Another Abstract--Fostering Critical Thinking with Comics

The National Countcil for Teachers of English has a suborganization called Two-Year College Association, and I'm submitting an abstract for their midwest conference in October. The abstract was required to be 100 words, and 100 words is exactly what they get from me, after at least six drafts:

Students first writing about literature frequently have difficulty thinking beyond superficial details such as plot to explore deeper concepts like theme. I engage my students and teach them to read in a new way by presenting a story to them that is told in a medium they don’t think of as literary, comics, and challenging them to find meaning in it. My presentation will focus on the success I’ve had with two particular comic stories, “The Soul of a New Machine” and “Shoot,” utilizing group work and in-class discussion to foster higher-level thinking about the stories, specifically application and analysis.

Thoughts?