The Myth of the Student Hero and the “Dreaded Lit Review”

The Battle

The cover of Carina’s comic pits Carina against the "lit review" (or more, properly, the "literature review"). The tears on her face suggest that the battle between her and the "lit review" was hard-won and that she experienced pain and difficulty. Most importantly, in calling herself "Carina the Comic," she is identifying herself with the comic rather than with the "lit review." The title page recognizes the often combative relationship between the student and the "lit review." (For students, it seems, the "lit review" is not merely an assignment, it is a battle and the enemy.)

The title page from Nicole Franko’s comic is dripping blood. And the "lit review" is shown as something that fills students with "dread." Nicole has created an image of the "lit review" as something dreadful, something that oozes blood, and that which bleeds also lives. The students create an image of the assignment as something to be feared, something that might, in fact, defeat them. But in creating a fearful adversary, they are making it possible to become a hero. Because to be a student hero requires that you defeat something that could also defeat you.

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