An Introduction
Truth as We draw itAn Introduction to Comics Journalism
by Max Miller
The Sequential Art
Comics are mainly associated with the worlds of superheroes.
But the medium offers much more.
But the medium offers much more.
Comics JournalismTruthtelling in a subjective Medium
Comics journalism is journalism in the comics medium.
It uses the sequential art of comics to convey information with the artists trying their best to abide by journalistic standards.
It uses the sequential art of comics to convey information with the artists trying their best to abide by journalistic standards.
Want more?
If you are hungry for more comics journalism, try these sites.
Please consider supporting artists, creators and journalists.
Thank you!
Please consider supporting artists, creators and journalists.
Thank you!
the Nib
The Nib is a daily publication devoted to publishing and promoting political and non-fiction comics. They also publish a quaterly magazine and ship worldwide.
Cartoon Movement
The Cartoon Movement is a community of international editorial cartoonists and fans of political satire based in the Netherlands. They also publish comics journalism and host many European artists.
Drawing the Times
Drawing the Times is a platform for graphic journalists and cartoonists worldwide to publish work that informs, entertains, engages and challenges readers on global issues and local stories.
Symbolia
Symbolia was a tablet magazine for illustrated journalism. It was discontinued in 2015 but still had a big impact.
La Revue Dessinée
La Revue Dessinée is a French comics-journalism magazine. It covers a broad range of topics and is released every three months.
Sarah Mirk
Sarah Mirk
"I work as a comics journalist and I have worked in journalism since 2006. I started out as a print news reporter, working for alternative weekly newspapers here in the United States.
Three years ago, I started working for the Nib and I work there as a editor and write comics.
A big project I just finished up is a book about Guantanamo Bay, that’s oral history about the prison told through comics called Guantanamo Voices and it comes out in September 2020."
Three years ago, I started working for the Nib and I work there as a editor and write comics.
A big project I just finished up is a book about Guantanamo Bay, that’s oral history about the prison told through comics called Guantanamo Voices and it comes out in September 2020."
Kazimir Lee
Kazimir Lee Iskander
"My pronouns are they/them, I live in New
York City and I am an immigrant from Malaysia.
I used to be an animator but now I am a cartoonist.
I am known for my non-fiction projects which makes sense as most of my jobs are in non-fiction. But ideally, I would like to be known for my fiction."
I used to be an animator but now I am a cartoonist.
I am known for my non-fiction projects which makes sense as most of my jobs are in non-fiction. But ideally, I would like to be known for my fiction."
Andy Warner
Andy Warner
"I am an author, a comics journalist, an editor and a teacher.
At grad school, I realized that I was pretty good at non-fiction.
I had done a little bit of non-fiction, like some little comics here and there but I realized that I have this background in the history and literature of the middle east, especially Lebanon and Syria.
It was 2011 and that region was on everybody's mind again – not that it ever isn't. So I got out of grad school and started pretty much immediately doing occasional comics for Slate about the unfolding Syrian refugee crisis.
And then work led to work."
At grad school, I realized that I was pretty good at non-fiction.
I had done a little bit of non-fiction, like some little comics here and there but I realized that I have this background in the history and literature of the middle east, especially Lebanon and Syria.
It was 2011 and that region was on everybody's mind again – not that it ever isn't. So I got out of grad school and started pretty much immediately doing occasional comics for Slate about the unfolding Syrian refugee crisis.
And then work led to work."
Eric Thurman
Erik Thurman
"I am originally born in the US but I lived abroad for the
past 10 years, in the Philippines, South Korea and in Chile. I predominately do
comics journalism about social movements, about education, migration. Aside
of that I also work as English teacher in poor countries."
The Medium
About a Medium
About a Medium
What are Comics?
Fullscreen
Comics are – just as videos, texts, audio
recordings or pictures – a medium we as people use to convey information. However,
comics are not as much part of our everyday life as most other media.
Instead, they still are mainly associated to target children and young adults, fulfilling little more than entertainment and characters such as Batman or Donald Duck are connected to many people’s understanding of the medium. Both the Dark Knight and the furious duck went through the hands of countless artists, each with their unique style, telling different stories in distinct ways.
It is this freedom that makes comics special: It is a medium that can create from scratch but also holds the power of the visual by drawing concrete pictures. Whole universes were created on comic-pages and every minute countless new are drawn into existence.
But what are comics exactly? Words and Pictures? Drawings in Squares? Or just the products of Disney, Marvel and DC?
Scott McCloud explored these questions in detail in his book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. He argues that comics are “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce aesthetic response in the viewer”. Or – in short – sequential art.
This means that any images lined up to convey additional meaning are comics.
Suddenly, possibilities expand far out of Duckburg and Gotham, reaching into the worlds of infographics, photo-reportages and comics journalism.
To put it simple, the definition of sequential art allows comics to be understood as broadly as the medium is itself, thereby making clear that there are no formal criteria needed to make something a comic.
Comics do not need speech bubbles, panels or fantasy worlds.
All comics need is an artist lining up pictures.
Instead, they still are mainly associated to target children and young adults, fulfilling little more than entertainment and characters such as Batman or Donald Duck are connected to many people’s understanding of the medium. Both the Dark Knight and the furious duck went through the hands of countless artists, each with their unique style, telling different stories in distinct ways.
It is this freedom that makes comics special: It is a medium that can create from scratch but also holds the power of the visual by drawing concrete pictures. Whole universes were created on comic-pages and every minute countless new are drawn into existence.
But what are comics exactly? Words and Pictures? Drawings in Squares? Or just the products of Disney, Marvel and DC?
Scott McCloud explored these questions in detail in his book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. He argues that comics are “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce aesthetic response in the viewer”. Or – in short – sequential art.
This means that any images lined up to convey additional meaning are comics.
Suddenly, possibilities expand far out of Duckburg and Gotham, reaching into the worlds of infographics, photo-reportages and comics journalism.
To put it simple, the definition of sequential art allows comics to be understood as broadly as the medium is itself, thereby making clear that there are no formal criteria needed to make something a comic.
Comics do not need speech bubbles, panels or fantasy worlds.
All comics need is an artist lining up pictures.
The steps
Step by Step
This visual thinking demands a lot more intermediate steps between gathering the material and the final publication.
Even more so, if artist and writer are two different people as was the case with Guantanamo Voices:
"Typically, I do the research and write the script, which looks like a movie script. It will have citations and photo-references wherever possible."
- Sarah Mirk
Even more so, if artist and writer are two different people as was the case with Guantanamo Voices:
"Typically, I do the research and write the script, which looks like a movie script. It will have citations and photo-references wherever possible."
- Sarah Mirk
Pencils
"Then the artist takes it and they go through the version of first doing thumbnails, so super blobby, just putting the thing on the page.
Then, we do pencils - the artists all draw digitally but it's like... pencils - which is a slightly more sketched-in version.
I want to make changes in the thumbnail and the pencil version."
- Sarah Mirk
Then, we do pencils - the artists all draw digitally but it's like... pencils - which is a slightly more sketched-in version.
I want to make changes in the thumbnail and the pencil version."
- Sarah Mirk
Inks
"Once they get to inks, I really don't want to have to make any changes
after that because it takes a lot more time."
- Sarah Mirk
- Sarah Mirk
Details matter
"I'll almost always say: 'Those are great, but...
...in this panel here, you drew this guy at the desk. We need to make sure that on the desk you can see that he has a paper that is an order from the president on it.
...in this panel, this guy's face does not look stressed out enough. In this situation, he'd be really stressed out.
...this panel is in this deli in New York right after September 11th, so on the deli counter, there would have been "Never Forget" bumper stickers or a 9/11 memorial statue-thing. Because at that time, every deli you run into had that kind of thing."
- Sarah Mirk
...in this panel here, you drew this guy at the desk. We need to make sure that on the desk you can see that he has a paper that is an order from the president on it.
...in this panel, this guy's face does not look stressed out enough. In this situation, he'd be really stressed out.
...this panel is in this deli in New York right after September 11th, so on the deli counter, there would have been "Never Forget" bumper stickers or a 9/11 memorial statue-thing. Because at that time, every deli you run into had that kind of thing."
- Sarah Mirk
The Journalism
The Work
"You take care, you research, you perform your due dilligence and you check your things. Which is what every journalist does.
And then, because you are a cartoonist, you draw it in a beautiful and interesting way."
- Andy Warner
And then, because you are a cartoonist, you draw it in a beautiful and interesting way."
- Andy Warner
Due Diligence
"I did a story about moonshiners in Saudi Arabia during the 1980s. In the midst of the desert, there were these recreations of Kansas suburbs where people raised their kids and made this moonshine called Sidiqqi.
So, I have a bunch of photo-evidence of that, I have found these forums of the kids that grew up there, they maintain archives, I talk to them, I have first hand accounts, I use photo-reference and disuguise people's identities and then I draw it.
But I do it having researched the era, backgrounds, people, using photo-evidence, et cetera."
- Andy Warner
The Secret Moonshiners of Saudi Arabia
So, I have a bunch of photo-evidence of that, I have found these forums of the kids that grew up there, they maintain archives, I talk to them, I have first hand accounts, I use photo-reference and disuguise people's identities and then I draw it.
But I do it having researched the era, backgrounds, people, using photo-evidence, et cetera."
- Andy Warner
The Secret Moonshiners of Saudi Arabia
Visual Thinking
But even once all the information is gathered, it still takes time to produce comics, as Sarah Mirk explains:
"You have to approach a comic differently than other written media: You have to think about how to tell the story visually. Where are the cleanest scenes you could paint? Who's going to be the heart of the story?
Not just: Let's take these words and then just draw some pictures to them!"
Sorry, Sarah.
"You have to approach a comic differently than other written media: You have to think about how to tell the story visually. Where are the cleanest scenes you could paint? Who's going to be the heart of the story?
Not just: Let's take these words and then just draw some pictures to them!"
Sorry, Sarah.
Reference Material
"I prefer actually visiting the areas, I like to interview people in person so I can accurately portray the situation.
When I illustrate stories about places I have not been to, I always ask myself: Am I portraying this right?
If I visited, I might be more acute and aware.
For example, a place might have a lot of power lines and power polls. That might be a feature I start showing in my panels that maybe a writer would not necessarily be thinking about."
- Erik Thurman
The American Immigrant: South Korea
When I illustrate stories about places I have not been to, I always ask myself: Am I portraying this right?
If I visited, I might be more acute and aware.
For example, a place might have a lot of power lines and power polls. That might be a feature I start showing in my panels that maybe a writer would not necessarily be thinking about."
- Erik Thurman
The American Immigrant: South Korea
Difficulties
Difficulties
"I
want to see comics journalism recognized just like any other type of prose
story, in the same kind we recognize documentary as a form of
journalism."
- Erik Thurman
- Erik Thurman
Subjectivity
Subjectivity
this is going to be a long one...
Fullscreen
A big point of criticism towards comics journalism is its perceived subjectivity. Comics are usually drawn and by doing so, artists bring their biases to the paper. To many scholars, this means that comics can never achieve the highest journalistic standards as their drawn nature conflicts with the journalist's objective truth telling.
Comics journalists struggle with this classification: “There is this idea that just because it is drawn, it is somehow not legitimate”, Erik Thurman laments.
There is truth to the argument of comics journalism not being objective: Comics journalists have to decide independently what they show, how they draw it and what they leave out. It is their choice if the document on the table is visible or not. It is their choice whether their interviewee looks tired or excited. Each of these choices is both subjective and necessary.
In order to be truthful, comics journalists have to go much further than other journalists would. A writer does not need to think about how the house the interviewee lived in looked like. A photo or video journalist might take a shot of it. But a comics journalist will have to recreate as many details as possible in order to make it accurate.
While recreating, the comics journalist will change little details, willingly or unwillingly. Therefore, Joe Sacco states in his comics journalism manifesto that “drawings are interpretive even when they are slavish renditions of photographs”. Mirroring reality in drawings thereby becomes simply impossible. Not only will every artist choose to portray reality differently, their experiences will also vastly differ. To the consumers, this matters as Kazimir Lee Iskander explains: “You are teaching someone the order and priority in which to absorb certain information and by doing that you are adding your biases to something.”
However, this is true for every kind of communication. Be it comics, journalism, texting or nursery rhymes. The person telling the story will bring their own biases and by telling the story, they will convey them. In comics, this process just becomes more transparent as Sarah Mirk explains: “I really love that you can see the hand of the artist in the story and therefore readers understand that this piece of journalism was made by a person”.
Some artists such as Joe Sacco choose to hammer this idea in by depicting themselves in their stories. When doing so, they actively choose to tell the story in an even more subjective manner than necessary.
However, this neither means that all comics journalism is more subjective than journalism in other media nor that subjective perspectives cannot produce journalism.
Or, as Kazimir Lee Iskander said:
“I guess the argument here is, is any journalism really that neutral, right?”
Comics journalists struggle with this classification: “There is this idea that just because it is drawn, it is somehow not legitimate”, Erik Thurman laments.
There is truth to the argument of comics journalism not being objective: Comics journalists have to decide independently what they show, how they draw it and what they leave out. It is their choice if the document on the table is visible or not. It is their choice whether their interviewee looks tired or excited. Each of these choices is both subjective and necessary.
In order to be truthful, comics journalists have to go much further than other journalists would. A writer does not need to think about how the house the interviewee lived in looked like. A photo or video journalist might take a shot of it. But a comics journalist will have to recreate as many details as possible in order to make it accurate.
While recreating, the comics journalist will change little details, willingly or unwillingly. Therefore, Joe Sacco states in his comics journalism manifesto that “drawings are interpretive even when they are slavish renditions of photographs”. Mirroring reality in drawings thereby becomes simply impossible. Not only will every artist choose to portray reality differently, their experiences will also vastly differ. To the consumers, this matters as Kazimir Lee Iskander explains: “You are teaching someone the order and priority in which to absorb certain information and by doing that you are adding your biases to something.”
However, this is true for every kind of communication. Be it comics, journalism, texting or nursery rhymes. The person telling the story will bring their own biases and by telling the story, they will convey them. In comics, this process just becomes more transparent as Sarah Mirk explains: “I really love that you can see the hand of the artist in the story and therefore readers understand that this piece of journalism was made by a person”.
Some artists such as Joe Sacco choose to hammer this idea in by depicting themselves in their stories. When doing so, they actively choose to tell the story in an even more subjective manner than necessary.
However, this neither means that all comics journalism is more subjective than journalism in other media nor that subjective perspectives cannot produce journalism.
Or, as Kazimir Lee Iskander said:
“I guess the argument here is, is any journalism really that neutral, right?”
Strenghts
Strenghts
"To me, the strength of comics journalism is
in a way the same as its weakness: The artifice of it is important in
reading a comic."
- Kazimir Lee Iskander
- Kazimir Lee Iskander
Show not Tell
"In the past 10 years I have mostly lived in countries where English is not even a second language. Where it is
difficult to tell these stories.
Yet even people, who lack the language ability are at least able to follow along with the pictures, so they do act as an aid.
Sometimes I'll interview people in Spanish and I can show them visually: This is what to expect out of this.
It is not like: This is a list of strange words that you cannot understand, you have to trust me, haha!
Comics journalism, because it is a form that is accessible, visibly, can be read by everyone. It is a very democratizing medium. "
- Erik Thurman
Yet even people, who lack the language ability are at least able to follow along with the pictures, so they do act as an aid.
Sometimes I'll interview people in Spanish and I can show them visually: This is what to expect out of this.
It is not like: This is a list of strange words that you cannot understand, you have to trust me, haha!
Comics journalism, because it is a form that is accessible, visibly, can be read by everyone. It is a very democratizing medium. "
- Erik Thurman
Explaining
"A strength of comics journalism in general
is doing explainers.
You can get a lot of mileage out of that visual aspect, especially if you use the likes of infographics, schematics or timelines. All these things can be used as building blocks in comics in a way that flows a little more weirdly in prose pieces.
I do a lot of explainers and I do believe that they are really well suited to comics journalism. They are also just really well suited for my brain, so…"
- Andy Warner
You can get a lot of mileage out of that visual aspect, especially if you use the likes of infographics, schematics or timelines. All these things can be used as building blocks in comics in a way that flows a little more weirdly in prose pieces.
I do a lot of explainers and I do believe that they are really well suited to comics journalism. They are also just really well suited for my brain, so…"
- Andy Warner
Supernaked
In Austria, the invesitgative reporting platform Dossier and the newspaper der Falter used comics' explanatory ability to retell a complex corruption case.
Supernaked is a short film and was positively received by the nation's critics as a different form of journalistic storytelling.
Supernaked is a short film and was positively received by the nation's critics as a different form of journalistic storytelling.
Cheap
If it is not used to do an 11-minutes-long short movie, comics journalism can be done relatively cheap while still providing strong visuals and high journalistic quality:
"Comics journalism can be within a tea of two people - the actual creator and an editor. That's bare bones but possible.
A good piece of comics journalism might cost between 600 and 1.000 US Dollars. But to actually do a 20-minutes documentary, it might honestly cost 10-15.000 Dollars to do.
The economy makes it - especially for indipendant media outlets - very accessible."
- Erik Thurman
"Comics journalism can be within a tea of two people - the actual creator and an editor. That's bare bones but possible.
A good piece of comics journalism might cost between 600 and 1.000 US Dollars. But to actually do a 20-minutes documentary, it might honestly cost 10-15.000 Dollars to do.
The economy makes it - especially for indipendant media outlets - very accessible."
- Erik Thurman
Subtle
"There are going to be situations where reporters or photojournalists would not necessarily be able to take photographs. Maybe they are having a conversation with people they can not bring a camera to. There is a workaround by just being an illustrator and being able to draw these scenes."
- Erik Thurman
The American Immigrant: South Korea
- Erik Thurman
The American Immigrant: South Korea
The Future
The Future
Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.
Nonetheless, the artists agreed to share their thoughts on comics journalisms' prospects.
Nonetheless, the artists agreed to share their thoughts on comics journalisms' prospects.
About
About this Work
About this Work
Fullscreen
Hi!
My name is Max Miller and this work is part of my bachelor thesis on comics journalism.
For the theory part of my work, I researched the potential of the comics medium in journalism. However, I wanted this practical part to be, well as practical as possible. Therefore, I interviewed five comics journalists via different videocall applications in order for them to give their personal experience, thereby breathing life into what I have found in literature.
I decided to use only four as Fabian Lang, art director at Dossier and I talked in German and focused a lot on Austria. This did not fit well to the rest of the interviews.
Originally, I planned to do a short explanatory comic inspired by Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.
However, this work was done during the months of April and May 2020 in the midst of the Corona (Covid-19) outbreak in Austria. Therefore, drawing a comic by myself became impossible as I could not get enough visual evidence without leaving my flat.
It might have worked to this work's favor though as I am obviously no trained comics artist.
Pageflow allowed me to minimize my own drawings, instead showcasing the artists' approaches wherever possible.
The tool was simply chosen because it was the system provided by the University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication.
I hope that you did enjoy your experience with this work and for you to have caught an interest in comics journalism.
My name is Max Miller and this work is part of my bachelor thesis on comics journalism.
For the theory part of my work, I researched the potential of the comics medium in journalism. However, I wanted this practical part to be, well as practical as possible. Therefore, I interviewed five comics journalists via different videocall applications in order for them to give their personal experience, thereby breathing life into what I have found in literature.
I decided to use only four as Fabian Lang, art director at Dossier and I talked in German and focused a lot on Austria. This did not fit well to the rest of the interviews.
Originally, I planned to do a short explanatory comic inspired by Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.
However, this work was done during the months of April and May 2020 in the midst of the Corona (Covid-19) outbreak in Austria. Therefore, drawing a comic by myself became impossible as I could not get enough visual evidence without leaving my flat.
It might have worked to this work's favor though as I am obviously no trained comics artist.
Pageflow allowed me to minimize my own drawings, instead showcasing the artists' approaches wherever possible.
The tool was simply chosen because it was the system provided by the University of Applied Sciences for Management & Communication.
I hope that you did enjoy your experience with this work and for you to have caught an interest in comics journalism.
How to
This short video will show the steps I took to publish one page.
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Truth as We draw it
Welcome!
The Sequential Art
Comics Journalism
The History
Inspiring
What is it?
Want more?
Sarah Mirk
Mirk 2
Kazimir Lee Iskander
Lee2
Andy Warner
Warner 2
Erik Thurman
Thurman 2
About a Medium
Gripping
Constructing
Time Travel
Showing
Rising Water Comic
Step by Step
Script
Pencils
Inks
Colors
Example Comic
Details matter
The Work
Due Diligence
Visual Thinking
Reference Material
Reference Material 2
Checklist
Difficulties
TV
Slow 1
Slow 2
Words
Subjectivity
Strenghts
Show not Tell
Explaining
Supernaked
Cheap
Subtle
The Future
Mirk
Lee
Thurman
Warner
About this Work
How to