COMICS ARE GREAT: Good triumphing over evil, stories which span the entirety of time and space and, of course, the pun-tastic dialogue – which is awesome when spoken in speech bubble, but will make people groan when said in real life!
However, comics are not just a great way to kill time, as they are also invaluable in helping with personal development. This is something which is no clearer than within the autistic community, where, in recent years, their use as a communication medium has been vital in the growth of people from all over the spectrum.
Like the heroes which they so often encompass, I have found that comics do this incredible work with little to no recognition. As a result, today I thought I would unmask these achievements by discussing some of the many reasons why comics are great for autistic people.
Comics Provide Support for Autistic People:
Perhaps the most well-known use of comics within the autistic community, is that of social stories. Created in 1991, by Carol Gray, social stories are an important communication tool for people on the spectrum, which can help with everything from preparing an autistic person for an upcoming event, to something more straightforward, like how and why we brush our teeth.
There are a bunch rules on how to make a social story (and a whole load more recommendations on how to make them great), but in short, to make the perfect social story, the story needs to be tailored to the autistic person it is intended for, and must be created using Gray’s 3 part philosophy – which promotes equality between the author of the story and the autistic person.
To better understand social stories, I have created an example of one which I would tell to someone who is thinking about reading my comics:
“James’ comics belong to James.
James’ comics live in the comic box.
James’ comics should not leave the comic box.
James does not want your grubby fingerprints on James’ comics.
Do not touch James’ comics.”
As you can see social stories aren’t always created in a comic book format: as sometimes they can be without visuals or even spoken. However, as is the case with everything in life, putting a social story in a comic format makes the stories even better; this is because it provides a clearer image for the information which is being relayed, which as result makes them easier for an autist to process.
Comics Help Autistic People Express Themselves:
When it comes to the benefits of comics for people with autism, it’s not always the case that we are on the receiving end of a finished product. In fact, many people with autism use comics as an output to express ourselves, to relieve stress or simply to have fun.
The brilliance of using comics for these reasons, is that anyone can do it. All you have to do is grab a pencil and some paper, and voila! You’re now ready to create the next superman (although, maybe you could make something a bit more interesting than the big blue boy scout, who can’t put on his undies correctly).
What makes creating comics such a great hobby to get into, is that the development process is ideal for learning abilities and improving old skills, such as:
- Literacy
- Drawing
- Processing emotions
- Understanding different perspectives
For those looking to turn this hobby into a talent, I would heavily recommend checking out The Etherington Brothers BlogSpot, a site which has tons of free resources on how to create your very own comic, all presented as comics themselves.
On the other hand, it’s important to remember, that a comic doesn’t always have to be a work of art to be great. Sometimes a simple stick man can say more in a few lines than an entire two-page spread with a wealth of colour and detailing. This is proven in the incredible work of autism ambassador Alis Rowe (who if you haven’t checked out yet, you definitely should).
Comics Inspire Autistic People:
As well as supporting autistic people, comics are also incredible for inspiring us. From old favourites such as the modestly named ‘Mr Fantastic‘, to new players like Lunella Lafayette from Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, though most of these characters are still yet to see an official diagnosis, it’s impossible to understate the inspiration they provide by kicking backside and taking names, whilst also depicting traits of our often under represented community.
Though for some, it can be difficult to be inspired by a character whose official diagnosis appears to be hidden by a creator, it’s important to state that this is definitely not the case with all publishers: with the shining example of this, being the American publisher Face Value Comics.
Founded in 2013, by fellow autist Dave Kot, Face Value Comics aims (and succeeds) at being first and foremost entertaining, whilst also helping to educate younger autists. Created using state of the art drawing techniques – which makes faces easier to interpret. Face Value Comics are an unsung hero within the autistic and comic book community, who are well deserving of a shout out today.
The perfect proof that comics can educate autistic people, inspire autistic people and be created by autistic people, Face Value comics not only depict everything which I have previously discussed today, but at only 5 years old, this incredible company shows that when it comes to the representation of autism within comics, we are only just getting started.
Carry on the Conversation
This week’s post has been a list of all the things I find great about comics, but now I want to hear from you: what are some of your favourite comics? Do you want to see more representation of autistic people in comics, let me know your thoughts in the comment section below
As always, I can be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
