3
Jun
2010
Epileptic by David B.
I don’t often talk explicitly about the art when reviewing graphic novels. To me, the art is usually secondary to the story (and the writing thereof). But the art in David B.’s Epileptic blew my mind.
Imagine pages and pages of surreal doodles put together into a narrative. And what’s more, it’s all true.
David B. starts out in his early childhood, when his older brother was first diagnosed as having epilepsy.
The way he depicts the disease, and the various (mostly homeopathic) treatments his family seeks is at times chilling and at times hilarious.
David’s brother recedes farther and farther into his illness as he gets older. The narrative has always been from David’s perspective, even as they become estranged as adults.
But like I said, it’s really in the pictures that the story comes to life. Here are a couple of ways that David B. depicts the illness:
See? Crazy awesome, right?
If I had one complaint, it’d be that it was a little bit too long. Coming in at 361 pages, it’s pretty hefty for a graphic novel.
If you like this book/author, you might like:
(my reviews in blue)
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Blankets by Craig Thompson
Black Hole by Charles Burns
Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Other works by David B.*:
Nocturnal Conspiracies: Nineteen Dreams From December 1979 to September 1994
Babel Vol. 1
Babel Vol. 2
*This list only includes what has been published in English
I could see myself looking at these drawings for quite a while … there is a lot going on there.
I’ve had this on my wishlist for SO long. I’m really glad you liked it. For me, it’s hard to separate the graphics from the writing in a graphic novel. I actually think I focus more on the graphics than the writing as the writing can sometimes be a little terse (depending on the author). I agree these illustrations are fantastic!
I absolutely loved this novel and complete agree — the graphics are fantastic!