After reading “Rawhide Kid,” Sharp kept returning to the comics section of the bookstore. His interest in comics didn’t start as a teenager, but rather in 2003, with Marvel’s release of the controversial comic, “Rawhide Kid,” where the main character is gay. This semester, almost every assigned reading features either a strong female protagonist, or a female creator. With an extensive knowledge of comic books and graphic novels, his reading list for the class includes Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman, among others. Which of course explains the background to his Comics class. “I like books, and short stories, and comics,” said Sharp. So what else does Michael Sharp read? Simply put, everything. One day, he realized that there is so much left to read, with a finite amount of time left to read it, and with that, his voracious reading habits really kicked in. ![]() Sharp grew up playing tennis and video games, and while he liked the idea of reading, the effort to sit down and do it could often be daunting. ![]() But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t require work. “Reading a lot can turn on my brain in ways other things do not,” he said. And yes, professor Sharp does love to read. Not an impossible feat, but surely one that requires dedication and a love for reading. To stay current, he also reads something contemporary in the same week. He then reads a book and watches a movie from that time, as well as takes in other parts of the time’s culture. Each week, Sharp checks what was popular at this time in the year 1980. This year, Sharp is embarking on a personal project to revisit the ’80s, when he grew up, attempting to view the era more objectively, and in more detail than just what his memory holds. This style reflects not only in his teaching, but in his hobbies as well. Though he teaches some of the most revered works of Western literature - “The Aeneid,” “Inferno” - he doesn’t put them “behind glass.” Everything should be subject to criticism. The approach is emblematic of Sharp’s overall style: He takes information seriously - and in mass quantities - and relays it in a humorous, modern way. Each post of Pop Sensation features the cover art of one of Sharp’s old paperback novels - of which he has over 3,000 - along with witty commentary of the campy-yet-wonderful covers. Perhaps the whole appeal of his classes is that, for someone who teaches hundreds-years-old literature, he couldn’t be more culturally well rounded. As of now he teaches 17th Century Literature, British Literature 1, Crime Fiction and, of course, a class on comics. He slowly moved out East, getting his doctorate at the University of Michigan in 1999, before beginning to teach at our own Binghamton University. Professor Sharp began his own higher education at Pomona College, a small liberal arts school in Claremont, California. For those who haven’t, plan better for next semester. For those who have taken any of his English classes, then you know what I’m talking about. If your idea of the typical professor is an old, out of touch, white-haired man, then it’s very safe to say that Michael Sharp is not your typical professor.
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