Comics can evoke many happy childhood memories – stealing a sibling’s copies of The Beano, reading Bunty, graduating to the photo-story publications of Jackie or enjoying more recent titles such as Mizz, Girl Talk and My Little Pony. But what is the value of comics to early learning, particularly now that many have moved from a purely literary format to part of a multi-media approach, with the characters appearing in books as well as on YouTube, nappies, pasta, in cartoons and on clothing?
Historically, comics have been seen as ephemeral (see box, overleaf). Roy of the Rovers creator Frank Pepper described them as ‘designed to amuse children and to be forgotten when next week’s instalment came out’ (Chapman 2011). However, this overlooks their potential impact on young children’s literacy development and sense of self-esteem.
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