Latest Articles

Pop Culture and Education

Necessary Trouble Archives

Inspired by the words of civil rights icon John Lewis, school counselor Mick Rabin created teacher guides for various historical graphic novels that include “call to action” video interviews.

The Marvel Age of Comics

The Incredible Hulk and the University of Wisconsin

The Hulk became enraged at protesters at Desert State University in 1970 while real-world students protested napalm manufacturer Dow Chemical at the University of Wisconsin in 1967.

Green Arrow and His Times

Green Arrow: Journey to Appalachia

Two years after Senator Robert F. Kennedy embarked on a “poverty tour” of Kentucky, Green Arrow and Green Lantern made a similar journey to a small mining town called Desolation.

Comic Books and the Real World

Superman vs. the Slums

To keep a group of kids from turning to a life of crime, Superman forces President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to build low-cost housing after the superhero demolishes a city slum.