Marbles -- Take 2

The more I read graphic novels, the more I like them.  They aren't greater or lesser than prose works, they're just different.  Could this story have been told in words?  Yes.  Could it have been just as revealing about life with bipolar disorder?  I think so.  But would it have been the same experience to read the written words?  I think not.

Marbles as written benefited from the author's use of the graphic platform. During her manic periods, the images are packed with action and words, often apparently unconnected to one another.  During her depressed phases, the images are plain, simple, stark, sometimes a single drawing per page.

It's an excellent use of this medium to illustrate the contents of the author's brain, not to mention an illuminating look into the life of someone who's been diagnosed and is learning to live with bipolar disorder.

And a special bonus of graphic novels: it's nice to feel like you accomplished something by reading this big book in an hour or two!