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The Bad Doctor #1
The Bad Doctor
Cartoonist and doctor Ian Williams introduces us to the troubled life of Dr Iwan James, as all humanity, it seems, passes through his surgery door.
Incontinent old ladies, men with eagle tattoos, traumatised widowers – Iwan’s patients cause him both empathy and dismay, as he tries to do his best in a world of limited time and budgetary constraints, and in which there are no easy answers. His feelings for his partners also cause him grief: something more than friendship for the sympathetic Dr Lois Pritchard, and not a little frustration at the prankish and obstructive Dr Robert Smith.
Iwan’s cycling trips with his friend Arthur provide some welcome relief, but even the landscape is imbued with his patients’ distress. As we explore the phantoms from Iwan’s past, we too begin to feel compassion for The Bad Doctor, and ask what is the dividing line between patient and provider?
Wry, comic, graphic, from the humdrum to the tragic, his patients’ stories are the spokes that make Iwan’s wheels go round in this humane and eloquently drawn account of a doctor’s life.
Incontinent old ladies, men with eagle tattoos, traumatised widowers – Iwan’s patients cause him both empathy and dismay, as he tries to do his best in a world of limited time and budgetary constraints, and in which there are no easy answers. His feelings for his partners also cause him grief: something more than friendship for the sympathetic Dr Lois Pritchard, and not a little frustration at the prankish and obstructive Dr Robert Smith.
Iwan’s cycling trips with his friend Arthur provide some welcome relief, but even the landscape is imbued with his patients’ distress. As we explore the phantoms from Iwan’s past, we too begin to feel compassion for The Bad Doctor, and ask what is the dividing line between patient and provider?
Wry, comic, graphic, from the humdrum to the tragic, his patients’ stories are the spokes that make Iwan’s wheels go round in this humane and eloquently drawn account of a doctor’s life.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2014
12 people are currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Ian Williams
3 books26 followersIan Williams is a comics artist, writer and doctor who lives in Brighton. His graphic novel, The Bad Doctor, was published in 2014 and followed up in 2019 by The Lady Doctor. Both were critically acclaimed and he is working on his third, for the same publishers, provisionally entitled The Sick Doctor, which will be published in 2022. He studied Fine Art after medical school and then became involved in the Medical Humanities movement. He named the area of study called Graphic Medicine, building the eponymous website in 2007, which he currently co-edits. He is Founder of the not-for-profit Graphic Medicine International Cooperative and co-author of the Eisner-nominated Graphic Medicine Manifesto. He has been the recipient of several grants has contributed to numerous medical, humanities, and comics publications, has sat on the board of a number of arts and humanities organisations and is currently an affiliated researcher to the Centre for Memory, Narrative and Histories at the University of Brighton. Between May 2015 and January 2017 he drew a weekly comic strip, Sick Notes, for The Guardian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
July 14, 2019
Part of the really great Graphic Medicine series. about a small town medical clinic in Wales. I first read his Lady Doctor and liked it. She's part of the team with Dr. Iwan James. Why do we learn? That Iwan has always suffered from OCD, has grim fantasies that creep into his imagination even as he works with an array of funny/needy people. It's very little about medicine per se, but more about how what doctors do is about people and the complexities of their lives.
The patients are always complicated, and all the doctors are complicated, which is to say this is about human beings. Iwan isn't really "bad," though he's afraid he is, that he could care more, but we think he is good, really.
So what, you say, you already knew that? Meh? Well, the art, the way the patients/clients weave their way in and out of their lives, you just might like getting to know these folks.
The patients are always complicated, and all the doctors are complicated, which is to say this is about human beings. Iwan isn't really "bad," though he's afraid he is, that he could care more, but we think he is good, really.
So what, you say, you already knew that? Meh? Well, the art, the way the patients/clients weave their way in and out of their lives, you just might like getting to know these folks.
June 30, 2019
I didn’t like Ian Williams’ first book, The Bad Doctor, as much as his second mostly because he doesn’t give his main character, Dr Iwan James, much to do. Iwan is sort of mildly interested in his colleague, the lady doctor, but not really actively pursuing her – and that’s about it!
There are numerous flashbacks to his past dealing with OCD, which, as someone who doesn’t suffer from the illness, were insightful and interesting, but also repetitive as they were basically the same thing over and over. Meanwhile, he bikes with his mates in the valleys and… yeah there’s not much else! He’s a “bad” doctor not because he’s bad at being a doctor (he isn’t) but because his younger self had thoughts he believed to be morally “wrong”, like thinking Christians are idiots, so it’s tied into the OCD.
Like The Lady Doctor, the patients play a big part in the book though they weren’t as funny. There’s an intense goth dude who scares Iwan, an old lady who pisses herself constantly and an elderly closeted gay guy. Meh…
The Bad Doctor isn’t a bad book - there was enough going on to keep me reading – but it’s not that great either. I’d recommend Ian Williams’ other book, The Lady Doctor, instead for a similar, but more engrossing, read.
There are numerous flashbacks to his past dealing with OCD, which, as someone who doesn’t suffer from the illness, were insightful and interesting, but also repetitive as they were basically the same thing over and over. Meanwhile, he bikes with his mates in the valleys and… yeah there’s not much else! He’s a “bad” doctor not because he’s bad at being a doctor (he isn’t) but because his younger self had thoughts he believed to be morally “wrong”, like thinking Christians are idiots, so it’s tied into the OCD.
Like The Lady Doctor, the patients play a big part in the book though they weren’t as funny. There’s an intense goth dude who scares Iwan, an old lady who pisses herself constantly and an elderly closeted gay guy. Meh…
The Bad Doctor isn’t a bad book - there was enough going on to keep me reading – but it’s not that great either. I’d recommend Ian Williams’ other book, The Lady Doctor, instead for a similar, but more engrossing, read.
February 28, 2018
This was much more interesting than I expected. Dr. James isn't bad in the sense of terrible. He's actually a rather good doctor. He believes himself to be bad due to an OCD fixation with heavy metal music and satanic imagery. This is a wonderful slice-of-life story. We learn of James' past through flashbacks, and get to know him in the present by viewing his interactions with patients, colleagues, friends, and family. The result is a portrait, not of a bad man, but of a human one. By the end of this book, Dr. James has realized a few things about himself that he hadn't been aware of before, and this knowledge will help improve the quality of his life as he moves forward. Excellent book! Highly recommended!
June 20, 2019
Well, that was underwhelming.
I was raised by a generation that treated doctors like gods. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect and admiration for the profession, but these are also human beings, with all the foibles that afflict the rest of the general population.
I like this graphic novel series and how it sets out to demystify medical conditions and personnel, but this one was rather bland. Dr Iwan James is a regular guy. He has ups and downs, and while he's tasked with helping others, could use a bit of help himself. The art was OK, but having read this a couple of weeks ago, all that remains with me is the notion that UK doctors have to sign off on whether someone should be able to have a gun. Huh.
I was raised by a generation that treated doctors like gods. Don't get me wrong, I have much respect and admiration for the profession, but these are also human beings, with all the foibles that afflict the rest of the general population.
I like this graphic novel series and how it sets out to demystify medical conditions and personnel, but this one was rather bland. Dr Iwan James is a regular guy. He has ups and downs, and while he's tasked with helping others, could use a bit of help himself. The art was OK, but having read this a couple of weeks ago, all that remains with me is the notion that UK doctors have to sign off on whether someone should be able to have a gun. Huh.
October 11, 2018
The Bad Doctor starts out (after the front matter) with a full-page, wordless, moody, autumnal grayscale illustration. There's an office building in the foreground, a silhouetted leafless tree in the background with a crow or blackbird perched, cawing, we see the hindquarters of a parked car, and a person who reads as young and female running through a little patch of grass, nearing the border where the grass ends and the parking lot begins. She's running toward the doctor's office. I wouldn't say there's exactly foreboding in the image. There's a mixture of the purely mundane, with a bit of Poe perhaps wryly splashed in. A few birds fly overhead on this overcast day.
On the next page we arrive at a six-panel scheme with lots of gray in the panels and quite a bit of white space in between. There is a lot of gray in these pages. White, black, gray. But mostly gray. This is a book that is interested in the spaces in between. Not in clear-cut drama so much as nuance and messiness. Not to say the opening segment isn't a bit dramatic. It is. But dramatic in many ways at once, ways that draw away from each other and bring humor and mundanity into the mix. A young woman runs into the doctor's office and a doctor, the protagonist, who has to pee really badly and hasn't had any time to do it, and is really looking forward to it, is called to an emergency. A guy has collapsed by a bus stop. The doctor runs out on an elderly patient who has just entered his office in order to deal with the medical drama--but the other drama, the drama of him having to pee, is always there to remind us this doctor is merely human.
By the time he gets outside, the guy who fell is all bloody but sitting on the bus, the doctor gets on the bus and the older many who fell is a bit erratic and belligerent. He doesn't want help. Meanwhile a seemingly tough younger guy on the bus faints at the sight of blood.
The patient won't get off the bus so another one of the medical staff takes over for the doctor to do the best she can patching people up and the doctor goes back to the office.
Is he really a hero? In the course of this book, we learn that if he is, his heroism isn't related to his running out to help a patient in crisis (and then coming back to the office and finally, finally, getting to pee), but in his ability to be vulnerable, acknowledge his own struggles, to let his vulnerability and uncertainty inform his medical work. It's about empathy and moving away from a medical model of doctor as unquestionable authority figure.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book. The humor, the exploration of personal and professional struggles, a meditation on different ways of relating to people, and ways of relating to oneself as one tries (and struggles) to relate to people. It was a bit hard to see the way the doctor pulls away from some of his loved ones (creating hurtful distances), and I wish some of that was addressed a bit more. It was addressed in terms of the protagonist's narrative arc, but I didn't find a place in the book where the protagonist acknowledges and takes accountability for his behavior with certain people in his life who he has, I think, hurt. And it's just a bit worrisome to me the roles women do and don't play in this book.
But, without focusing on the things that I find worrisome (which I'm still thinking about and perhaps if I read the book again my review of it will change?) I found this to be a quietly engaging and meaningful book and interestingly crafted work. (I keep wondering how close this is to memoir, and checking the book to make sure it's a graphic novel and not a graphic memoir. (The doctor in the book is Iwan James and the author a doc named Ian Williams). Hmmmm.
Also, I added bicycles and LGBTQ to my list of bookshelves/tags because though the protagonist (who is in a straight relationship) often goes bicycling with his gay best friend.
Below I'm quoting a couple GR reviews that I enjoyed/appreciated:
Unlike most medical narratives that tend to reinforce the hierarchical position of doctors as the arbiters of knowledge and patients (particularly those with disabilities) as receivers of knowledge, “The Bad Doctor” complicates narratives of disability and medical authority.
- Derek Newman-Stille
A masterful look at the life of a small-town doctor in Wales.
Dr. James cares deeply for his patients but can only do so much for them. We catch glimpses of his friendships and professional relationships.
In flashbacks, we see that he has OCD and has struggled with fixations on satanic images and anxious, repetitive thoughts. Through a relationship with a patient who also has OCD, Dr. James begins to slowly open up about his condition instead of hiding.
I loved the artwork in this; the wide open Welsh landscapes that Dr. James and his friend bicycle through; the expressive body language. Wonderful. Highly recommended if you are interested in medicine and/or disability narratives.
- Sandy
On the next page we arrive at a six-panel scheme with lots of gray in the panels and quite a bit of white space in between. There is a lot of gray in these pages. White, black, gray. But mostly gray. This is a book that is interested in the spaces in between. Not in clear-cut drama so much as nuance and messiness. Not to say the opening segment isn't a bit dramatic. It is. But dramatic in many ways at once, ways that draw away from each other and bring humor and mundanity into the mix. A young woman runs into the doctor's office and a doctor, the protagonist, who has to pee really badly and hasn't had any time to do it, and is really looking forward to it, is called to an emergency. A guy has collapsed by a bus stop. The doctor runs out on an elderly patient who has just entered his office in order to deal with the medical drama--but the other drama, the drama of him having to pee, is always there to remind us this doctor is merely human.
By the time he gets outside, the guy who fell is all bloody but sitting on the bus, the doctor gets on the bus and the older many who fell is a bit erratic and belligerent. He doesn't want help. Meanwhile a seemingly tough younger guy on the bus faints at the sight of blood.
The patient won't get off the bus so another one of the medical staff takes over for the doctor to do the best she can patching people up and the doctor goes back to the office.
Is he really a hero? In the course of this book, we learn that if he is, his heroism isn't related to his running out to help a patient in crisis (and then coming back to the office and finally, finally, getting to pee), but in his ability to be vulnerable, acknowledge his own struggles, to let his vulnerability and uncertainty inform his medical work. It's about empathy and moving away from a medical model of doctor as unquestionable authority figure.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book. The humor, the exploration of personal and professional struggles, a meditation on different ways of relating to people, and ways of relating to oneself as one tries (and struggles) to relate to people. It was a bit hard to see the way the doctor pulls away from some of his loved ones (creating hurtful distances), and I wish some of that was addressed a bit more. It was addressed in terms of the protagonist's narrative arc, but I didn't find a place in the book where the protagonist acknowledges and takes accountability for his behavior with certain people in his life who he has, I think, hurt. And it's just a bit worrisome to me the roles women do and don't play in this book.
But, without focusing on the things that I find worrisome (which I'm still thinking about and perhaps if I read the book again my review of it will change?) I found this to be a quietly engaging and meaningful book and interestingly crafted work. (I keep wondering how close this is to memoir, and checking the book to make sure it's a graphic novel and not a graphic memoir. (The doctor in the book is Iwan James and the author a doc named Ian Williams). Hmmmm.
Also, I added bicycles and LGBTQ to my list of bookshelves/tags because though the protagonist (who is in a straight relationship) often goes bicycling with his gay best friend.
Below I'm quoting a couple GR reviews that I enjoyed/appreciated:
Unlike most medical narratives that tend to reinforce the hierarchical position of doctors as the arbiters of knowledge and patients (particularly those with disabilities) as receivers of knowledge, “The Bad Doctor” complicates narratives of disability and medical authority.
- Derek Newman-Stille
A masterful look at the life of a small-town doctor in Wales.
Dr. James cares deeply for his patients but can only do so much for them. We catch glimpses of his friendships and professional relationships.
In flashbacks, we see that he has OCD and has struggled with fixations on satanic images and anxious, repetitive thoughts. Through a relationship with a patient who also has OCD, Dr. James begins to slowly open up about his condition instead of hiding.
I loved the artwork in this; the wide open Welsh landscapes that Dr. James and his friend bicycle through; the expressive body language. Wonderful. Highly recommended if you are interested in medicine and/or disability narratives.
- Sandy
February 20, 2023
I have had this on my tbr pile for quite a while, and finally decided to read it. It took me a little while to get into the story – but when I realised the OCD scenes were the doctor’s flashbacks, and not those of a patient, and I started to really get into the book.
The main character is – despite the title – a very caring and GOOD doctor, but one who has always doubted himself, and who has since childhood lived in fear of not doing the right thing, and of his actions causing harm to all around him. His OCD (to protect against and fight the evil) at times is overwhelming – and that comes across so vividly in the circular flow diagrams depicting his anxieties, and the spirals of fear that pop up out of seemingly nowhere. It must be so terrifying to live with such fear, and so incredibly difficult, not to say exhausting, to continually have to pretend that you are OK.
The drawings are simple but so effective in portraying the mental health issues – of the doctor and of his patients, as well as the latter’s physical ailments.
The main character is – despite the title – a very caring and GOOD doctor, but one who has always doubted himself, and who has since childhood lived in fear of not doing the right thing, and of his actions causing harm to all around him. His OCD (to protect against and fight the evil) at times is overwhelming – and that comes across so vividly in the circular flow diagrams depicting his anxieties, and the spirals of fear that pop up out of seemingly nowhere. It must be so terrifying to live with such fear, and so incredibly difficult, not to say exhausting, to continually have to pretend that you are OK.
The drawings are simple but so effective in portraying the mental health issues – of the doctor and of his patients, as well as the latter’s physical ailments.
August 3, 2016
This is another one of those wonderful books that normalizes mental health and mental illness by depicting it honestly, compassionately, and by overtly de-stigmatizing seeking professional care and treatment when self-management isn't working and when self-care isn't possible. Loved the use of a doctor for the main character, and his struggles with his OCD will resonate with many readers who have fought with and made peace with their own brains. In addition to the yay for its accurate depiction of mental health and illness in varying states, this book gets a yay for its inclusion of same-sex relationships -- one character has a very open and sweet budding relationship, while another character has a more complicated situation. A lovely, humanizing booking.
September 24, 2015
Ehhhh. I love Graphic Medicine (thank you Ian Williams!) and ...I wanted to love this..a story about a doctor with semi-untreated-OCD who is actually a fine doctor and a compassionate doctor, and figuring out how to live happily and fulfillingly, with the risk of screwing up or making the wrong call once in a while, as a doctor must. But it never really got going, and I never really felt the intensity of his internal struggle, and in the end, he was a really good doctor, and grrr the title was making me hope for an actual lousy doctor. I am sure I am missing something essential here, but Williams could have drawn it out just a tad more to make this a really moving book.
August 21, 2022
Üç buçuk yıldız.
2016 yılında almıştım. Bu ikinci okuma oldu. Alırken merağım ve motivasyonum, eser sahibinin çizgi romancı bir tıp doktoru olmasıydı.
Ian Williams, İngiltere taşrasında bir GP’nin (General practitioner, bizdeki aile hekimliğine benzer) hastaları, dostları, meslektaşları, geçmişi, yaşadığı yöre ve bizzat kendi kendisiyle ilişkilerini yalın çizgilerle bazı bazı mizahi, bazı bazı dramatik şekilde anlatıyor. Biraz da orta yaş krizlerini. Akışta devam eden bazı yardımcı karakterler ve bir de sahneye hızlı giriş çıkış yapan, fıkra misali kısa hasta karakterleri var. Çeşitli vakalar, dertler, hastalar görüyoruz ve tanıdık geliyor. Hikayenin gidişiyle de ilgili olsa gerek, psikiyatrik durumlar ağırlıkta. Gerçi hangi durumda psikiyatriyi göz aradı edebiliriz ki? Ruhla beden ayrılır mı? Ruh sağlığı dışı tanıların oluşma sürecinde veya tanıyı müteakip veya şifacının/hekimin içinde bulunduğu ruh durumunu organik süreçlerden ayırıvermek mümkün mü? Değildir.
Ne anlatı ne çizimler itibariyle “mutlaka okunmalı” şeklinde etiketleyemiyorum. Yukarıda bahsettiğim temalarla ilgilenenler için ortalama bir okuma vaadediyor.
2016 yılında almıştım. Bu ikinci okuma oldu. Alırken merağım ve motivasyonum, eser sahibinin çizgi romancı bir tıp doktoru olmasıydı.
Ian Williams, İngiltere taşrasında bir GP’nin (General practitioner, bizdeki aile hekimliğine benzer) hastaları, dostları, meslektaşları, geçmişi, yaşadığı yöre ve bizzat kendi kendisiyle ilişkilerini yalın çizgilerle bazı bazı mizahi, bazı bazı dramatik şekilde anlatıyor. Biraz da orta yaş krizlerini. Akışta devam eden bazı yardımcı karakterler ve bir de sahneye hızlı giriş çıkış yapan, fıkra misali kısa hasta karakterleri var. Çeşitli vakalar, dertler, hastalar görüyoruz ve tanıdık geliyor. Hikayenin gidişiyle de ilgili olsa gerek, psikiyatrik durumlar ağırlıkta. Gerçi hangi durumda psikiyatriyi göz aradı edebiliriz ki? Ruhla beden ayrılır mı? Ruh sağlığı dışı tanıların oluşma sürecinde veya tanıyı müteakip veya şifacının/hekimin içinde bulunduğu ruh durumunu organik süreçlerden ayırıvermek mümkün mü? Değildir.
Ne anlatı ne çizimler itibariyle “mutlaka okunmalı” şeklinde etiketleyemiyorum. Yukarıda bahsettiğim temalarla ilgilenenler için ortalama bir okuma vaadediyor.
February 15, 2024
This book is very real. It packages all the complexities of personal life with OCD compounded with the work life of being a doctor into a digestible read. So many themes such as childhood trauma that follows us to the present, the hesitation of seeking help with mental illness, being content with the life we've chosen, the effect we have on others in our day to day lives, etc.
October 25, 2017
This is another graphic novel in which I reflected on it for a little while and then realised that I'd rated it too high for what I actually felt.
Though some of the messages entwined in this book are important, I feel that they weren't explored as much as they could have, or should have, been. I think that this was under-explored to say the very least and that there could've been so much more to it in terms of a plot. There wasn't much happening throughout the span, but it did captivate me enough to keep me continuing and for me to read it in one sitting so that speaks for itself. It was good in its own way, but it wasn't mind blowing, nor did it knock my socks off. But it was a little bit of fun for me to read and escape for a while.
For me, The Bad Doctor was mostly forgettable. Though there were some useful messages entwined within the story itself, I felt that it wasn't anything groundbreaking, moving or generally memorable - I feel it's more of one of those "read and discard" types of graphic novels which don't hold much substance to them and so don't stay with you for very long.
It must be said that the depiction of mental health was really accurate - the way that OCD was illustrated was brilliant and the way that the story moved with mental health as the main focus was great. I think the author handled the touchy subject of mental illness very well and the idea that sometimes, self care just isn't enough. I feel that this is a brilliant notion towards removing the stigma of mental illness and detaching the stigma from those who suffer with mental illness. It normalises medicating yourself, talking to people to get yourself through it, finding your personal anchor, and finding who you truly are and what you truly want as an individual. That was definitely my favourite aspect of it - any book that can handle mental illness well and with taste is a winner with me and this definitely did that. I felt that the depiction of OCD was realistic, in depth and important and gave me a deeper understanding of OCD at its roots. This is definitely an important read for a dose of mental health education, to be honest.
I would definitely recommend picking this one up as the art itself is absolutely gorgeous - I love the way that this has been crafted and pulled together and it is definitely charming. I also think there are some hidden nuggets throughout there which will make you laugh, chortle and snort, and those are important to me and those are what made reading this worth it. So I would definitely recommend it.
Though some of the messages entwined in this book are important, I feel that they weren't explored as much as they could have, or should have, been. I think that this was under-explored to say the very least and that there could've been so much more to it in terms of a plot. There wasn't much happening throughout the span, but it did captivate me enough to keep me continuing and for me to read it in one sitting so that speaks for itself. It was good in its own way, but it wasn't mind blowing, nor did it knock my socks off. But it was a little bit of fun for me to read and escape for a while.
For me, The Bad Doctor was mostly forgettable. Though there were some useful messages entwined within the story itself, I felt that it wasn't anything groundbreaking, moving or generally memorable - I feel it's more of one of those "read and discard" types of graphic novels which don't hold much substance to them and so don't stay with you for very long.
It must be said that the depiction of mental health was really accurate - the way that OCD was illustrated was brilliant and the way that the story moved with mental health as the main focus was great. I think the author handled the touchy subject of mental illness very well and the idea that sometimes, self care just isn't enough. I feel that this is a brilliant notion towards removing the stigma of mental illness and detaching the stigma from those who suffer with mental illness. It normalises medicating yourself, talking to people to get yourself through it, finding your personal anchor, and finding who you truly are and what you truly want as an individual. That was definitely my favourite aspect of it - any book that can handle mental illness well and with taste is a winner with me and this definitely did that. I felt that the depiction of OCD was realistic, in depth and important and gave me a deeper understanding of OCD at its roots. This is definitely an important read for a dose of mental health education, to be honest.
I would definitely recommend picking this one up as the art itself is absolutely gorgeous - I love the way that this has been crafted and pulled together and it is definitely charming. I also think there are some hidden nuggets throughout there which will make you laugh, chortle and snort, and those are important to me and those are what made reading this worth it. So I would definitely recommend it.
January 15, 2023
Content warning for
The Bad Doctor is a contemporary-set graphic novel about a doctor, his dealings with patients, and his struggles with his own mental health. As a doctor, Iwan James has a responsibility to make diagnoses and decisions that could have a huge impact on his patients' lives. He's also a human being who makes mistakes and has his own doubts and problems.
We see several of his patients in this volume: a man struggling with intrusive thoughts, an elderly lady with ulcerated legs, a man who creeps out Dr. James and others, and more. Flashbacks to Dr. James' childhood and college days show him struggling with OCD - he believes those around him can only remain safe if he does things a certain way, and at the same time his actions and the things around him have the power to harm those he cares about. A lot of his intrusive thoughts are rooted in religion - he worries that listening to heavy metal ("blasphemous music") led to the death of his dog, and when his girlfriend becomes pregnant, he worries about what music might have been playing when she conceived and what exposure to blasphemous things (or even his own blasphemous thoughts) might do to her and the twins they eventually learn she's carrying.
In the present, Iwan James is going through a bit of a midlife crisis and has intrusive thoughts about shooting himself. He never sought treatment for his OCD, but now he starts to consider whether it's time he does so.
This was okay. It made for somewhat disjointed reading, especially since I didn't initially realize that the child in the first few flashbacks was Iwan. I wasn't sure which, if any, of the patient storylines would prove to have some larger importance to the story, Iwan's intrusive suicidal thoughts were jarring (always an image of himself ), and his clear interest in his colleague, Lois, was awkward to watch.
I appreciated the way it presented OCD and intrusive thoughts, and it definitely drives home that doctors aren't superhuman. I've read better medical graphic novels, though.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
The Bad Doctor is a contemporary-set graphic novel about a doctor, his dealings with patients, and his struggles with his own mental health. As a doctor, Iwan James has a responsibility to make diagnoses and decisions that could have a huge impact on his patients' lives. He's also a human being who makes mistakes and has his own doubts and problems.
We see several of his patients in this volume: a man struggling with intrusive thoughts, an elderly lady with ulcerated legs, a man who creeps out Dr. James and others, and more. Flashbacks to Dr. James' childhood and college days show him struggling with OCD - he believes those around him can only remain safe if he does things a certain way, and at the same time his actions and the things around him have the power to harm those he cares about. A lot of his intrusive thoughts are rooted in religion - he worries that listening to heavy metal ("blasphemous music") led to the death of his dog, and when his girlfriend becomes pregnant, he worries about what music might have been playing when she conceived and what exposure to blasphemous things (or even his own blasphemous thoughts) might do to her and the twins they eventually learn she's carrying.
In the present, Iwan James is going through a bit of a midlife crisis and has intrusive thoughts about shooting himself. He never sought treatment for his OCD, but now he starts to consider whether it's time he does so.
This was okay. It made for somewhat disjointed reading, especially since I didn't initially realize that the child in the first few flashbacks was Iwan. I wasn't sure which, if any, of the patient storylines would prove to have some larger importance to the story, Iwan's intrusive suicidal thoughts were jarring (always an image of himself ), and his clear interest in his colleague, Lois, was awkward to watch.
I appreciated the way it presented OCD and intrusive thoughts, and it definitely drives home that doctors aren't superhuman. I've read better medical graphic novels, though.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
April 27, 2016
I was looking for more graphic novel approaches to teaching undergraduates about the illness experience. I think this one could be interesting, especially insofar as he portrays the way healthcare providers interact with people with mental health issues. But he's also describing this from the vantage point of the UK's National Health Service, which is probably too much of a stretch for my American undergrads. I'll also say that this book is not as visually compelling as some of the others I've seen (e.g., My Degeneration, about Parkinson's disease).
March 17, 2016
Interesting pick from the library - this is a truly adult graphic novel that's witty and leaves you chuckling. Didn't think a graphic novel would actually make me think so much but this onedoes leave me with some niggling thoughts.
July 16, 2014
Outstanding.
January 20, 2015
We're doctorin' the house
Doctorin'
Doctorin'!
Doctorin'
Doctorin'!
April 6, 2022
Really enjoyed the way this story conveys the past alongside the present to help readers understand the ways in which Iwan's OCD manifested.
October 24, 2018
It was an interesting read. Art style was clear with compelling sketchy lines and shading. Story had a good arc with a positive resolution.
May 18, 2020
(3.5) I first discovered Williams through the sequel to this graphic novel, The Lady Doctor. That book took up the story of Iwan James’s colleague, Lois, who appears in about 10% of this book. Both work in a medical practice in rural Wales. Iwan, a middle-aged husband and father of adult twin sons, has developed a new obsession with cycling and keeps finding that his patients’ issues reflect his own back to him. In particular, one patient’s OCD reminds him of his own struggles in his teen and med school years, when he fixated on satanic symbols and couldn’t shake the feeling that anytime anything went wrong he was being punished. The doctors are constantly surprised by people’s behavior: a local councillor is found to have an STD from visiting a gay sauna in Cardiff; a local black sheep commits suicide. The whole book is in grayscale, and corvids make frequent appearances (harbingers of death?). Williams’ drawings had improved by the time of the second book.
A third book, The Sick Doctor, about Robert, the grumpy boss at the practice, will be released in October 2021.
A third book, The Sick Doctor, about Robert, the grumpy boss at the practice, will be released in October 2021.
April 27, 2023
This was such a lovely read. Doctors are such "fixtures" in our lives and I love the way this book peeled away the layers, right back to Iwan's childhood, to reveal the complexities, insecurities and vulnerabilites of somebody who is, ultimately, just like the rest of us.
There were a few plot aspects that I felt could have been explored in greater depth, but ultimately a really quiet, reflective book that ended on a really hopeful note.
There were a few plot aspects that I felt could have been explored in greater depth, but ultimately a really quiet, reflective book that ended on a really hopeful note.
December 17, 2024
Absorbing depiction of a doctor who has suffered from anxiety all his life.
July 26, 2017
“The Bad Doctor” by Ian Williams is a tale of the entwined experience of a doctor and his patients. Unlike most medical narratives that tend to reinforce the hierarchical position of doctors as the arbiters of knowledge and patients (particularly those with disabilities) as receivers of knowledge, “The Bad Doctor” complicates narratives of disability and medical authority. Williams’ exploration situates Dr. Iwan James as someone who learns from his patients, changing with each medical encounter. He is a figure who combines narratives of disability with narratives of medical experience.
Dr. Iwan James is portrayed as a doctor who has experienced Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) his entire life, generally fixating on ideas of the occult as a threat and prayer as a method of averting disasters. Interweaving with narratives of encounters with patients, including one patient with OCD who helps Dr. James re-assess his own compulsive thoughts, Ian Williams also portrays elements from Dr. James’ childhood. Drawn with beautiful trees coming from his head that hold bubbles about all of the things that the young Iwan wants to protect, these pages about his obsessive thoughts illustrate the complexity of OCD. Young Iwan spends most nights going through a series of blessings of each family member, having to repeat these blessings if anyone or anything is missed. Even stuffed animals need a specific number of pats each night to ensure that they are protected. Williams draws circles of light around each of the things that young Iwan wants to protect, linking them together in a complex pattern of thought, and yet these images are also surrounded by caution signs depicting possible outcomes if he misses anyone. As Iwan grows up, he begins to obsess over the occult, believing that his dog died because he listened to occult music. After his wife becomes pregnant, Iwan sees occult imagery everywhere around him and seeks to try to protect his children from their influence.
Dr. Iwan James develops coping mechanisms for his OCD, able to develop methods to control these obsessive thoughts, but they don’t disappear from the narrative. This is not a narrative of disability where there is an easy solution through a “cure”. Rather, Dr. James’ continued work on himself allows him to be a better doctor, to engage with patients from a place of knowledge, but not of arrogance. Instead, he is able to share his narrative with patients to help them to better understand themselves and their own compulsions. Dr. James still has persistent thoughts and continues to have suicidal ideation from time to time and these suicidal thoughts enter into the comic page in imagined scenes of shooting himself in the head or guillotining off his own head. Ian Williams illustrates the way that these thoughts can interrupt everyday narratives by inserting them between panels, at random, evoking the power of suicidal thoughts to seep into the mind during every day encounters.
To read a more complete version of this review, visit my website Dis(Abled) Embodiment at https://disabledembodiment.wordpress....
Dr. Iwan James is portrayed as a doctor who has experienced Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) his entire life, generally fixating on ideas of the occult as a threat and prayer as a method of averting disasters. Interweaving with narratives of encounters with patients, including one patient with OCD who helps Dr. James re-assess his own compulsive thoughts, Ian Williams also portrays elements from Dr. James’ childhood. Drawn with beautiful trees coming from his head that hold bubbles about all of the things that the young Iwan wants to protect, these pages about his obsessive thoughts illustrate the complexity of OCD. Young Iwan spends most nights going through a series of blessings of each family member, having to repeat these blessings if anyone or anything is missed. Even stuffed animals need a specific number of pats each night to ensure that they are protected. Williams draws circles of light around each of the things that young Iwan wants to protect, linking them together in a complex pattern of thought, and yet these images are also surrounded by caution signs depicting possible outcomes if he misses anyone. As Iwan grows up, he begins to obsess over the occult, believing that his dog died because he listened to occult music. After his wife becomes pregnant, Iwan sees occult imagery everywhere around him and seeks to try to protect his children from their influence.
Dr. Iwan James develops coping mechanisms for his OCD, able to develop methods to control these obsessive thoughts, but they don’t disappear from the narrative. This is not a narrative of disability where there is an easy solution through a “cure”. Rather, Dr. James’ continued work on himself allows him to be a better doctor, to engage with patients from a place of knowledge, but not of arrogance. Instead, he is able to share his narrative with patients to help them to better understand themselves and their own compulsions. Dr. James still has persistent thoughts and continues to have suicidal ideation from time to time and these suicidal thoughts enter into the comic page in imagined scenes of shooting himself in the head or guillotining off his own head. Ian Williams illustrates the way that these thoughts can interrupt everyday narratives by inserting them between panels, at random, evoking the power of suicidal thoughts to seep into the mind during every day encounters.
To read a more complete version of this review, visit my website Dis(Abled) Embodiment at https://disabledembodiment.wordpress....
February 17, 2019
A blissful light read, an interesting and warm portrait of a Dr who has difficulties of his own bit does the best he can. Gives some interesting insight into some of the tricky delicate decisions DR's have to make everyday.
September 3, 2018
Iwan James é um médico de clínica geral de uma pequena cidade, por cujas mãos passam todo o tipo de pacientes: aquele que «apenas» precisa de uma declaração para uma licença de portes de arma, o que não consegue estar com os sobrinhos pois meteu na cabeça que os pode molestar sexualmente, a velhota incontinente que tem de ser convencida a ser tratada, o homem com uma perturbação obsessiva compulsiva. A sua relação com eles é um misto de proximidade com necessidade de afastamento, que consegue através de longos passeios de bicicleta e conversas com o seu melhor amigo.
Ao mesmo tempo, Iwan confronta-se quase diariamente com o seu passado, quando ele próprio era vítima de perturbação obsessiva compulsiva orientada para o medo de que algo satânico prejudicasse a sua vida e a dos seus. Será que a perturbação está totalmente ultrapassada? Ou ainda influenciará o seu discernimento enquanto médico?
Uma novela gráfica muito interessante que, noutro formato, se poderia tirnar entediante. Mas bem desenhada e com um bom argumento, é excelente.
Ao mesmo tempo, Iwan confronta-se quase diariamente com o seu passado, quando ele próprio era vítima de perturbação obsessiva compulsiva orientada para o medo de que algo satânico prejudicasse a sua vida e a dos seus. Será que a perturbação está totalmente ultrapassada? Ou ainda influenciará o seu discernimento enquanto médico?
Uma novela gráfica muito interessante que, noutro formato, se poderia tirnar entediante. Mas bem desenhada e com um bom argumento, é excelente.
March 3, 2016
A masterful look at the life of a small-town doctor in Wales.
Dr. James cares deeply for his patients but can only do so much for them. We catch glimpses of his friendships and professional relationships.
In flashbacks, we see that he has OCD and has struggled with fixations on satanic images and anxious, repetitive thoughts. Through a relationship with a patient who also has OCD, Dr. James begins to slowly open up about his condition instead of hiding.
I loved the artwork in this; the wide open Welsh landscapes that Dr. James and his friend bicycle through; the expressive body language. Wonderful. Highly recommended if you are interested in medicine and/or disability narratives.
Dr. James cares deeply for his patients but can only do so much for them. We catch glimpses of his friendships and professional relationships.
In flashbacks, we see that he has OCD and has struggled with fixations on satanic images and anxious, repetitive thoughts. Through a relationship with a patient who also has OCD, Dr. James begins to slowly open up about his condition instead of hiding.
I loved the artwork in this; the wide open Welsh landscapes that Dr. James and his friend bicycle through; the expressive body language. Wonderful. Highly recommended if you are interested in medicine and/or disability narratives.
January 28, 2015
Not exactly what I expected. Definitely a first step into talking about the underlying feelings of doubt that we experience as doctors. However it seemed to be couched in the story of "it's okay for me to obsess about whether or not I'm a bad doctor because I have OCD" instead of exploring the bigger theme that we all as doctors (even the apparently too cool for school veterinarian) struggle with. I liked it and some of the themes I explored, now I'm looking for him to take that exploration even deeper.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2016
A fascinating take on healthcare in the UK (in a seemingly rural, small practice), especially coming from the US. I don't think I fully appreciated all of the nuances in the take on OCD and will be revisiting this once I can buy my own copy (had to get one through inter-library loan - it is amazing how few places have this right now). I will say that I immediately thought "I want to give this to every annoying person who says "I'm so OCD, lol"" to show them that no, no you aren't, and here's a visualization of how terrifying and debilitating that legitimate mental health concern can be.
November 7, 2018
3.5 stars, but rounding up for its unique perspective. at my office, when big mistakes get made, it's common to say - well, at least we aren't saving lives here. this graphic novel reminds us all that that's not the case for all professions - and yet the people in those tough positions are still regular people. they have emotions, they make mistakes, they have families and most difficult of all, they must move past and through really dark times on the job. i probably could have done without all of the punk rock references, but it is a memoir, after all.
May 20, 2020
Dr. Iwan James, a doctor with OCD who bikes to release steam, goes through several normal days at work.
This was excellent. It's a slice-of-life story about a doctor who knows his work is good, yet still struggles with thinking he might not be a good person. In his youth, his metal music, Satanist worries were the unwanted focus of his life through OCD procedures and dark thoughts. He's mostly got that handled now, but has to make it through the day with patients that range from sympathetic to scary. An excellent story that really makes you feel what it's like to be a general practitioner.
This was excellent. It's a slice-of-life story about a doctor who knows his work is good, yet still struggles with thinking he might not be a good person. In his youth, his metal music, Satanist worries were the unwanted focus of his life through OCD procedures and dark thoughts. He's mostly got that handled now, but has to make it through the day with patients that range from sympathetic to scary. An excellent story that really makes you feel what it's like to be a general practitioner.
July 26, 2018
It was a good graphic novel. If you are a health professional you will find quite a few similarities with Dr. Iwan James. We all have struggles. Us seem to struggle more than others. But in the end we somehow manage to find at least a few pieces among the road.
Dr. Iwan James is a really good doctor, despite the title! Humane, with compasion, really caring for his patients.
It was a really good graphic novel
Dr. Iwan James is a really good doctor, despite the title! Humane, with compasion, really caring for his patients.
It was a really good graphic novel
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