenone]

That's why I'm saying to do Jenny. It's not the BEST web comic, but it's clean, non-fantastical, and pretty sfw. It's run in a couple post newspapers too.

[CJ]

I greatly appreciate everyone's input. I realize that it is incredibly difficult to find a webcomic that will "make everyone happy," which is why I reached out to the forum--because I figured that you guys would have more ideas than I do. And I've been sending these ideas to my friend and collectively we've been archive-binging and thinking up ideas for how this can be used in a classroom. There are minor things that her class can handle. She's mostly concerned about demon-possessing or evil ACTUALLY winning, or similar. Words like "damn" and "crap" are hard to avoid, and she doesn't mind that Agatha has MASSIVE BREASTS, but the most you see of them is cleavage. There are some minor rules that can be broken.

In terms of other religions, she feels that discussing other religions in a webcomic is fine because, frankly, students should learn about "worlds" outside of the ones in their small town. Having Reynard as a scary monster was fine up until he became a body-possessing spirit.

Thank you all so much for your ideas. If you have others, keep them coming. Completed or not is totally fine. My friend also totally appreciates your assistance.

Cheers!