Graphic Novels: Threat or Menace?

Fifty three years after Dr. Fredric Wertham argued in "Seduction of the Innocent" that comic books were corrupting the morals of our youth, a public schoolteacher has been forced to resign -- and faced the threat of criminal prosecution -- for giving a student a graphic novel as a reading assignment.

And not in some Bible Belt backwater either, but rather in a prosperous Connecticut shoreline community whose residents include more than a few faculty members from nearby Yale University.

This is how the story was initially reported on September 20 in the local daily, the New Haven Register:

GUILFORD -- The parents of a freshman student whose teacher resigned after he gave her a sexually explicit illustrated book said Wednesday their daughter has been the target of harassment from fellow students, and they want the school district to do more to clarify the issue with other parents.

The girl's father, who asked that his family remain anonymous because it has already been the target of criticism, described the graphic novel that English teacher Nate Fisher gave the student as "borderline pornography."

The father also noted, later in the story:

"I personally don't ever want him teaching again," he said. "There is nothing that he could say that would account for this. ... That poor judgment is something you can't take back."

So at this point you're thinking, this must be some kind of sleazy predator of a teacher, right? Good thing they got that scumbag out of there, right?

Well, not exactly.

The book, one of a series of comic book novels by Daniel Clowes, is called "Eightball #22."

* * *

The following week, my friend Chris Arnott at the alternative weekly New Haven Advocate wrote a story on the controversy, noting:

Register reporter Rachael Scarborough King shorthanded Clowes' complexities by reporting that the comic "includes references to rape, various sex acts and murder, as well as images of a naked woman, and a peeping tom watching a woman in the shower." Shocking stuff -- though the sex and bloodshed aren't in fact depicted, just talked about, and the nudity is part of a poignant and decidedly non-titillating scene in which a sensitive young woman is afraid her lover will leave her because of an unsightly birthmark. In any case, graphic acts of sex, murder and voyeurism can be found in countless classic works of literature, by such acclaimed writers as Charles Bukowski, Truman Capote, Allen Ginsberg, Ayn Rand, Leo Tolstoy, Gore Vidal, Nick Hornby, Theodore Dreiser, Sam Shepard, Alice Walker, Cormac McCarthy, Jack Kerouac, D.H. Lawrence, John Cheever, Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Plath.

All those writers, as it happens, appear on the official list of 2007 Summer Reading suggestions presented to students by the Guilford High School English department. So do disgraced sex-and-drugs-addled memoirist Augusten Burroughs and bestselling erotic mystery novelist Janet Evanovich, most of whose books have a hot sex scene within the first few pages. It's an enlightened, engrossing, wide-ranging list that might actually attract more young people to read.

Chris also noted:

That cause wasn't helped by the New Haven Register's Sept. 21 "Soundoff" readers poll question, "Are comic book novels too graphic for children?" Some readers responded with such uninformed comments as "Guilford schools and comic books -- it figures," and "Absolutely, period. It is frightening that this event could occur in our educational system."

* * *

On October 17, the Register followed up with "good news": the teacher whose career has most likely been destroyed by a perfect storm of overzealous parents and cowardly school administrators will not be criminally prosecuted.

Oh, happy day!

Guilford Police Deputy Chief Jeffrey Hutchinson said the department received a complaint about Fisher Sept. 4 and has now closed its investigation.

"Basically, we were informed, we investigated it and had contact with the state's attorney's office, and they said there's nothing they're going to prosecute, so we closed the case," Hutchinson said. "There's no criminal charges pending; there's none anticipated."

Hutchinson said he cannot release details of the investigation because it included "uncorroborated allegations."

* * *

Fisher said he gave the student the graphic novel, which features a number of intersecting stories told in comic book form, because she had not done a summer reading assignment. It was part of a collection of his own books that he had in the classroom. He read the book in a graphic novels course when he was a student at the University of Connecticut and had not reviewed it for some time, he said.

"I was literally looking for ... something that she could read over the weekend, something quick, because all the kids had a test on Tuesday, the weekend after, and I didn't want her to start the year behind in her school work," he said. "In my mind, any book that you give to a student that's going to create a reaction like this in the student's family is an inappropriate book, so you'll never hear me say this was an appropriate thing to do. I just think the way it was handled wasn't right, and it was bad for everybody."

After the student's parents brought their concerns to the school administration, Fisher was placed on leave and resigned about two weeks later. He said he was surprised at the school district's reaction to the situation.

"The administration made it clear to me that they didn't want me back, and at that point, I wanted to do what was in the best interest of my career, as well as the town of Guilford, the students and parents and everybody," he said. "I never thought that I would be pulled out of my job without any due process to be able to defend myself or give my version of the events of what happened. I felt like they really didn't take into account anything about my career that had happened before."

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Forcella was not available for comment Tuesday afternoon. In September, he sent an e-mail to high school parents in which he said the graphic novel "rose to a level of unacceptability that is far beyond that of materials normally questioned in educational circles."

This, remember, from a school district whose official reading list includes Bukowski, Ginsberg and Augusten Burroughs. But wait, there's more!

The mother of the girl who received the comic book has asked to remain anonymous because the family had been criticized after Fisher's resignation. She is satisfied with the outcome and thinks the school district "did a great job."

Initially, she said, she was concerned about the teacher's intentions because he gave the graphic novel to only her daughter. But she added that she now believes he made a mistake.

"It is what it is, and we really hope that his intentions were the best, and if that's the case, then we hope that he's able to go on and find another job and continue with his life," she said.

Gosh, isn't that just so very gracious of her? After raging through the guy's life like a California wildfire, she allows as how it would be okay with her if he eventually somehow manages to find something salvagable as he picks through the wreckage she's left behind.

* * *

Finally, yesterday, almost a month after their initial sensationalistic coverage of this shameful episode, the New Haven Register featured an editorial which gently chided the Guilford school district -- which, while commendable, probably would have mattered a lot more oh, say, a month ago, when the Register's front page was portraying the teacher as a possible pedophile.

Guilford High School's teachers and students should have expected better from school system administrators.

Instead, the school's out-of-proportion reaction to a teacher's well-intentioned makeup assignment for a student turned an internal academic issue into a public controversy, complete with a criminal investigation.

At least the teacher, Nate Fisher, will not face criminal charges for assigning a student a graphic novel to read over a weekend to make up for her failure to complete a summer reading assignment.

* * *
Fisher may have shown questionable judgment in assigning the graphic novel. Given the parents' reaction, Fisher says the assignment was inappropriate.

Inappropriate, perhaps; but, not worthy of a criminal investigation nor ending a promising young teacher's career.

Falls somewhat short of the obvious: the teacher should be hired back, with an abject public apology and full back pay.

Originally posted at This Modern World.

Comments

[splashy]

I learned to read at 4 years because of comic books. They are a great way to put pictures to words and lead into reading without pictures.

No wonder so many teachers quit so early in their careers!

[dwoody]

Well,
I'm from Greenville SC.
I thought after Bush was elected and I heard his speeches, we'd hit some kind of time-warp and it was the eighties again. Things that I thought were settled regurgitate back to the top. That was way wrong.
It's the fifties!
Oh well, at least we have some good folk music to look forward to, I hope.

[Magnolia]

Rape? Various sex acts? Murder? Peeping Toms? Have the crazy self-righteous parents or the self-appointed vice squad investigating this teacher read the Bible? It's full of rape, sex acts of all persuasions, mass murder, infanticide, and the most famous peeping Tom/murder­er/adulter­er of all time, King David. What's the big deal??

[ERose]

You know, this is really a little story in light of what major travesties are taking place in this country and the world....unless you are the teacher who has had his career wrecked. But I read it just to see if at any time anyone....school admin, news reporters, the teacher in his own defense.... if anyone might make mention of the fact that none of this would have happened if the parents had done THEIR job and made sure the kid did the original reading assignment! This teacher was probably all too aware of the power of this particular community to dictate policies in the schools. He was trying to give a lazy rich spoiled student a break.

I think the parents are culpable here. All the critics and authorities who vilified this teacher for what could, at worst be called a lapse in judgment, owe this man more than "hope you can go on with your life".

As for the student....she seems the type who will probably end up with an impressive looking bought-and­-paid-for, plagierized degree from a top university, having never done the work, or learned anything....least of all the lesson from this experience.

And we can see where the hubris of the moneyed (but uneducated) class has lead this country.

[Bigtexxx]

"Register reporter Rachael Scarborough King shorthanded Clowes' complexities by reporting that the comic "includes references to rape, various sex acts and murder...."

I'm guessing the same thing happens in the "Register" on a near-daily basis; maybe they should ban that publication as well.

"...so we closed the case," (Guilford Police Deputy Chief Jeffrey ) Hutchinson said. "There's no criminal charges pending; there's none anticipated."

And there is no evidence that Deputy Chief Hutchinson ever completed his English grammar assignments, nor any evidence that he was ever taught by anyone as bright and caring as Fisher.

[checkmoot]

Any teacher that gives a high school student a comic book, sexually oriented or not, for a reading assignment deserves to be canned. "Gee teach, I tried to read that book, but I couldn't find the pictures". How did the kid get in high school if she can't read ?

[ctuck622]

Addendum to yesterday's post...in today's "backwater news," several of the "rocket scientists" mentioned in my post below admitted not having read the book...some not ever...others not for decades. They even had to be reminded the play is performed in Harper Lee's hometown, Monroeville, AL (UNCENSORED), 17 times a year. Imagine that, y'all!

One county over, "Concerned Walton County Parents" (the title of that little vigilante group is enough to scare the words right off the Constitution), “Blithe Spirit,” a comedic play based on Percy Bysshe Shelly’s poem, “To a Skylark,” about a man haunted by his ex-wife, is being protested by this happy little group of fascists, claiming "the play’s content 'hurts [South Walton High] students' view of marriage and monogamous relationships,” 'proposes a theory of afterlife' and 'encourages young people to explore occult/wit­chcraft.'” They decided instead to perform murder-mystery play, "Any Number Can Die," but THAT doesn't meet up with the fascist criteria of these so-called "Concerned Parents" either. Some fascists are just SO hard to please. Frankly, I think performing "Rocky Horror Picture Show" would be absolutely PERFECT in this strangled "[red]neck of the woods." Hmmm, maybe THAT'S why red tide is seeping onto this coast again. :-) Guess there won't be any vampire or witch costumes in THAT neighborhood. Happy Hallo WEENIES!!

But lo and behold, what play have they decided on??? “Harvey,” a Mary Chase play about a man's friendship with an imaginary rabbit. LMAO

(Yesterday's Post)

...And speaking of "backwaters," in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, the local NAACP is trying to keep the local high school from performing "To Kill A Mockingbird" unless the "n" word is removed. Talk about missing the point. Another nail in the coffin of "the land of the free." I don't know what's worse, the level of stupidity that must drag its proverbial head out of the sand from time to time and spew forth knee-jerk, thoughtless drivel, or the head-scratching, ass-scratching local-yokel Florida politicians whose measure of success is their measure of corruption.

[Susanholmes]

What's hilarious about this is the only reason anybody noticed anything at all about the assignment is because it came in comic book form. If this had been a traditional novel then it's extremely unlikely the parent would have even picked it up, much less read it.

The real lesson here is for teachers - don't let kids make up assignments; just fail them! I'm sure the mother of the student wouldn't have made a fuss at all in that case!

...sheesh...

[wedgie]

Just for the record, Daniel Clowes graphic novels, (the Eightball series) are FANTASTIC. They are some of the most compelling and creative works of art being created. People who are bashing them here don't know what they're talking about.

Graphic Novels are often an adult art form meant to be sold to adults. WHEN is a child old enough to read a comic book like this? It depends on how the child is raised. Some kids can handle it, some can't. Yes, the parent should be able to decide, but by the time a kid is in high school....well jeez. It think the horse is out of the barn, you know? Most kids at that point are having sex. Much less reading artsy comic book references to it.

**

[Potomacker]

While this story has generated plenty of comment about the issue of censorship, literary merits, and selfish parental involvement in the schools, the conspicuous absence of one aspect in the forum convinces me that it's often the most overlooked that we owe to ourselves to think about.
Does anybody believe that if the sexes were reversed, that if the teacher were female and the student male, then would she have been fired for the very same actions? It would be inconceivable for parents to successfully attribute the underlying motives of sexual impropriety to a female teacher, which have been suggested in passing herein, but not in the posting nor in the local press.
The general public suspects any man who works near children. Men in the field education must always abide by this warlockhunt in waiting. They are presumed to be guilty predators and women, especially the daughters of wealthy white parents, make better victims.

[Nancylad]

We've pussyfooted around it, so now let's face it. George Orwell's 1984 is alive and kicking. Talk about life imitating art!

[Mimi4]

Didn't know what "graphic novel" meant until I read the piece. Seems to me the scary part is that comic books are taking the place of real books. Hey, don't worry about this particular passing sensation, worry--a whole lot--about an electorate that can't read.

[zannamar]

I don't believe Japanese Manga Is a passing sensation. Manga graphic novels are 25% of the books sold in Japan(adults included). You don't ever hear the about the dumbing down of Japan because of it. Pokemon(manga) has been around for years. Manga is also the fastest growing genre in our country. Reading in any form is good for your mind. Discussion of topics portrayed in these books(yes, graphic novels are BOOKS!)with kids is what needs to be addressed, whether it is a "classic" or a graphic novel.

[A Meat Beetle]

zannamar is right. I teach high school and our library has a whole section of graphic novels.I've browsed throught some of them and, while it's not my cup of tea (give me something by Miguel Cervantes, or a Flannery O'Connor short story), many of them do stand up as good literature.

[Mytigodess]

I don't always "get" what my children love to read, but I allow them to read it. I may never understand their love of Captain Underpants or the countless editions of anime novels, but if it gets their mind off of video games for a few hours then it's all good.

My children are very intelligent because I allow them the freedom to seek out their interests. Books, video games, tv shows and movies other parents get up in arms over are things I allow my children to have access to if they show the slightest interest in it.

Parents should always set the moral tone of what is acceptable behaviour. They need to know what their children are doing. However, before going off half cocked (hee, hee, I said cocked), they should get the story straight and see for themselves what it is they find offensive and investigate it. Read that book, watch that movie, play that video game, do some research with other sources, and then ask your child what drew them to it and only then come to the conclusion if they should or should not allow the child to continue, but don't be the judge for what others should do.

[3fingerbrown]

Mr. Morrow writes, " ...graphic acts of sex, murder and voyeurism can be found in countless classic works of literature, by such acclaimed writers as Charles Bukowski, Truman Capote, Allen Ginsberg, Ayn Rand, Leo Tolstoy, Gore Vidal, Nick Hornby, Theodore Dreiser, Sam Shepard, Alice Walker, Cormac McCarthy, Jack Kerouac, D.H. Lawrence, John Cheever, Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Plath.
All those writers, as it happens, appear on the official list of 2007 Summer Reading suggestions presented to students by the Guilford High School English department."

Both paragraphs are true, yet together they are misleading. Their juxtaposition suggests that the more controversial works by these authors are on the school reading list, but is that so? Is it Gore Vidal's "Lincoln" or his "City and the Pillar"? Capote's "A Christmas Memory" or "In Cold Blood"? The Ginsberg of "Kaddish" or the Ginsberg of NAMBLA?
The teacher's punishment for his mistakes does not fit the crime, but when I see the above kind of journalistic sleight-of-hand employed in his defense, it makes me wonder if there's any more such spinning going on in this post that I'm too dull-witted to notice.

[RobinLandseadel]

And you were about to demonstrate the high moral tone of Charles Bukowski? It might not be Ginsberg's 'Kaddish' on the shelf, it's probably 'Howl' and Howl's enough, you know. Point being---It might be 'journalistic sleight-of-hand' to lump all of Gore Vidal's or Truman Capote's work together as their work ranges fron Holly Golightly to Myra Breckenridge, but it really isn't for Bukowski, he doesn't write anything for High School freshmen and the point is still valid---Daniel Clowes is still more age-appropriate for a freshman in high school and much more likely to speak to their condition [unless the child in question is already an alcoholic train-wreck.]

[Russ1960]

The book on the list isn't the important part. If the reader enjoys the book he will likely seek others by the same author and eventually find the more titillating of the collection.

What is interesting is society's definition of 'porn'. If it's graphical just within one's own head, no problem, if others can see it too, then bad news. But isn't the effect the same?

[ChrisArnott]

I wrote those paragraphs quoted by Tom Tomorrow and requoted by you here, in the New Haven Advocate story, and am happy to clarify. The reading list is a list of author names, with no specific titles suggested. It's online at http://www.ntech.net/summer%20school/Summer%20Author%20List%202007.pdf (I also had the school fax me a copy, in case the online one had been hacked and altered). The students are free to choose among any works by the listed authors. Several apparently did choose Bukowski this year. No sleight-of-hand or spinning required.

[drblack]

A comic book by any other name is still a comic book.

The reaction to this was insane though.
My parents were so great , they allowed me to read ANYTHING. I was reading at an adult level by 3rd grade so it must have had some effect.
I read Poe and Steinbeck, Tolkien and Heinlein by Fourth grade and continue to be a voracious reader today. My Siblings are the same.
Parents get your kids reading by setting an example and let Kids read.
Kids are WAY too protected and over supervised today. I guess most parents have been frightened by their TV sets.

[akzidenzgrotesk]

my parents were exactly the same way with my brother and i. i was such a hit at my girlscout/brownie camp outs when i would tell "the black cat" or "the tell-tale heart" to the other girls... their parents thought i was pretty weird though.

i don't understand this urge by a lot of parents today to shelter their teens and pre-teens from everything... it's not like it's anything they haven't seen or haven't at least thought about a lot. they're teenagers, don't parents remember being teenagers?