Comics in the Classroom: A New Way to Teach Management Cases

Management education has relied on case studies for decades, yet many students still struggle to connect emotionally with the narratives they read. The structure is familiar. A protagonist faces a dilemma, data is presented in exhibits, and students are asked to interpret the situation. It is effective, but not always engaging. Attention drifts. The story feels distant. The characters often remain abstract.

This realization is what pushed me to experiment with an unfamiliar format: a case study told as a comic. The example above, set in a small café called BrewBurst, introduces Mira and her team through illustrated scenes rather than paragraphs. Instead of reading that the store is empty, students see Mira staring at unused tables. Instead of describing customer disengagement, the illustration shows customers walking past the storefront without expression. It is not just information. It is emotion conveyed visually.

Comics activate a different part of the mind. They merge story and symbolism in a way text alone can struggle to match. A facial expression can communicate urgency with more intensity than a descriptive line in a paragraph. A frame with a cluttered desk can tell students that the protagonist is overwhelmed without explicitly saying so. The reader interprets rather than simply receives. That interpretation is the heart of learning.

The visual nature of comics also mirrors how students consume information today. They scroll, swipe, and process content through images. When a case study adopts the same language, it bridges the cognitive gap between entertainment and education. The classroom suddenly feels more alive. Students walk in already curious because the case looks like something created for them rather than for another generation.

There is also a deeper pedagogical advantage. Comics slow the reader down. Each panel requires attention. Text is limited, so the focus shifts to meaning rather than volume. Instead of skimming large blocks of words, students pause at expressions, objects, and small cues. They infer motivations, identify tensions, and pick up contextual details that often get missed in traditional cases. This fosters a more intuitive understanding of the managerial problem.

When used in discussions, comic-style cases change the energy of the room. Students speak with more confidence because they can point to a panel that shaped their interpretation. The illustrations become conversational anchors. A student might say that Mira looks anxious when reviewing the loyalty data or that her colleague appears defensive when questioned about acquisition costs. These are subtle observations that spark richer debate about leadership, communication, and decision-making.

Comics also bring the human dimension of management to the surface. Many cases present strategy as a rational exercise, yet real managers operate within emotional contexts. They worry about targets. They experience frustration. They carry doubts. Visual narratives reveal these layers more naturally. Students develop empathy for the protagonist and begin to see managerial decisions not as puzzles but as experiences shaped by human limits and aspirations.

The BrewBurst comic highlights this well. Mira is not only facing declining retention. She is also confronting her own anxiety as a young manager. Her team is uncertain, and the pressure to deliver grows by the day. A static paragraph might express this, but an illustration allows the emotions to settle in the reader’s mind. Once students feel the problem, their analysis becomes more grounded.

There is a final advantage that is easy to overlook. Comics make learning memorable. Students remember the case long after class not because of the numbers, but because of the scenes. They recall Mira staring at the empty store. They remember the 80–20 panel where the team realizes that a small set of customers drives most revenue. Visual memory is powerful and becomes an anchor for theoretical concepts.

As educators, we often discuss innovation in teaching, yet we assume that innovation must be digital or technological. Sometimes it is simply a new way of telling a story. A comic-style case invites students to learn with curiosity, empathy, and imagination. It reshapes how they experience management problems and allows them to see theory through the lens of human emotion.

Comics are not a replacement for traditional cases. They are an evolution. A way to make learning more accessible. A bridge between cognitive understanding and emotional insight. And perhaps most importantly, a reminder that management is not only about strategy. It is about people, and people live their stories in scenes, not paragraphs.

If a simple illustration can carry students deeper into the heart of a managerial dilemma, then comics deserve a place in our classrooms.