American review of ‘Depresso’

Interesting review by Alison Frank in the American arts magazine, Afterimage, of the ‘That’s Novel…’ comics exhibition that included displays from ‘Depresso’. In her paragraph featuring the book, she talks about about my characters and the way they are drawn (see below), something critics rarely comment on. As someone who has spent most of his cartooning career focusing on the disenfranchised, I suppose it was inevitable my pen would portray folk as ‘vulnerable and sympathetic’, but even the baddies in my ‘toons appear to have redeeming features, even if I think otherwise about them in real life!

Another section explored the way in which the medium can be used to cope with mental illness. Brick’s Depresso (2010) recounts the artist’s experience with depression and the pressures it placed on his job and marriage. The slightly childlike and caricatured style of illustration makes the characters appear all the more vulnerable and sympathetic, increasing the story’s impact. By abstracting real life through illustration, Brick’s graphic novel relativizes depression—however crippling and all-consuming the illness can be, it is described as transitory—something best endured with patience (and even humor).

To obtain the full article go to Afterimage.