Welcome to Litsy!

I raved about Thorogood's graphic narrative over the weekend & it has displaced one my selections for #bestof2025 (Barry Windsor-Smith's raw & gritty Wolverine: Weapon X). It's Lonely etc was a ceaselessly surprising, deeply touching portrait of an artist's lifelong mental health struggles & the solace & freedom they were able to find in art. This is one I will be recommending for awhile.

I loved this graphic narrative of a young artist as they struggle with their own work & mental health issues. It's Lonely At etc is one of the most creative graphic narratives I have read in awhile, but there is a strong emotional & personal core throughout so it never becomes tedious or overly cerebral. Instead, it is a surprising exploration of mental health & the power of art. Just absolutely remarkable.

Dark, brutally honest. Expressive and impactful art. Thorogood uses a variety of styles and images to depict her struggles with suicidal depression and finding her way as a young adult and burgeoning artist/author.

I don't know how to properly review this. I feel like it requires multiple reads or a slow, contemplative one. Topics include suicide ideation, communication, depression, self-worth, relationships with self and others, creativity and creation. The art is wonderfully varied to convey different ideas. The narration is very meta and very personal, but I think the message is universal, especially post-2020, even if you don't struggle with depression.

Autobiographic graphic novel by a talented comic book artist who has struggled with depression and suicide since childhood. She depicts her various selves conversing about the book and about her past, and also shows the monster that constantly follows her and tries to drag her down. https://cannonballread.com/2023/08/its-lonely-at-the-centre-of-the-earth-an-auto...

An inconsequential tiny piece of a much larger picture....

Pensions. Joys of...

This metafictional, autobiographical graphic memoir about depression and suicidal ideation is intense and ingenious in equal measure—and incredibly dark. Recommended for those in a good place with their mental health who have consulted content warnings.

A weird piece of meta-nonfiction exploring several weeks in Zoey's life. She deals with depression, suicide ideation, imposter syndrome, buckets of self-loathing, and navigating the pitfalls of social life. Her illustrations are vivid and really show how she's feeling both in the moment and long-term. I really like the monster that represents her mental health. #Nonfiction #GraphicMemoir #Comic #MentalHealth

^^p17 I just have to make it through this month. I will be happy after this. I‘ll prove it. I will be HAPPY.

^^ p81 I can be anything on the page.

^^Those beautiful Klimtesque/woodcut curls!

Hidden face, falling, sliced identity, anonymity.

Lots of metanarrative, interruptions, layering of stories. Character development shown through repeated returns to coffee shop, evolving interactions. A very self-aware narrative.

Autobiographical graphic novel recording six++ months in cartoonist‘s life through isolated period of COVID. Effective mix of styles from stick figures to realism to photos. Invites reader to draw a page. Depression=gloomy mountain figure. Scenes w/ child & teen selves. Struggle with self-worth, fear of slip to narcissism. Tough subjects, but lovely, hopeful. Self-discovery, ambition, self-deprecation, generational trauma, suicidal ideation. 2022

Doing my bit to support local business!

Rick & Morty comic from Travelling Man, York (OK, a chain, but a small chain!)

It's lonely... from Page 45, Nottingham. (The people who work there are so lovely and enthusiastic... it makes you want to buy everything 😄)

Examines the isolating identities of being an artist, both as a necessary creative outlet and an anxiety-ridden source of income, and being a person living with depression.The art is incredible, both in quality and variance in tones, and I can appreciate how she expresses what she's going through, but I think there's a deeper level other readers might connect to if they're artists or are/have been depressed. Warning: suicidal ideation, attempts.