In my Graphic Cultures class this semester, students had the option of creating their own comic for their final project. Here is the prompt from the syllabus:

Graphic cultures comic: This option allows you to create your own comic on a topic related to the themes of the class. For content there are many possibilities. For example, you might create a comic about:

• A family story of migration, trauma, or war
• You could do a brief interview with a family member, friend, colleague, and make a comic about what you learn, as MK Czerwiec does in her book Taking Turns
• Graphic feminism comic: show us what feminism means to you in a comic!
• A personal experience of illness or disability or the experience of a family member or simply about an everyday encounter with healthcare
• Your career plans/dreams. You could think of this as a comic version of a statement of purpose for graduate or professional school
• Activism or advocacy that you or someone you know has participated in

In terms of form and style, there is also flexibility. I understand that you are most likely not a trained artist; don’t let that stop you! The minimum requirement is two pages/4 panels per page that tells a story (if you want to do more, I won’t stop you!!). Students will also write a 200-word artist’s statement explaining how and why they made their comic.

One student, Leah Walker, created an amazing tribute to her sister and other healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have Leah’s permission to share her incredibly moving comic here.