The following comic is taken from edgrace.co.

uk; Ed Grace’s work celebrates the

How does the narrative style used in the comic contribute to the presentation of this
scientific information?

Despite society's active attempt to introduce women into the world of science, the female
workforce is still held back by the preconceived gender roles that remain in the human
psyche to this day. In an attempt to end this intergenerational cycle of discrimination against
women in STEM, Ed Grace's children's comic encourages an interest in science for young
girls. Through his use of a playful narrative style, Grace combines the features of his
chronological, story-like structure, the anthropomorphic caricatures and their juxtaposing use
of language to introduce a hypothetical possibility where women can be at the forefront of
scientific development, whilst granting information about the European Science Lab.

The division of the comic in three distinct sections is used by Grace to provide an
easy-to-follow, chronological narrative, effectively adhering to the conventions of texts
targeted at a young audience by providing a clear exposition, climax and resolution. This is
observed through the vectors provided by the comic, which incite the visual pathway
beginning from the title on the left and moving down the three panels of the comic, one after
the other. Firstly, in the left expository panel, the three characters are introduced.
Specifically, one can see that the “Biolab” and the “EPM” are labeled with an arrow, mirroring
the instinctive mixing and matching often seen in children's drawings. Subsequently, the
most salient part of the comic is clearly the central section. Being the climax, it is evident that
this panel must carry the most graphic weight with its densely packed paragraphs and
multiple explanatory diagrams such as the sunsets movement visualization and the 24-hour
routine icon. Thus, through this story-like structure and form, Grace effectively infantilizes the
complexity behind the topic of gender dynamics in science. By simplifying the visual pathway
into a clear storyline narrative, the comic diminishes the stigma surrounding the subject
matter of discrimination in science for children and, for an older, more mature audience,
effectively mocks the resemblance of our current patriarchal state in society to the callow
narrative of children’s comics.

The childlike nature of the comic is further explored through the contrasting anthropomorphic
caricatures of the “Biolab” and “EPM”, who are clear “anomalies” to what society deems as
conventional, as implied in the title of the comic. Not only by bringing the scientific apparatus
to life does the implied narrative evoke the importance of scientific development in our
human civilisation, but by prompting a reversal of gender roles where it is the female “EPM”
who takes the actively scientific role, Grace also incites the possibility of change in the
scientific domain. Therefore, the comic successfully achieves its primary purpose of
incentivising young women to be a part of the STEM world by providing them with an explicit
role model. However, it is particularly interesting that the Biolab and EPM caricatures
maintain certain stereotype-consistent, gendered features such as Biolab’s short hair and
EPM’s long lashes and pink lipstick. This preservation of certain stereotypes in the
caricatures, whilst only reversing the drive for scientific curiosity, effectively maintains the
topic of interest at the forefront of the comic: gender inclusivity in science, without diverging
to overly conflictive socio-political ideologies regarding women’s rights. Another
interpretation behind Grace's choice to not make all features of the caricatures
idiosyncrasies to real life stereotypes would be to present young girls with the possibility of
having a multifaceted role in society. By presenting the EPM caricature as an epitome of
femininity through her rose-tinted lips whilst being an intellectual scientist, this comic
showcases how the pursuit for girliness and for science are not mutually exclusive choices,
as is unfortunately often perceived in society by young women, and promotes versatility in
young girls’ interests.

Finally, the contrasting use of Biolab’s terminology compared to that of the EPM notably
reinforces the reversal of gender roles. This juxtaposing use of language is evidently
observed from the first panel, when Biolab uses an informal register characterised by elision
(“I’m”) and metaphorical expressions like “spaced out”. Biolab’s use of forced humor here, as
shown by the ellipsis pauses as he actively attempts to think about his witty comment,
completely mocks his lack of scientific intellect and unconvincing attempt at being amusing.
On the other hand, EPM is presented as an informed superior through her use of intellectual
jargon like “circadian rhythms”, “sternum” and “peak condition” in the central panel. These
technical terms ultimately establish a sense of ethos to the female character, fueling her
credibility and assertiveness as a scientist. It is her domineering use of the language, that
seems almost as flawlessly robotic as the system machine she impersonates, which
intensifies her power, culminating in the final panel. Her caricature in a shadowy grey, by
employing negative space and looking down at Biolab condescendingly, ends the comic with
her having the utmost control of the situation as she exclaims “how ironic”. In contrast,
Biolab’s lack of Interest and his boredom, as indicated by the “Zzz” onomatopoeic
representation, ignite a sense of annoyance to the reader and indicate his ultimate downfall.
By creating a clear power dynamic through the narrative juxtaposing language between EPM
and Biolab, Grace exploits the juvenile archetypal figures of the glorified hero and the
overthrown loser respectively to present the possibility of women to rewrite history and be
the changemakers in science.

In conclusion, whilst one may initially believe that this comic is to inform children about the
European Space Lab, this purpose becomes secondary at most as it is clearly overridden by
the broader gender implications raised by Grace’s narrative style, inviting adults to reflect on
the current state of society. The extreme infantilization of this comic successfully invokes the
realisation of the childlike and immature nature of gender dynamics in science. Whether it be
the seemingly perfect matriarchal world presented by the EPM or the androcentrism that
perpetuates the scientific world in our current society, the comic showcases that both are
overly simplified and imbalanced hierarchical structures that only belong in children’s stories.
Thus, this comic ultimately encourages scientific equality and the importance of collaboration
and diversity in STEM.