US comics publisher Bluewater offers school lessons

Here's an interesting item from across the pond that might well be of interest to readers and publishers involved in comic workshops and comic art lessons here in the UK, or whose range might appeal directly to English teachers (such as Classical Comics or SelfMadeHero, perhaps).

Comic book and graphic novel publisher Bluewater Productions is offering free lesson plans for its non-fiction comic titles, from its Female Force, Political Power, Fame, and Orbit series, to US educators and librarians.

Developed in partnership with Chris Wilson, an educator and creator of The Graphic Classroom, web site Cynopsis reports Bluewater's new middle and high school aimed educational lesson plans feature a multi-discipline study of several of its biographical graphic novels and comic books including language, historical perspective, conceptual thinking, and decision making, as well as talking points, exercises and activity prompts.

The program also hopes to encourage kids to read.

Available via Bluewater (www.bluewaterprod.com) beginning this month, the first lesson plans will be are based on titles about historical figures including Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama, as well as authors such as S.E. Hinton, JK Rowling, and Stephenie Meyer, not to mention pop stars Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.

Lesson plans for additional titles are set to follow over the next several months. Copies of the individual issues and graphic novels are also being made available at a discounted cost for classroom use.

Tube Surfing: Weekend Comic events, another Royal Wedding Comic and Phoenix Comic

• The final cover art for another Royal Wedding comic has been revealed. The Geek Files, which also has some interior art, reports Bluewater Productions biography comic, Fame: The Royals, will be released next month in time for the wedding on 29th April, pitting it against Markosia's wedding comic whose contributors include Gary Erskine and Mike Collins (see news story).
Bluewater's cover is by Michal Szyksznian and there will be no alternative covers.

• This Saturday, the 26th March 2011, Dan Abnett will be at Forbidden Planet's London Megastore signing an exclusive Forbidden Planet Limited Edition of his new Angry Robot novel Embedded. Details here on the Forbidden Planet web site between 1 and 2.00pm. This is in advance of general publication, so don't miss out.

• Talking of events, Speech Balloon reminds us the cream of Midlands comic talent is taking part in the Memorabilia Show at Birmingham NEC this weekend. The London MCM Expo's famous Comic Village is taking comics around the country and the first stage of the tour is Memorabilia on 26-27 March.
Comic creators attending this weekend's Memorabilia include Lee Bradley; John McCrea; Kat Nicholson; Jason Cardy; Laura Howell; Liam Shalloo; Al Davison; Keith Burns; MC2; Matthew Craig; Lizz Lunney; Philippa Rice; Dylan Cook; Tony McGee; Markosia; Alice De Ste Croix; Ian Sharman; Josh Clarke; Linh Ha; Scot Stanford; Lyndon White; Ty Wilson; Sean Azzopardi; Lily Mitchell; Howard Hardiman; Toonikun and Minyi.

• The 2011 Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival is almost upon us and visitors can expect a packed weekend of activities in the heart of the medieval town. The main event weekend is April 16th-17th but many shows and exhibitions open in advance and ace British cartoonists blog Bloghorn has published details along with a handy map.

• A little more on the new 'DFC' (or 'Not DFC'). The new comic is expected to launch in early 2012 and you get more information by signing up for their mailing list at http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/, or by following editor Ben Sharpe on Twitter.

• And finally, because the journalist probably had nothing better to do, the Daily Telegraph let William Langley wheel out the trite "comics aren't as good as they used to be" line, this time marking Dennis the Menace's 60th birthday. "In these over-sensitive times, the Beano's greatest creation, the rascally schoolboy Dennis the Menace - who has just turned 60 - is not as much fun as he used to be," he moaned. Did he actually read last week's ace celebratory issue? I thought it was great fun seeing the modern Menace alongside his yesteryear counterpart - and still menacing, for all his modern updating.