Comics are still often considered a light, entertaining form of reading, mostly enjoyed by children or, as frequently depicted in movies, “die-hard geeks.” However, recent scientific research shows that this medium can be much deeper, more complex, and more significant than commonly thought, and moreover, it can serve an excellent educational function.
The extraordinary “superpowers” of comics
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vaida Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė from the Faculty of Creative Industries (KIF) at VILNIUS TECH, in her dissertation “The Representation of Story in Comics: The Importance of Time and Space Communication”—arguably the first of its kind in Lithuania—aimed to reveal how comics convey time, space, and even sound in historical narratives.
“In other words, my research aimed to answer the question of how comics manage to ‘come alive’ in the reader’s eyes and mind,” she explains simply.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vaida Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė
The expert continues by pointing out that the impact of comics lies not only in their content but also in the reading process. Readers actively participate in creating meaning by connecting individual panels into a cohesive narrative: “In order for the reader to form a clear narrative from individual comic panels, they must fill in the information gap that exists between those two panels. This process is called ‘closure’ and is one of the essential ‘superpowers’ of comics,” the researcher explains.
It is precisely this feature that makes comics so engaging. The reader is not a passive observer – they become an active participant in the story. They not only see what is happening but also “create” part of the story in their own imagination. This explains why comics can be so impactful, even if they lack movement or sound.
“Interestingly, even sound in comics can be conveyed visually. An analysis in the dissertation of one of the most famous comics, The Amazing Spider-Man, revealed that the depiction of sound evolved over a long period and required many experiments. Early solutions were often ineffective, but over time, creators discovered ways to convey sounds through visual symbols, text, or even stylistics. Therefore, comic creators now design unique visual representations of sound (e.g., BOOM, BANG, BAM, etc.) that the reader ‘hears’ in their imagination,” says Dr. V. Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė.
Illustrations from the comics “Military Aviators” (Karo aviatoriai) by “Studio Mitkus”
Helping to understand history worldwide
In her dissertation, the researcher from the Department of Entertainment Industries also analyzed the importance of stylization. Stylization is the decorative generalization of a depicted object, creating simplified forms, proportions, and volume-to-color ratios (source: Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language).
Such stylized imagery in comics simplifies complex information, helps highlight key details, and reduces informational noise. According to V. Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė, this is especially important in historical comics, where complex periods or environments need to be conveyed. Furthermore, stylization helps comics cross cultural boundaries and be understood in different countries.
“Because of stylization, the content has a great potential to travel across cultural boundaries. This means that creators even from small markets can reach an international audience if they can properly utilize the language of comics,” the communication expert explains.
However, despite their great potential, comics still face an image problem, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe. For a long time, they were considered a less serious art form, which is why a part of society still views them skeptically. This is another hurdle for creators who want to use this medium for more serious topics, such as history.
“Even if the reasoning to use comics for storytelling is justified, it does not mean that local creators have all the necessary competencies. Nevertheless, the situation can change if more successful examples emerge,” says Dr. V. Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė.
A tool for narrating historical events
One of the most important – and most interesting – questions in the dissertation aimed to answer how comics are used to narrate historical events.
Her research also revealed that creating historical comics in a team presents quite a few challenges. One of them is collaborating with historians. Although their involvement increases content reliability and educational value, it also brings new difficulties:
“Historians often face the challenge of trying to balance historical value with entertaining elements. In other words, it can be difficult for these specialists to understand that comic projects must, first and foremost, be engaging to the target audience, while the educational value is secondary,” states Dr. V. Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė. This means creators must clearly define the project’s goals and agree on the role each team member plays.
Illustrations from the comics “Leičiai” by “Studio Mitkus”
“Since I am involved in comic creation not only from a scientific but also from a practical standpoint, I thought about the application of the results throughout my entire dissertation. This is exactly why this topic appealed to me from the very beginning: how the acquired knowledge will help me and my team better execute historical genre comics. Ultimately, I very much hope that my research will contribute to a broader understanding of comics and encourage more attention to this medium both in academia and in the creative field, and that the results obtained will be actively used as an educational tool in training future comic creators,” says the associate professor.
An acknowledgment from Assoc. Prof. Dr. V. Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė
“I am truly glad that the Faculty of Creative Industries decided to approve such an unconventional dissertation topic more than four years ago, and today we can celebrate what is, to my knowledge, the first dissertation on the topic of comics in Lithuania.
I sincerely believe that the Lithuanian scientific field can make a breakthrough only if it takes on globally and nationally unexplored or forgotten topics, rather than walking down well-trodden paths to slightly expand upon already well-understood phenomena.
I very much hope that the Faculty of Creative Industries will continue to implement doctoral research in the fields of animation, video games, virtual reality, and, of course, cinema.”
Below are illustrations from the comics “Military Aviators” (Karo aviatoriai) and “Leičiai” by MB “Studio Mitkus”.
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