In The Depression Trilogy , the main character Susu suffers from severe depressive episodes. She describes her inner world closely and poetically, representing vividly the feeling of loosing oneself within the illness. Her thoughts are based on the texts written by the storyteller during an extended stay at a mental facility and other stages of her life. The hauntingly beautiful series shows how a prolonged depression can feel like a lifelong partner that comes and goes like a slow wave. You can read the first episode here.
The Depression Trilogy is a part of Comic about Madness -webcomic . The story was written and drawn by a Finnish comic artist & art educator Viivi Rintanen and produced via her storyteller method. In this simple, inclusive method, readers send the creator stories of their real-life experiences of madness or mental illness. Rintanen scripts the stories with the storytellers and draws them into webcomics according to their wishes. The final comics are published in her Comics about Madness -blog (with English subtitles).
Rintanen, her storytellers and the webcomic have a common goal: the blog’s aim is to reduce the stigma of madness, which is a severe social issue even in Finland. These webcomics work also as approachable peer support material and an educational aid for people working in the medical field.
If you have an important international story to tell, feel free to send an confidential email to Viivi at hulluussarjakuvia@gmail.com.
The Depression Trilogy 2/3: An Empty Mind / Comics about Madness 2016
Idea: SusuPetal
Script and art: Viivi Rintanen
Follow C omics about Madness on Instagram (@ viivi_rintanen ) and Facebook !