Module 11 Discussion

One thing that I know about comics is that they can be used for entertainment. For a long time, comics have been used to make people laugh, which can be attributed to the funny characters in comic books. However, after reading the article – ‘Comics: Not Just for laughs,’ I have identified several key points as to why comics are not only considered for laughs but tools for effective communication to a diverse audience. Comics have been depicted as effective tools of communication, and this is because they are essentially narrative and also because they are unpretentious, easy to follow, and accessible. Comics use pictures and interactions to get ideas across, and this is one of the main reasons why it is effective means of communication. The narrative part of the comics makes it able to convey stories more in a dialogue form, and this enables the audience to get a clear message from what each of the characters in passing.

Another major issue regarding comics that can be identified in the article is that comics can easily be used to illustrate a user’s response to an onscreen integration. For example, comics use pictures to pass messages, and in illustrating response, the characters in the comic can use different facial expressions to clearly reflect on an emotional response such as frustration or pleasure. Based on this, comics can be deemed as effective tools of communication as they not only convey text messages in the form of dialogue but also convey facial expressions to determine the reaction of the characters as they receive messages and experience different situations. Finally, screenshots of the user interface (UI) elements can be incorporated into comic frames to provide readers with additional insight into the user experience. According to the article, when presenting comics and page elements, the screenshots of the user interface allow readers to provide timely feedback on a screenshot, low fidelity prototype, or wireframe while understanding a page element in a greater context. All these elements as evidence enough that comics are not only used for laughs but also to ensure effective communication.

References

Rebekah Sedaca, (2007). Comics: Not Just for Laughs. Retrieved from: https://boxesandarrows.com/comics-not-just-for-laughs/