Epileptic

David B is incredibly talented. Hailing from France, DB recounts the incredible story of experiences of himself, his family, and but mostly his older brother that has very serious epilepsy. It is personal and very detailed but the story never gets boring. The epileptic brother suffered a great. He had scars and injuries from falling and seizures. No medicines would work. They tried various treatments beyond western medicine, for instance macrobiotics, which prompted them to spend time in macrobiotic commune. The illness was relentless. In the end, "Epilectic" is not just well-written and drawn, it is a fascinating and journal about a world most of us never imaged. DB portrays his brother sympathetically; at the same time the reader feels the sacrifices and disruption to family life having a profoundly disabled child. I'm glad that DB took the time to record in way to make it vivid and memorable.

the only prior experience i brought to this reading of a graphic novel was 'jimmy corrigan: the smartest boy in the world,' which is why amazon recommended it to me. ultimately, i think that the genre is all that connects them. this book is much more intimate, personal, passionate, and chilling. all things 'smartest' wanted to be but only got 4/5's of the way there.i myself am an epileptic and there are fewer diseases that this book relates to than just ones that are 'out of control.' the effects of epilepsy are far more psychological than physical. where a cancer victim is at the mercy of the disease and body, the epileptic, like many schizophrenics is affronted by dark and sinister shadows, lurking demons. however, it's one thing for an epileptic to be able to voice this. i find it amazing that David B., the brother and author, found so many ways of accurately depicting the demons' influence and sympathetically already fighting in his own way to overcome them with the tools of a child. both graphically and through the course of the story you learn of the ways the family and David B. adapt to confront the shadow, though the epilepsy ultimately remains intractable.another thing about this book that opened my eyes, is that for the epileptic, the story is told in first, second, and third person. for the family member, where it may always seems superficially to be a disease to which the family remains a third party, one may realize the struggles endured that were ignored. if i were to ask my mother how it felt for her to go through many of the struggles faced in this book, she might not think much of them. but upon reading and seeing the struggles afresh, she might realize that she had much more at stake than anyone, even herself, gave her credit.this book is so moving and deep because of David B.s ability to so comprehensively annotate each of five family members struggle. the autobiographical aspect takes a backseat to the chronicling of a dark disease that is never cured, much like alcoholism, but only ever treated and hoped against. the ending is particularly potent on this point: it is a tenuous grasp that is held to consciousness, and a varying relationship any of us have to reality, but when we hold together we arent scattered below. .mfg

None of the individuals portrayed in this story emerge intact, including the author David B. I was left with the impression that either David B. is so fully aware of this that he purposely (and perhaps brilliantly) avoided communicating how messed up everyone in his family is, or that they are so messed up that he has no idea how messed up they are. Clearly he is angry at his family for spending his entire childhood revolving around his brother and his illness, but that's perfectly normal for someone who has grown up with a seriously ill family member. But David B's self awareness seems to end there. The damage is more extreme and disturbing because his family's approach to illness and guilt is more extreme and disturbing. This book is not "light reading" in any sense - There were times when I was only able to take in a page or two in a sitting. The art is so rich and complex and the story is so complicated, I needed to take breaks or I wouldn't know what I was reading anymore. The book is brilliant, beautifully translated from French, and like nothing I've ever read.

I think my favorite thing about this graphic novel is the line work, which helps to bring the story to life as much as the images formed by the lines. I read through it quickly, a fault, since the art deserves a longer gaze. I felt I understood David B.'s character through all his ages and different reactions to growing up with a brother whose troubles affected everything. Definitely worth a read and at least another look-through to really marvel at the art.

Excellent graphic novel. The visual style looks almost like a relief or cave painting. Unlike superhero comics it doesn't make excessive use of perspective, and instead flattens everything into a very 2D feel. The story is moving and very frank about how siblings can mistreat each other, even (or especially) in the face of illness.

I'm not usually a reader of graphic novels, but this book does a great job using illustrations to help tell the story. This book is a heartbreaking story about a young boy with schizophrenia and his family's unrelenting pursuit to find treatment. This book gives great insight to the social aspect of disease, how it can affect not only the person with it, but also their friends and family.

A wonderfully rich tapestry memoir story filled with Magical Realism, family feud, and wonder. The characters are interesting, and the scenes are gorgeous. Only, one thing prevents this work from reaching legendary status. The author simply doesn't give you time to breathe. David B. serves up such wonderful imagery. Course after course of incredible moments, and intriguing anecdotes. But it feels like more of an onslaught than a feast. Beautiful? Sure. Would I read it again? Doubtful.

A bit hard to read. Lettering is too small and pictures are too packed in.

This one is as visually interesting than a great read. You need this graphic novel in your collection

This is a beautiful story of a family going through something tragic, and trying to make the best of it, given the circumstances and the times.

"its good"