Alter egos: an exploration of the perspectives and identities of science comic creators

Abstract

While academic interest in science comics has been growing in recent years, the creators of these materials remain understudied. This research aimed to explore the experiences and views of science comic creators through the lens of science communication. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 science comic creators. Interviewees felt that the visual, narrative, permanent, and approachable qualities of comics made them particularly adept at explaining science and bringing it to new audiences. Science comic creators often had complex identities, occupying an ambiguous territory between `science' and `art', but were otherwise unconcerned with strict definitions. They emphasised the importance of balance between entertaining and informing, striving to create an engaging visual narrative without overcrowding it with facts or compromising scientific accuracy. This balancing act, and how they negotiate it, sheds light on what it means to be a science communicator operating in the space between entertainment and information/education.

Why create SciArt? An investigation into science artists' goals and professional journeys

“…Several creators recalled having to choose between art and science upon entering university -most often due to rigid educational structures, social pressures, practical constraints, or some combination of these factors. Creators also said that, at some point in their life, art and science had been presented as two distinct, or even incompatible, disciplines, echoing Collver and Weitkamp's [2018] finding that science comic creators often feel trapped between "two worlds" and experience challenges working and learning at the "grey, blurry" intersections of their dual passions [p. 11]. While creators in this study eventually found ways to reconcile their interests, funders and universities wishing to support the development of SciArt could introduce more educational programs offering training in both art and science or provide additional financial support for science artists pursuing self-directed study (e.g., through grants, residencies).…”

Rethinking science communication: reflections on what happens when science meets comic art

“…Comic art is thus a promising form for engaging in the meeting between science and art, a meeting that has also recently attracted academic interest [e.g. Collver and Weitkamp, 2018]. As noted by Farinella [2018, p. 2], comics have, during the past decades, emerged as an "increasingly popular form of science education and communication", able to reach an audience of different age groups and cultural backgrounds and with the potential to "make scientific subjects more accessible and engaging".…”

“…What these initiatives have in common is that they have all been attempts to communicate in the final phase of the research process: when the results already exist. However, more recently, as noted by Kuttner, Weaver-Hightower and Sousanis [2020, p. 5], researchers have also started using comics not simply to disseminate findings to various audiences but also to collect, elicit and analyze data [see also Collver and Weitkamp, 2018]. Our ambition with this essay is to discuss -based on our own experience -the comic format and the pedagogy that characterizes comic art, and how that can inspire and contribute not only to the communication of research results but also to the research process.…”

The use of comics to promote health awareness: A template using nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

“…[38][39][40][41][42] Besides its capacity to influence behaviours, comics have been reported to be approachable and promote more engagement and motivation than regular text-based materials while garnering the same knowledge acquisition, which is particularly advantageous in engaging noninterested and new audiences while demonstrating that entertainment and education are not mutually exclusive. [43][44][45][46] Comics have been used to raise awareness about diseases and their symptoms among the general public, to assist patients and their families better understand their illness, to promote the self-management of chronic conditions, to improve therapeutic adherence in children, 47 to support informed decision-making in clinical procedures and therapeutic options, 48,49 to facilitate or ameliorate patients' healthcare experience, 50 to promote surgical procedures and organ donation 51,52 and to increase follow-up rates in primary care provider transitions. 45,53 The appropriation of comics in the domains of disease prevention and health promotion began with efforts directed at communicable diseases, mostly targeting children and often as part of multimodal campaigns, alongside other media formats.…”