Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.

Back in March 2020, when it became obvious that we were heading a big global disaster, I created a folder called Coronavirus Graphic Medicine. Since it was a unprecedented health care crisis, I expected a huge amount of art material related directly to the illness, the symptoms, the medical care, tests, treatments. I saw it as a great opportunity to confirm the use of such fabulous communication tool. Every time I came across a cartoon in social media (mostly twitter), I would save it in my folder. I concentrated on work created in Spanish but also foreign ones without any text.

Within weeks, I was already surprised that the amount of graphic outpour was huge but there was little in terms of “proper” graphic medicine. But analyzing all these amazing pieces was extremely interesting. Somehow, they were able to give a fascinating narrative of the pandemic, there was hardly any graphic medicine but more of a story about a whole society going through a unique and damaging common experience. A kind of social graphic medicine of some sort. The suffering of a whole society rather than the illness of the individuals.

Keywords

comics, covid19, graphic medicine, art, healthcare