Textbooks often contain these short sections at the end of chapters where they “quiz” the student on what they’ve learned from that particular chapter; or maybe they’ll ask questions that are intended to inspire further speculation, to get the reader to apply the concepts they’ve learned into a more practical context.
Selenia is a science comic that chooses the latter tack. It follows the adventures of a girl from another planet who tires of the simplistic lessons from her own school and ends up trying to explore more “advanced” exercises, which are really more akin to magic and remind me of Harry Potter. She steals a book that guides her to our own world, and eventually into the distant past. Simple scientific and historical facts are subtly integrated into each chapter of the story…perhaps a little too subtle. Most of the intellectual heavy-lifting is meant to be done by the students, as they answer the questions posed by Selenia throughout the adventure.
By requiring that the students have a textbook on hand, Selenia displays a lack of confidence in the comics medium to teach.