Guest Book Review by Lorraine Chun Throughout the world, people have suffered tremendous losses during the Covid-19 pandemic. The book, Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder, may be something that people could relate to, especially if they experienced a loss of a close family member. Tyler Feder’s memoir is a beautiful, heartfelt graphic novel dedicated to her mom, and aptly describes the “trappings of cancer” (covering the spectrum from hearing the initial diagnosis and prognosis, to treatment and chemo side effects) and finally, the family fallout after a loved one dies. Tyler, from her memoir, talks about her close relationship she had with her… Read More
New Podcast Episode: Conversation with Maria Photinakis
Maria Photinakis talks to me, Alice Jaggers, about making comics during COVID and after the death of her father and about parenting as a cartoonist. We discuss her works, Extraordinary Times volume 1 and Liminal State. The interview was originally recorded in February 2021. Since the recording, Maria has published COVID19 Vaccination Campaign comics for CIC Health. Extraordinary Times volume 2 is available for preorder. Maria’s website is https://photinakis.com/, where you can order her comics and find her portfolio. This podcast is sponsored by:
Grief and Anger
Guest review by Jasmin Tomlins With a title that speaks to precisely what is discussed within, Grief and Anger by Stefan Salinas is a patient, compassionate, and non-judgmental exploration of several of the ways one of the least socially acceptable expressions of one’s grief in our culture—anger—is found and acted upon within sorrow. While the graphic work has no particular focus on medicine, the medical system and the myriad of caregivers that work within it are addressed in terms of being among those who might be lashed out at and speaks to their genuine desire to be of help…. Read More
Billy, Me & You: A Memoir of Grief and Recovery
Guest review by Dr. Sathyaraj Venkatesan and Anu Mary Peter, National Institute of Technology, India. Review Published in 2011 by Myriad Editions, Billy, Me & You: A Memoir of Grief and Recovery (hereafter Billy, Me & You) is a graphic memoir by Nicola Streeten, an illustrator and academic. Serialized initially in Liquorice magazine, Billy, Me & You was later collected into a graphic novel thirteen years after the death of Billy, author’s first child who died after cardiac surgery at the age of two. Suffused with subtle humor, if the memoir chronicles the complexities of human grief and bereavement it also deftly records the emotional… Read More
New Podcast: These Frames Are Hiding Places
In an interruption of the lectures from Brighton, this week we feature Mita Mahato of the University of Puget Sound. Dr. Mahato recently delivered a lecture at the University of California at Riverside titled, “These Frames Are Hiding Places: Processing Grief Through Comics.” You can see more of Dr. Mahato’s work here. The lecture was supported by UCR’s Center for Ideas and Society, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Workshops in the Humanities. The event was coordinated by Juliet McMullin, who was kind enough to share the audio with Graphic Medicine. Dr. McMullin is a moving force behind UCR’s the Medical Narratives… Read More
Homesick by Jason Walz
Dr Mita Mahato reviews homesick: In 2009, Jason Walz’s mother Linda died from complications related to breast cancer. However, Homesick, Walz’s debut graphic memoir, is not about his mother or her terminal illness so much as it is about coming to terms with the gutting loss he experiences upon her death. While Linda is living (though rapidly deteriorating) through much of the book, Walz narrates from the perspective of losing her—or knowing that he will lose her. The book is built out of a succession of memories that emphasize the isolation and panic that Walz feels during Linda’s final months. … Read More
When David Lost His Voice
not reviewed by GM.org yet. Self Made Hero blurb: “A heartfelt portrayal of a family preparing for life after David” The moment his granddaughter Louise is born, David learns that he has cancer. But words were never his forte, and he’d rather keep quiet about his illness, the pain and the end that awaits him – much to the frustration of the women in his life. They wait, powerless, for the silent but inexorable end. “This is an amazing book, one of the best published by SelfMadeHero so far.” Rachel Cooke – The Observer
Years of the Elephant
Willy Linthout’s only son, Sam, commited suicide in 2004. This remarkable, poignant work follows Linthout’s thinly disguised avatar, Charles Germonprez, through the awful months and years of grief following that tragic event. The lines between reality and fiction, perception and fantasy are blurred as Charles struggles to carry on living without his son, Jack. His wife is present in the strory only as an ‘off screen’ voice, emphasizing the developing gulf between the two bereaved parents, who are trying to cope in their own different ways, their marriage heading towards breakdown. Jack becomes a real presence as the silent, yet… Read More
Mother, Come Home
This is a beautiful book. The whole work is understated and subdued, from the cover to the promotional artwork at the end. An atmosphere of Ware-eque melancholy pervades it, the graphics are all somber colours and clear line style. A father and son struggle to come to terms with the death of the mother, an event that has plunged the father into a deep depression. As only children or oldest siblings are want to do, Thomas, the seven year old son feels great responsibility for much of what goes on, assigning himself a commanding and caring role. He has appointed… Read More