Comic-strip academic wonders why pictures are studied in words

Harri Filppa wrote his master's thesis in comic-book form

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By Niina Pasula
     
      The attic apartment in downtown Oulu occupied by 27-year-old Harri Filppa is stacked with comic books: ones he has drawn himself, and albums bought from stores in Finland or gathered from abroad.
      Right now some of Filppa’s greatest treasures seem to be the works he brought back from a recent visit to Japan.
      The souvenirs from the trip include a volume on world birdlife, adventure stories, and some softcore pornography - all in comic-strip album form, of course.
      “Comic strips in Japan are in a much stronger position than they are in Finland. Albums are sold and read everywhere”, says a clearly smitten Filppa.
     
The young man, who was fatally bitten by the comics bug as a child, has studied at the University of Lapland, and his undergraduate work culminated in the autumn in a pro gradu (master’s thesis) project that he did entirely in comic-strip form.
      The work, dealing with the advertising styles used in comic-strip commercial advertisements, does exactly what it says on the tin: it explores the various methods used in adverts that make use of comics and comic-strips.
      And what better way to present the research than in the form of a comic album itself?
      “I really didn’t have to dig my heels in or fight over the idea at all - even my tutor warmed to it immediately”, says Filppa.
     
One gets some idea of the exceptional nature of this particular dissertation when looking at the pro gradu studies up on the shelves of the university. Typically they are a solid mass of text, with pictures - if any - thrown in as appendices outside of the actual written work.
      Even visual matters seem to be studied using words, shrugs Filppa, whose degree is in graphic design.
      “I have long wondered whether it would not be possible to examine visual matters with a visual approach. It might not be so necessary to trawl in one’s own interpretations to such a degree if the images are not always broken down into words on a page.”
     
The pictures in Filppa’s pro gradu work support and complement the text (for there is still plenty of text in there), albeit that in many places the pictures also live a life of their own.
      There is a student who waggles his ears, and another character who appears from time to time with a paper bag over his head, neither of whom seem to have anything to do with the scientific content of the 135-page opus.
      “I just wanted to bring a bit of atmosphere and humanity into my work”, argues Filppa.
     
Even though comic-strips and comic books might be new to the world of academic life, they have a long history of being used in advertising.
      According to Filppa’s research into the subject, advertising strips were employed particularly in the 1950s, before the widespread landfall of television.
      They were especially popular in the advertising of personal hygiene and cosmetic items. “It is easy to show in a strip of pictures how some skin-cleansing lotion, for instance, should be used, and how soft and lovely the skin feels afterwards”, explains Filppa.
     
One example is foodstuffs, cleaning agents and personal care products giant Unilever’s brand Rexona, which ran an extensive campaign using strip-comics in the 1950s.
      The storyboard was alway much the same: this wallflower of a woman who never had any success at dances starts to use Rexona deodorant on the encouragement of her friends, and her romantic luck changes dramatically. Often the strips also contain a white-coated expert who gives advice on how to use the product.
      “By the last frame, we are back on the dance-floor, and our former wallflower is being courted by a handsome gent who compliments her on her looks and invites her to go sailing with him.”
     
Similar strip-comic formats have also been used to advertise interior furnishings, banking services, and TV programmes.
      Filppa believes the comic is due for a renaissance in the world of advertising.
      “A smart advertiser can use the medium to stand out from the mass.”
      In addition to entertainment, advertising, and now academic research, the comic-strip could have a market opening in such areas as infographics and teaching.
      “Illustrated narratives would be suitable as a component of textbooks for comprehensive schools and upper secondary levels. For instance, world history would fit in well with the idea of telling it in pictures as well as words.”
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 7.1.2008
     
     
Harri Filppa’s pro gradu work (in Finnish) can be seen at the link below


Links:
  Harri Filppa´s pro gradu dissertation (in Finnish)

NIINA PASULA / Helsingin Sanomat