Blast Off: The Comic Format as a Launchpad for Meaning-Making in Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam

Authors

Krystyn Stacy
Marissa Cook

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

In this visual presentation we propose that On a Sunbeam (2018) by Tillie Walden dismantles the traditional literary canon in its form and content. On a Sunbeam is a queer, sci-fi, coming-of-age graphic novel. The story, set in space, centers around the protagonist, Mia, and her construction crew who repair floating buildings throughout the cosmos. This story centers gay women of color, and, in fact, excludes the existence of male identifying characters--with the sole exception of Paul, the cat. Visual aspects, sometimes in conjunction with words but also in the absence of verbal elements, are the driving force of On a Sunbeam. This privileging of visuals, which is inherent to the comic format, is relatively uncommon within traditional literature. This visual analysis aims to explore how On a Sunbeam breaks with the traditional literary canon, not only in its prioritization of visual language, but also with its narrative.

Comments

Learning and Living
BLH 362

Recommended Citation

Stacy, Krystyn and Cook, Marissa, "Blast Off: The Comic Format as a Launchpad for Meaning-Making in Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam" (2024). Student Research Symposium 2024. 7.
https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/srs_2024/7