DAVID CUTLER · 2019–2020 ARCHIVE
Public reading edition · October 10, 2026. Read the daily classwork and homework here; no school login is required. These dates and directions belong to the archived course. All available daily plans from September 2019 through April 2020. Dates and deadlines follow the original sheets, including occasional inconsistencies. The final unit reflects the spring 2020 transition to remote learning.
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September 3, 2019
Introductions. Who is your favorite superhero? Why?
For Monday, please write a 1-2-page response to the summer reading Amazing Fantastic Incredible, analyzing Stan Lee’s thoughts about what makes a popular superhero. How did Lee’s own life experiences play a role in his thinking, and how did his ideas change over time?
September 4, 2019
Superhero trivia.
No additional homework.
September 9, 2019
Share written responses. Discuss summer reading and themes of course. Distribute course syllabus.
For tomorrow, please read and be prepared to discuss the following short selections in What Is a Superhero:
More than Normal, But Believable (By Stan Lee, comic book writer)
Making the World a Better Place (By Jeph Loeb, comic book writer)
We Could Be Heroes (By Will Brooker, academic)
September 10, 2019
Discuss selections from What Is a Superhero. Which take do you find most convincing? Why?
For tomorrow, please read and be prepared to discuss the following short selections from What Is a Superhero:
What is a Female Superhero? (By Jennifer K. Stuller, academic)
Straddling a Boundary: The Superhero and the Incorporation of Difference (By Clare Pitkethly, academic)
Extraordinary (By Joe Quesada, comic book writer)
September 11, 2019
Discuss selections from What Is a Superhero. Which take do you find most convincing? Why?
For Friday, please read Chapters 1 and 4 in Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. We will return to additional selections of this amazing book, as we read different comics and graphic novels. Also, while nothing is due to be submitted, please bring in any questions you have about how to make sense of reading and interpreting comics, which will be a central focus of the course.
September 13, 2019
Discuss Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.
For Monday, please read and be prepared to discuss Chapter 1 in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. As you read each chapter, consider the following questions for discussion…
How do you think Waid and Ross define superheroes?
How do you think Waid and Ross define villains?
What role do “ordinary” people play in the story?
How does the art complement the writing? Or not?
What truths do Waid and Ross try to reveal about our own society?
Please think of any of your own questions to ask and respond to.
Also, for next Friday, please write your own response (2-3 pages) on What is a Superhero? There are no right or wrong answers, but please be thoughtful. You do not need to follow a particular structure (essay or op-ed style is equally great), but your writing should be clear, concise, and persuasive. You do not need to rely on classroom or outside sources, but if you do, cite accordingly using Chicago.
September 16, 2019
Discuss Chapter 1 in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 2 in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. Have your responses to any of the questions (above) changed? If so, why?
September 17, 2019
Discuss Chapter 2 in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 3 in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. Have your responses to any of the questions (above) changed? If so, why?
September 18, 2019
Discuss Chapter 3 in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.
For Friday, please complete writing assignment. Also, please read chapter 4 and “one year later…” in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, finishing the graphic novel. Have your responses to any of the questions (above) changed? If so, why?
September 20, 2019
Discuss chapter 4 and “one year later…” in Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.
For Monday, please read the “bonus material” after the graphic novel concludes. Be prepared to discuss how the material give you deeper insight into what the authors think about superheroes. What surprises you about any particular revelations?
September 23, 2019
Discuss “bonus material” from Kingdom Come. Introduce take-home response (4-5 pages) due Oct. 16. Please write an academic essay in response to one of the following prompts…
Analyze the role of responsibility in Kingdom Come. How does this affect the younger meta-humans? In what way does Superman abandon his responsibilities and how does he redeem himself? What responsibilities does Norman McKay fail to perform in the beginning of Kingdom Come? How do the humans and the delegates of the U.N. factor in here? In particular, how does this relate to the relationship between Magog and Superman? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.
How is Kingdom Come a story of redemption? How (and to what extent) do the meta-humans redeem their lapses in the eyes of the humans they swore to protect? How must superman redeem his abandonment of society, as well as society their condemnation of his peaceful ways? In what ways is Wonder Woman’s loss and subsequent recovery of her heritage integral to the story? How is Norman McKay’s story line and character arc in line with the theme of redemption?
The art of telling a story through a graphic novel is vastly different from telling a story in novel form. Discuss how a writer and artist must work together to create a comic book, especially one of the magnitude of Kingdom Come. What were their processes? How did they strike the balance between visual and written story-telling? How did the art help develop the characters? How did the writing help develop the art? Feel free to pick a specific scene from the book to more effectively illustrate your ideas and points.
The destruction of Kansas is the turning point for society’s views on meta-humans. It is also the event that finally brings Superman out of his self-imposed exile. Discuss the symbolism of the Kansas disaster in relation to three of the points below (and remember to cite specific examples from the text to support your response):
The shattering of hope, especially for Norman McKay.
The confirmation of the public’s realization that they have too readily embraced violence as a solution.
The eventual acceptance of guilt and blame by all meta-humans at the end of the book.
The fragility of human life, especially in comparison to the meta-humans.
A symbol of redemption and rebirth.
For tomorrow, please read “Superman’s Revelation: The Problem of Violence in Kingdom Come,” by David Hatfield.
September 24, 2019
Discuss “Superman’s Revelation: The Problem of Violence in Kingdom Come,” by David Hatfield.
For tomorrow, in Comic Book Nation, please read the Introduction and Chapter 1 up to page 13.
September 25, 2019
Discuss Comic Book Nation. Read and analyze select comics from reading, which Mr. Cutler will project.
For Friday, please complete Chapter 1 in Comic Book Nation.
September 27, 2019
Discuss Chapter 1 in Comic Book Nation. Read and analyze select comics from reading, which Mr. Cutler will project.
No additional homework.
September 30, 2019
No class.
No additional homework specified.
October 1, 2019
Continue discussing Chapter 1 in Comic Book Nation. Read and analyze select comics from reading, which Mr. Cutler will project.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 1 in Harry Brod’s Superman is Jewish, “Superman as Supermentsh: How the Ultimate Alien Became the Iconic All-American.”
October 2, 2019
Discuss Chapter 1 in Harry Brod’s Superman is Jewish, “Superman as Supermentsh: How the Ultimate Alien Became the Iconic All-American.”
For Friday, please read Chapter 2 in Harry Brod’s Superman is Jewish, “Flights of Jewish Imagination: From the Old Country to Tales of a Better Tomorrow.”
October 4, 2019
Discuss Chapter 2 in Harry Brod’s Superman is Jewish, “Flights of Jewish Imagination: From the Old Country to Tales of a Better Tomorrow.”
For Monday, please read Chapter 1 in Larry Tye’s Superman: The High-Flying Adventures of America’s Most Enduring Hero, “Giving Birth.”
October 7, 2019
Discuss Chapter 1 in Larry Tye’s Superman: The High-Flying Adventures of America’s Most Enduring Hero, “Giving Birth.”
For Wednesday, please read and be prepared to discuss Chapter 2 in Larry Tye’s Superman, Enduring Hero, “A Hero for His Times.”
October 7, 2019
Examining early science fictions magazines and the pulps.
No additional homework.
October 9, 2019
Discuss Chapter 2 in Larry Tye’s Superman: The High-Flying Adventures of America’s Most Enduring Hero, “A Hero for His Times.”
No additional homework.
October 11, 2019
Examining early Superman comic books.
Remember, your essay is due Tuesday before the start of class . For Friday, please read and be prepared to discuss Chapter 2 in Larry Tye’s Superman, Enduring Hero, “A Master of Faith.”
October 14, 2019
No class.
No additional homework specified.
October 15, 2019
Share and discuss essays with peers.
No additional homework.
October 16, 2019
No class.
No additional homework specified.
October 18, 2019
Discuss Chapter 3 in Larry Tye’s Superman: The High-Flying Adventures of America’s Most Enduring Hero, “A Matter of Faith.”
For Monday, please read The Death of Superman to the opening spread of “Under Fire.” While reading, be prepared to discuss how Superman personifies his Jewish creation. What about the rest of the Justice League? How do superheroes in this graphic novel compare to Kingdom Come?
October 21, 2019
Discuss The Death of Superman to the opening spread of “Under Fire.”
For tomorrow, please read “Under Fire” to “Doomsday is Here!” in The Death of Superman. While reading, be prepared to discuss how Superman personifies his Jewish creation . What about the rest of the Justice League? How do superheroes in this graphic novel compare to Kingdom Come?
October 22, 2019
Discuss The Death of Superman from “Under Fire” to “Doomsday is Here!”
For tomorrow, please finish The Death of Superman. While reading, be prepared to discuss how Superman personifies his Jewish creation. What about the rest of the Justice League? How do superheroes in this graphic novel compare to Kingdom Come?
October 23, 2019
Discuss the final chapter of The Death of Superman. Introduce take-home response (4-5 pages), due Wednesday, Nov.6 . Please write an academic essay in response to one of the following prompts…
According to Kingdom Come author Mark Waid, “Superman is not a story about faith—it’s about inspiration. It’s a story about trying to move us into emulating, into being, into doing.” How and to what extent is this represented in DC’s The Death of Superman? When it comes this, the best-selling graphic novel of all time, do you agree with Waid’s sentiments? Would Brod and Tye agree with you?
After reading Brod and Tye, how and to what extent is Judaism, including Jewish lore, mysticism, and history, referenced in DC’s The Death of Superman, the best-selling graphic novel of all time? How does this make the storytelling more engaging?
For Friday, please read pages 30-43 in Chapter 2 of Comic Book Nation, stopping right before “Comic Books Go to War.”
October 25, 2019
Discuss pages 30-43 in Chapter 2 of Comic Book Nation.
For Monday, please read pages 43-55 in Comic Book Nation, finishing the chapter.
October 28, 2019
Discuss pages 43-55 in Comic Book Nation.
For tomorrow, please read pages 56-67 in Chapter 3 of Comic Book Nation, stopping right before the final paragraph of 67.
October 29, 2019
Discuss pages 56-67 in Chapter 3 of Comic Book Nation.
For tomorrow, please read pages 67-75 in Chapter 3 of Comic Book Nation, stopping right before “Exploring the Underworld.”
October 30, 2019
Discuss pages 67-75 in Chapter 3 of Comic Book Nation.
For Friday, please read pages 75-85 in Chapter 3 of Comic Book Nation, finishing the chapter.
November 1, 2019
Discuss pages 75-85 in Chapter 3 of Comic Book Nation.
For Monday, please read pages 86-98 in Comic Book Nation, stopping right before “Censoring Comic Books.”
November 4, 2019
Discuss pages 86-98 in Comic Book Nation.
For tomorrow, please read pages 98-108 in Comic Book Nation, finishing the chapter.
November 5, 2019
Discuss pages 98-108 in Comic Book Nation.
For Tuesday, please read Seducing the Innocent: Fredric Wertham and the Falsifications that Helped Condemn Comics, by Prof. Carol Tilley.
November 6, 2019
Catch up day.
No additional homework.
November 8, 2019
No class.
No additional homework specified.
November 11, 2019
No class.
No additional homework specified.
November 12, 2019
Discuss Carol Tilley’s “Seducing the Innocent: Fredric Wertham and the Falsifications that Helped Condemn Comics.”
For next Tuesday, please read pages 1-79, or Part 1, of The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
November 13, 2019
Introduce The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. Watch “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women.”
No additional homework.
November 15, 2019
Watch “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women.”
No additional homework.
November 18, 2019
Watch “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women.”
No additional homework.
November 19, 2019
Discuss film and The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
For Friday, please read pages 79-116 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
November 20, 2019
Continue discussing The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
No additional homework.
November 22, 2019
Discuss pages 79-116 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
Enjoy the break!
December 2, 2019
Watch “Wonder Woman,” the 2017 movie.
For Wednesday, please read pages 117-150 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
December 3, 2019
Watch “Wonder Woman,” the 2017 movie.
No additional homework.
December 4, 2019
Discuss pages 117-150 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
For Friday, please read pages 151-180 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
December 6, 2019
Discuss pages 150-180 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
For Monday, please read pages 181-218 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
December 9, 2019
Discuss pages 180-218 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
For tomorrow, please read pages 219-246 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
December 10, 2019
Discuss pages 219-246 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. Introduce paper topics, due Jan. 15.
For Thursday, please read pages 247-279 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
December 11, 2019
Exploring Wonder Woman in the media.
No additional homework.
December 12, 2019
Discuss pages 247-279 in The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore.
For tomorrow, please read pages 280-297, finishing what we will read in this book. You’re welcome to read the afterword, if you’re curious.
ENJOY BREAK!
January 6, 2020
Exploring the Cold War: Origins and Containment.
For Friday, please finish Chapter 7 in Comic Book Nation.
January 7, 2020
Exploring the Cold War: Origins and Containment.
No additional homework.
January 8, 2020
Exploring the Vietnam War (through music and film).
No additional homework.
January 10, 2020
Discuss Chapter 7 in Comic Book Nation (graded seminar).
For Wednesday, please finish Chapter 8 in Comic Book Nation.
January 13, 2020
Watch Part 1: Watchmen
No additional homework.
January 14, 2020
Watch Part 2: Watchmen
No additional homework.
January 15, 2020
Discuss Chapter 8 in Comic Book Nation (graded seminar).
For Wednesday, please read Chapters 1-2 in Watchmen. Mr. Cutler will collect annotations for this graphic novel, which is filled with nuance. I will discuss this more with you in class.
January 17, 2020
No class.
No additional homework specified.
January 20, 2020
No class.
No additional homework specified.
January 21, 2020
School event or independent preparation.
No additional homework specified.
January 22, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapters 1-2.
For Friday, please read Chapter 3 in Watchmen.
January 24, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapter 3.
For Monday, please read Chapters 4-5 in Watchmen.
January 27, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapters 4-5.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 6 in Watchmen.
January 28, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapters 6.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 7 in Watchmen.
January 29, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapter 7.
For Friday, please read Chapter 8 in Watchmen.
January 31, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapter 8.
For Monday, please read Chapters 9-10 in Watchmen.
February 3, 2020
Discuss Watchmen, Chapters 9-10.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 11 in Watchmen.
February 4, 2020
Discuss Chapter 11 in Watchmen.
For tomorrow, please read Chapter 12 in Watchmen.
February 5, 2020
Discuss Chapter 12 in Watchmen. Submit book to Mr. Cutler for annotations.
Take the night off.
February 7, 2020
Introduce Watchmen project, due Friday, Feb. 21.,
For Monday, please read the introduction and Chapter 1 in Super Black.
February 10, 2020
Discuss introduction and Chapter 1 of Super Black.
For Wednesday, please read Chapter 2 of Super Black.
February 10, 2020
Deep dive into Black Panther.
No additional homework.
February 12, 2020
Discuss Chapter 2 of Super Black.
For Friday, please read Chapter 3 of Super Black.
February 14, 2020
Discuss Chapter 3 of Super Black.
For Tuesday, please read Chapter 4 in Super Black.
February 17, 2020
No class.
No additional homework specified.
February 18, 2020
Discuss Chapter 4 of Super Black.
For Friday, please read Chapter 5 of Super Black.
February 19, 2020
Deep dive into Luke Cage.
No additional homework.
February 21, 2020
Discuss Chapter 5 of Super Black. Introduce essay, due Monday, March 9.
For Monday, please read Chapter 9 in Comic Book Nation.
February 24, 2020
Discuss Chapter 9 in Comic Book Nation.
For Wednesday, please read Book 1 in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
February 25, 2020
Deep dive into Batman.
No additional homework.
February 26, 2020
Discuss Book 1 in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
For Monday, please read Book 2. You may use Friday’s class to read.
February 28, 2020
Please read Book 2 in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
For Tuesday, please read Book 3 in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
March 2, 2020
Discuss Book 2 in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
No additional homework.
March 3, 2020
Discuss Book 3 in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
For Friday, please read the next assigned section of Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
March 31, 2020
Discuss changes with going online. Introduce Superman: Birthright, by Mark Waid.
Please read Adventures of Superman (2013-) #28 by Josh Elder. Submit at least three questions for Mr. Elder about scripting, character development, and anything else of interest.
April 1, 2020
Discuss Adventures of Superman (2013-) #28 by Josh Elder. Discuss moderator, planning for the upcoming conversation with Mr. Elder.
No additional homework.
April 3, 2020
Zoom with Josh Elder.
For Tuesday, please read issues #1-2 in Superman: Birthright . Submit at least three questions for Mr. Waid about scripting, character development, and anything else of interest. Questions can also pertain to Kingdom Come.
April 7, 2020
Discuss issues #1-2 of Superman: Birthright. Students will use the Zoom whiteboard to discuss and write down questions for Mr. Waid, which can also pertain to Kingdom Come.
No additional homework.
April 8, 2020
Zoom with Mark Waid.
For Tuesday, please read issues #2-4 of Superman: Birthright and prepare at least three questions.
April 10, 2020
No class.
No additional homework specified.
April 13, 2020
Discuss issues #2-4 of Superman: Birthright. Students will use the Zoom whiteboard to discuss and write down questions
For Friday, please read issues #5-6 of Superman: Birthright and prepare at least three questions.
April 14, 2020
No class.
No additional homework specified.
April 17, 2020
Discuss issues #5-6 of Superman: Birthright. Students will use the Zoom whiteboard to discuss and write down questions. Discuss scripting mini-project.
Begin scripting ideas for your own superhero origin story.