Let’s go graphic. Mapping Italian graphic novels on gender-based violence

This article aims at mapping the currently unexplored but vibrant phenomenon of Italian production of graphic novels on the topic of gender-based violence. It puts it in dialogue with international studies on the representation of patriarchal abuse that, in recent years, have investigated the self-portrayal of trauma in graphic memoirs by women and the portrayal of sexual and gendered assault in comics and graphic novels. The analysis is the result of a close textual and visual reading that looks at the narratological and medium-specific strategies employed by authors to represent gender-based violence in an ethical and accessible way. This methodology is supported by references to feminist theory on trauma, violence and its representation that offer the possibility to draw conclusions on Italian graphic novels’ ability to exploit the medium’s potentials with the aim of challenging existing deadlocks and toxic tropes.