Comics bring ideas to life.

Comics draw readers into your story.

I create comics that synthesize and tell the story of your research or big ideas in an inviting, narrative way. Comics are accessible to a more diverse audience than your last peer-reviewed article.

Comics are not just for sharing ideas, they are an engaging way to facilitate discussion and reflection.

Creative Sovereignty

Matt Wildcat (University of Alberta) and Justin de Leon (Chapman University) had published articles on their concept of creative sovereignty in academic journals. But they wanted to share their ideas with a wider audience of community members and students.

Matt and Justin commissioned me to create a comic about their research. Together, we identified key concepts to include and some visual themes. I wrote and drew the comic, which we launched at the 2024 Indigenous Relationality Workshop in Banff, Alberta.

The comic has travelled in printed and digital forms, sharing Matt and Justin’s research in an engaging and accessible way.

Home in the City

Renée McBeth (University of Alberta) was ready to share her community-based doctoral research with her research partners. Her research developed a co-governance model for community members and service organizations to work across difference and respond to inequity in downtown Victoria.

As she prepared for her final presentation to community, a slide presentation wasn’t feasible. Instead of explaining her work with powerpoint, she worked with me to tell the story of her research with a comic.

Community members recognized themselves and their important work as collaborators in the Home in the City comic. Renée has since used the comic in her doctoral defence at the University of Alberta and in many presentations.

Photos by kym hothead

Comics help ideas move. Here’s what making a comic with DTM Studios looks like:

  • Fill out a brief form with some quick info about your project

  • Schedule a check-in call so I can get to know you, your research, and your audience

  • I dive into the world of your research project and engage closely with your work

  • Interactive ideation session, where we identify central concepts, themes, and story elements

  • I create thumbnails and a comics script and send to you for feedback

  • Once we finalize the story, I draw it in black and white (this step is called inking)

  • We make final decisions about colour

  • I finish the full-colour version of your comic

  • I’ll send you the final comic, in both full-colour and grey-scale, as well as image descriptions and a transcript so you can make it accessible to all

  • You share your story with the world and watch your ideas move!