Comix from the Heart, Vol. 02

Graphic Medicine sits at the intersection of comics and healthcare. The genre uses storytelling as a tool to share the first-hand experiences of patients and healthcare professionals. Published works of Graphic Medicine consist of narratives from practitioners, researchers, and patients, who share their experiences, making them visual and tangible for others to engage with while shedding light on critical health issues. The process of making the comics is therapeutic, too, as participants reflect on their lives and share snippets of their worlds with others.

Comix from the Heart, Volume 02, leveraged the talent of the USC Roski School of Art and Design and USC Iovine and Young Academy (IYA) students working alongside the USC School of Pharmacy to create a second volume that targets cardiovascular disease and the risk factors that are critical to prevention. The anthology specifically focuses on hypertension, as uncontrolled hypertension remains the number-one modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, accounting for half of all heart attacks and three-quarters of all strokes.

After being coached on the best practices for writing a script for a single-page, nine-panel comic, storytellers shared their writings with the artists and collaborated to develop rough sketches and layouts. The American Heart Association’s scientific review committee reviewed the comics for accuracy, and the publication was designed and distributed for the community to read in print and online formats.

Read Comix from the Heart here.