Visible After invasion? Ukraine's representational absence and distortion in global comics before 2014

The representation of Ukraine in global comics has long been shaped by imperial, Soviet, and Russian interpretative frameworks that have obscured Ukrainian historical and cultural specificity. While previous scholarship has examined representations of Eastern Europe in popular culture, comparatively little attention has been paid to the mechanisms through which Ukraine has been rendered visible yet simultaneously displaced within global comics.

The paper examines three case studies from different comic traditions: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1929) by Hergé, Nestor Makhno (1976) by Spain Rodriguez, and Ivan Karine (1963-1964) by Enzo Chiomenti. Combining visual, discursive, and narratological analysis with postcolonial and decolonial perspectives, the article analyses four dimensions of representation: naming, spatial framing, iconography, and narrative positioning. It introduces the concept of distorted visibility to describe representational mechanisms such as absence, substitution, Russification, Sovietization, symbolic appropriation, and mislocation.

The analysis demonstrates that Ukrainian territories, historical figures, and cultural symbols are incorporated into broader Soviet, Russian, or imperial narratives. In Hergé's work, Soviet space is visually homogenized through Russian cultural markers. Rodriguez presents Nestor Makhno primarily through the framework of the Russian Revolution and anarchist mythology, while Ukraine remains a secondary setting. Ivan Karine appropriates Cossack imagery but reorganizes it within a Russian imperial adventure narrative. Ukrainian material becomes visible, while its distinct historical and cultural identity is systematically displaced.

The findings suggest that global comics participated in the production and circulation of enduring cultural assumptions about Ukraine before 2014. The Ukrainian case serves as a lens through which to examine what is made visible - and what remains systematically overlooked - in transnational graphic storytelling. This paper contributes to ongoing discussions on cultural erasure, epistemic asymmetries, and the visual geopolitics shaping representations of Eastern Europe.