The Funny Guy is a set of comic strips created by the
talented artist Jonathan W. Maupin. Like
many comic strips, the main character is constantly getting entwined in awkward
situations with humorous outcomes.
Unlike many popular syndicated comic strips, the main character is
African American, as opposed to the typically “white” characters or animal
characters that tend to rein in the cartoon media (Charlie Brown, Family
Circus, Foxtrot). However, the reason I
suggest this for an excellent piece of multicultural media is because it is
written by local African American comic strip artist, John Maupin. Although not
syndicated (he published this book through a self-publishing company), he’s an
excellent example of an everyday man going out and making his dreams of making
comic strips happen. Although the main
character, named Fun, may fit into stereotypes of a goofy male and often gets into
trouble, he also is at times creative, imaginative and witty. There are lessons that could be taught about
changing perceptions, things aren’t always as they seem, and the value of
facing up to a situation. Additionally,
the book is good for high and low readers alike, because of the highly visual
nature of comic strip illustrations. In fact, it could also be used to discuss visual literacies and use thereof.
If anyone were interested in having the author to come visit
their school, I’m sure that he would be more than interested if it could be fit into his work schedule (most
likely before 1 pm on a school day). A
link to perusing or purchasing the book is here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Funny-Guy?keyword=Funny+Guy&store=allproducts
Citation: Maupin, J. (2012). The funny guy. Trafford
Publishing.
I agree with Mindy this book is hilarious. I think that this book would be a great example of a person of minority overcoming diversity. Mindy told me the story of how the author who is a janitor had to publish his own book. I think the story of how the book came about would be enough to make this book a piece of multicultural literature. The author of this story overcame a lot and finally got his book published.
ReplyDeleteThe use of comics are becoming very popular in the classrooms. I can imagine an African American male readers being a struggling reader and you presenting this book to him to read. He would be engaged from beginning to end because not many text, especially comics, feature African Americans as the main character. What I find beneficial is the fact that John Maupin is a local artist/author here in Louisville! A guest speaker would be a great thing for students who are not engaged in reading and maybe do a workshop with him in which they create their own comic strips.
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