Io so’ Carmela

Comics offer a compelling medium for bearing witness to experiences of trauma, particularly in cases of gender-based violence. Through the interplay of images, text, and colour, comics can convey layered, affective narratives that move beyond depersonalized accounts. Io so’ Carmela is a striking example of this potential: a graphic biographical novel based on the diary of Carmela Cirella, a teenager who took her own life following multiple assaults. This article analyses the visual and verbal strategies used to represent Carmela’s story, reflecting on the power of comics to reframe female experiences of abuse. It argues that comics can function as a form of aesthetic witnessing, engaging readers with the wider consequences of gender-based violence. In doing so, they create a space for reclaiming agency and give voice to victims whose stories are often silenced or overlooked. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .