catapult magazine

vol. 7, num. 9 :: 2008.05.02 — 2008.05.16

In many academic institutions, graphic novels are emerging as a rich medium for study. Fortunately, creative storytellers have not been so slow on the uptake and there’s a treasure trove of works already available. This issue will explore the form of the graphic novel for beginners and fans alike.

Feature

Neither Minnie Mouse nor Wonder Woman

by Bill Boerman-Cornell and Annette Witte

An overview of the genre and two specific novels reveals changing images of women.

Editorial

Unlikely places

by Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma

Venturing into the graphic novel genre was a surprise both pleasant and difficult.

Articles

Icons and alphabets

by Deborah Leiter Nyabuti

An image on the wall tells several stories simultaneously.

Graphic

by Raymond Blanton

Are graphic novels simply too graphic or is this a genre Christians should openly engage?

Comic lessons

by Jason Panella

On what happened when a first-time instructor chooses a graphic novel for subject matter.

Commissioned by God

by Ron Van Der Pol

An interview with Ron Vander Pol, an artist and art and Bible instructor from Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Doing what I love

by Pegi Ballenger

An artist reflects on the joys and challenges of drawing stories.

Reviews

Ten graphic novels you’ve probably never heard of, but should totally read soon

by Bill Boerman-Cornell

A list of graphic novels to check out when you're ready to go beyond Maus and Persepolis.

Superman: “Man of Steel” or “Stalin”?

by Elizabeth Schaefer

A review of Steven T. Seagle’s graphic novel It’s a Bird.

Out of right field

by Kayla Placencio

An overview and analysis of Jack Chick’s graphic tracts.

Drawing the Story for children

by Kristen Stewart

A review of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago.

Capturing uncertainty

by Grant Elgersma

A review of Martin Scorcese’s Shine A Light, a concert film featuring the Rolling Stones.

Gallery

In case you missed it the first time

Healing place: a sketch

by Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma

A reflection on lives intersecting in unexpected spaces.

The artful bulletin

by Denise Frame Harlan

On how a requisite page became a blank canvas for an entire congregation.

Weaving the web

The Caped Crusader

Slate Magazine

Jeet Heer writes about Frederic Wertham and the campaign against comic books.

U.S.S. Catastrophe

Explore the works of comic artist Kevin Huizenga.

Apprenticeship, Illumination in a Modern-Day Atelier

National Public Radio

Ellen Frank’s illuminated “Cities of Peace” series tells stories on a number of levels.

Columns

Not a lap God

by Meredith Kathryn-Case Gipson Hoogendam

On the images of God that meet us at various times in various places.

daily asterisk

Even in a country you know by heart
its hard to go the same way twice
the life of the going changes.
The chances change and make a new way.
Any tree or stone or bird
can be the bud of a new direction. The
natural correction is to make intent
of accident. To get back before dark
is the art of going.

Wendell Berry
“Traveling at Home” from Traveling at Home

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