Sequential Smarts

Throughout middle school – and, yes, high school (yep, I was on the “lower” math track) – factoring was pretty much the bane of my existence. Well, mathematics in general were the bane of my existence, but within the vast and noxious swampy field of mathematics, I always found factoring to be particularly troublesome. I really wish that I’d had something like this around back then to help me:

Factoring with Mr. Yang and Mosley the Alien, a series of five comic lessons by Gene Yang.

Some of you might recognize Gene Yang as one of the culprits behind Eternal Smile and the culprit behind American Born Chinese, which was the first graphic novel to ever be considered as a finalist for the National Book Awards. So yes, the man knows how to make comics. He also knows how to teach math, apparently, as I had no problem following along with his online comic lessons, and I actually ended up learning a lot in the process.

I highly recommend this link to anybody who’s struggling with factoring – or who knows anybody else who’s struggling with factoring. Yang’s comics are easy to understand, fun to read, and a great resource for teachers and students.

Comic Title: Mushishi (vol. 1 of 10)

Author: Text and artwork by Yuki Urushibara

Format: Manga paperback

Reviewed by: Elena

Winner of the prestigious Kodansha Manga Award, Mushishi is the story of Ginko, a wandering “mushi” expert (called a mushi-shi in Japanese). Mushi are ephemeral creatures that are far older – but, in some sense, far simpler – than what we conceive of as biological life. Although simple in nature, mushi are capable of causing all sorts of interference in the human world. Sometimes mushi are benign, sometimes neutral, and sometimes they can be downright malicious. As Ginko wanders throughout Japan’s mountain villages and forests, he encounters many people afflicted with all sorts of imaginative mushi infections. Using his clever wit and his own unique, borderline-paranormal abilities, Ginko tries to help as many of these people as he can. But sometimes even Ginko can be rendered helpless in the face of a truly horrifying mushi.

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