Art That Makes Us See
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Graphic Public Health: A Comics Anthology and Roadmap, edited by Meredith Li-Vollmer, represents an innovative contribution to public health communication through comics, combining educational content with practical insights for prospective communicators. This review examines the anthology’s four thematic sections—Health Literacy, Risk Communication, Health Promotion, and Advocacy and Activism—to assess how comics address the barriers to understanding complex health information while engaging a diverse readership. Drawing from Li-Vollmer’s experiences at Seattle/King County Public Health, the anthology navigates the challenges of presenting health information in a manner that is both accessible and culturally informed. The included comics span topics such as climate change, disaster preparedness, and guns in schools, employing various visual styles to explore the potential of comics as public health tools. Through a blend of narrative storytelling and instructional commentary, Graphic Public Health offers a distinctive approach to health communication, primarily highlighting the strengths of comics in engaging public audiences. This review considers the anthology’s utility as a resource for health communicators and artists, particularly in its exploration of how visual narratives can contribute to, and occasionally complicate, public health messaging.
Source: Graphic Medicine Review
DOI: 10.7191/gmr.1048
Author: Cody Christopherson
Institution: Southern Oregon University
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409109055