Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Epilepsy as metaphor
Well this graphic novel had its moments, but would not put it in same category as Blankets. As with all narrative art forms, a graphic novel needs a narrative. Instead Epileptic jumps back and forth in time, while discusses macrobiotics & quacks & charlatans & illness as a metaphor to be fought in battle armor. At one point, I just wanted to shout - don't you believe in Western medicine?!? Finally towards the end, the authour's brother does try some medicine from the United States that stops his symptoms, but makes him psychotic.
Kept waiting for some grand revelation, but instead the denouement is just a dream meeting with the brother, with the authour stating how he wished he could have battled the illness & beaten it, while the brother says he'd rather still ill & be taken care of by his mother all his life.
Part of the problem is the length - 361 pages - how many dreams & false treatments & seizures & battle depictions of conquerors, and mystical companion sequences do we really need? Surely the authour could have gotten the message across in half the length.
Fine art work that could have just used an editor to provide a better story arc.
Kept waiting for some grand revelation, but instead the denouement is just a dream meeting with the brother, with the authour stating how he wished he could have battled the illness & beaten it, while the brother says he'd rather still ill & be taken care of by his mother all his life.
Part of the problem is the length - 361 pages - how many dreams & false treatments & seizures & battle depictions of conquerors, and mystical companion sequences do we really need? Surely the authour could have gotten the message across in half the length.
Fine art work that could have just used an editor to provide a better story arc.
