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Comics journalism is a form of
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
that covers news or nonfiction events using the framework of
comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
, a combination of words and drawn images. Typically, sources are actual people featured in each story, and
word balloons Speech balloons (also speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, or word balloons) are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comics, and cartoons to allow words (and much less often, pictures) to be understood as representing a charac ...
are actual quotes. The term "comics journalism" was coined by one of its most notable practitioners,
Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is best known for his comics journalism, in particular in the books ''Palestine'' (1996) and '' Footnotes in Gaza'' (2009), on Israeli–Palestinian relati ...
. Other terms for the practice include "graphic journalism,"Hodara, Susan
"Graphic Journalism,"
''Communication Arts'' (March 2020).
"comic strip journalism", "cartoon journalism", "cartoon reporting", "comics reportage",
Cavna, Michael Michael Cavna is an American writer, artist and cartoonist. He is creator of the "Comic Riffs" column for ''The Washington Post''. His column has received more than a dozen national awards from the Society for Features Journalism, in 2013, 2014, ...

"COMICS: Meet the man who’s creating a space for longform journalism — in graphic novel form,"
''Washington Post'' (September 16, 2016).
"journalistic comics", and "sketchbook reports".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).
Visual narrative storytelling has existed for thousands of years, but comics journalism brings reportage to the field in more direct ways. 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. 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. Many of the works are featured online and in collaboration with established publications, as well as the
small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...
. In recent decades, works of comics journalism have appeared in such publications as ''
Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
'', ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', ''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
'', and ''
LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
''.


History

Antecedents to comics journalism included printmakers like
Currier and Ives Currier and Ives was a New York City printmaking business that operated between 1835 and 1907. Founded by Nathaniel Currier, the company designed and sold inexpensive, hand painted lithographic works based on news events, views of popular cultu ...
and
George Luks George Benjamin Luks (August 13, 1867 – October 29, 1933) was an American artist, identified with the aggressively realistic Ashcan School of American painting. After travelling and studying in Europe, Luks worked as a newspaper illustrator a ...
, who illustrated
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
battles; and political cartoonists like
Thomas Nast Thomas Nast (; ; September 26, 1840December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He was a critic of Democratic Party (United States), Democratic U ...
. Historically, pictorial representation (typically
engravings Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...
) of news events were commonly used before the proliferation of photography in publications such as ''
The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...
'' and ''
Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
''. In the 1920s, the political magazine ''
New Masses ''New Masses'' (1926–1948) was an American Marxist magazine closely associated with the Communist Party USA. It succeeded both ''The Masses'' (1912–1917) and ''The Liberator''. ''New Masses'' was later merged into '' Masses & Mainstream'' (19 ...
'' sent cartoonists to cover strikes and labor battles, but they were restricted to single panel cartoons. In the 1950s and the 1960s,
Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...
did a number of true comics journalism pieces for magazines like ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' and ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
''. In 1965,
Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
, later a key founder of the
underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
movement, produced "Bulgaria: A Sketchbook Report" for Kurtzman's ''
Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...
'', a tongue-in-cheek journalistic overview of the socialist country of
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, based on his own travels there. Crumb had done an earlier, similar "sketchbook report" on Harlem, which was also published in ''Help!'' Kurtzman also hired Jack Davis and
Arnold Roth :''This is an article about Arnold Roth, the cartoonist. See also Arnie Roth, the musician.'' Arnold Roth (born February 25, 1929) is an American cartoonist and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines, and newspapers. Novel ...
to do light-hearted journalistic comics for ''Help!'' Editor/cartoonist
Leonard Rifas Leonard Rifas (b. April 16, 1951) is an American cartoonist, critic, editor, and publisher associated with underground comix, comics journalism, left-wing politics, and the anti-nuclear movement. He is notable for his contributions to the form of ...
' two-issue series ''Corporate Crime Comics'' (
Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...
, 1977, 1979) was an early example of comics reportage, with a number of notable contributors, including
Greg Irons Greg Irons (September 29, 1947 – November 14, 1984) was an American poster artist, underground cartoonist, animator and tattoo artist. Profile Irons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved to San Francisco, California, in 1967, whe ...
,
Trina Robbins Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...
,
Harry Driggs Harry Driggs (November 3, 1935 — July 14, 2007) was an American artist, graphic designer, political activist, and underground cartoonist. Much of his comix work was published under the name R. Diggs. Driggs was a longtime resident of San Franci ...
,
Guy Colwell Guy Colwell (born March 28, 1945) is an American painter and occasional underground cartoonist. Although not African-American himself, Colwell's comics often portray blacks in strong roles in stories of life on the streets. His " Figurative Soci ...
,
Kim Deitch Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California)Donahue, Don and Susan Goodrick, editors. Deitch bio, ''The Apex Treasuet of Underground Comics'' (Apex Novelties, 1974), p. 127. is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in t ...
, Justin Green,
Jay Kinney Jay Kinney (born 1950) is an American author, editor, and former underground cartoonist. Kinney has been noted for "adding new dimensions to the political comic" in the underground comix press of the 1970s and '80s. Kinney was a member, along wi ...
,
Denis Kitchen Denis Kitchen (born August 27, 1946) is an Americans, American underground comix, underground cartoonist, publisher, author, agent, and the founder of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Early life Kitchen grew up in Wisconsin, attending William ...
, and
Larry Gonick Larry Gonick (born 1946) is a cartoonist best known for ''The Cartoon History of the Universe'', a history of the world in comic book form, which he published in installments from 1977 to 2009. He has also written ''The Cartoon History of the U ...
.
Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is best known for his comics journalism, in particular in the books ''Palestine'' (1996) and '' Footnotes in Gaza'' (2009), on Israeli–Palestinian relati ...
is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the form, starting with his 1991 series ''
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
''. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sacco produced a number of works of comics journalism for such established publications as ''
Details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...
'', ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', ''
The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine Supplement (publishing), supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted man ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', and ''
Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
''. Since then, he has published a number of book-length works of comics journalism. In October 1994 cartoonist
Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited to ...
toured
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
for two weeks, during a period of mass exodus, as thousands of Cubans took advantage of President
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
's decision to permit emigration for a limited time. In early 1995, Griffith published a six-week series of stories about Cuban culture and politics in his strip '' Zippy''. The Cuba series included transcripts of conversations Griffith had conducted with various Cubans, including artists, government officials, and a
Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
priestess. Cartoonist
Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...
was comics editor of ''
Details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...
'' in the mid-1990s; in 1997 — modeling himself after Harvey Kurtzman — Spiegelman began assigning comics journalism pieces to a number of his cartoonist associates, including Sacco,
Peter Kuper Peter Kuper (; born September 22, 1958) is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, best known for his autobiographical, political, and social observations. Besides his contributions to the political anthology '' World War 3 Illust ...
,
Ben Katchor Ben Katchor (born November 19, 1951) is an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for the comic strip ''Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer''. He has contributed comics and drawings to ''The Forward'', ''The New Yorker,'' ''Metropoli ...
,
Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Hate'' and ''Neat Stuff''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced ...
, Charles Burns, Kaz,
Kim Deitch Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California)Donahue, Don and Susan Goodrick, editors. Deitch bio, ''The Apex Treasuet of Underground Comics'' (Apex Novelties, 1974), p. 127. is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in t ...
, and
Jay Lynch Jay Patrick Lynch (January 7, 1945 – March 5, 2017) was an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his ''Bijou Funnies'' and other titles. He is best known for his comic strip ''Nard n' Pat'' and the r ...
. The magazine published these works of journalism in comics form throughout 1998 and 1999, helping to legitimize the form in popular perception. Starting in 1998, and really intensely in the years 2000 to 2002,
Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Hate'' and ''Neat Stuff''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced ...
did a number of comics journalism stories — on such topics as politics, the
Miss America Pageant Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
, bar culture,
Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...
, and the
Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
— mostly for Suck.com. In the period 2000–2001, cartoonist
Marisa Acocella Marchetto Marisa Acocella Marchetto (born 1962 in New Jersey) is an American cartoonist. She is the author of the ''New York Times'' best-selling graphic novel ''Ann Tenna'', the graphic memoir ''Cancer Vixen'', and ''Just Who the Hell is She, Anyway?'' Sh ...
produced the semi-regular comics journalism strip ''The Strip'' for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', often on the topic of
fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
. Some of the first known magazines focused specifically on comics journalism include ''Mamma!'', a magazine of comics journalism printed in Italy since 2009 and produced by a group of authors; and ''Symbolia'', a digital magazine of comics journalism for
tablet computers A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...
, which operated from 2013 to 2015. Other digital magazines which focused on comics journalism during this period included Darryl Holliday & Erik Rodriguez'
The Illustrated Press
' and Josh Kramer's
The Cartoon Picayune
'.
Jen Sorensen Jen Sorensen (born September 28, 1974, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American cartoonist and illustrator who authors a weekly comic strip that often focuses on current events from a liberal perspective. Her work appears on the websites Daily ...
was editor of the "Graphic Culture" section of ''
Splinter News Splinter was an American left-leaning news and opinion website owned by G/O Media. It launched in July 2017 and ceased publication in November 2019. Content The site was a news and opinion website. According to direct owner Fusion Media Group, t ...
'' (formerly ''Fusion'') from 2014 to 2018, while Matt Bors has edited the online comics collection ''
The Nib The Nib is an American online daily comics publication focused on political cartoons, graphic journalism, essays and memoir about current affairs. Founded by cartoonist Matt Bors in September 2013, The Nib is an independent member-supported pu ...
'' since 2014; both sites publish comics journalism pieces. In May 2016, ''The New York Times'' put comics journalism front-and-center for the first time with "Inside Death Row," by
Patrick Chappatte Patrick Chappatte (known simply as Chappatte) (b. February 22, 1967, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist known for his work for ''Le Temps'', '' NZZ am Sonntag'' , the German news magazine ''Der Spiegel'', ''The New York Times In ...
(with
Anne-Frédérique Widmann Anne-Frédérique Widmann is a Swiss investigative journalist, director and producer, living between Switzerland and the USA, where she spent 9 years. Born in 1965 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, she graduated from the Graduate Institute in Genev ...
), a five-part series about the
death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
in the United States. In 2017, it published "Welcome to the New World," by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan, chronicling a
Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...
refugee family settling in the United States. The series ran in the print Sunday Review edition from January to September 2017 and won the
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning The Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary is one of the fourteen Pulitzer Prizes that is annually awarded for journalism in the United States. It is the successor to the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning awarded from 1922 t ...
in 2018. In November 2019 the book ''Libia'', about the war in
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
, written by Francesca Mannocchi and drawn by
Gianluca Costantini Gianluca Costantini (born December 19, 1971) in Ravenna, Italy, is a cartoonist, artist, Comic journalist, and activist. Biography Gianluca Costantini he graduated from the Art Institute Gino Severini of Ravenna in 1991 in Applied Art and t ...
, was published in Italy; it was translated and published in France in 2020.


Techniques

As with traditional journalism, there are no rules per se about comics journalism, and there are a wide variety of practices. Some practitioners, like
Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is best known for his comics journalism, in particular in the books ''Palestine'' (1996) and '' Footnotes in Gaza'' (2009), on Israeli–Palestinian relati ...
and
Susie Cagle Susie Cagle is an Americans, American journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work has appeared in ''The American Prospect'', ''AlterNet'', ''The Awl'', ''Good (magazine), GOOD'', and others. Cagle is based in Oakland, California. She has repo ...
, have a background in journalism, while others were trained first as cartoonists. One feature that unites all forms of comics journalism is a reliance on witness interviews and other
primary sources In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...
. Many practitioners highlight the form's power to engender empathy in its subjects. Sacco is a trained journalist who extensively documents his subjects and spends years crafting his stories.Mackay, Brad. "Behind the rise of investigative cartooning," ''THIS Magazine'' (Jan. 2008)
Archived at Ad Astra Comix
Among the techniques he uses to protect his subjects — who are often survivors of conflict zones in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
and the former
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
— are to change their names and use his art to anonymize their faces.
Wendy MacNaughton Wendy MacNaughton is an illustrator and graphic journalist based in San Francisco. MacNaughton has published eleven books, including three New York Times best-sellers. MacNaughton's work combines illustration, journalism, and social work to tell ...
sketches extensively with her subjects and locations before retreating to her studio to craft the finished piece. Austrian graduate student Lukas Plank created a comic, "Drawn Truth: Transparency in Journalist Comics," based on his research into the field, that outlines some potential "best practices" for comics journalists. In a February 2005 article on comics journalism for ''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
'', Kristian Williams introduced, explained, and defended comics journalism:


Comics journalists

*
Dan Archer Daniel G. Archer (born September 29, 1944) is a former American football offensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL). he played college football at the University of Oregon, and then professionally for the Oakland Raiders in 1967 AF ...
*
Peter Bagge Peter Bagge (pronounced , as in ''bag''; born December 11, 1957) is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics ''Hate'' and ''Neat Stuff''. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced ...
* Matt BorsPolgreen, Erin
"What is Graphic Journalism?"
''The Hooded Utilitarian'' (Mar. 29, 2011).
* Steve Brodner *
Susie Cagle Susie Cagle is an Americans, American journalist and editorial cartoonist whose work has appeared in ''The American Prospect'', ''AlterNet'', ''The Awl'', ''Good (magazine), GOOD'', and others. Cagle is based in Oakland, California. She has repo ...
* Claudio Calia *
Patrick Chappatte Patrick Chappatte (known simply as Chappatte) (b. February 22, 1967, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a Lebanese-Swiss cartoonist known for his work for ''Le Temps'', '' NZZ am Sonntag'' , the German news magazine ''Der Spiegel'', ''The New York Times In ...
*
Sue Coe Sue Coe (born 1951) is an English artist and illustrator working primarily in drawing, printmaking, and in the form of illustrated books and comics. Her work is in the tradition of social protest art and is highly political. Coe's work often inc ...
*
Gianluca Costantini Gianluca Costantini (born December 19, 1971) in Ravenna, Italy, is a cartoonist, artist, Comic journalist, and activist. Biography Gianluca Costantini he graduated from the Art Institute Gino Severini of Ravenna in 1991 in Applied Art and t ...
*
Sarah Glidden Sarah Glidden (born in 1980) is an American cartoonist known for her nonfiction comics and graphic novels. Biography Glidden was born in Massachusetts, to a family of Jewish background. Glidden studied painting at Boston University. She began ...
H.G
"In the frame: The power of comics journalism: The medium is able to narrate personal experiences more effectively than traditional journalism can"
''The Economist'' (Oct 21st 2016).
* Carlo Gubitosa *
Wendy MacNaughton Wendy MacNaughton is an illustrator and graphic journalist based in San Francisco. MacNaughton has published eleven books, including three New York Times best-sellers. MacNaughton's work combines illustration, journalism, and social work to tell ...
*
Marisa Acocella Marchetto Marisa Acocella Marchetto (born 1962 in New Jersey) is an American cartoonist. She is the author of the ''New York Times'' best-selling graphic novel ''Ann Tenna'', the graphic memoir ''Cancer Vixen'', and ''Just Who the Hell is She, Anyway?'' Sh ...
*
Josh Neufeld Josh Neufeld (born August 9, 1967) is an alternative cartoonist known for his nonfiction comics on subjects like Hurricane Katrina, international travel, and finance, as well as his collaborations with writers like Harvey Pekar and Brooke Gladsto ...
*
Ted Rall Frederick Theodore Rall III (born August 26, 1963) is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic strip, comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and e ...
*
Leonard Rifas Leonard Rifas (b. April 16, 1951) is an American cartoonist, critic, editor, and publisher associated with underground comix, comics journalism, left-wing politics, and the anti-nuclear movement. He is notable for his contributions to the form of ...
*
Joe Sacco Joe Sacco (; born October 2, 1960) is a Maltese-American cartoonist and journalist. He is best known for his comics journalism, in particular in the books ''Palestine'' (1996) and '' Footnotes in Gaza'' (2009), on Israeli–Palestinian relati ...
*
Jen Sorensen Jen Sorensen (born September 28, 1974, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American cartoonist and illustrator who authors a weekly comic strip that often focuses on current events from a liberal perspective. Her work appears on the websites Daily ...
*
Seth Tobocman Seth Tobocman (born 1958) is a radical comic book artist who has been living in Manhattan's Lower East Side since 1978. Tobocman is best known for his creation of the political comic book anthology ''World War 3 Illustrated'', which he started ...
* Sam Wallman *
Chip Zdarsky Steve Murray (born December 21, 1975), known by the pen-name Chip Zdarsky, is a Canadian comic book artist and writer, journalist, illustrator and designer. He has also used the pseudonym Todd Diamonte. He worked for ''National Post'' for over a ...
*
Orijit Sen Orijit Sen (born 1963) is an Indian graphic artist and designer. His graphic novel River of Stories, published in 1994 by Kalpavriksh, is considered as the first graphic novel of India. He co-founded People Tree in 1990 as a "collaborative st ...


Magazines of comics journalism


Active

* '' Cartoon Movement'', platform for works of graphic journalism and editorial cartoons *
Drawing the Times
', international platform for graphic journalism * ''
The Nib The Nib is an American online daily comics publication focused on political cartoons, graphic journalism, essays and memoir about current affairs. Founded by cartoonist Matt Bors in September 2013, The Nib is an independent member-supported pu ...
'', American online
non-fiction comics Non-fiction comics, also known as graphic non-fiction, is non-fiction in the comics medium, embracing a variety of formats from comic strips to trade paperbacks. Comic strips and comic books Traditionally, comic strips have long offered factua ...
publication founded and operated by Matt Bors. Published under
Medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane *Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...
from 2013 to 2015 and under
First Look Media First Look Media is an American nonprofit media organization founded by Pierre Omidyar in October 2013 as a venue for "original, independent journalism". Overview The project was started as a collaboration with Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, ...
from 2016 to 2019. Now member-supported. *
La Revue Dessinée
', French quarterly of comics journalism. Published since 2013 by
Éditions du Seuil Éditions du Seuil (), also known as ''Le Seuil'', is a French publishing house established in 1935 by Catholic intellectual Jean Plaquevent (1901–1965), and currently owned by La Martinière Groupe. It owes its name to this goal "The ''seuil'' ...
.


Defunct

* ''The Cartoon Picayune'', American anthology of comics journalism and nonfiction comics, published from 2011 to 2017. Founded and edited by Josh Kramer. * ''The Illustrated Press'', Chicago-based outlet founded by Darryl Holliday. Active from 2011 to 2015. *''Mamma!'', Italian printed magazine of comics journalism, editorial cartoons, data journalism, and photojournalism. Founded by Carlo Gubitosa and published by cultural association Altrinformazione from 2009 to 2013. *''Symbolia'', American digital magazine of comics journalism. Published from 2013 to 2015.


See also

*
Autobiographical comics An autobiographical comic (also autobio, graphic memoir, or autobiocomic) is an autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comix movement and has since become more widespread. It i ...
*
Visual journalism Visual journalism is the practice of strategically combining words and images to convey information. Universal Visual journalism is premised upon the idea that at a time of accelerating change, often words cannot keep pace with concepts. Visual ...


Further reading

* Duncan, Randy, Michael Ray Taylor, and David Stoddard. ''Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir and Nonfiction''. Routledge (2015) * Najarian, Jonathan
"Graphic depictions: Long-form comics as journalism,"
''
Quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually ...
'' (June 23, 2022).


References


External links

*
The Nib
' *
Cartoon Movement
' *
Drawing the Times
' *
La Revue Dessinée
' *
World Comics Network
', grassroots nonfiction comics from around the world
Positive Negatives
produces literary comics, animations, and podcasts about contemporary social and humanitarian issues
Symbolia
' website (archived)
Dan Archer's "An introduction to comics journalism, in the form of comics journalism,"
Poynter
"A graphics journalism project from ''The New York Times'' is taking readers inside death row"
Poynter
"Comic Books as Journalism: 10 Masterpieces of Graphic Nonfiction,"
by Kirstin Butler for ''The Atlantic'' {{Comics Types of journalism Comics genres