Why This Work (Graphic Novels) Exists

I spent years writing for systems that promise legitimacy if I waited long enough, submitted often enough, or explained myself clearly enough.

Some of that mattered. Some of it didn’t.

What became clear is that representation in literacy is structural, not symbolic—especially at the intersection of race, disability, and genre.

For many Black boys, reading identity is shaped by whether they see themselves reflected at all. Without that mirror, reading becomes compliance, not connection. 

Dyslexia, when unnamed or misread, is often recoded as behavior or disengagement. That misreading fractures identity long before it affects test scores.

And genre matters. Graphic novels are not a shortcut. They are a legitimate literacy space—one where story, cognition, and identity can meet without apology.

When race provides the mirror, dyslexia provides the meaning, and the graphic novel provides access, something rare happens: A student doesn’t just decode words. They decode themselves.

Figure 1. A visual metaphor for reading identity—seeing oneself as capable before systems allow it. Doctor Dyslexia Dude, Volume 1, p. 31.

Doctor Dyslexia Dude exists at that intersection. Not as a trend. Not as an argument. As a response to a gap that has been documented for years.

As I move into a new year, the work continues—now with clearer focus and internal peace. 

Sincerely, 

Shawn Anthony Robinson PhD

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Comments

  1. Sara ShunkwilerJanuary 1, 2026 at 3:52 AM

    Thank you, thank you for doing this work. I have had SO MANY middle and high school boys over the past 2 decades that needed Dr. Dyslexia Dude and graphic novels. One graduated from high school last May after being told for years by the school that he would never be college material. My recommendation letters told an entirely different story! He was accepted everywhere he applied and earned all A's and B's in business classes this fall. I had the opportunity to go back and tell the School Board and 'Special Education' department about his educational trauma and my teacher trauma. Every one of those students has a place in my memory and heart and many have a place in my scrapbooks. Graphic novels would have reached them all in ways I never could. 💙❤️

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