“When the Switch Happened”

The Comics Reading Histories of Emerging Adults in the U.S

Abstract

The popularity of comics with children and teens in the United States has been extensively documented, both in terms of their market sales and circulation in libraries.  What is not as well chronicled is readers’ experiences with comics reading in their childhood and teenage years, the insights from which might prove useful for school librarians who are interested in helping create positive and meaningful reading experiences for their students.  The purpose of this study is to examine the comics reading histories of emerging adults who read comics as children or teens in order to understand how this format fit into their broader development as a reader.  Using both survey and semi-structured interview data, the comics reading histories of 34 emerging adult participants from the Southeastern portion of the United States were analyzed.  Results of this study suggest that school librarians need to take steps to make comics reading more accessible and considered educationally legitimate for their students.