Closure, trauma and the graphical imagination

Abstract

ABSTRACT Notions of law and order, protecting the vulnerable and seeking vengeance arguably dominate popular comic book narratives, reflecting societal concerns about the suffering engendered by crime, deviance and acts of terrorism. Contemporary society faces threats relating to rising crime, societal alienation and the globalized nature of terrorism that have been extensively considered, examined and dissected by the comics medium. But beyond the superhero and gritty crime narratives of mainstream comics publishers, the public information comic provides a means to address these more problematic issues in a discussion-based format. Public information comics combine the entertainment-based accessible format of the comic with an effective information delivery mechanism. This article examines Laura Findlay and Zu Dominiak’s Closure which examines the nature of trauma in comics. In their discussion of this topic, Findlay and Dominiak identify the immersive nature of comics and their ability to bend time and space so that the medium can serve as a means of dealing with events that occur unexpectedly and may require time to absorb and understand.