Susie Gander’s Perrywinkle comic was borne out of her own battle with cancer and having seen the “C” word hit my own family, I was keen to see how this would shape up.
It jumps straight into the heart of the whole situation as the wait for a diagnosis in among a series of hospital visits plays out , showing us the crushing weight that has when facing the unknown. The way Susie deals with this is just amazing as her own personal superhero arrives in the form of the titular Perrywinkle and the metaphorical fight of good vs evil takes things head-on.
The road ahead of Susie becomes a grey area that she faces alongside her husband, family and Perrywinkle with an immensely positive frame of mind. The chemo takes her physical form to the depths and having seen cancer & chemo first hand in my own family, this became a stark reminder of the type of struggle far too many people go through on a daily, weekly, yearly, lifetime basis. That being said, a creative outlet like comics helps capture the defiant streak in our central character and one of the most successful elements of this story is how she clings to normalcy in the face of the disease & the treatment.
While the story is very personal the creative process & the art that’s poured into it have the same feeling of purpose from Susie and this all becomes a heartfelt & thrilling ride that’s full of hope. Robin Jones sweeps in on lettering duties as he adds his typically professional skills to another important indie release. Empowering, hopeful and ultimately beautiful…..this is a superhero story wrapped in an autobiography with more honesty than you could ever imagine and further proof that not all heroes where capes.
You can (& must) check out the Perrywinkle website & facebook page for more info on the title and get hold of a copy through the Comichaus website or App. Keep updated with Susie over on Twitter too.
10/10
G-Man
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