By Sian Wilkerson

In Virginia Commonwealth University’s Graphic Narratives Lab, faculty and students are pushing the boundaries of storytelling. This school year, the lab, which is supported by the Humanities Research Center, welcomed its first undergraduate fellowship cohort.

Since fall semester, fellows Madi Spicer and Cloud Easterly have been working on graphic narratives projects with the help and guidance of the lab’s three co-directors: Bernard K. Means, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology in the School of World Studies; Grace D. Gipson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies; and Francesca Lyn, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, all part of the College of Humanities and Sciences.

It was the opportunity for personalized guidance that drove Easterly, a second-year communication arts major in the School of the Arts, to apply.

“I had never really had a one-on-one mentor before,” they said. “I thought it would be a great experience to add to my portfolio.”

In 2023, the co-directors launched the Graphic Narratives Lab to examine how this form of storytelling explores the full breadth of the human experience in an accessible fashion. In addition to the student fellowships, the lab hosts events, including a showcase on April 28 where the fellows will highlight the projects they have been working on throughout the year.

“Everyone is doing a way different medium,” said Spicer, a second-year anthropology major. “So it’s going to be interesting.”

“It’s great to be able to see the wide variety of things people can do [with graphic narratives],” Means added.

For their project, Easterly brought together three original characters for a supernatural, action-adventure comic in a webtoon format. The story incorporates themes of found family and acceptance, underpinned by an unconventional love story featuring a polyamorous relationship among the three characters.

“The fellowship was the push I needed to make this story a reality rather than let it get lost in history,” Easterly said.

Spicer said joining the lab allowed her to combine two of her biggest passions.

“I had done one or two comics [already] and realized that I loved it,” she said. “Not only do I like art, but I can also do my other favorite thing in the world, which is anthropology. So when Dr. Means came to me with this fellowship, I realized I could benefit from doing the two things that I love the most.”

Over the course of the year, Spicer has worked on a handful of comics combining the two interests, including one on Muggins, a black bear who became a famous roadside attraction in Ohio in the 1960s. For her main project, she collaborated with the Humanities Research Center’s Karenne Wood Native Artist-in-Residence Sequoyah Fortune on a comic about the Powhatan trickster god Okee.

Eventually, Means hopes the lab can serve as a bridge at VCU, connecting those with a common interest in the power of visual storytelling.

“I would like to strengthen ties across campus with people,” he said. “We have a world-class comics collection [in the VCU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives], so strengthening those connections and finding more opportunities for students is my goal.”

If the fellowship program continues, Spicer and Easterly encourage other undergraduates to take part.

“If you ever have a story idea that just sits in the back of your head but you’re too afraid to act on it, these types of fellowships are the perfect opportunity to make that idea come to life,” Easterly said. “Even if you don’t think your proposal will get chosen, submit it anyway. It’s a fantastic experience and allows you to learn and practice skills that will be relevant in the working world outside of college.”

In the same vein, Spicer said that “so many friends of mine make comics but then don’t share them. And I think we need more creativity and more original work. … Making comics that have a message and then being able to put that out is something that we should do more of, for so many reasons: They’re more fun than a paper, and more people are going to read it.

“It’s a good way to express yourself, and it’s a good way to connect to others,” she said.