I started my presentation at 5:30 and wrapped it up at 5:50.  There were a few questions after, one about Alan Moore’s disparaging of Marvel and DC (I explained that he was known for being a good writer but also cranky and opinionated).

That was a good question which led into a question about Marvel and DC’s place in comics history, which was something I chose to leave out of the exceedingly short section on comics history.  In short–yes.  Marvel and DC are both very important to comics history in the U.S.: for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, The X-Men, The Hulk….  They’ve certainly helped popularize comics; no question of it.  I left their works out of the recommendations as well because most people in the group I first presented to had the idea that comics consisted almost entirely of tights, capes, and biff-bam-boom.

The final question was about Calvin and Hobbes (I explained that I loved it but decided that, in addition to leaving out manga and almost every superhero comic, I should also leave out comic strips).

The final slide in the presentation was about other sources for reviews of comics and graphic novels, which typically include the subject matter, recommended age groups, and a few panels of art.  I hope that it served as a decent reminder that a 20-minute presentation on such a big subject is no more than a Cook’s tour, and certainly not a decade in Europe.