Storied Objects: A Graphic Narrative Reflection on Material Metaphors and Digital Writing

Abstract

Erin Kathleen Bahl Comics and Graphic Narratives Edited by Sergio Figueiredo, Jason Helms, and Anastasia Salter Information and Pricing 978-1-64317-562-1 (paperback, $19.95); 978-1-64317-563-8 (PDF, $9.95). © 2026 by Parlor Press, with graphical illustrations, notes, bibliography, and index. 144 pages. Bookstores : Order by fax, mail, or phone. See our "Sales and Ordering Page" for details. About This Book STORIED OBJECTS is a comics-form monograph that investigates metaphor in digital scholarship through autoethnographic narrative and reflective multimodal methods. ERIN KATHLEEN BAHL examines material metaphor as rhetorical invention strategy through a deep dive into one creator’s approach to designing digital scholarship. Her investigation guides readers through illustrative tours of the metaphor-based origin stories behind three published academic webtexts. Bahl offers practical tools for tracking how metaphors shape design and argument together at evolving stages of a project’s development, as well as reflective frameworks to inspire readers’ own creative-critical practices. Overall, Storied Objects illuminates the importance of systematically reflecting on material metaphors that guide our brainstorming processes because they fundamentally influence how our ideas take shape. As a comics-form academic book exploring the creative craft of designing ideas, Storied Objects builds on foundations laid by scholar-creators such as Scott McCloud ( Understanding Comics ), Nick Sousanis ( Unflattening ), Kay Sohini ( Drawing Unbelonging ), Sally Pirie ( T he Good, the Bad, and the Data ), and Jason Helms ( Rhizcomics ) About the Author Erin Kathleen Bahl is Associate Professor of English (Applied and Professional  Writing) at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as the department’s inaugural Social Media & Branding Coordinator. Her work focuses on creating knowledge, telling stories, and designing for access via digital scholarship, webcomics, folklore,