Drawing History: Telling the Stories of Science through Comics and Graphic Novels

02/04/14 • 21 min

Distillations | Science History Institute

How do you show what the inside of an atom looks like? Or how a scientist feels in the moment of discovery? We decided to approach the human stories of science in a new way: by visualizing them.

First we visit author and illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm in his studio. Then we stop in on a college animation class and hear from students creating cartoons about chemistry and fairies.

Then we talk to historian Bert Hansen and author and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm. They tell us how the comics of the 1930s, 40s and 50s relayed stories of “real heroes”—including doctors, chemists and physicists, and how new graphic genres are engaging readers and sparking their interest in history and science. They both suggest that surprise, emotion, and showing the impossible all work to engage readers in ways that written words alone cannot.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:04 Introduction

01:15 Studio visit #1: Jonathan Fetter-Vorm in Brooklyn

03:54 Studio visit #2: University of the Arts in Philadelphia

07:00 Interview with Bert Hansen and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

15:06 Reflections from Bob and Michal

LINKS TO CONTENT:

"Heroism in Medical Science" from Dupont's radio drama, Cavalcade of America

"Now I am become Death" Robert Oppenheimer speech

"How the Public Became Interested in Medical Science"

"Science for Artists: University of the Arts Students Reflect on Animating Objects from CHF's Collection"

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Robert Kenworthy

Guests: Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Bert Hansen

Reporter, Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

MUSIC:

“Stabbings”- Moby, mobygratis

"Isolate"- Moby, mobygratis

“The Plaintive Heating Griddle”- Ergo Phizmiz, Free Music Archive

“Awake in the Dream”- Infinite Third, Free Music Archive

"Sunny Day"- The Rabbits, Free Music Archive

"Do What You Can"- Lee Rosevere, Free Music Archive

"My Friends"- Quiet Orchestra, Free Music Archive

“Tragic”- Semyon, Free Music Archive

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

How do you show what the inside of an atom looks like? Or how a scientist feels in the moment of discovery? We decided to approach the human stories of science in a new way: by visualizing them.

First we visit author and illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm in his studio. Then we stop in on a college animation class and hear from students creating cartoons about chemistry and fairies.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:04 Introduction

01:15 Studio visit #1: Jonathan Fetter-Vorm in Brooklyn

03:54 Studio visit #2: University of the Arts in Philadelphia

07:00 Interview with Bert Hansen and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

15:06 Reflections from Bob and Michal

LINKS TO CONTENT:

"Heroism in Medical Science" from Dupont's radio drama, Cavalcade of America

"Now I am become Death" Robert Oppenheimer speech

Previous Episode

Why the Chicken Became a Nugget and Other Tales of Processed Food

Have you ever wondered how chicken nuggets are made? Or what propylene glycol monostearate, monocalcium phosphate, or other listed ingredients are doing in your favorite packaged snacks? Distillations hosts Michal Meyer and Robert Kenworthy certainly did, and they went to the corner deli to inspect some processed food themselves.

They also spoke with experts Bryant Simon, a historian, and David Schleifer, a sociologist, about how trans fats and chicken nuggets arrived on the food scene as the healthier options, but have since turned into villains.

Both Simon and Schleifer suggest that when it comes to deciding what we eat, we might have less choice than we think. Class, geography, and convenience (for both food makers and food eaters) all play a role.

SHOW CLOCK:

00:03 Introduction

00:36 Michal Meyer tries her first Tastykake

03:39 Interview with Bryant Simon and David Schleifer

LINKS TO CONTENT:

"Afternoon Snack" - A video starring Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy.

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Robert Kenworthy

Guests: David Schleifer and Bryant Simon

Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

MUSIC:

“Run Up”- Moby, mobygratis

“Stabbings”- Moby, mobygratis

“Christmas All Alone”- Candlegravity, Free Music Archive

“Elsewhere”- Phonotrash, Free Music Archive

“Tragic”- Semyon, Free Music Archive

“Dragon’s Lair”- Thiaz Itch, Free Music Archive

“The Spirit”- Waylon Thornton, Free Music Archive

“Heroines”- Diablo Swing Orchestra, Free Music Archive

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.

Next Episode

Meet Joe Palca: A Radio Story About Making Radio Stories

Joe Palca is one of the best science storytellers out there. In his 20 years as an NPR science correspondent he’s covered all sorts of obscure topics, from soccer-playing robots and oyster glue to turtle paleontology. He finds the humor in the serious and the thoughtful in the funny, usually by focusing on the human elements of stories.

“Stories are usually about people, those are the ones we remember. We don’t remember stories about transuranic elements,” Palca says.

We took this episode of Distillations on the road and visited Palca at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., where we got a behind-the-scenes tour of his program, Joe’s Big Idea.

CREDITS:

Hosts: Michal Meyer and Bob Kenworthy

Reporter, Producer & Editor: Mariel Carr

MUSIC:

“Converge To Some Centre”- We Are All Alone

“Where the Magic Happens”- THERE

“Teletransportation” - Coma Stereo

“Elsewhere” - Phonotrash

“Solutions” - Lee Rosevere

“Tragic”- Semyon

All songs from the Free Music Archive, freemusicarchive.org

Check out Distillations magazine at distillations.org, where you'll find articles, videos, and our podcast.