Graphic Novels/Comics

From Medium:

Children with autism often have unique ways of viewing the world and expressing themselves. However, traditional methods of learning and therapy may not always cater to their needs. That’s where alternative forms of communication, such as comic books, come in. Not only are they a fun and engaging medium, but they also provide a creative outlet for children with autism to express themselves and unlock their inner talents.

Understanding Autism and the Need for Creative Tools

Children with autism have unique perspectives and ways of interacting with the world around them. They may struggle with traditional methods of learning and therapy, which often rely heavily on verbal communication and social interaction. This is where alternative forms of communication, such as comic books, can play a crucial role.

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Many children with autism struggle with communication, social interaction, and sensory processing. They may have difficulty expressing themselves verbally or understanding the social cues and nuances of everyday life.

Traditional learning methods often do not cater to the needs of children with autism. However, comic books offer a different approach. They provide a visual medium that can engage children with autism and cater to their unique ways of learning and expressing themselves.

Comic books utilize visual narratives, which can be easier for children with autism to understand and interpret. The combination of images and text allows for a more accessible and engaging storytelling experience. Children with autism can visually process the story, characters, and emotions depicted in comic books, which can enhance their comprehension and engagement.

In addition to supporting communication and learning, comic books also provide a creative outlet for children with autism. They can use the medium to express their thoughts, feelings, and imagination in a safe and structured way. This allows them to tap into their inner talents and unleash their creativity.

The Power of Visual Narratives in Comic Books

Comic books are a powerful medium that utilizes visual narratives to engage and captivate readers. This is especially beneficial for children with autism, who may struggle with traditional forms of learning and communication. The combination of images and text in comic books allows for a more accessible and engaging storytelling experience.

Visual narratives in comic books provide a visual representation of the story, characters, and emotions, which can be easier for children with autism to understand and interpret. The use of images helps them visually process information, enhancing their comprehension and engagement. The sequential art format also helps children with autism follow the story’s progression and understand cause and effect relationships.

Furthermore, comic books offer a unique opportunity for children with autism to explore their creativity. The visual nature of comic books allows them to express their thoughts, feelings, and imagination in a safe and structured way. They can create their own characters, stories, and visual elements, developing their storytelling and artistic skills.

Comic books also provide a sense of empowerment for children with autism. They can see themselves represented in the characters and stories, which can boost their self-esteem and confidence. Additionally, the visual nature of comic books allows children with autism to share their experiences and perspectives with others, fostering understanding and empathy.

. . . .

Comic books also offer a structured and safe platform for children with autism to practice their communication skills. They can use the dialogue and speech bubbles in the comic book to practice expressing themselves verbally. This can be especially beneficial for children who struggle with verbal communication. The visual cues in the comic book can also help them understand social interactions and gestures, improving their ability to engage in conversations and understand nonverbal cues.

In addition to verbal communication, comic books can also enhance nonverbal communication skills. Children with autism can learn to interpret facial expressions and body language by studying the illustrations in the comic book. This can improve their ability to understand emotions and communicate their own feelings effectively.

By utilizing comic books as a tool, children with autism can strengthen their communication skills in a fun and engaging way. It allows them to practice both verbal and nonverbal communication, providing them with the tools they need to interact and connect with others.

Link to the rest at Medium

From Publishers Weekly:

Forget swiping right. Online comics are racking up readers, and the test of success is how far readers will scroll on down.

As demand for graphic novels remains strong, especially in middle grade and YA categories, publishers are turning to popular digital platforms to scout for turn-key titles.

Much of the webcomics buzz is driven by the success of South Korean–based global comics platform Webtoon, which bills itself as the world’s largest webcomics community. Launched in 2005, Webtoon has dominated the scene to such a degree that it’s become common to refer to all comics presented in the platform’s smartphone-friendly vertical-scrolling format as webtoons.

In 2022, Webtoon launched Webtoon Unscrolled, a U.S.-based imprint designed to bring many of the site’s most popular English-language series into print for the North American market. The trio of launch titles (True Beauty, Tower of God, and Cursed Princess Club) together sold-in more than 200,000 copies in the imprint’s first six months, according to the publisher.

Unscrolled plans to publish 20 ongoing series by the end of 2024, including Lumine by Emma Krogell, a fantasy about the adventures of a runaway werewolf and a witch boy, and the Eisner-Award nominated Third Shift Society by Meredith Moriarty, in which a psychically gifted but broke young woman finds work as a paranormal detective.

“As someone who did superhero comics for 35 years of my career, it’s wonderful to be on the creator-owned side,” says Bobbie Chase, executive editor of Webtoon Unscrolled, referring to the fact that the Webtoon platform allows the writers and cartoonists behind series to retain their intellectual property. The phenomenon of webtoons has, she adds, driven new voices to publish with “first-time creators producing smash hits out of the gate.”

Webtoon’s readership skews young and female. Almost half of the site’s creators are women, and many of the top series are by female or nonbinary creators. Chase notes that while romance comics rose to the top in the early years of the original Korean platform, the English-language version of Webtoon boasts a broader mix of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, and horror. (For more on the enduring popularity of romance comics, see “Readers Swoon for Webtoons,”).

Because Webtoon comics are creator owned, authors and artists are free to sign with other publishers, as well. Rachel Smythe’s mythological fantasy romance Lore Olympus, one of the biggest English-language properties on Webtoon, was first published by Del Rey at Penguin Random House. PRH recently made the bestselling series the flagship title of its new Inklore imprint.

Though Inklore isn’t exclusively focused on webcomics, it plans to publish several web-to-print titles, including series from South Korea and Japan, such as My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 by Mashiro (Apr. 2024) and Cherry Blossoms After Winter by Bamwoo (Nov. 2024).

Doing it for the fans

Inklore editorial director Rebecca “Tay” Taylor describes the imprint’s audience as in the 18–35 age range and largely female, and often seeking LGBTQ content. “They’re reading romantasy, they’re reading BL [boys’ love], they’re reading horror,” she says. “Basically, anyone who’s reading or writing fan fiction on AO3 [the fanfiction megasite Archive of Our Own]—that’s our audience.”

Taylor observes that these readers “haven’t been catered to by traditional publishing… so they’ve created the content they wanted to see in webcomics, fan fiction, and fan art. And they are legion.”

Online comics are “one of the fastest-growing categories out there,” according to Michael Petranek, editorial director at Scholastic’s Graphix imprint. Graphix’s web-to-print titles include the Prism Award–winning Magical Boy by The Kao (out now), about a trans boy who fights evil Sailor Moon–style, and Rainbow! by Angel and Sunny Gloom (Mar. 2024), in which a neurodivergent teenager tries to find love. Both first ran on Tapas, one of Webtoon’s biggest rivals.

Emilia Rhodes, HarperCollins Children’s Books editorial director, says the decision to publish UnOrdinary by uru-chan, a superhero series from Webtoon, arose from “organic enthusiasm” she picked up from colleagues. (Volume two will be released in July 2024 from HarperAlley.) “A bunch of younger editors at the office were obsessing,” she adds, “and they totally turned me on to it.”

Link to the rest at Publishers Weekly