This graphic novel, written by David B., born Pierre-François Beauchard, is an autobiography the author growing up with an epileptic brother. The comic portrays the effect of the illness on the author but also on the lives of the parents and sister. But the story is more than just a portrayal; it is an invitation to see the inner struggles of a middle brother relating to his brother and his brother's illness, dealing with his family's attempts to heal his brother's illness and lastly, trying to make sense of himself in context to the entire situation. David B. comes to terms with his brother's illness by the end of the graphic novel. At the end, the author and his brother speak together of their struggle with the illness and of their personal stories before the seizures. Whether out of his imagination or taken from life, the ending conversation between the two brothers contrasts from the conflicting dialogue the two share throughout the story. David B. concludes that his art, dark and violent, has been a means of understanding his brother's seizures. Heavy shadows and dark creatures created alongside with the personified character of his brother's illness are used to tell the story. As the author comes to terms with his brother seizures, this is transfered over into his art, and the landscape, characters and patterns become less. The details of each panel become less complex, less crowded and more singular. The author's brother, Jean-Christopher was not the only one to influence his brother's art. The most notable of David B.'s influences are Georges Pichard and Jacques Tardi, however, in the graphic novel, David B. makes references to other influences such as the stories his parents told him, the stories of his grandparents, the history books he read at his grandparents place and stories from esoteric writers.
But what significant does Epileptic (L'Ascension du Haut Mal) have within the history autobiographical graphic novel genre? Its most exceptional feature is the seamless connection between words and image; the use of imagery to enhance and continue the story forward. Gordon Mcalpin perhaps states it best when he writes that Epileptic, "transcends literalist storytelling techniques, employing nonrepresentational imagery to convey larger truths than any filmic reconstruction could manage." There is a balance between the words and images but for the most part, the story springs out the images. Epileptic has been compared with Spiegelman's Maus and Eisner's Contract with God (Foyles Review). Perhaps it comes as no surprise that David B. was also the mentor and teacher of Marjane Satrapi, the creator of Persepolis (Wolk 2005)). But this book is suited for adults with its themes of spiritualism, despair and exploration of the unknown.
As David B. illustrates the chaos the seizures has on his brother, his family and himself, he also creates order within the story through panels and gutters. However, there are several instances in the story where there are no panels or gutters, and it is here that the semblance of order that the author creates with rigidly structured panels is lost. This is particularly illustrated in a two page spread (see example below) where David B. speaks about the stories he wrote on the weekends, that when reread, made no sense, and had a "feverish confused quality to these stories, they mainly comprise a bulwark against sorrow." This is illustrated with the lack of panels and the characters of this stories are placed all over the page. The narrative boxes appear to give some sense of order, although this may be a false sense of order since they are scroll-like boxes, thus no rigid shape.
Panels arranged create order, but within the panels themselves illustrated disorder resides. Fighting at all levels is woven throughout the story. Fascinated by war, David B. battles the epilepsy that has invaded his family's life. Epilepsy, in the form of a intricately designed serpent, is shown consuming Jean-Christopher at various levels. There are moments in the narrative where David B. sees no difference between the serpent and his brother. They have become one. Armor is also another prevalent aspect to the story. David B. draws armor, draws soldiers in armor, is shown in armor, and at one point in the story, makes himself a suit of armor. His narration speaks of armor as a protection against his family's eccentric attempts to cure Jean-Christopher's illness, his brother and his epilepsy. However at one point, even the armor cannot protect him from loneliness.
The entire book of Epileptic is set in black and white, except for the yellow used on the cover of both the English and French versions. There could be several reasons Epileptic is set in black and white. Showing contrast within the story, representations of good verses evil, but perhaps the main reason is because of the incredible detail of the drawings themselves. Introduction of color would perhaps overpower the readers sight and draw attention away from the imagery itself. David B. takes advantage of depth perception, showing lengthly shadows, landscape shots, and minuscule detail of close ups. However, one must note that the English version of the book is a smaller version of the French print and may have an affect on the reading of the graphic novel. Originally published in four 7.5" x 10.2" volumes, the English version was sized down to a more comfortable 6.8" x 8.9" size. Mcalip makes note that the smaller size of the graphic novel has left out some of the more intricate lines of B.'s illustrations, but the exchange is worthwhile.
The arrangement of the panels within Epileptic are similar to the serpent-like seizures that plague Jean-Christopher. Most of the panels follow an order. Yet it appears when the fighting and the chaos in the panels becomes too overwhelming, it shoves the panels out of order and creates its own pattern, its own sense of order. There are several instances where the picture bleeds to the edge of the page. This appears more so around the end of the book when David B.'s armor appears to lose its relevance in adulthood. And there are pages where the bleeding happens within the panels (see right).
Since Epileptic covers several decades, David B. summarizes each situation with an introduction and then a reflection of self to those situations. However, there are some happenings that B. illustrates moment by moment (McCloud 70) to connect with the statement made. For instance, "every day we know we're going to be confronted by his illness," is illustrated moment by moment in an entire page (see left). This is a common method B. uses in illustrating the every day placing of epilepsy in their lives, from the privacy of their home to the outside of home and the scrutiny of the public.
A second method B. uses just as much as moment by moment paneling is subject by subject paneling. The point of of this style of paneling is the subject stays within the scene or idea. McCloud points out that a "degree of reader involvement [is] necessary to render these transitions meaninful" (71). There are several styles of paneling found in Epileptic, however, these two panel styles are the most used. The drawing style is perhaps the defining point of Epileptic. Intricate details in the bodies of the people, objects and monsters are found throughout the entire book. The use of shadowing to show deep emotion and darkness combined with the use of white to contrast with those shadows. The use of patterns are Escher-like in their appearance and the depth of patterns draws the readers into the complexity of the story.
Epileptic is a rather contradictory choice. It is a story of pain and sorrow. It is a tale of self-doubt and self-preservation. It is an awkward moment that reveals the intimate inner workings of a man, armored as a child but vulnerable as an adult. Lastly, it is David B. inviting the world into the bedroom of his mind. But the story is more than representation of one man and his life, it is also about his ability to create the images, the people and creatures to tell his story more accurately. The fantastical monsters with their labyrinthine designs, the ornate landscape that hold the roots of these creatures, all are used in telling the story David B.'s life and the constant struggle within and without.
As David B. illustrates the chaos the seizures has on his brother, his family and himself, he also creates order within the story through panels and gutters. However, there are several instances in the story where there are no panels or gutters, and it is here that the semblance of order that the author creates with rigidly structured panels is lost. This is particularly illustrated in a two page spread (see example below) where David B. speaks about the stories he wrote on the weekends, that when reread, made no sense, and had a "feverish confused quality to these stories, they mainly comprise a bulwark against sorrow." This is illustrated with the lack of panels and the characters of this stories are placed all over the page. The narrative boxes appear to give some sense of order, although this may be a false sense of order since they are scroll-like boxes, thus no rigid shape.
Panels arranged create order, but within the panels themselves illustrated disorder resides. Fighting at all levels is woven throughout the story. Fascinated by war, David B. battles the epilepsy that has invaded his family's life. Epilepsy, in the form of a intricately designed serpent, is shown consuming Jean-Christopher at various levels. There are moments in the narrative where David B. sees no difference between the serpent and his brother. They have become one. Armor is also another prevalent aspect to the story. David B. draws armor, draws soldiers in armor, is shown in armor, and at one point in the story, makes himself a suit of armor. His narration speaks of armor as a protection against his family's eccentric attempts to cure Jean-Christopher's illness, his brother and his epilepsy. However at one point, even the armor cannot protect him from loneliness.
Epileptic is a rather contradictory choice. It is a story of pain and sorrow. It is a tale of self-doubt and self-preservation. It is an awkward moment that reveals the intimate inner workings of a man, armored as a child but vulnerable as an adult. Lastly, it is David B. inviting the world into the bedroom of his mind. But the story is more than representation of one man and his life, it is also about his ability to create the images, the people and creatures to tell his story more accurately. The fantastical monsters with their labyrinthine designs, the ornate landscape that hold the roots of these creatures, all are used in telling the story David B.'s life and the constant struggle within and without.
