Abstract

This article examines migration as a visual language of memory through a comparative analysis of Shaun Tan’s The Arrival (2006) and Thi Bui’s The Best We Could Do (2017). Both works employ graphic storytelling to convey the often-inexpressible experiences of displacement, generational trauma, and cultural transmission through visual forms that represent memory. In The Arrival, Tan employs wordless images, allegorical landscapes, and surreal symbolism to make the migrant experience universal, highlighting the emotional aspects of feeling estranged and finding a sense of belonging. In contrast, Bui’s memoir combines documentary-style panels, family portraits, and shifting timelines to portray the intergenerational echoes of the Vietnam War and refugee escape. These works demonstrate how visual language navigates the balance between personal and collective memory, creating spaces where silence, fragmentation, and imagination serve as tools of remembrance. By placing migration stories within visual memory practices, the article argues that these works show how graphic literature can reshape archives of trauma and resilience, revealing the intimate and transnational layers of migration.