Best of Graphic Medicine-The 2023 Graphic Medicine International Collective Awards.

This Arts and Medicine feature reviews 4 health-related graphic medicine (comic) projects judged as the best of 2022 by the Graphic Medicine International Collective.

American Splendor (2003) De Shari Springer Berman y Robert Pulcini: Un superhéroe undergound con cáncer / American Splendor (2003) by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini: An Underground Superhero with Cancer

Durante la década de los 60, la auténtica cuna del cómic underground estaba en los Estados Unidos. Estas publicaciones surgieron al margen de las grandes potencias de la edición, impresión y distribución de la época, concentrándose en los temas preferidos por la contracultura: política, jazz, música rock, uso recreativo de las drogas y sexo. Se desarrollaron al margen de las tiras cómicas de los diarios más populares, los cuadernos, las revistas y los comic books que presentaban las caricaturas y las aventuras de personajes románticos, bélicos y policiacos. Pero también las de los superhéroes fantásticos favoritos del público, como Superman, materializadas por primera vez en 1938 gracias a la maestría de Joe Shuster y Jerry Siegel. En San Francisco, a comienzos de 1968, Zap Comix editó el primer comic book underground completo del dibujante Robert Crumb, emblemático pionero de estas publicaciones. Precisamente en el otoño de 1962, un mercadillo de discos de jazz de segunda mano en Cleveland propició el primer encuentro entre Robert Crumb, a la sazón un modesto dibujante de postales, y Harvey Pekar, un anodino individuo desaliñado y fracasado, que acabaría trabajando hasta su jubilación como archivero en un hospital de veteranos del gobierno federal. Así se gestó American Splendor, la autobiografía de Harvey Pekar, poética catarsis personal que sería ilustrada por algunos de los autores más representativos del cómic underground, como el propio Robert Crumb, Gary Dumm, Joe Sacco, Frank Stack y Joe Zabel. En 1987, la primera recopilación de American Splendor ganó el American Book Award. En 1994, la novela gráfica Our Cancer Year, la experiencia del cáncer padecida por Harvey Pekar en primera persona, fue escrita en colaboración con su esposa Joyce Brabner, siendo galardonada con el prestigioso premio Harvey de la industria estadounidense del cómic. (AU)

During the 1960s of the 20th century, The United States become the genuine cradle of underground comics. These publications emerged outside of the large publishing, printing and distribution industries on the day, concentrating on the major topics of the counterculture, such as politics, rock and jazz music, recreational drug use and sex. They developed outside the comic strips of the most popular daily characters, notebooks, magazines and comic books that presented the adventures of cartoons and romantics, war and police, as well as those of the most popular fantastic superheroes, such Superman, created in 1938 by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. In San Francisco, at the beginning of 1968, Zap Comix published the first complete underground comic book by cartoonist Robert Crumb, the emblematic pioneer of this type of publications. Precisely, in the fall of 1962, a second-hand jazz record market in Cleveland led to the meeting between Robert Crumb, then a modest postcard artist, and Harvey Pekar, a bland individual, unkempt and unsuccessful who would end up working until his retirement as a file clerk in a federal government veterans hospital. This is how American Splendor was conceived, Harvey Pekar´s autobiography written as a poetic personal catharsis, and which would be illustrated by representative authors of underground comics such as Robert Crumb himself, Gary Dumb, Joe Sacco, Frank Stack and Joe Zabel. In 1987, the first collection of American Splendor won the American Book Award. In 1994, the graphic novel Our Cancer Year, the particular cancerous experience suffered by Harvey Pekar, written in collaborations with his wife Joyce Brabner, was awarded the prestigious Harvey Award of the American comics industry. (AU)

¿Es posible salir del autismo? Los chicos son mejores que las flores (2009) y La parsimonia autista de Yoon Ji Hoo / Is it Possible to Get Out of Autism? Boys Over flowers (2009) and Yoon Ji Hoo's Autistic Parsimony

En Corea del Sur se han gestado dos hitos con la publicación de Hana Yori Dango durante los 90’s y la emisión de la serie Boys over flowers (2009) a inicios de la primera década del siglo XXI. En Boys over flowers se presenta a Yoo Ji Hoo como miembro de los F4, un grupo de elite coreano, quien sufre de un accidente en su primera infancia donde fallecen sus padres y adquiere autismo luego del trauma. En su orfandad logra «salir» del autismo con la ayuda de Min Seo Hyun, una amiga cercana y de quien se enamora, permitiendo su reincorporación social como un sujeto neurotípico. En vista del progresivo incremento de los casos de niños autistas en todo el mundo, y de las ventajas que promete la medicina moderna sobre su tratamiento y ocasional «curación», aquí buscamos responder a las siguientes preguntas: i) ¿es posible desarrollar autismo luego de un evento traumático?, y ii) ¿Es posible «salir» del autismo? Realizamos este análisis tomando como eje las cuestiones de vida de Yoo Ji Hoo en Boys over flowers. (AU)

In South Korea, two milestones have been created with the publication of Hana Yori Dango during the 90s and the broadcast of Boys over flowers (2009) at the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century. In Boys Over Flowers, Yoo Ji Hoo is introduced as a member of South Korea's elite group F4, who suffered an accident at a young childhood, died of his parents, and developed autism after trauma. In his orphanhood, he manages to «get out» of autism with the help of Min Seo Hyun, a close friend and with whom he falls in love, allowing his social reincorporation as a neurotypical subject. In view of the progressive increase in cases of autistic children worldwide, and the advantages that modern medicine promises over its treatment and occasional «cure», here, we seek to answer the following questions, i) Is it possible to develop autism after a traumatic event? and ii) Is it possible to «get out» of autism? We carried out this analysis based on Yoo Ji Hoo's life issues in Boys over flowers. (AU)

Afasias e construção de sentido: estudo com foco em história em quadrinhos / Aphasia and construction of meaning: study focused on comic strips

RESUMO Objetivo observar, na linguagem em afasia de sujeitos adultos, a constituição de sentidos, considerando a (re)organização enunciativa na leitura e na escrita. Métodos pesquisa qualitativa com método aplicado e exploratório e perspectiva de análise enunciativa sobre a linguagem, tendo as noções de forma e sentido como base analítica. Foi realizada uma atividade com três sujeitos com afasia (Bir, Cr e Aul), integrantes do Grupo Interdisciplinar de Convivência (GIC), formado por participantes com e sem afasia. Tal atividade consistiu em (re)organizar quadrinhos de uma história, visando constituir sentido, uma vez que a leitura/escrita de textos são habilidades comumente comprometidas nas afasias. Resultados a categoria de tempo crônico mostra-se fundante para elaboração das narrativas dos sujeitos com afasia. Entretanto, eles encontraram formas distintas de sustentação de sentidos, mas sempre atrelados a experiências provenientes da relação entre homem e mundo. Conclusão as narrativas foram organizadas/construídas pelos participantes, tendo por base as imagens (base formal) - uma vez comprometida a habilidade de leitura de textos verbais. Bir, Cr e Aul usaram o tempo crônico como eixo organizacional de suas narrativas e suas histórias em quadrinhos, demonstrando que promovem leitura e escrita ao se considerar o viés enunciativo de análise da linguagem.

ABSTRACT Purpose to observe , in the language of aphasic adult subjects, the constitution of meanings, considering the enunciative (re)organization in reading and writing. Methods qualitative research with applied and exploratory methods and a perspective of enunciative analysis on language, using the notions of form and meaning as analytical base. From an activity performed by three subjects with aphasia (Bir, Cr and Aul), members of the Interdisciplinary Coexistence Group (GIC), formed by participants with and without aphasia, which constituted of (re)organizing the panels (frames) of a comic strip, in order to constitute meaning - since the reading/writing of texts are skills that are commonly affected in aphasia. Results the chronic time category shows itself to be fundamental for the elaboration of the narratives of the subjects with aphasia, however they found different ways of sustaining meanings, but always linked to experiences arising from the relationship between man and world. Conclusion the narratives were organized/constructed by the participants, having the images as a base (formal base) - since the ability to read verbal texts is impaired. Bir, Cr and Aul used chronic time as an organizational axis of their narratives and their comic strips show that these subjects with aphasia promote reading and writing when considering enunciative bias of language analysis.

Do ouvido ao narrado: interlocução terapeuta-sujeito com afasia em atividade com história em quadrinhos / From heard to narrated: therapist-subject with aphasia interlocution in an activity with comic books

RESUMO Objetivo Analisar a interlocução terapeuta-sujeito com afasia no processo de interpretação e organização de história em quadrinhos. Métodos Estudo transversal, de natureza qualitativa. Os dados coletados foram de situações enunciativas audiogravadas e apresentadas descritivamente por quadros de interlocução (A1-T1) e (A2-T2), registrando atividade com Histórias em Quadrinhos (HQ), realizada em encontro do Grupo Interdisciplinar de Convivência da instituição, do qual participaram sujeitos com e sem afasia. Analisou-se a interlocução entre duas terapeutas em formação (T1 e T2) e dois sujeitos com afasia (A1 e A2). Resultados As interlocuções entre A1-T1 e A2-T2, ocorridas durante o processo de organização das HQ, evidenciaram posicionamentos diferentes das terapeutas, no que tange ao ouvido e ao narrado. A1 foi reconhecida por T1 como sujeito de linguagem, à medida que a terapeuta promoveu a disjunção, ou seja, encaminhou A1 à condição de locutor; o mesmo fato não ocorreu com A2 e T2, pois o primeiro não foi reconhecido como sujeito de linguagem, já que T2 manteve-se em conjunção, não conferindo lugar de fala a A2. Conclusão A enunciação benvenistiana configura-se como recurso teórico-metodológico para análise e intervenção clínica junto a sujeitos com afasia. O contexto de convivência grupal impõe-se como lócus de cuidado e formativo para as diferentes áreas de atenção às pessoas com afasia, articulando, interdisciplinarmente, aspectos da enunciação à prática terapêutica.

ABSTRACT Purpose To analyze the therapist-subject with aphasia interlocution in the process of interpretation and organization of comics. Methods Cross-sectional study of a qualitative nature. The data are from audio-recorded enunciative situations and presented descriptively by interlocution charts (A1-T1) and (A2-T2), registering activity with Comics, held at a meeting of the Interdisciplinary Group of Coexistence (GIC) in which subjects with and without aphasia participate. The interlocution between two therapists in training (T1 and T2) and two subjects with aphasia (A1 and A2) is analyzed. Results: The interlocutions between A1-T1 and A2-T2, which occurred during the process of organization of the comic, show different positions of the therapists regarding the ear and the narrated. A1 is recognized by T1 as a subject of language as the therapist promotes disjunction, that is, it directs A1 to the condition of speaker; the same does not occur with A2 and T2, because the former is not recognized as a subject of language, since T2 remains in conjunction, not giving A2 speaking space. Conclusion Benvenistian enunciation is configured as a theoretical and methodological resource for analysis and clinical intervention with subjects with aphasia; the context of group coexistence imposes itself as a locus of care and training for the different areas of attention to people with aphasia, articulating, interdisciplinary, aspects of enunciation to therapeutic practice.

Koe no Katachi (A silent voice) (2016) de Naoko Yamada Diversidad funcional, acoso escolar e ideación suicida en la adolescencia en el cine de animación japonés / Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice)(2016) by Naoko Yamada: Functional Diversity, Bullying and Suicidal Ideation in Adolescence in Animated Films

Generalmente, manga es la palabra japonesa empleada para denominar a los cómics, si bien también se emplea como referencia para las historietas de origen japonés. Junto a la estadounidense y la franco-belga, ocupa un puesto de honor en el triunvirato de la tradición ilustradora mundial. Su posterior adaptación a las series de animación originó el anime, género en el que se encuadra A sllent voice (2016) de Naoko Yamada. La película está inspirada en el manga original Koe no Katachi, escrito y dibujado por Yoshitoki Ōima. La historia nos muestra las vicisitudes de Shôko Nishimiya, una estudiante de primaria sorda, víctima de acoso escolar cuando se cambia de colegio. Ishida Shôya es uno de los protagonistas de tan despiadada conducta, que llega incluso a forzar que su indefensa víctima tenga que abandonar el colegio. Años más tarde, recriminado socialmente y lleno de remordimiento, Ishida busca su ansiada redención. (AU)

Generally, manga is the Japanese word used to describe comics, although it’s also used as a reference for comics of Japanese origin. Together with the American and Franco-Belgians works, occupies a place of honor in the triumvirate of the world´s illustrative tradition. On the later adaptation to the animation series originated the anime, a genre in which falls A silent voice (2016) by Naoko Yamada. The film is inspired by the original manga Joe no Katachi, written and draw by Yoshitoki Ōima. The story shows us the vicissitudes of Shôko Nishimiya, a deaf primary schoolgirl victim of bullying when she changes schools. Ishida Shôya is one of the protagonists of such ruthless behavior, with even forces the helpless victim to have to drop out of school. Years later, socially recriminated and filled with remorse, Ishida strikes out in eager redemption. (AU)

Educação em saúde para pacientes submetidos à revascularização miocárdica: validação de história em quadrinhos / Educación en salud para pacientes sometidos a revascularización miocárdica: validación de historieta / Health education for patients undergoing myocardial revascularization: comic book validation

Resumo Objetivo Desenvolver e analisar as evidências de validade de conteúdo de uma tecnologia educacional do tipo história em quadrinhos (HQ) para pacientes submetidos à Cirurgia de Revascularização do Miocárdio (CRM). Métodos Estudo de validação realizado em três etapas. A primeira consistiu na avaliação das necessidades de informações dos pacientes submetidos à CRM; a segunda foi o desenvolvimento de um roteiro para a tecnologia educacional do tipo HQ; e a terceira, a análise das evidências de validade de conteúdo desse roteiro, realizada por seis especialistas, sendo considerado válido quando obtido um Índice de Validade de Conteúdo superior a 80%, sendo, posteriormente, elaborada a HQ por um ilustrador. Resultados Na primeira etapa, 10 pacientes relataram terem necessidades de informações sobre alimentação, consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, controle da ansiedade e do estresse, controle da dor, cuidados com a ferida operatória, tabagismo, atividade física, relação sexual, retorno ao trabalho, liberação para viagens e direção de automóveis. Com base nesses dados, elaborou-se, a partir de revisão de literatura, a história fictícia de um paciente submetido à cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio, com as respectivas orientações realizadas pela enfermeira. Esse roteiro da HQ foi avaliado pelos especialistas alcançando adequada concordância após a segunda rodada. Após validação, a HQ foi elaborada pelo ilustrador e analisada pelos especialistas. Conclusão A tecnologia educacional do tipo HQ atingiu adequadas evidências de validade de conteúdo pelos especialistas, podendo ser utilizada como uma das estratégias na orientação da alta hospitalar.

Resumen Objetivo Desarrollar y analizar las evidencias de validez de contenido de una tecnología educativa del tipo historieta para pacientes sometidos a cirugía de revascularización del miocardio (CRM). Métodos Estudio de validación realizado en tres etapas. La primera consistió en la evaluación de las necesidades de información de los pacientes sometidos a CRM; la segunda fue el desarrollo de un guion para la tecnología educativa del tipo historieta, y la tercera fue el análisis de las evidencias de validez de contenido de ese guion, realizada por seis especialistas, donde fue considerado válido un Índice de Validez de Contenido superior al 80 %, y luego un ilustrador elaboró la historieta. Resultados En la primera etapa, 10 pacientes mencionaron la necesidad de obtener información sobre alimentación, consumo de bebidas alcohólicas, control de la ansiedad y del estrés, control del dolor, cuidados de la herida quirúrgica, tabaquismo, actividad física, relación sexual, vuelta al trabajo, autorización para viajar y para conducir vehículos. Con base en estos datos y a partir de la revisión de literatura, se elaboró la historia ficticia de un paciente sometido a una cirugía de revascularización del miocardio, con las respectivas orientaciones realizadas por una enfermera. El guion de la historieta fue evaluado por los especialistas y obtuvo una concordancia adecuada luego de la segunda ronda. Después de la validación, el ilustrador elaboró la historieta y los especialistas la analizaron. Conclusión La tecnología educativa de tipo historieta alcanzó evidencias de validez de contenido adecuadas por los especialistas y puede ser utilizada como una de las estrategias para la orientación en el alta hospitalaria.

Abstract Objective To develop and analyze the evidence of content validity of a comic book-type educational technology for patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery (CABG). Methods Validation study conducted in three steps. The first consisted of assessing the information needs of patients undergoing CABG; the second was the development of a comic book-type educational technology script; and the third, was the analysis of the evidence of content validity of this script performed by six experts. It was considered valid when a Content Validity Index above 80% was obtained. Subsequently, the comic book was designed by an illustrator. Results In the first step, ten patients reported needing information about food, alcohol consumption, anxiety and stress control, pain control, surgical wound care, smoking, physical activity, sexual intercourse, returning to work and clearance to travel and drive. Based on these data, a fictitious history of a patient undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery was developed from a literature review, with the respective instructions given by the nurse. This comic book script was evaluated by the experts, reaching adequate agreement after the second round. After validation, the comic book was designed by the illustrator and analyzed by the experts. Conclusion The educational technology of the comic book-type reached adequate evidence of content validity by the experts, and can be used as one of the strategies in guidance of hospital discharge.

Introduction to Graphic Medicine

This webinar, taught by Matthew Noe from the Lamar Soutter Library at UMass Medical School, will introduce the emerging field of graphic medicine, or, the use of comics in healthcare. We will begin with a brief overview of the field’s emergence, and then switch directions to highlight the role that comics can play in two key areas of librarianship: health literacy and medical education. The webinar will conclude with suggestions for collection development and programming to kickstart graphic medicine in your library

La neurología en Las aventuras de Tintín / Neurology in The Adventures of Tintin

Introducción: La presencia de la enfermedad es un hecho recurrente en la famosa saga del autor Hergé, Las aventuras de Tintín, que se ha reflejado en algunos trabajos publicados. No obstante, la aparición de la enfermedad neurológica en la obra ha sido un hecho poco analizado. Desarrollo:Revisión de los síntomas neurológicos en los álbumes publicados desde 1930 a 1976 y su interpretación desde un punto de vista neurológico. Se han analizado los posibles síntomas neurológicos en los principales personajes de la serie. El trauma craneal, las secuelas neurológicas del alcohol y la demencia podrían explicar algunos comportamientos de los personajes. En este trabajo se exponen éstos y su probable interpretación desde un punto de vista neurológico. Conclusión: La presencia de la enfermedad neurológica en la serie Las aventuras de Tintín ha sido poco analizada e interpretada. La obra puede usarse como ejemplo divulgativo de la enfermedad neurológica.(AU)

Introduction: The presence of disease is a recurring theme in Hergé’s famous saga, The Adventures of Tintin, and has been reflected in a number of publications. However, the appearance of neurological disease in the work has received little attention from scholars. Development: A review was conducted of the neurological symptoms that appear in the work published from 1930 to 1976 and their interpretation from a neurological point of view. The possible neurological symptoms in the main characters of the series have been analysed. Head trauma, the neurological sequelae of alcohol and dementia could explain some of the characters’ behaviour. This study outlines these cases and their probable interpretation from a neurological perspective. Conclusion: Hardly any analyses and interpretations have been carried out on the presence of neurological disease in The Adventures of Tintin series. The work can be used as an informative example of neurological disease.(AU)

Comics in the Time of a Pan(dem)ic: COVID-19, Graphic Medicine, and Metaphors.

Comics have always responded to pandemics/catastrophes, documenting the way we deal with such crises. Recently, graphic medicine, an interdisciplinary field of comics and medicine, has been curating comics, editorial cartoons, autobiographical cartoons, and social media posts under the heading "COVID-19 Comics" on their websites. These collected comics express what we propose to call covidity, a neologism that captures both individual and collective philosophical, material, and wide-ranging emotional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Treating such comics as the source material and drawing insights from theorists Ian Williams, Alan Bleakley, Susan Sontag, and others, this article examines graphic medicine's representation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual metaphors of war, anthropomorphism, and superheroism are used to represent and illustrate the lived experience of the pandemic, and the article investigates metaphor types, their utility, and motivational triggers for such representations. In doing so, the essay situates graphic medicine as a productive site that presents the pandemic's multifarious impact.

Drawing the mind: Aesthetics of representing mental illness in select graphic memoirs.

Representation of psychological experiences necessitates a creative use of means of expression. In the field of graphic medicine, autobiographical narratives on mental illness find expression through the unique semiotic nature of comics, which facilitates the encapsulation of complex psychic-scapes and embodiment of the artist's experiences. In so doing, these verbal-visual techniques provide vividness and easily digested expression, translating the sufferer's altered mental perspective effectively for the reader. The deployment of such elements inherent in the medium facilitates multilayered connections to the patient narrative, which provide a depth beyond the raw medical discourse. The present essay, with reference to Ellen Forney's Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me: A Graphic Memoir and Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and other Things That Happened, investigates the mediative value of rhetorical devices unique to the medium of comics in actualizing the subjective experience of mental illness. The essay also seeks to delineate the cultural power of graphic memoirs by positioning them at the crossroads of sufferer's experiences and clinical description, drawing on theoretical insights from George Lakoff and Mark Johnson and other graphic pathographers/theorists, such as Ian Williams and Elisabeth El Refaie.

Informing children citizens efficiently to better engage them in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of the year, the world's attention has rightly been focused on the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the implementation of drastic mitigation strategies to limit disease transmission. However, public health information campaigns tailored to children are very rare. Now more than ever, at a time when some governments are taking populations out of lockdown and youth are returning to schools, children around the world need to fully grasp the modes of transmission of the disease, the health risks, the scientific notions of the immune system, the value of barrier measures, and the progress of scientific research. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, comics can be very useful for communicating quickly and effectively abstract and important information to children who might be under the influence of a large amount of sometimes contradictory information. Conveying precise, reliable, and accessible information to children is key in a world overwhelmingly impacted by the outbreak. This should be the role and the responsibility of world health official leaders and governments in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In partnership with mainstream medias, consortia of scientists, communication experts, and education specialists, it is urgent that world leaders engage children in this worldwide public health fight.

Comic Books, Dr. Wertham, and the Villains of Forensic Psychiatry.

Comic books have been part of popular culture since the 1930s. Social activists quickly became concerned about the risk that comic books posed for youth, including that their content was a cause of juvenile delinquency. Dr. Fredric Wertham, a forensic psychiatrist, led efforts to protect society's children from comic books, culminating in multiple publications, symposia, and testimony before a Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency in 1954. During the course of his activities, and quite possibly as a backlash, comics started to represent psychiatrists and particularly forensic psychiatrists as evil, clueless, and narcissistic characters (e.g., Dr. Hugo Strange went from being a mad scientist to a mad psychiatrist). Clinical forensic psychiatrists who were not necessarily evil were often portrayed as inept regarding rehabilitation. There are very few positive portrayals of forensic psychiatrists in the comic book universe, and when they do occur, they often have severe character flaws or a checkered history. These negative characterizations are woven into the fabric of contemporary comic book characters, whether represented in comic books or other media offshoots such as films and television.

The role of comics in public health communication during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the globe, evolving containment measures have created an unprecedented need for rapid and effective science communication that is able to engage the public in behavioural change on a mass scale. Public health bodies, governments, and media outlets have turned to comics in this time of need and found a natural and capable medium for responding to the challenge. Comics have been used as a vehicle to present science in graphic narratives, harnessing the power of visuals, text, and storytelling in an engaging format. This perspective paper explores the emerging role and research supporting comics as a public health tool during the COVID-19 pandemic.