Science Cartoonist

Maki Naro isn’t your typical comic-strip artist. His work doesn’t feature superheroes, politicians, or talking animals. Instead, it focuses on the amazing discoveries real-life scientists make every day. Naro’s comics examine an oddly shaped asteroid, epic dinosaur fossils, and more.

Naro aims to help more people understand and appreciate science. Comics are a great way to capture people’s attention and inspire them to explore new topics, he says: “It’s neat to see someone at a comic book convention pick up a comic I’ve worked on and hear them say, ‘That’s really cool!’”

Naro, who lives in New Jersey, started making science comics in 2010. He spoke with Science World about how he uses art to communicate science.

When I was a kid, I loved playing outside and catching bugs. I also drew a lot and read comics. I loved Calvin and Hobbes—a comic strip about a mischievous boy and his wise stuffed tiger. I started drawing comics in high school and posting them online for fun.

When the time came to go to college, my dad said, “Why don’t you go to art school?” So I did. I studied animation, sculpture, and ceramics. After graduating, I illustrated traditional comic books. Eventually, I met a friend who writes songs about science. His work combines two things he loves: music and science. I realized I could do the same. I could draw comics about science. I started a webcomic called Sci-ənce. My work went on to appear on Popular Science’s website and other online publications.

It’s important to have science presented in different types of media that people find enjoyable, whether it’s artwork or videos or writing. And it’s surprising how much you can learn from a comic.

Comics combine visuals and stories, which can breathe life into science. I use fun imagery and jokes to help people relate to the ideas. But I make sure the comics are more than just punch lines. The focus of my work is to get across why a discovery is important or how it changed the way we see the world.

Comics are also good at showing the process of science. Experiments don’t always work, and even scientists make mistakes. But that’s OK, because the process has ways of catching and correcting errors.

I love diving into topics like the search for extraterrestrial life and talking to scientists. And I like learning how to draw things I’ve never drawn before, like a nebula—a cloud of gas and dust in outer space—or an MRI machine, which creates images of the human body. Learning new things is my favorite part of my job.