A Cultural Comic Exchange

Graphic novels, comics, and blockbuster movies made from comics are big business. Graphic novel sales rose five percent last year, remarkable for a beleaguered publishing industry. The medium is so prominent that The New York Times recently introduced a graphic-novel bestsellers list - three of them, actually: hardcover, softcover and manga.

And teachers are getting in on the action. National education groups are now offering training and support for teachers who want to use comics in the classroom. Marek Bennett is an artist and teacher based in Henniker, New Hampshire. He uses comics to connect his students with kids in rural Nicaragua. He just returned from holding several workshops with students there, and he’s here to tell us more.

MarekBennett.com: "La Garita: Student Artwork"

MarekBennett.com: "Yúcul: Student Artwork by Promotores"

Photos from Marek's workshops in Nicaragua

(Image courtesy MarekBennett.com)