Comics and animation can also influence the content of books in other mediums, lending their characters and themes to prose stories, poetry, art books, or other larger exploration of culture such as “philosophy of” or “theology of” anthologies and cookbooks.
Here are some upcoming non-fiction releases to help you explore the possibilities of the comics medium.
What else can comics do? Honestly? Anything. Anything with pictures. That’s why they’re great and why people should consider them as teaching materials more often. There’s a reason your Ikea furniture has diagrams, y’all. And why marketing folks use charts. Everything is better with art.
Let’s Talk About It is a great place to start. It covers topics from body image to safe sex, handling rejection (alas, it happens to everyone), gender, and friendship, and it does so with thorough, well-researched information gathered by two experts on “sex, relationships, and being a human.” You’d think we’d be born knowing how to do that last one, but real talk; I’m 42 and I’m still figuring it out. And hey, just because it has pictures doesn’t mean it’s only for kids; anatomy is important and some folx are visual learners. Give Let’s Talk About It a read and then pass it on. Do your part to stop that rumor your older sister’s boyfriend’s cousin best friend started about that thing because I promise you, it is all kinds of wrong…
I absolutely adore the art in The Incredible Nellie Bly as well as the subject. Algozzino has worked with sharp lines that keep the characters strong and focused but a color palette that’s primarily sepia toned to evoke the proper time period. Occasional pops of blue and red provide special detailing and emphasis.
It’s a lesson that definitely bears repeating right now, don’t you think?
Go read a book. This one. Now. Why are you still here looking at me? Go.
About 12 years ago, I ended up with a TBI. Prior to that, I could read instructions and do the thing. Almost any thing. Post-injury, this was no longer the case; I had to be able to visualize the task to be able to do it, which means if instructions were text only, I had to watch someone execute them step by step (in person or in a video). In some cases, I had to do it with them.
I could, however, follow instruction that were accompanied by pictures. Which means in order to follow a new recipe for the first time I needed cookbooks like Cooking Comics.
Things have gotten a bit better over the years, but I still do better when I have at least some illustrations or photos to compare my product too. I know other people feel the same, so consider learning style when you’re buying an instructional book for yourself or for a gift.
