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A Framework for Reading, Interpreting and Analyzing the Visuals of Graphic Medicine Comics

Abstract

Graphic medicine has expanded significantly as a field, yet its comics continue to be interpreted without a systematic method for close reading. Existing scholarship often relies on the language of visual metaphors, which, while valuable, does not provide a comprehensive approach for understanding how  graphic medicine comics construct meaning through the visual language. This article establishes a semiotic and communicative-perceptual classification system that integrates Peirce’s triadic model of icons, indexes, and symbols with a distinction between conventional and innovative visual strategies, as well as the concept of enrichment. We aim to articulate a structured method for close reading and interpreting the visual language of  graphic medicine comics—one capable of describing with precision the variety of common graphic resources used to represent illness. Drawing on a corpus of well‑known graphic memoirs, the article illustrates how this analytical model operates across different works in graphic medicine and clarifies recurrent visual patterns that have not been fully theorized. It offers researchers, educators, and clinicians a way to better understand how illness is depicted and how visual meaning contributes to the narrative, emotional, and experiential dimensions of healthcare.

Keywords

graphic medicine, comic studies, semiotics, visual framework, enrichment

How to Cite

Mompeán-Mejías, M., Sánchez-López, E. & Callender, B., (2026) “A Framework for Reading, Interpreting and Analyzing the Visuals of Graphic Medicine Comics”, Graphic Medicine Review 6(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7191/gmr.1199

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Funding

Name
Bucksbaum–Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence
Funding Statement

Support provided through the Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Name
Fulbright Program
Funding Statement

Fulbright U.S.–Spain Visiting Researcher Fellowship, 2025–2026.

Name
Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation; Generalitat Valenciana; University of Alicante
Funding ID
ISIC/012/042; PID2021‑128381NB‑I00; PRO2018‑S04‑MARTINES; VIGROB‑125; GITE‑09009‑UA
Funding Statement

Research conducted within the Institut Superior d’Investigació Cooperativa IVITRA (ISIC‑IVITRA) and its associated projects (MICINUN, IEC, VIGROB‑125, GITE‑09009‑UA).

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Publication details

Accepted on 2026-04-26
Published on 2026-06-08

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Competing Interests

None

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Peer Review

This article has been peer reviewed.

Data Availability

This article is based on qualitative analysis of published comics. All materials referenced are publicly available in their original publications. No additional datasets were generated or analysed.

Acknowledgements

This publication has been possible thanks to the support of the Fulbright Program, of the Bucksbaum-Siegler Institute for Clinical Excellence at the University of Chicago, and the research funding provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Institut Superior d’Investigació Cooperativa IVITRA (ISIC-IVITRA, Ref. ISIC/012/042), and its associated projects (PID2021‑128381NB‑I00, PRO2018‑S04‑MARTINES, VIGROB‑125, and GITE‑09009‑UA).

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