by Kristina Bowers Josephine Mark’s graphic novel My Trip with Drip tells the story of a shy, determined bunny and a gruff, lone wolf who embark on a journey through the forest to escape a vengeful hunter and, along the way, discover what it means to care and be cared for. Originally published (2022) in the author’s native German, and later translated to English, My Trip with Drip has been recognized for its excellence in German children’s literature, winning the Max and Moritz Award for Best Comic for Children award in 2022. Mark’s cinematic framing and visual gags add as… Read More
Quiet
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 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
The Tumor in the Clay
By Paul Flippen Graphic Medicine is presently established well enough as a field to enjoy an avant garde. We have exemplary works of personal narrative offering glimpses into direct experience with the medical community. We have important nonfiction contributions that educate, explain, or elucidate. With The Tumor in the Clay by Nick Francis, we now also have a poetic work that communicates an intersection of health and humanity through metaphor (and dazzling visuals). Lacking text narration, the graphic novel retains legibility through a flexible four panel layout of stacked horizontal frames whose aspect ratio comfortably alludes to cinematic storytelling…. Read More
The Mongoose
by Annemarie Jutel The Mongoose is a tightly drawn, absorbing story of suffering. It uses, as do many graphic works, an animal/spirit as metaphor for the troubles of the main character. Just as the black dog, dragon, jellyfish, hawk, and even Danger Pickle, it is a common trope to depict an external creature with agency as a stand in for the pain of the human protagonist. In The Mongoose, we watch Júlia suffer. As we turn the pages, we pick up more information about the cause of Júlia’s distress. She lies in bed; her mother comes to cheer her up… Read More