When research becomes a comic: the creative process of a graphic dissertation on autofiction and the poetic-philosophical genre

Abstract

It aims to present and discuss the creative process of a master's dissertation in art and visual culture, which is currently in progress and being developed entirely in a comic book format. In this manner, the language of comics is explored and introduced as a legitimate form of academic production in stricto sensu postgraduate studies in Brazil. The dissertation focuses on the study of autofiction, a genre originated in literature in which the author inserts themselves into the narrative and blends fiction and reality, within the context of comics, with an emphasis on poetic-philosophical comics. The latter is a genre of comics characterized by authorial expression, poetic, philosophical, and reflective intentions. The adopted methodology is exploratory and bibliographical regarding the theoretical aspects of the investigation, while the artistic production follows a practical and experimental approach. Initial results indicate that the comic book format of the dissertation can expand the expressive and formal possibilities of the research, allowing for the simultaneous exploration of comics theory and practice, innovating the conventional structure of academic research. Thus, this study highlights the potential of comics as a legitimate way to present research and academic work