‘Comme si quelqu’un écrivait à ma place: ’ Materiality and Interactivity in Exaheva’s Digital Comics

ABSTRACT: As part of an emerging generation of comics creators in Belgium, Exaheva’s art resists binaries and challenges an assumed disembodied reader of Franco-Belgian bande dessinée. This article places tools from comics and visual studies in conversation with queer and reception theories to analyze three of Exaheva’s comics: apocalyptic short story Slowly , sci-fi series Mekka Nikki, and interactive comic Still Heroes . By considering how these stories meet readers across virtual and physical spaces, I argue that Exaheva’s comics take visual pleasure in fictional storytelling seriously while also pointing to the nuanced visual literacies required to decode these approachable stories and characters.