Comics journalism

Example of comics/graphic journalism by Gianluca Costantini
Example of comics/graphic journalism by Gianluca Costantini

Comics journalism is a form of journalism that covers news or nonfiction events using the framework of comics, a combination of words and drawn images. Typically, sources are actual people featured in each story, and word balloons are actual quotes. The term "comics journalism" was coined by one of its most notable practitioners, Joe Sacco.[1] Other terms for the practice include "graphic journalism,"[2] "comic strip journalism", "cartoon journalism", "cartoon reporting", "comics reportage",[3] "journalistic comics", and "sketchbook reports".[4]

Visual narrative storytelling has existed for thousands of years, but comics journalism brings reportage to the field in more direct ways. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists distinguished comics journalism from political cartoons this way:

"Editorial cartoons are quick, in-the-moment commentary, whose artists have to educate themselves on complex issues and craft well-informed opinions in a single take that emphasizes clarity under daily deadlines. Illustrated reporting, or comics journalism, takes days, weeks, or months to craft a story, which can run for pages, and which may or may not be presenting an opinion."[5]

The use of the comics medium to cover real-life events for news organizations, publications or publishers (in graphic novel format) is currently at an all-time peak.[citation needed] Comics journalism publications are active in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, and India, and comics journalists also hail from such countries as Russia, Lebanon, Belgium, Peru, and Germany.[6] Many of the works are featured online and in collaboration with established publications, as well as the small press. In recent decades, works of comics journalism have appeared in such publications as Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Slate, Columbia Journalism Review, and LA Weekly.

  1. ^ Steinhauer, Jillian (quoting Hillary Chute). "The Outsider: Joe Sacco's comics journalism," The Nation (Dec. 28, 2020).
  2. ^ Hodara, Susan. "Graphic Journalism," Communication Arts (March 2020).
  3. ^ Cavna, Michael. "COMICS: Meet the man who’s creating a space for longform journalism — in graphic novel form," Washington Post (September 16, 2016).
  4. ^ McGee, Kathleen. "SPIEGELMAN SPEAKS: Art Spiegelman is the author of Maus for which he won a special Pulitzer in 1992. Kathleen McGee interviewed him when he visited Minneapolis in 1998," Conduit (1998).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference EP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Thorne, Laura. Reporting, Illustrated," Columbia Journalism Review (Summer 2019).

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