Cartoons as reportage, covering social and political issues and real-life events, have come to the fore over recent years, most prominently with graphic novels from the likes of Joe Sacco and Marjane Satrapi.
Next month sees publication of A.D. – New Orleans After the Deluge by cartoonist Josh Neufeld. It tells the stories of real-life New Orleans residents and their experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina. This is cartooning as journalism, as Neufeld draws upon interviews with survivors, as well as accounts from newspapers, magazines and blogs, and his own experience as a Red Cross volunteer after the hurricane.
A.D. was originally serialised as a webcomic online. The web version takes advantage of the wealth of multimedia information on the internet, many pages and panels have links to outside sources such as audio and video clips, photos and articles.
Reading it online, you do run the risk of getting RSI from clicking the mouse every time you want to see a new panel, so for those who like their graphic novels on printed matter, a revised and expanded hardcover edition is scheduled for publication by Pantheon on August 18.