Choose one of the topics below. You may choose a topic that is not on this list, but you MUST get my approval in advance. Should you require assistance with the research process or with narrowing down your topic, I am more than happy to provide guidance. • Choose a graphic novel/comic book that is NOT one of the course texts and form an argument as to why your chosen text should or should not be considered a “novel”. Why should (or shouldn’t) we take this comic seriously as “literature”? How does it conform (or not conform) to literary conventions usually associated with the novel? (NOTE: If you choose this topic, you MUST consult me in advance and your final paper MUST reference Baetens’ article “Graphic Novels: Literature Without Text?”) • Discuss the significance of memory Flex Mentallo. How do memories impact the form and structure of the novel? • Discuss the representation of men and masculinity (Bruno, Kamala’s father, etc.) in Ms. Marvel: No Normal. • Research Charles Atlas and discuss the significance of Flex’s similarity to both Atlas and “Mac” (the character in the Charles Atlas advertisements). • Compare and contrast the representation of Ms. Marvel in G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel: No Normal and in an earlier Ms. Marvel comic from the 1970s, 80s, or 90s. How is Ms. Marvel similar in both comics? How is Kamala different from Carol Danvers? Why might these similarities and differences be significant?