Comics-based research: The affordances of comics for research across disciplines

Comics have long been a focus of scholarly inquiry. In recent years, this interest has taken a methodological turn, with scholars integrating comics creation into the research process itself. In this article, the authors begin to define and document this emerging, interdisciplinary field of methodological practice. They lay out key affordances that comics offers researchers across the disciplines, arguing that certain characteristics-multimodality, blending of sequential and simultaneous communication, emphasis on creator voice-afford powerful tools for inquiry. The authors finish by offering some questions and challenges for the field as it matures.

Automated summary

The article discusses the emerging role of comics in research, highlighting its affordances such as multimodality and emphasis on creator voice as powerful tools for scholars. The authors also present questions and challenges for the field to mature and grow.