Some twenty years ago, comic book took over the movie industry and pop culture. Many of us have the release dates for every single superhero movie penciled in our calendars. Judging by the publishing trends, graphic novels are booming. How come? What makes comic book culture so appealing and so prevalent and is it at all surprising? Is there something there beyond just being amused by funny pictures?

In this lecture, we dive into the history of this magnificent cultural and artistic medium, its function, and immense political power and capacity to shape the world. Discussing the historical development of comics and their function as a cultural, political, and entertainment media, we will see how all of these intertwine with representations of the past. The lecture will cover how comic books were and are used to capture and convey history, how personalities, personal histories, gender, race, class, or perspectives shape artistic choices and the view of history. In a bourgeoning crisis of literacy and readership, comic books and graphic novels are proving as a gateway for young readers, and history education has the potential to be at the forefront. This lecture will present on this pedagogical capacity, while surveying some examples of graphic novels about the history of former Yugoslav republics.