Nick Sousanis
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nsousanis.bsky.social
Nick Sousanis
@nsousanis.bsky.social
5.6K followers 1.4K following 5.7K posts
Comics as thinking. Eisner winner. Unflattening from HarvardUP (http://bit.ly/1vENIO7). Former Detroiter/NYer/YYC/now assoc prof SFSU-Comics Studies!

https://spinweaveandcut.com/
Tags #comics
#Unflattening #Nostos
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nsousanis.bsky.social
A letter arrived other day to us from me, apparently I signed up for a service that held your mail from start of year & sent it to you at end. A time capsule that completely slipped my mind, but nice to have these words from the past wishing courage, resilience & kindness as we faced unknowns ahead…
A handwritten letter from me to myself and family dated jan 1 2025, wishing us courage and health and resilience in these uncertain times…
November 17, 2025 at 6:16 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Exactly this (from my comic spinweaveandcut.com/election-202...)
Excerpt from a comics page - on Greek mythology as relates to modern politics Greek key to offset it: Greek myths warn of the dangers of hubris and the importance of hospitality.” Showing king Midas with donkey ears as hubris and Odysseus as an old man beggar having his fee washed as hospitality
November 16, 2025 at 5:07 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
That panel was followed by this - a step forward, but here we are…
Tow comics panels, first one silhouette of Kamala Harris’s legs stepping across diagonal panel border into next panel which is all I voted stickers. Text “we don’t go back. Democracy moves forward.” “EVOLVING ALONGSIDE OUR UNDERSTANDING, EXPANDING AS MORE VOICES ARE INCLUDED.” “IT CHANGES BECAUSE WE CHANGE IT.” “WE CAST OUR VOTES TO HONOR THOSE BEFORE US WHO MADE THIS EXPERIMENT POSSIBLE”
November 15, 2025 at 5:53 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Objects in mirror are closer than they appear… Ruby Bridges is only 71 (from my 2024 election comic spinweaveandcut.com/election-202...)
Panel from a comic - main part scene of ruby bridges marching with federal agents in foreground a car mirror with white women and others holding up signs and protesting integration and mirror writing “objects in mirror are closer than they appear”. Text over panel reads “for history is still with us - not so distant”
November 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Oh, one last last one. I couldn’t find it earlier but I knew I’d shared it before. I don’t know if it’s about musk, bezos, or Zuckerberg, but either way it’s sadly perfect for our times…
A four panel cartoon two people Talking to a massive computer. Scientist “CONGRATULATIONS, SIR! THE MOST INTELLIGENT MACHINE EVER CREATED IS READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD. TEN BILLION DOLLARS WELL SPENT....” Second panel asks “WHAT SHALL WE ASK IT TO DO?” Other man speaks third panel “THAT'S MY BUSINESS, NOT YOURS. CLOSE THE DOOR ON YOUR WAY OUT.” Final panel man asks computer “can you make people like me?” Computer responds. “NO.”
November 14, 2025 at 9:59 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
A few more favorites I’ve posted over the years…
Two figure talking in a single panel cartoon with stacks of books behind them. One says to the other “I HAVE AN IDEA: LET'S MAKE A PACT THAT NEITHER OF US WILL BUY ANOTHER BOOK UNTIL WE'VE READ A FEW MORE OF THE ONES THAT WE ALREADY OWN. THE BOOKS ARE TAKING OVER” but his thought balloon overlaps the part that says “let’s buy more books” and then he says to her “I hear what you’re saying” Three panel comic titled the hills, view of hills with faces on them. First panel one hill says to other who has castle on his head “hey frank” panel two - castle is now a city “what?” Panel 3 first one says “NEVER MIND, YOU HAD SOMETHING ON YOUR HEAD, BUT IT'S GONE NOW.” And just some rubble remains A comic about cartooning style - final panel looks photorealistic. Six panels about bugs commenting on being observed then people watching bugs feeling like they’re being observed then aliens watching people feeling like they’re being observed and then they turn to look at the reader
November 14, 2025 at 5:33 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
not in this collection of his work, but a favorite and rare crossover with superhero characters by Gauld that I just came across in my files...
A single panel cartoon, batman is holding up a book reading, while outside his window the city appears to be on fire and the bat signal is lit. caption along the bottom reads: "THE CRIME WAVE RAGED ACROSS GOTHAM CITY, BUT IT WAS BOOK CLUB TOMORROW AND BATMAN HAD, ONCE AGAIN, LEFT A GREAT DEAL OF THE READING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE."
November 14, 2025 at 6:25 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
He really doesn’t quit with these, it’s a real treat to look forward to each week in my science mag… both my interest in comics formalism and science intersect nicely!
A multi panel strip, arranged as a golden spiral. A roller coaster is rolling through it with two characters in it. Text “THIS ROLLERCOASTER USES THE GOLDEN SECTION TO SPIRAL INFINITELY INWARDS. I HOPE IT WILL REVEAL THE UNIVERSE'S DEEPEST SECRETS TO US.” Then “great idea! But how do we get off?” Finally “hmmm… an interesting question…” the roller coaster is spiraling inward as the panels get increasingly smaller as a golden section A comic in six panels - three across the top and same below, imagery in top is mirrored - rotated 180 for the bottom. Text panel one reads “THIS DEVICE LETS US SEE INTO A PARALLEL UNIVERSE WHERE TIME FLOWS BACKWARDS.” Panels 2 “it’s us!” And three “THOSE POOR SODS. THEY HAVE NO IDEA OF ALL THE TROUBLES AHEAD OF THEM.” Same everything on the bottom only flipped 180
November 14, 2025 at 2:21 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
So geeked to hold this gem by @tomgauld.bsky.social in my hands! While I’ve read most of these in @newscientist.com great to have them in one sharp book! I’m particularly fond of the ones where he plays with comics conceptually, but all of them are brilliant & funny, he never misses! Good stuff!
Cover to physics for cars by tom Gauld. Pixie of Escher-esque impossible walk way with cats walking around all sides of it Three panel strip after Soren Kierkegaard. word balloons from a man moving from far right panel back to first balloons stacked so far back one reads first “life can only” “be understood” “backwards” and then a dog is walking from left to right through panels and it says in each panel respectively “but it” “must be” “lived forwards”. It is very clever use of space and the static-simultaneous nature of comics Comic strip of a single image - a big lab building upper left and. Path that two people are walking that loops out all up and to the right and returns to the building along the bottom and back up to it. It’s divided into panels mostly to show time passing. Text from characters, initially from inside the building where we can’t see them “nothings happening.” “Let’s take a walk.” Now outside “we can’t run this experiment forever.” The characters have turned back along the path toward the building “Good things come to those who wait.” “But how long do we wait?” Now nearly back to the building “let’s give it another try. I’ve got a good feeling.” “You said that last time.” A six panel comic, three across two tall. Title in first panel “overthinking” character walking far left of panel. Panel two same character advancing a bit, small thought balloon filled with lines that look like words. Third panel advance to middle of panel, bigger thought balloon, more filled with word like symbols. Panel four - character is paused, balloon is very large, filled with tons of text stuff that is written over the top of itself. Panel five, now character looks up at what was the word balloon but now looks like a dark textured cloud. Panel six, indeed it’s become a cloud and is now raining on the figure who is under an umbrella protected from the lines of rain from the cloud
November 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
One of my small delights in my week, is riding my bike down the hall from my comics lab to the elevator end of the day when no one is around…
(Also, I’ve tried to film this many times over the past year - and almost killed myself every single time…)
November 13, 2025 at 2:11 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
I'd like to think this will finally be the thing to make his supporters turn on him. But I don't know - who he is has been obvious from the start. Yes - he's a monstrous person, but the problem is everyone who sees that, and says I'm ok with that actually...
spinweaveandcut.com/draw-the-line/
A comics page in black and white. Arranged in 5 tiers of panels, each with successively smaller panels and more per row - with the exception of the first. Opens with no panel border - silhouette of a hand in a gun position - with smoke coming from index finger. speech balloon “i could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn’t lose any voters, ok?” Caption “this is perhaps the most truthful thing trump has ever said…” Same row - more than half page width panel with three drawings of trump making jerky body distortions mocking cerebral palsy. Caption “one might’ve assumed when he mocked reporter serge kovaleski that it would cross a line and be the end of him in public life.” Speech balloon “now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy!” Caption “that was naive.” Next row, first panel, slightly more than page width - closeup on trump’s open mouth, shouting “when you’re a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pussy. you can do anything.” Caption “surely, there’d be no coming back from this?” Second panel - silhouettes of tiki torch carrying rioters with their shirt collars showing. Caption “or this?” Dialogue “you also had some very fine people on both sides.” Caption “and yet…” Third row - three panels, first slightly more than a third, rest smaller still. Silhouette of trump throwing a paper towel roll like shooting a basketball. Dialogue “a great day…” Caption “c’mon…”. Second panel closeup on his lips, dialogue “why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Caption “really?” Third panel closeup on a coiled-style phone cord, dialogue “i would like you to do us a favor, though.” In background words from the first articles of impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. full alt text on my site - character count too small!! Bottom another small box with the title “draw the line” and my name march 2025. @nsousanis.bsky.social spinweaveandcut.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:34 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Party today for my boy who turns 7 later this month, I’m not two seconds out the door carrying balloons to the park when bus driver on his break shouts out at me “6-7!”
Living the dream here…
Little boy from behind arranging helium party balloons to correctly orient the large bright blue 6 and 7 balloons.
November 11, 2025 at 7:20 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Some setbacks in time over the past month, and overthinking how I wanted to ink the most recent row, but 20/30 panels done on the origin of the solar system - the pantheon is taking shape... Excited to see it all coming together!
#Nostos #Unflattening 2
2/3 of a comics page in progress, four rows, five panels in each. The first shows a cloud of gas in space disrupted by a supernova far off that collapses the gas cloud. Second row shows the cloud of gas spinning together, forming a star int he center and a thin disk of dust and gas outside it. Next row shows bits of rocks clumping, smashing together and coalescing into small planetoids. Final row shows a planetoid gathering lots of gas and other stuff to form the first planet - Jupiter. Then the other planets start to take shape as well taking in what's left...
November 11, 2025 at 8:32 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
I should've posted the correct reading paths for any who are still (understandably) mystified by them. Here you go!
A comics page with a difficult to follow reading path, and then a second version of the same page with the correct zig zag through the page marked on it A comics page with a difficult to follow reading path - first version of it shows what you would expect reading flow to be given the layout and context clues, and then a second version of the same page with the correct zig zag through the page marked on it
November 11, 2025 at 6:49 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
2/2 here are a few of the sample "bad" layouts they made today. Now they will try to solve them using characters breaking panels, word balloons, SFX, captions, any elements they can to try & make a clear reading path. Give it a try w/one of these or post your own unclear layout for others to try!
a blank panel composition where reading flow is not clear which direction to go across the page a blank panel composition where reading flow is not clear which direction to go across the page a blank panel composition where reading flow is not clear which direction to go across the page a blank panel composition where reading flow is not clear which direction to go across the page
November 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
1/2 An activity you can try! I do a brief discussion of unclear compositions: sharing these from Jungle Comics, a bit from @neilcohn.bsky.social's studies on layout readability, then students draw intentionally "Bad" layouts - where reading order isn't clear from design & 2nd student tries to solve!
An old jungle comics page - simple looking comics page, but it's very unclear which panel follows from the next in a few places An old jungle comics page - simple looking comics page, but it's very unclear which panel follows from the next in a few places A slide with images from Neil Cohn's visual linguist work - showing how panel alignment affects reader flow. If panels align, you want to read in the direction of alignment...
November 10, 2025 at 11:41 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Of less consequential matters this night, my boy was drawing sea monsters after dinner so I decided to join him for a few minutes and continue my celebration of our own Naga…
Ballpoint pen drawing on scrap paper of sea serpent head and neck
November 10, 2025 at 5:42 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Sharing @billamend.bsky.social’s spot on cartoon for tonight with alt-text added. And ugh.
A sparely drawn cartoon - just more than a stick figure representing chuck schumer with his trademark glasses speaking to microphones “ LET'S BE CLEAR. DEMOCRATS WILL NEVER ABANDON THE ACA. UNLESS OUR THANKSGIVING FLIGHTS HOME ARE AFFECTED.
November 10, 2025 at 4:44 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
I’d come to the bookstore to pick up this delightful little book by @kibblesmith.com & co! I expect kiddos and I will have a delightful time diving into it!
Cover to the book So you’ve been bitten by a radioactive spider: how to survive the marvel universe. With drawings of marvel characters on it
November 9, 2025 at 5:15 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Always feels good when you walk into your local bookstore to pick up books and your book is also on display there! Thanks, @booksmith.bsky.social! (It’s a great store for those in SF!)
Photo of bookshelves with spine forward lore Olympus and metamaus and others and Unflattening cover forward Exterior shot of Booksmith entrance and marquee sign
November 8, 2025 at 8:46 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Working white zone at my kids’ school this morning, fireman come to check stuck elevator, one says to me (assuming I work at the school): yo, Clark Kent (asking for the elevator key, referring to my Superman hat) - a funny start to the day…
Selfie from above mostly focusing on my Superman hat - bright blue classic red yellow insignia
November 6, 2025 at 5:16 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
I will never not think seeing this crazy monster in the dark isn’t amazing!
Photo of sea monster sculpture lit up at night
November 6, 2025 at 4:43 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
A perfect night in SF, sea serpent Naga and the full moon on car-free JFK…
November 6, 2025 at 3:54 AM
nsousanis.bsky.social
Absolute treat today in class, particularly after yesterday’s Election Day, as @andrewaydin.bsky.social joined my class to talk March and how the comics medium can be such a powerful force for change! Students and I left fired up and ready to get back to work!
#GoodTrouble
Photo of the cover to March vol 1, with me holding it and then on large screen and my laptop Andrew Aydin speaking to us on zoom
November 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
nsousanis.bsky.social
"because we insisted that no longer would politics be something that is done to us, now it is something that we do…" - Zohran Mamdani 11/4/25
excerpt from "Ing" comic from 2020: "Democracy is not something we have – it's something we must always be in the act of doing" spinweaveandcut.com/ing-2020/
four panels from a comic - a filled in voting ballot bubble, transitions into flowing lines that become stripes with overlapping stars. the stripes interweave in the final panel... Text: At its most basic, this means ensuring we all show up and are counted. But elections aren't endpoints. Democracy is not something we have – it's something we must always be in the act of doing – democracy-ing if you will. Although a perfect union may always lie beyond the horizon, together we keep moving forward, an ongoing journey of becoming.
November 5, 2025 at 7:59 AM