Graphic Medicine
Home / anxiety

Quiet

by

by Fernando Gabriel Sosa   Quiet (2026), written by former mental health nurse, celebrated baker, and author Kim-Joy, and illustrated by Alti Firmansyah, represents a sophisticated expansion of the narrative and therapeutic concerns introduced in Turtle Bread. Shifting the focus from adult community workshops to the high-pressure environment of a near-future secondary school in Manchester (set in 2060), the graphic novel tackles the complex reality of selective mutism, peer harassment, and the double-edged sword of technological interventions in adolescent mental health care. Through a compelling mix of speculative fiction, coming-of-age drama, and graphic medicine, the authors offer a nuanced examination… Read More

Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship

by

by Fernando Gabriel Sosa Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship (2023), written by former mental health nurse and Great British Bake Off finalist Kim-Joy, and illustrated by Alti Firmansyah with colors by Joana Lafuente, offers a poignant, highly empathetic, and visually inventive exploration of social anxiety, self-doubt, and the restorative potential of community. The narrative centers on Yan, a young woman overwhelmed by severe social anxiety, impostor syndrome, and a paralyzing fear of failure. After a job interview goes disastrously wrong due to a panic attack, a chance encounter leads her to… Read More

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure & Escape from St. Hell: My Trans Teen Life Levels Up

by

by Soph Myers-Kelley In addition to being traditional coming-of-age stories, Welcome to St. Hell and Escape from St. Hell centers Lewis Hancox’s experience recognizing he is different than his peers, coming out, and pursuing medical care as a transgender man. As a British high schooler, Lois Hancox (former name) was not out and proud about being transgender. Consequently, we witness conversations with the present-day author and his past self, trying to make sense of the mess of adolescence, high school, bullying, and not fitting in. Finding and being confident in yourself is hard for any teenager, but it’s doubly hard… Read More

MR. GOODCHILD

by

by Felix Cheong   What if the voice in your head isn’t yours? Or worse, what if it is? The first graphic novel by JH Low, a Singapore author/illustrator well known for his children’s picture books, is an unnerving read. I would even go so far as to call it nightmarish. With its empty streets, long shadows and looming architecture, Mr Goodchild is as much a gallery of Giorgio de Chirico-inspired paintings as a graphic novel. It is divided into five sections: “The Voice”, “The Beast”, “Same Old, Same Old”, “Through the Peephole” and an untitled coda. Each section takes… Read More

Lights, Planets, People!

by

by Melanie Anspacher Lights, Planets, People! is a graphic novel based on the author Molly Naylor’s stage play of the same name and illustrated by Lizzy Stewart.  The story follows an astronomer named Maggie Hill who suffers from bipolar disorder and is experiencing severe anxiety.  Maggie reluctantly seeks counseling from a therapist as she prepares to deliver a guest lecture that is intended to inspire young women, a task she finds quite daunting.  Weaving through the present and past as the conversation with her therapist unfolds, she recalls navigating a romantic relationship while pursuing her life’s work to discover exoplanets,… Read More