The Bad Doctor by
Cartoonist and doctor Ian Williams takes his stethoscope to Dr Iwan James, a rural GP in need of more than a little care himself. Incontinent old ladies, men with eagle tattoos, traumatised widowers, Iwan's patients cause him both empathy and dismay, further complicated by his feelings for his practise partners: unrequited longing for Dr Lois Pritchard and frustration at the antics of Dr Robert Smith, who will use any means to make Iwan look bad in his presence. Iwan's cycling trips with his friend and mentor, Arthur, provide some welcome relief for him.
Aliceheimer's by
"Alice was always beautiful--Armenian immigrant beautiful, with thick, curly black hair, olive skin, and big dark eyes," writes Dana Walrath. Alice also has Alzheimer's, and while she can remember all the songs from The Music Man, she can no longer attend to the basics of caring for herself. Alice moves to live with her daughter, Dana, in Vermont, and the story begins. Aliceheimer's is a series of illustrated vignettes, daily glimpses into their world with Alzheimer's. Walrath's time with her mother was marked by humor and clarity: "With a community of help that included pirates, good neighbors, a cast of characters from space-time travel, and my dead father hovering in the branches of the maple trees that surround our Vermont farmhouse, Aliceheimer's let us write our own story daily--a story that, in turn, helps rewrite the dominant medical narrative of aging." In drawing Alice, Walrath literally enrobes her with cut-up pages from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She weaves elements from Lewis Carroll's classic throughout her text, using evocative phrases from the novel to introduce the vignettes, such as "Disappearing Alice," "Missing Pieces," "Falling Slowly," "Curiouser and Curiouser," and "A Mad Tea Party." Walrath writes that creating this book allowed her not only to process her grief over her mother's dementia, but also "to remember the magic laughter of that time." Graphic medicine, she writes, "lets us better understand those who are hurting, feel their stories, and redraw and renegotiate those social boundaries. Most of all, it gives us a way to heal and to fly over the world as Alice does." In the end, Aliceheimer's is indeed strangely and utterly uplifting.
Mammoir : a pictorial odyssey of the adventures of a fourth grade teacher with breast cancer by
Part memoir, part fantasy, Mammoir is a full length comic book, whose words and pictures take you on a wild ride through Fussell's experience as a fourth grade Boston teacher diagnosed with breast cancer. Mammoir is exhilarating, whimsical, serious and intense, mirroring the diverse ways cancer manifested in her life that year. The graphics and humorous characters help demystify hospital procedures, and will appeal to anyone who has visited a hospital and not understood a word the doctors have said. In addition, Mammoir is a must-read for all those in education who struggle to reach their students. Finally, this graphic novel might interest those who have had similar experiences dealing with breast cancer. Mammoir weaves the reader in and out of a fourth grade classroom, the hospital, and Fussell's imagination, often suddenly, in the same unpredictable way that she lived her life during that cancer year. The story attempts to convey how a single entity in the universe tries to rise above one of the many irrational situations that are randomly dropped into all of our laps. Get ready. Fasten your seatbelts. Enjoy the ride.
Hey, Kiddo: a Graphic Novel by
The powerful, unforgettable graphic memoir from Jarrett Krosoczka, about growing up with a drug-addicted mother, a missing father, and two unforgettably opinionated grandparents.In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery -- Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents -- two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father. Hey, Kiddo is a profoundly important memoir about growing up in a family grappling with addiction, and finding the art that helps you survive.
Hole in the Heart by
When Henny Beaumont gives birth to her third child, the baby seems no different from her other girls. But when the registrar tells Henry and her husband that the baby might have Down's Syndrome, she knows her life is over. She will have to come to terms with the demands of the child, with both her own and other people's reactions to her. Henry's wit and irony transforms a deeply personal experience into a story that will resonate with every parent. A stunningly honest and poignant book that questions what it really means to be a parent.
Menopause by
Eisner Award Winner for Best Anthology and Best ShortStory New York Times best graphic novel of2020 Booklist best graphic novel for adultsof 2020 Hot flashes. Vaginal atrophy. Socialstigma. The comics in this unapologetic anthology prove that when it comes tomenopause and its attendant symptoms, no one needs to sweat italone. Featuring works by comics luminariessuch as Lynda Barry, Joyce Farmer, Ellen Forney, and Carol Tyler, Menopause isthe perfect antidote to the simplistic, cheap-joke approach that treatsmenopause as a cultural taboo. This anthology challenges stereotypes withperspectives from a range of life experiences, ages, gender identities,ethnicities, and health conditions. Othercontributors include Maureen Burdock, Jennifer Camper, KC Councilor, MKCzerwiec, Leslie Ewing, Ann M. Fox, Keet Geniza, Roberta Gregory, Teva Harrison,Rachael House, Leah Jones, Monica Lalanda, Cathy Leamy, Ajuan Mance, JessicaMoran, Mimi Pond, Sharon Rosenzweig, Joyce Schachter, Susan Merrill Squier,Emily Steinberg, Nicola Streeten, A. K. Summers, Kimiko Tobimatsu, Shelley L.Wall, and Dana Walrath.
COVID Chronicles by
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to itsknees. When we weren't sheltering in place, we were advised to wear masks, washour hands, and practice social distancing. We watched in horror as medicalpersonnel worked around the clock to care for the sick and dying. Businesseswere shuttered, travel stopped, workers were furloughed, and markets dropped.And people continued to die. Amid all thisuncertainty, writers and artists from around the world continued to createcomics, commenting directly on how individuals, societies, governments, andmarkets reacted to the worldwide crisis. COVID Chronicles: A Comics Anthologycollects more than sixty such short comics from a diverse set of creators,including indie powerhouses, mainstream artists, Ignatz and Eisner Awardwinners, and media cartoonists. In narrative styles ranging from realistic tofantastic, they tell stories about adjusting to working from home, homeschoolingtheir kids, missing birthdays and weddings, and being afraid just to leave thehouse. They probe the failures of government leaders and the social safety net.They dig into the racial bias and systemic inequities that this pandemic helpedbring to light. We see what it's like to get the virus and live to tell aboutit, or to stand by helplessly as a loved onepasses. At times heartbreaking and at othershopeful and humorous, these comics express the anger, anxiety, fear, andbewilderment we feel in the era of COVID-19. Above all, they highlight the powerof art and community to help us make sense of a world in crisis, reminding usthat we are truly all in this together. The comicsin this collection have been generously donated by their creators. A portion ofthe the proceeds from the sale of this volume are being donated by the publisherto the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) in support of comics shops,bookstores, and their employees who have been adversely affected by thepandemic.
How I Broke up with My Colon by
Intriguing, weird, and educational true-life medical stories retold in cartoon form by the creator of the bestselling Heart and Brain book series.Mysterious illnesses. Freakish injuries. X-rays revealing something weird that got stuck in your foot. These strange but true stories are among the twenty-four medical tales retold in hilarious fashion by New York Times-bestselling author/illustrator Nick Seluk. Featuring fascinating stories submitted by people all over the world, How I Broke Up with My Colon is an educational and highly entertaining tour through the bizarre workings of the human body."A fun book of bizarre medical maladies. It's not for the squeamish, but if you're interested in the human body and/or the stupid things people sometimes do to theirs, it's a great read." --WeekendNotes"Twenty-four weird medical stories . . . drawn in Selak's trademark adorable anthropomorphism-like style." --Graphic Novelty
Lighter Than My Shadow by
A graphic memoir of eating disorders, abuse, and recovery. Like most kids, Katie was a picky eater. She'd sit at the table in silent protest, hide uneaten toast in her bedroom, listen to parental threats that she'd have to eat it for breakfast. But in any life, a set of circumstances can collide, and normal behavior can soon shade into something sinister, something deadly.Lighter Than My Shadow is a hand-drawn story of struggle and recovery, a trip into the black heart of a taboo illness, an exposure of those who are so weak that they prey on the weak, and an inspiration to anybody who believes in the human power to endure and to eventually find happiness.
Quarantine Comix by
'Funny and sad and relatable and wise - Rachael Smith's Quarantine Comix are like the hug from a friend you didn't know you needed.' Chris Addison 'In a period where every day seemed the same, Rachael found a way to make every day different. A tiny, comforting light of understanding, humour and hope in a dark time.' Kieron Gillen, author and creator of The Wicked + The Divine An award-winning graphic memoir of lockdown life, Quarantine Comix is a funny, tender, heartfelt and insightful look at isolation. Written and drawn every day during the 2020 lockdown and shared online with #QuarantineComix, 2020 Comedy Women in Print-shortlisted Rachael Smith's delightful comics helped people who were isolated all over the world to feel connected. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at others bitter-sweet, philosophical or downright silly, this collection of 200 drawings tells the story of one woman overcoming loneliness and self-doubt with exquisite, wry humour and raw honesty. During a time when many feel anxious and apart from loved ones, Quarantine Comix offers relief in shared experiences. Praise for Stand in Your Power, shortlisted for the 2020 Comedy Women in Print prize: 'Funny, fierce, poignant and reaches the lonely inside us all' Helen Lederer 'Rachael uses humour to address her mental health and she does that successfully.' Jen Brister, author of The Other Mother 'The tone is self-deprecating - she takes a sad situation and creates an invitation to laugh at it.' Hannah Berry, UK Comics Laureate 2019-21 'The execution is one to admire' Janet Ellis 'An important subject turned into pages of visual pathos' Nicola Streeton, LDComic
Marbles Mania, depression, Michelangelo and me : a graphic memoir. by 
Lebanon Is Burning and Other Dispatches by
Essential reading for understanding current events through authoritative Middle East voices from the front lines. "An exciting, informative collection of graphic journalism" - Foreword Much of the present discourse about the pro-democracy Arab uprisings of 2011 paints a bleak picture of their defeat. But the truth is more complicated, and moments of struggle and inspiration still recur despite the overwhelming odds against the movements' success. This collection of short comics documents the political and social unrest in the Middle East during the 2010s in such places as Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Palestine, Sudan, and Bahrain. A collaboration between writer and journalist Yazan Al-Saadi and a lineup of stellar cartoonists from the region--including Tracy Chahwan, Ganzeer, Ghadi Ghosn, Omar Khouri, Sirène Moukheiber, Hicham Rahma, and Enas Satir--this graphic reportage serves as a witness to an era of counterrevolutionary resurgence in which entrenched powers clashed with the people's struggle for self-determination.
Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts by
Fans of Poorly Drawn Lines, Liz Climo, Randall Munroe, and The Oatmeal will love this riotous collection marking the return of optimistic Heart and analytical Brain with over 60 brand-new, never-before-seen comics. Vigorously demanded and highly anticipated, Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts is the follow-up to the tremendously popular New York Times bestseller, Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection. The Awkward Yeti's Heart and Brain comics perfectly illustrate the ongoing, internal struggle betwixt head and heart. Heart and Brain: Gut Instincts features the same lovable characters as the first book and introduces a host of other vital organs like insatiable Tongue, irritable Bowels, and abused Stomach.
