Amy Greer, community services librarian at the Barrington Public Library, submitted this article.

Comic books and, more recently, graphic novels are a point of great contention in our society, and perhaps, in your home.

Are they brainless trash? Are they art? Do they offer anything useful to you or your children? Are there more options than just slasher and super hero comics?

These questions have been part of public and private discourse since at least the 1930s, and they continue today. Join us on October 25th at 7 pm at the Barrington Public Library for a panel discussion that will address these very questions, as well as any others you bring along.

Our knowledgeable panelists include Robin Brenner, Young Adult Librarian at the Brookline Public Library and owner of noflyingnotights.com, a graphic novels review website, and Jenn Cook, a member of the faculty in the English and Educational Studies Departments at Rhode Island College and co-director of the New England Comic Arts in the Classroom conference.

It's free and open to all.