By Dave Kot, Founder, Face Value Comics

Kids want and need heroes like themselves. We may not have superpowers, yet comic books allow us to daydream. Readers can imagine themselves as someone special without limits on their potential. Sadly, most comic books not only ignore autism, but marginalize or inaccurately portray this sensory processing challenge. Examples by current industry leaders depict autism as a mental illness weakness (1), as something to be cured (2), or openly admit how their script writers couldn’t write an autistic character (3). At least I can respect the last comment, because the creative team recognizes their own shortcomings and won’t risk embarrassment.

Face Value Comics stands in this gap. We created the world’s first featured comic book hero with autism! Our founder and script writer is autistic, a PhD student (psychology), and former clinician working with many young people on the autism spectrum.

This sounds like a good start. Comic books can be powerful tools, though. Prominent research shows how children may lack reading proficiency, but kids still love comics (4). Regardless of diverse backgrounds and experiences, people want to believe in heroes.

Studying facial expressions, we literally freeze a character’s emotional state on a static page. Readers can see scientific taxonomies of “happiness,” anger,” and other universally-recognized expressions (5). Speech bubbles give language to the feelings. Following the story, readers build empathy because they grow to predict behavioral patterns.

Comic books allow us to connect with each other in non-threatening ways. Relatively speaking, ~$5 (6) for casual entertainment can fit some budgets. Inside a story, readers may see similarities between a school bully they know and an arch-villain’s behavior. Our character grows to understand how he and others express their feelings, and builds stronger social connections.

Our family-friendly, steam-powered, Victorian-era world has aliens and robots, and test anxieties, and pre-teen romance, and a surprise for readers: Michael, the young man with autism, grows up to become THE ZEPHYR! Finally, comic book fans can have a hero of whom they can be proud, whether or not they have autism.

—
References
(1) http://marvel.wikia.com/Category:Mental_Illness_Weaknesses
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Manta
(3) http://andrewgleason.tumblr.com/post/84354477293/its-kind-of-hard-being-an-autistic-comic-book-fan
(4) http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Newsroom/Releases/20100721Comics.html
(5) http://www.paulekman.com/universal-facial-expressions/ (PS- I am a certified Expert in the highest level of Facial Action Coding System (FACS) through Dr. Ekman. Our main character’s last name is “Eckman” as a veiled nod of gratitude for his advancement of the science).
(6) http://www.previewsworld.com/Home/1/1/71/920?stockItemID=STK646101

Posted in Autism | Comments Off on Guest Blog: Face Value Comics: the World's First Featured Comic Book Hero with Autism
Tags: autism at face value, face value comics

Autism at Face Value has published the debut issue of Face Value Comics, the first comic book whose hero has autism.

Face Value Comics uses the art of comic books as a method of autism advocacy. Michael, the comic’s hero, is a boy with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. He also has a secret identity as a superhero, the Zephyr. The comic features fantastical elements like steam-powered airships and the threat of an alien invasion, while Michael must also face typical middle school challenges like test anxieties and bullying.

Face Value Comics aims to creatively apply scientific research and provide support to young people with autism by countering prejudice against them and helping them feel safe in their schools and communities.

The comic book strives to include actual diagnostic symptoms of autism spectrum disorders within an entertaining story, giving young people with autism support in their experiences and helping others understand what autism can be like without stereotypes and misunderstanding.

The Face Value stories portray Michael and his friends encountering real-world problems and making mistakes that they learn from. The comics emphasize social learning as a way to deal with social developmental difficulties.

Autism at Face Value believes that readers, including children with autism, need heroes they can relate to, and people who do not have autism may need a change of perspective to truly understand and empathize with people who have the disorder. More information about Face Value Comics is available at http://autismatfacevalue.com.

Listen to our podcast with founder of Face Value Comics, Dave Kot by clicking here or click here to visit our iTunes page.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it on Facebook.

Posted in Autism | Comments Off on Methods of Autism Advocacy: Face Value Comics
Tags: autism advocacy, autism at face value, dave kot, face value comics