INTERNATIONAL READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY | August 28

INTERNATIONAL READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY

Every year on August 28th, International Read Comics in Public Day encourages the general public to read comic books for all to see. It’s also a day to celebrate the various comic genres and styles.

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, and Spiderman are some of the most popular superheroes in history. These fictional characters are also some of the biggest names in the world of comics. In recent years, comics have increased immensely in popularity. What some may not realize, however, is how long comics have been around. The first modern comic book was published in 1933. Famous Funnies was comprised of reprinted newspaper comic strips.

Three years later, Lee Falk created the first superhero, The Phantom. The original superhero made his newspaper comic strip debut in 1936. In 1938, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster created one of the most popular superheroes of all time, Superman. The man of superhuman strength first appeared in Action Comics. Superman became the prototype for many superheroes featured in comic books. Other famous comic characters include Charlie Brown, Donald Duck, Calvin & Hobbes, Dennis the Menace, Garfield, and Beetle Baily.

Throughout the years, there have been many genres of comic books. Some of these genres include:

Alternative/Esoteric

Manga

Science Fiction

Fantasy

Comedy

Action/Adventure

Horror

Humor

Romance

People around the world enjoy reading comic books. India is the country in which people read the most comic books. Thailand and China follow close behind. Sadly, In the United States, 59 percent of the population has never read a comic book. If you’re one of those, today would be a great day to read a comic book for the first time!

INTERNATIONAL READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY HISTORY

Comic lovers Brian Heater and Sarah Morean began International Read Comics in Public Day in 2010. The duo was also the creator of a comic blog called, The Daily Cross Hatch. They chose August 28th to celebrate Jack Kirby’s birthday. Kirby was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He helped to co-create the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man.

HOW TO OBSERVE #InternationalReadComicsInPublicDay

On this day, all around the world, people read comic books in public. Some might choose a park or coffee house to read their comic book. Others might do their comic book reading at the library. As long as the comic book is read in public, that’s all that counts! Share this day on social media with a picture of your favorite comic book or character with 

#ReadComicsInPublicDay.

All reading is good reading. No one ever says they wish they read less. It reduces stress, increases vocabulary, improves memory, teaches empathy, and best of all – it is contagious. Parents who read to their children a lot, often inspire their children to read for fun. Any excuse to read should be taken, including a fun, made-up holiday at the end of August.

August 28th is not just Jack Kirby’s Birthday, but also has been dubbed Reading Comics in Public Day. The holiday originated in 2010 from the co-creators of The Daily Cross Hatch (currently on extended hiatus), Brian Heater and Sarah Morean. Interest grew each year, with people posting photos of themselves reading new and favorite comics all over the world. In 2012, Wired magazine even covered it, calling the holiday “an opportunity for all comics geeks to come out into the open air and read in solidarity with fellow fans.”

But sadly interest seems to have waned since then. Reading Comics in Public Day does not seem to be getting that much love online in the past few years. And since 2012, the decline in interest seems to coincide with the atmosphere within the comics community changing from one of solidarity, to one of exclusion. This isn’t to point fingers, because that would just be more of the same. This is simply to point out what everybody knows, that comics, much like every other aspect of society is more divided than ever before. People mark their differences from one another, instead of their similarities. And while there are a myriad of differences between people, there is also, at least at the heart of comics, one very obvious thing in common.

So whether someone reads superhero comics, or webcomics, or manga, or erotic badger graphic novels, they read comics. They love comics. And that seems something worth celebrating each year. So let’s bring back this tribute to the overall fandom of mixing words and pictures, and got outside and read a comic.

Take a picture or send a tweet. Mark this occasion in some way, because even though it is simple and a little silly, it’s a nice reminder of the vast international family of comic book readers. And at a time where isolation and division run rampant, an activity that demonstrates our shared interests feels more important than ever.

We must continue to prioritize and fund education

We know that literacy is key to making our world more sustainable, peaceful, and financially secure.

In September 2015, at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, Member States formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in New York. The agenda contains 17 goals including a new global education goal (SDG 4). SDG 4 is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ and has seven targets and three means of implementation.

At the 2015 World Education Forum, the GEM Report received a mandate from 160 governments to monitor and report on:

Progress on education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to the SDG 4 monitoring framework

The implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments, as part of the overall SDG follow-up and review process.