The challenge of communicating complex problems : can art succeed where academia fails?

Graphic novels and comic books are often thought about as pulp fiction aimed specifically at adolescent males: their characters are usually armed with superpowers and rescue beautiful women. Over the last 20 years, however, comics have grown upââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“ and it is increasingly acknowledged that these works have a presence within literary culture. This paper considers the role of graphic novels and comic books within the broader context of popular culture ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ looking at the unique mechanism of communication they offer as they bring together words and graphic images. Further, I consider the insights of graphic novel authors who are using this cross section of literature and art to discuss and confront some of todayââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“s key challenges, including racism and climate change. Focusing on two specific works ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Vertigoââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“s Y: The Last Man and the short novels of Australian independent artist Pat Grant ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ I consider how this medium raises these issues and the dystopian futures that often are perceived to inevitably follow.