Graphic Novels: MexiKid

A long and rambling introduction
1. Graphic Novels were not a thing when I was a young reader. They were called comic books. As an adult, I've come to appreciate the remarkable history and richness of the genre, but, still, it's not in my wheelhouse. 

2. To that point: as children, my sister and I used to read the funny pages of our local newspaper together. It was the only thing we did together without fighting. Sometimes, I would say "I don't get it" and sometimes she would say "I don't get it" and the other one of us didn't get what there was not to get. That was until we realized that I was only reading the words in the bubbles and my sister wasn't reading them at all and only looking at the pictures. In this genre, you need to do both. 

3. My nephew Liam is a poet and artist at the age of 9 and 3/4. He's already written several multi-volume graphic novels and has plans for many more. He is personally inspired by the Dogman novels. I've become fascinated about what it has taught him about voice, visual rhetoric, narrative, and a host of other key reading skills. 

TODAY'S PROMPT: One is real and the other one is April Break fun. First, what do Graphic Novels do (besides the obvious) to a reader, what does it teach a reader how to do or not do, that text does not? What does the genre make possible for a reader? How might you apply those ideas to tonight's text? 

And, just for fun, if you were going to write a graphic novel, what would yours be about?