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Graphic Medicine

Graphic medicine is the use of comics to tell personal stories of illness and health. This is a list of titles in the library's collection as well as infomation and resources for using and making comics.

Comic Creation

Why is Comic Creation Valuable?

Comics can be a powerful and accessible method of delivering an array of narratives. When applied within the realm of healthcare creating comics can be a valuable form of self-expression for patients, caregivers, and providers. The unique medium can offer a window into the reality of others where we can find companionship through shared experiences and garner empathy.

"While comics are by no means the only medium for addressing such issues, they are particularly effective at transporting readers into a story. Because they integrate images with text, viewing and reading graphic narratives stimulates both analytic and creative activity in the brain, a process that has been shown to enhance understanding"  - Williams, I. (2012). Graphic medicine: comics as medical narrative. Medical Humanities, 38(1), 21–27.


drawn comic with two human profiles facing each other. caption reads " for the reader, graphic fiction can function as an portal into the individual experience of illness laid out in the unique combination of words and text. There is so much non-oropositional inforamtion packed into a comic, that the medium lends itself to very powerful narrative, creating empathic bonds between the author and the reader."

from Ian Williams, “Autography as Auto-Therapy: Psychic Pain and the Graphic Memoir.” Journal of Medical Humanities 2011; 32 (4): 353–366.

(from https://researchguides.dartmouth.edu/c.php?g=1056009&p=7680723)

You can make your own comic too! Use one of the tools listed below.