Ten simple rules for drawing scientific comics

Institutions around the world are fighting to improve science communication all the time. From calls for journal papers to be simplified to encouraging scientists to take more of an active role through community engagement, there is an impetus to demystify and improve public understanding and engagement with science. Technology has greatly helped expand the range of learning styles that a lecturer can call on to reach people in new ways. Social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr have expanded the reach of science communication within and across scientific disciplines and to the lay public. Here, with all the videos, interactive quizzes, and instant feedback it can be easy to overlook one of the simplest methods for communicating complex ideas: comics.