Epileptic

David B.

Most people who are going to read this probably have already, but for the rest of you, this is a final plea…

Epileptic is an important multi-layered work. David B. leaves himself naked and exposed, showing tender moments and his inner-most dark thoughts alike to demonstrate how his brother’s illness has effected him and his family.

Jean-Christophe began having epileptic seizures at age eleven, after a childhood where he grew close to David (then Pierre-Francois). They were violent, terrifying episodes that caused his family to seek some form of treatment, pulling each member into various new age scenes, from macrobiotic communities to alchemy. Amid all of the stress and false hopes, David explores his family’s history through war times and his growth as an artist. Many metaphors demonstrate what Jean-Christophe’s disease means to his family, which really becomes a disease that stalks them all individually, isolating them and creating demons for each of them to grapple with. Meanwhile, the disease progresses as those who love Jean-Christophe watch him go through a disheartening transformation as the distance stretches between them.

Among David B’s gorgeous pencils, we are treated to an autobiographical experience like no other, and one that everyone should take the time to indulge. This is one of the big ones. A