Side Effects , published by Aftershock Comics and winner of Pop Culture Classroom ’ s 2023 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award , introduces Hannah , a fictional character whose late adolescent effort to gain self-sufficiency . Entering college with anxiety that sends her toward a mental health breakdown , she turns toward clinical support in lieu of the social support she had had as a dependent child and teen . Familiar to many neurodiverse teens and young adults , the assistance offered by the mental health staff includes a cycling regimen of prescriptions that leave her suffering from a panoply of unhappy side effects , many physical . The creative team of Ted Anderson and Tara O ’ Connor show and tell Hannah ’ s experiences right through her successful negotiation of taking ownership back to move ahead toward independence . We see Hannah ’ s world — and her expressive postures and face , relationships and preoccupations , so clearly that we go with her into her cycle of medication experiences .
Adults may see themselves and loved ones reflected in Monstermind : Deal-ing with Anxiety and Self-doubt by Alphonso Casas and published by Ablaze . Here , too , mental illness has center stage . However , the evocative imagery — from which the title is drawn — can also speak to those whose neurodivergent perspectives find themselves beset by a world — whether inner or outer — inhabited by such monsters as Mr . Imposter Syndrome or The Insecure . Panels here are elongated and crowded , just as internalized monsters can , indeed , feel .
Also for adults and coming this year from Graphic Mundi is Traces of Madness , written by Fernando Balius with evocative pen and wash art by Mario Pellejer . While this is a memoir of schizophrenia , there are distinct elements those who identify as mentally healthy neurodivergent will applaud
on their own behalf . After realizing the nature of what his schizophrenia could entail whether medicated or unmedicated , the author discovered a support system of others who are living with elements of the condition he experiences . He and readers are introduced to the organized and activist Hearing Voices Congress , an international gathering of those who experience auditory hallucinations . While healthy neurodivergent people aren ’ t hallucinating , they , too , are finding peers and peer support through organizations they run for themselves and to support their subjective experiences in a neurotypical world . And graphic novels like this provide suggestion and hope that such organizations — such opportunities to belong — are available .
Coming later this year from Fairsquare Comics , Lou Lubie ’ s A Fox in My Brain shows as well as tells what it feels like to experience the bipolar symptom of cyclothemia — and how the cartoonist learned to meet its intrusions to get past them in the shared world of work , family , and relationships . Having a demanding wild animal scramble through her perceptions of the world , it turns out , can get better .
Narratives communicated through sequential art give both creatives and readers access to shared worlds in which one ’ s own perceptions seem to differ from neurotypical expectations . Comics move the lens from making neurodiverse , as well as those who struggle with elements of such conditions as bipolar experience , obsessive compulsion , and other diagnostic characterizations , from an object of neurotypical and / or professional evaluation to the power to use self-expression to reach the neurotypical world . This movement is being honored by publishers as well as those who create comics displays and bibliographies for libraries and bookshops . Such lists , of course , become dated as the area of publishing and collection expand . However , they suggest excellent starting places for those seeking perspectives of where we are now and identifying creatives and publishers who are ready to take us further .
Each of these library lists provides annotations as well as complete bibliographic information :
Comics , Manga and Graphic Novels : Ability , Neurodiversity , Mental Health and Graphic Medicine from James A . Cannavino Library , Marist College https :// libguides . marist . edu / c . php ? g = 1138392 & p = 8306877
Graphic Medicine : Neuroscience / Neurodiversity from Upstate Medical University https :// guides . upstate . edu / graphicmedicine / neuro
Graphic Novels with Neurodiverse Topics , Characters , Authors from the Washington County Cooperative Library System https :// wccls . bibliocommons . com / list / share / 1405961787 / 1593584469
ABOUT THE CREATOR : FRANCISCA GOLDSMITH is a librarian who has been working with graphic novels and readers for the past 35 years . She writes on the topic frequently as well as teaching , discussing , and just plain discovering more in the medium .
diamondbookshelf . org 21