Hyperbole and a Half: Adventures in Depression & Depression part 2

Allie Brosh is a online artist whom since Aprill 2010 (Brosh, 2011) makes a living from drawing and writing silly, depressing and yet hilarious stories from her past, that are told very dramatically (hyperbolically, even) and they are told through her perspective at the time the story occurred (Brosh, 2011). S he uses a Wacom Tablet to create the works on paint, and although they look childish, her efforts to make them look that way are deliberate, as she states 'Bad drawings are hilarious.' (Brosh, 2011) and it often takes her several attempts to get them to look that way. (Brosh, 2011).

It's clear that her work is based on her past, the work has a very human honesty to it that an audience can relate to on a emotional and humorous level. Brosh is evidently knowledgable on visual storytelling also, as the panels here show. Keeping the same shot, with minimal changes such as facial expression shows the repetitive boredom that the character is feeling as does the gray, lifeless colour pallet. Also in doing this, she leaves time to deliver the end of the sentence or morbid punchline and gives room for suspension to build, making it funnier. The drawings are so simple but every inch of them are the way they are for a reason, and the simplicity mirrors the child like helplessness of depression. Every panel and sentence can be evaluated like this and an explanation for everything involved will be found. 

With a unique style and quirky sense of humour, Brosh tells the story of her depression, and in doing so raises a lot of awareness on the illness. This works so well because whilst being sympathetic, it also it very honest and darkly funny, bringing in a large audience of people who are there for the humour, and learn during. This tells us that by creating a comic on mental health comic, but keeping it fun and entertaining, it can raise a large amount of awareness and help the understanding of mental health. If this can be done with a subject as dark, harrowing and awful as depression and suicide, it can work with anything. Although my practical piece will  be more focused on displaying the reality of these issues, capturing the atmosphere and visualising the mental state of mind, this work proves that a comic on depression can easily be a light hearted, fun read. Something I will take into extended practice. 

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/depression-part-two.html