"Comic Storytelling" in journalism: a new trend for new consumers

The terms “comic storytelling” and “journalism” may sound a bit discordant to the average news consumer. Yet, “comic storytelling in journalism” is rapidly becoming a growing trend to get younger eyes on the news products of mainstream media. It is the marriage of drawn images and text to tell serious stories in a series of drawn panels similar to a comic strip. Hannah Good and Rachel Orr of the “Washington Post” are strong proponents and practitioners of this form of journalistic storytelling. Good is a journalist and a comic artist and Orr is art director and comics editor. Good curates Gender and Identity coverage and Orr leads the visual identity and social strategy for Gender and Identity. Currently, they help contributors tell their personal stories through graphic images and text in 10 panels. Good and Orr also are working with other groups at the “Washington Post” to expand this graphic form of storytelling to other topics. This form of storytelling brings younger eyes to news products. It attracts people who are drawn to visual images more than linear narrative reporting. Good is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and formerly was the social media producer at the “Washingtonian Magazine” before joining the Post. She also has worked for HaperCollins Publishers, Apple TV+ and Barnes and Noble as an illustrator. Orr is a graduate of the Ohio University School of Visual Communication majoring in graphics and publication design with a specialization in magazine journalism. She worked at the “Arizona Republic” before joining the Post in 2013.