Literally Graphic reviewed Marbles by Ellen Forney
Review of 'Marbles' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
A light fast read, Forney certainly risks coming across as shallow at times. Whisking us through emotional ups and downs that seem to have little if any real economic impact on her life. Not that money is the most important thing, but I was struck by how lucky Forney (and in many ways myself as well) is. Being bipoler destroys peoples lives, and I didn't really feel like she did that aspect of it quite enough justice.
That said, considering her final conclusion, I'm tempted to say her optimism is somewhat intrinsic to the overall message of the book - which is TAKE YOUR MEDS! Something either extremely popular or extremely not popular depending on what groups you move in - it can be rather disturbing how much people still associate craziness with creativity. Romanticizing things like suicide and suffering is never a good idea.
As far as the art …
A light fast read, Forney certainly risks coming across as shallow at times. Whisking us through emotional ups and downs that seem to have little if any real economic impact on her life. Not that money is the most important thing, but I was struck by how lucky Forney (and in many ways myself as well) is. Being bipoler destroys peoples lives, and I didn't really feel like she did that aspect of it quite enough justice.
That said, considering her final conclusion, I'm tempted to say her optimism is somewhat intrinsic to the overall message of the book - which is TAKE YOUR MEDS! Something either extremely popular or extremely not popular depending on what groups you move in - it can be rather disturbing how much people still associate craziness with creativity. Romanticizing things like suicide and suffering is never a good idea.
As far as the art went I really appreciated how fun and frolicking it felt. Forney jumps around a little bit in style to reflect the mood of each chapter or page. The fact that it's all very simple black and white cartooning not only helps keep things calm despite these changes, but also ties everything back together rather nicely. The layouts are different for each page, but everything seems perfectly orchestrated to reflect the state of mind Forney is trying to relate at the time.
