Individual versus Sequential: The Potential of Comic Creation in Art Therapy

This research study explored the potential of comics within an art therapy and narrative therapy framework. The process of depicting a past problem as a single image was compared to the process of depicting the same problem as a comic. This study worked with 15 normally functioning adults to compare the effectiveness of the two formats (comics vs. single image) in processing a past problem or challenge. Participants evaluated these two formats through a survey and a brief verbal interview. The quantitative data from the survey and the qualitative data from the interview were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the comic format as compared to the single image format. The art-based data collected from participants’ single images and comics was also analyzed for unique characteristics the comic format evoked. All interactions with participants took place virtually over Zoom to ensure the safety of participants and the researcher during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that participants responded positively towards the comic format. The comic format seemed especially effective at facilitating the narrative therapy technique of deconstruction. These results support the study’s hypothesis that the comic format is as effective or more effective than the single image format in eliciting a narrative from a past problem or challenge. The art-based data suggested that the comic format evokes unique representations of time and movement in participants’ narratives. The findings of this study strongly suggest that creating comics or sequential art has potential for use in an art therapy setting, particularly in helping clients process past problems or challenges.

Watchmen, Scientific Imaginaries, and the Capitalocene: The Media and Their Messages for Science Educators

This chapter explores the generativity of comics/graphic novels and their filmic adaptations as contributions to the “cultural literacy” of science educators by examining: (i) representations of science in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel Watchmen; (ii) the unique capability of sequential art to depict key scientific imaginaries, such as complexity and simultaneity; (iii) the treatment of these imaginaries in Zack Snyder’s (Watchmen. Universal Pictures, 2009) filmic adaptation of Watchmen; and (iv) the shift from the novel’s threats of Cold War nuclear annihilation toward the film’s concern with contemporary fears of a climate crisis. Many science educators treat comics/graphic novels (and much science fiction) with suspicion, tending to focus on their fidelity (or lack thereof) with canonical “textbook science” and the im/plausibility of their narratives. We argue that both versions of Watchmen constitute distinctively generative media resources (with cross-generational relevance) for rethinking science education in the Capitalocene.

DataStory™: an interactive sequential art approach for data science and artificial intelligence learning experiences

Technical training in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence has recently become a highly desirable skill for industry positions as well as a focus of STEM education programs in higher education. However, most of the educational training and courses in data science and artificial intelligence are abstract and highly technical which is not appropriate for all audiences. In this paper, we propose a sequential art approach that uses visual storytelling with integrated coding learning experiences to teach data science concepts. A scoping literature review was conducted to answer the following question: does sufficient evidence exist in the literature to support a sequential art approach to data science and A.I. education? The learning science, sequential art, and dual coding literature bases were then interrogated to answer that question. With knowledge gained from this review, an initial DataStory™ prototype was constructed, using a technical platform capable of delivering an engaging and interactive sequential art learning experience. And finally, findings from a focus group study using the DataStory™ prototype are discussed in which participant feedback to this new learning experience is reported.

The Aesthetics and Politics of the Abstract Line in Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability

When Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability, a graphic biography of the life of B. R. Ambedkar, was first published in 2011, it was welcomed as an enunciation of Dalit identity and as a uniquely Indian counterpart to the Western sequential art of comics in its use of Pardhan Gond artistic practices. My argument for moving beyond the twin poles of ‘Dalit identity’ and ‘tribal art’ is threefold. First, a close reading of Bhimayana reveals that the narrative emphasis is not so much on caste as identity as it is a critique of the processes involved in that very identity. Second, the visual style of Bhimayana does not merely mirror the political concerns of the text; the images are an aesthetic response to the ‘problem’ of identity as enunciated in the linear narrative. Third, in order to identify how exactly the images form such a response, we need to arm ourselves with an alternative methodology. The question is therefore how to read, how to look—what is the ideal spectatorial position for the pages of Bhimayana such that it critically intersects with the question of identity? The analysis of the visual object at a ‘subrepresentative’ realm, therefore, becomes the key to breaking out of old habits of looking at the image as a site of representation towards the possibility that the politics of image-making lies instead in its aesthetic intensities.

COVID ISSUE: Visual Narratives About COVID-19 Improve Message Accessibility, Self-Efficacy, and Health Precautions

Visual narratives are promising tools for science and health communication, especially for broad audiences in times of public health crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we used the Lifeology illustrated “flashcard” course platform to construct visual narratives about COVID-19, and then assessed their impact on behavioral intentions. We conducted a survey experiment among 1,775 health app users. Participants viewed illustrated (sequential art) courses about: 1) sleep, 2) what COVID-19 is and how to protect oneself, 3) mechanisms of how the virus works in the body and risk factors for severe disease. Each participant viewed one of these courses and then answered questions about their understanding of the course, how much they learned, and their perceptions and behavioral intentions toward COVID-19. Participants generally evaluated “flashcard” courses as easy to understand. Viewing a COVID-19 “flashcard” course was also associated with improved self-efficacy and behavioral intentions toward COVID-19 disease prevention as compared to viewing a “flashcard” course about sleep science. Our findings support the use of visual narratives to improve health literacy and provide individuals with the capacity to act on health information that they may know of but find difficult to process or apply to their daily lives.

Comics' reception as literature and the subjugation of the image

[Para. 1] Scholars disagree on how comics should be defined in relation to other media. Some, such as Barbara Postema, assert that comics are representative of a medium featuring unique formatting and iconography that sits outside the traditional considerations of art and literature. The counter-point, as proposed by individuals such as Thierry Groensteen, is that comics are a hybrid or mixed medium, representing the combination of the written word and fine art working in conjunction to convey different perspectives within a single narrative. Historically, comics have been rejected by both fine art and literary communities due to their failure to conform to the standards presented in either discipline. However, due in large part to the narrative elements of the prose present in a comic text, comics settled primarily in the domain of literary consideration, albeit with some negative critique initially directed at the content and marketing that popularized the medium. Once considered rudimentary writing supported by gimmicky illustrations, the ongoing discourse concerning their status as either a unique medium or hybrid media has coincided with comics gaining academic merit in recent years. One of the issues that complicates this debate is whether the text and image in comics to be given equal consideration when determining the function of a comic narrative, as “one of the significant consequences of the literary turn in the study of comics has been the tendency to drive attention away from comics as a form of visual culture” (Beaty, Comics vs. Art 18). Compounding this tendency is the suggestion that narrative is exclusive to the domain of literary prose. Comics’ inclusion of sequential art challenges literary tradition through the levels of signification applied to formatting, such as “the image, the layout, the sequence, word-image combination, and finally narrative” (Postema 105). Historically, the use of image in comics has been condemned for lowering the literary quality of the narrative through claims made by critics such as Fredric Wertham that will be explored at length throughout this paper. The assertion that image in comics had no narrative value was compiled with the art actively rejected by the “fine” art community as failing to attain the level of “high” art. This has led to the devaluing of the image and its influence on narrative in comics, as “comic[s], [as] many critics will tell you, are not art” (Beaty, Comics vs. Art 18). Instead, comics have stood in opposition to art: “largely ignored by critics and art historians, and consequently disdainful of the interests of those groups, comics have long levelled in their lowbrow, badboy image” (Beaty, Comics vs. Art 19). Without the support of the artistic community to help establish a standard of critical approach, the comics industry evolved to place more emphasis on the literary element, as seen in the rise of the 'graphic novel' as a legitimating label for rebranding of the medium. Although scholars and critics such as Barbara Postema, Bart Beaty, and Scott McCloud recognize the importance of the image when critiquing narrative, the tendency to emphasize the writer over the artist as primary contributor of narrative value to a comics work has put the image and text of comics in separate categories, causing one to rise at the expense of the other.

Comics' reception as literature and the subjugation of the image

[Para. 1] Scholars disagree on how comics should be defined in relation to other media. Some, such as Barbara Postema, assert that comics are representative of a medium featuring unique formatting and iconography that sits outside the traditional considerations of art and literature. The counter-point, as proposed by individuals such as Thierry Groensteen, is that comics are a hybrid or mixed medium, representing the combination of the written word and fine art working in conjunction to convey different perspectives within a single narrative. Historically, comics have been rejected by both fine art and literary communities due to their failure to conform to the standards presented in either discipline. However, due in large part to the narrative elements of the prose present in a comic text, comics settled primarily in the domain of literary consideration, albeit with some negative critique initially directed at the content and marketing that popularized the medium. Once considered rudimentary writing supported by gimmicky illustrations, the ongoing discourse concerning their status as either a unique medium or hybrid media has coincided with comics gaining academic merit in recent years. One of the issues that complicates this debate is whether the text and image in comics to be given equal consideration when determining the function of a comic narrative, as “one of the significant consequences of the literary turn in the study of comics has been the tendency to drive attention away from comics as a form of visual culture” (Beaty, Comics vs. Art 18). Compounding this tendency is the suggestion that narrative is exclusive to the domain of literary prose. Comics’ inclusion of sequential art challenges literary tradition through the levels of signification applied to formatting, such as “the image, the layout, the sequence, word-image combination, and finally narrative” (Postema 105). Historically, the use of image in comics has been condemned for lowering the literary quality of the narrative through claims made by critics such as Fredric Wertham that will be explored at length throughout this paper. The assertion that image in comics had no narrative value was compiled with the art actively rejected by the “fine” art community as failing to attain the level of “high” art. This has led to the devaluing of the image and its influence on narrative in comics, as “comic[s], [as] many critics will tell you, are not art” (Beaty, Comics vs. Art 18). Instead, comics have stood in opposition to art: “largely ignored by critics and art historians, and consequently disdainful of the interests of those groups, comics have long levelled in their lowbrow, badboy image” (Beaty, Comics vs. Art 19). Without the support of the artistic community to help establish a standard of critical approach, the comics industry evolved to place more emphasis on the literary element, as seen in the rise of the 'graphic novel' as a legitimating label for rebranding of the medium. Although scholars and critics such as Barbara Postema, Bart Beaty, and Scott McCloud recognize the importance of the image when critiquing narrative, the tendency to emphasize the writer over the artist as primary contributor of narrative value to a comics work has put the image and text of comics in separate categories, causing one to rise at the expense of the other.

Devotional Theory in Comics

Vedic and non-Vedic religions spread their ideas directly, through songs and sermons. A sense of devotion was sown by making a connection between God and Human. In particular, devotional literature is designed to convey the flexibility of the structural definitions of religions. This can be seen by examining the background of all the devotional literatures and religious epics. The reading method, which was in the state of “Telling – Listening” have been changed into the state of “Seeing – Reading”. Thus, there was a significant place for paintings and pictures in journalism. Paintings and pictures were considered as tools to impress the readers. So, the magazines had the custom of drawing up a chart for the stories. Religious institutions changed the forms of expression as time went on. All the myths and Epics of poems were made into prose stories after the advent of journalism. Stories created as a series of illustrations (Sequential Art) throughout were put forward to explain the doctrine of Devotion. “Amarchitra Katha” is a globally recognized magazine that symbolizes the Indian comic book tradition. Similarly, the magazine ‘Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam’ made a significant contribution in Tamil. All the stories published in this way have been published as pamphlets under the name of “Kathaimalar”. Thus, this Article explores the notion that 'such magazines, which are based on devotion, treat religious virtues especially from evidences of the Epics”. Further, this article goes on to point out the way in which these stories have carried the doctrine of Devotion of religious institutions to the contemporary generation.

The Hermeneutic of the Malay Comic: Unveiling the Symbolism of Love in Selendang Siti Rugayah

A comic is a form of sequential art that incorporates the integrated textual and visual aspects to reveal the desired meaning. It involves storytelling techniques with narrative elements as found in conventional literary works. Nowadays, comic art is flourishing in Malaysia with the advent of abundant comics from various old and new local authors. The uniqueness of Rejabhad, who was widely known as the King of Malaysian Cartoon, allows the researcher to analyse his comic works in the aspects of textual and visual designs. Prior studies have only discussed the outer layer of Malay comics. In fact, Malay comics especially Rejabhad’s works need to be examined more deeply to unravel their outer and inner layers of meaning. It is essential to fully understand the overall meaning of the work as well as to appreciate the author’s identity. This study focuses on one of Rejabhad’s particular comic work entitled Selendang Siti Rugayah (1997). The study uses a spiritual hermeneutic reading or exegesis (takwil) method is applied to obtain the inner or spiritual meaning of Selendang Siti Rugayah comic work. The results of this study allow the public to understand the inner meaning of the comic work and to appreciate the identity or personality of the author in his or her comic works. This study which based on the spiritual hermeneutic reading is very significant. It is a new exploration that may change the views on the creativity and wisdom of a Malay comic artist, Rejabhad, who had been appreciated and understood only based on the outer layer of reading.