Editorial

Abstract

and Joan Ormrod of The Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. A main concern for the panel was in the effectiveness of the images produced for analysis. Bruce Mutard, a practitioner, raised the pertinent issue of who produces the images if you are not a practitioner? A point that suggests a close working relationship between writer and artist. A summary from each presenter, Stuart Medley, Bruce Mutard and Erika Fülöp, is published below. The reason for including this debate is because comics scholarship, comics and comics as a research method is becoming ever more popular. Comics can create an attractive, outward facing, opportunity to engage people outside of academia. As such, it represents funding opportunities for researchers. It is also used in education, as several papers in previous issues of this journal can attest. Three papers in this issue deal with these ideas and, with more comics research and comics production used across education, it is a useful time to share ideas and enrich our research and teaching communities. Sarah McNichol's article, 'Telling migrant women's life stories as comics,' describes a research project using digital comics produced by women from the British Bangladeshi community in Greater Manchester. The project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the comics produced detailed the women's experiences of migration and their consequent issues of belonging and identity.The next two articles deal with comics as education tools and though the first, Susan Ogier and Kerenza Ghosh, 'Exploring student teachers' capacity for creativity through the interdisciplinary use of comics in the primary classroom,' applies to the UK it can be adapted for teaching purposes elsewhere. Ogier and Ghosh examine how comics can be used in primary teaching to enrich and create confidence in students when teaching the national curriculum in the UK. Saddam Issa's 'Comics in the English Classroom: A Guide to Teaching Comics across English Studies,' analyses the positive effects of using comic book production in colleges. The article also provides ideas for teaching, and assignment design.The remaining five articles are concerned with translation from one culture or language to another. Returning to the importance of the artist and writer collaboration, in 'Reading a Retelling: Mahabharata in the Graphic Novel Form' Varsha Jha (Singh) & Mini Chandran examine the theme of reconciling the image and word in the adaptation of the Hindu religious text, Mahabarata. They discuss how '"retelling" this work establishes "showing" and "telling" as inextricably enmeshed processes.' In 'Analysis of pictorial metaphors in comic book art: Test of the LA-MOAD Theory' Igor Juricevic, discusses the ways comics deal with motion and this has implications for producing comic art in addition to its analysis.