Self Help

by Owen King, Jesse Kellerman, Marianna Ignazzi (illustrator)

A surreal and colorful world populated with two-faced talk-show hosts, cheerful Finnish mobsters, bloodthirsty white supremacists, snide English butlers, and panther-wielding Euro-trash assassins.
Down-on-his-luck rideshare driver Jerry Hauser’s existence is a bleak one…especially because every fare he picks up tells him how much he looks like uber-successful self-help guru Darren Hart. But after a twist of fate, Jerry is given the chance of a lifetime…which, if he’s not careful, may well end his lifetime. So begins this California noir—a rollicking and gleefully lurid pulp crime story for our time.
Collects SELF HELP #1-5

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Crime

136 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2025

About the author

I'm the author of the novels The Curator and Double Feature, We're All In This Together: A Novella and Stories, co-editor (with John McNally) of the anthology Who Can Save Us Now, and co-author (with Mark Poirier) of the graphic novel Intro to Alien Invasion. I also co-wrote the novel Sleeping Beauties with Stephen King. My most recent work is the ongoing comic book series Self Help, co-written with Jesse Kellerman and illustrated by Mariana Ignazzi.

My wife is the beautiful and mysterious Kelly Braffet. She has written five wonderful books, and the newest is The Broken Tower.

Here are what a couple of my favorite authors were nice enough to say about Double Feature:

“What a kinetic, joyful, gonzo ride—Double Feature made me laugh so loudly on a plane that I had to describe the plot of Sam's Spruce Moose of a debut film (it stars a satyr) to my seatmate by way of explanation. Booth and Sam are an unforgettable Oedipal duo. A book that delivers walloping pleasures to its lucky readers.” - Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!

“Sharp, hilarious, and irreverent, Double Feature is not only a love-letter to cinema, but also a moving exploration of what it means to be an artist. This novel is brilliant, and Owen King is a magician.” - Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies and Arcadia

Reviews

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flirts with being a full 3 but misses that mark. OK but just barely.

[Lucsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this only because it was available without knowing anything about it other than it was written by a King.

At the start of the story, I thought this was going to be a very male-centred and aimed kind of story, but I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome the female characters were. Plus, I loved the way they were drawn too. Pray for Cassandra most of all because she went to Harvard and looks like a queen, only to have to deal with that Jordan Peterson mfer.

I loved how all rich people were f*** ups, liars, grifters and weirdos that often just got lucky or broke the rules to be where they were, and once there, got up to nothing good out of boredom or and/or lack of morals. And considering what King Sr. just tweeted, I'm sure it was very true to life and based on real people and circumstances.

I enjoyed it, it was going to be a strong 3 star, but then I remembered that one of the characters calls Elon Musk an "absolute mfer" so it's a 4 star.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Simon & Schuster and Image Comics for this DRC.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Graphic novel where an Uber-but-not-Uber driver breaks off from stalking the child he's close to yielding in a divorce to put on the persona of someone completely different. For after a short career of all his customers telling him he looks like a smug, bullish, chat show cum lifestyle guru idiot, he gets said idiot in the back of his car. From then on it's trying to act like him – but his much more left-wing, charitable, sociable side keeps coming out and he keeps doing the right thing. Which, when you're in with a much more Republican/criminal set now, is not the right thing…

Good crime stories can be had with the doppelgänger idea, but this is not particularly good – and not especially a crime story. Sure, there's the Finnish mafia – cross them and it's a reindeer head in your bed – and several insalubrious events, but this wants to be more political, showing up the divide between the elephants and the donkeys. And for some reason it doesn't actually remember to do that, or not to do that well – it's only at the end when our man tries on the persona in public (and gets away with it) that there is any pleasure or point here. But five minutes after finishing this I'd forgotten how it ended, and the mish-mash of the Hollywood lifestyle with the criminal mind, the timeline jumping, and the mediocrity throughout, made this a two-star read I'd not rush to have more of.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure if these low ratings are legitimate and the only reviewer says he didn’t even read the book. Which is weird that he would then also rate the book😂

Well anyway the story plot is okay. I think I can see what the writer is trying to do here I just think it plays better in movies then books. You know the style where the story is all over the place but it’s funny, sexualized, and violent. This is an obvious recipe for human entertainment. Thoughtfulness and empathy is not common within the species.

I’ll be surprised if the next volume is better and I’ll read it anyway, I mean, I’m only human.

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self Help is the story of Jerry Hauser who’s a rideshare driver. However, it turns out that Jerry looks very much like TV star Darren Hart, so much so that he regularly gets mistaken for the latter.

As the stars align, Jerry and Darren cross paths. So what can possibly happen next? What follows will change Jerry’s life, but is it all that different in reality?

I would give Self Help 3.5 stars. The first issue is very strong. However, it loses itself a little in the following issues. I was very excited to read this one, but it fell a bit short. I do know more is to come, so I look forward for the next part of the story and hopefully it closes the story off nicely!

[Michael Fredette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self-Help, Owen King and Jesse Kellerman with art by Marianni Ignazzi et. al [Image, 2025].

Self-Help is a graphic novel, which collects a five volume comic series about a ride share driver and ex-con who bears an uncanny resemblance to a self-help guru, whose identity he usurps.

***
Owen King, a graduate of Vassar and Columbia, is the author of Sleeping Beauties (with Stephen King) and The Curator. He lives in New York.

Jesse Kellerman is a graduate of Harvard and Brandeis, and is the coauthor of numerous books with his father Jonathan Kellerman. He lives in Berkeley, California with his family.

Marianna Ignazzi is the illustrator of the comic series An Unkindness of Ravens.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty so-so. The set-up has a down-on-his-luck ex-con who resembles a famous self-help author suddenly in a position to take his place. It's a crime story with some humor, a long-con, prison gangs, and a top Finnish gangster. Sounds like it should be a rollicking good time, but the pacing and storytelling are just a bit off. Owen doesn't write as well as his dad or brother. The art is good but nothing to write home about. Oh, and it turns out this is just the first volume in an ongoing story, so there's no resolution here.

[Joshua Welch · Rating 2 out of 5]

A con artist with a familiar face, this story may have told better in novel form or as an episode of nip tuck but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me in this format. Fate plays tricks on Jerry and takes him from a dead end doom existence to the role of a rich self help guru in the snap of a finger. But the wealthy new role isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A lot of moving parts a lot of information waiting to fall into place and honestly just not a lot of fun.

The art was well done and the pacing was solid but over all the details just didn’t flow well

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A crime drama with no ending. A guy looks like another guy. The other guy is an obnoxious self-help guru. The first guy is a down on his luck con man. Crazy rich people, gangs, all around bad people. Each issue reveals a bit of the characters' past as well as moving the story forward. The writing is good. The art looks good until certain things, like a character throwing a punch, show the artist's limitations.

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was real interesting. Fun and ridiculous, mostly involving a strong black woman and her rich, codependent boss. Lots of gasps and lots of laughs.

What I didn't like (and hence no 5* rating) was the Finnish mobster who had a Count from sesame street accent and a Swedish flag hanging from his castle/mansion.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off to a pretty good start! The premise is interesting and there's a lot of action. It's got a gritty cast of characters and there seems to be a lot of storyline to go. Allegedly, will be continued in another volume, though the internet seems suspiciously devoid of status updates on that at present.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it four stars if they finished it :/ The last page of issue #5 reads “stay tuned for the conclusion of our story, Self Help—Lie Another Day” but there doesn’t seem to be another issue in sight.

[Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get past the fifth page. Not for me.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. I can't wait to read the next volume.

[Josianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork was fantastic! Storytelling was underwhelming.

[Toonfactory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, pulpy, light read

[John of Canada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy story, and to be continued which I hate. Pretty good artwork.

[Hung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice art, fun concept. I was going to give it 4 stars., until it ended on a cliffhanger.