In this article we analyze Hanneriina Moisseinen’s historical comic The Isthmus
with in the framework of empathy. By focusing on the role of multimodal
storytelling – the combination of drawings, text, and photographs – we
explore the ways in which The Isthmus invites the reader to
empathize with the marginalized others of the past, both human and
non-human. We propose that empathy should be understood as a
multidimensional phenomenon of imagination, feeling, and understanding.
To discuss how Moisseinen’s comic elicits empathy, we apply Elisa
Aaltola’s theory of varieties of empathy, which provides a nuanced
account for understanding how living beings relate to and understand
each other. We argue that comics storytelling has the possibility not
only of fostering the reader’s capacity to imagine the lives of others,
but also to invite them to attend to the experiences of others through
affect, embodiment, and reflection.