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Sick
The award winning author of monsters explores the political issues that affect our personal health in his new book, Sick . The author of the perennial classic, Monsters (written as Ken Dahl), Gabby Schulz returns with a new graphic novel, Sick , which Hicksville author Dylan Horrocks calls "a punch in the face and well worth reading." Severely ill, uninsured, alone, and confined to his bed for weeks, Schulz was left searching—only to find himself. Sick documents his discovery in gory, glorious, water-colored detail, finally completed and collected here for the first time in a beautiful, album-sized hardcover edition. Like Monsters , Sick focuses on health and social policy, this time expanding from the subject of STDs and their stigma to the larger, hot-button issue of national healthcare.
84 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 30, 2016
This is one unpleasant book to read, almost unreadable at times, but I powered through because I knew he was documenting a Dark Night of The Soul. And you never know when yours will come. Schulz is the nom de plume of Ken Dahl, whose Monsters, about his struggles with herpes, I found also almost unreadable, but I thought it was well done, given the uncomfortable topic. And you have to give a guy credit for opening up his chest cavity and his brain and baring all. These are not books that make the author look a bit better than they are. Quite the opposite in their searing honesty.
Sick is the collection of his web-comic of the same name, about a 15 day near-death illness. Schulz/Dahl is consistently honest that he is not the nicest person to be around even when he is well, but in this story you get amazing dark dark art and searing poetic prose documenting the madness and despair that can accompany illness. Dahl already is unhappy with the state of the world, as many of us are, but if you are very very sick, maybe your political despair intensifies. Or his does. I have never been that sick, knock on wood, so I can only speak for what I have read. I have a dark side, hidden much of the time, but I fear it would emerge if I ever got very sick as he was.
The art from Schulz/Dahl is hard to view, but amazing at capturing all aspects of this sickness, and at showing us at its worst that physical illness is sometimes inextricable from psychic illness, from psychological illness, triggering rage and despair. As Schulz rages against the world we are politically in Hunter Thompson territory, and the gonzo mad art of Ralph Steadman, and the angry crazy most extreme work of Robert Crumb. Surreal in places.
So can I recommend it? Schulz/Dahl says "Not recommended for children or the self-satisfied." Self-satisfied he is not, though in the end, he comes out of the bitter hole he is to a somewhat--not wholly--better place. Not for the faint-hearted, for sure. I didn't "like" it but I can honestly say I admire its dark honesty. Many many of us are or will get sick. But if and when I get sick, I hope I never get to that place he describes for us.
Sick is the collection of his web-comic of the same name, about a 15 day near-death illness. Schulz/Dahl is consistently honest that he is not the nicest person to be around even when he is well, but in this story you get amazing dark dark art and searing poetic prose documenting the madness and despair that can accompany illness. Dahl already is unhappy with the state of the world, as many of us are, but if you are very very sick, maybe your political despair intensifies. Or his does. I have never been that sick, knock on wood, so I can only speak for what I have read. I have a dark side, hidden much of the time, but I fear it would emerge if I ever got very sick as he was.
The art from Schulz/Dahl is hard to view, but amazing at capturing all aspects of this sickness, and at showing us at its worst that physical illness is sometimes inextricable from psychic illness, from psychological illness, triggering rage and despair. As Schulz rages against the world we are politically in Hunter Thompson territory, and the gonzo mad art of Ralph Steadman, and the angry crazy most extreme work of Robert Crumb. Surreal in places.
So can I recommend it? Schulz/Dahl says "Not recommended for children or the self-satisfied." Self-satisfied he is not, though in the end, he comes out of the bitter hole he is to a somewhat--not wholly--better place. Not for the faint-hearted, for sure. I didn't "like" it but I can honestly say I admire its dark honesty. Many many of us are or will get sick. But if and when I get sick, I hope I never get to that place he describes for us.
January 1, 2017
Grossest graphic novel I have ever read! But reads like poetry! Totally depressing and so truthful it hurts!
April 10, 2017
What begins as a personal account of (seemingly) transitory illness turns into a more barbed indictment of contemporary culture. And the art...standout!
January 7, 2017
Ok...this is going to be tricky: this is a very honest book, and I always respect that. I think that as you get older you start to appreciate honesty more...telling the truth (even if you don't want to hear it) is so rare. Let me add: this is truth as Gabby Schulz sees truth. Having said the following I have to say that this is the most nihilistic GN I have ever read. The conclusions that the book draws would depress Samuel Beckett! If Robert Crumb and Hieronymus Bosch were to decide to draw a book written by Arthur Schopenhauer this would come close! This book will offend many people...but it is one persons honest evaluation of life.
May 21, 2016
My review of this book is up on tcj.com: http://www.tcj.com/reviews/sick/
May 30, 2016
I have a feeling some people will be upset with the utter bleakness of this book, but in all honesty I found it strangely beautiful. Schulz's "Monsters" was similarly devastating, but it was tempered with a fair amount of humor. Although "Sick" does have some humor peeking through here and there, it's not enough to balance out the decidedly dark tone.
To be fair, these are some pretty dark times. The political climate is extremely hostile, the economic disparity is unparalleled, we seem to be killing the planet we live on. Schulz is never shy about voicing his disgust with the world, and his 15 day near-death illness chronicled in "Sick" does nothing to alleviate these feelings. If anything, it breaks down any pretense of "putting on a good front" and allows him to spew his deepest, darkest resentments and fears.
It's not often you come across something so raw and honest, and the gorgeously visceral ink & watercolor drawings throughout had me in awe. I followed the original format when it he posted it online, but this is a completely reworked (and somehow improved) version.
I can't recommend this one enough if you have the stomach for it. I sincerely hope Gabby got some Obamacare health insurance (like me). It's terrifying not having access to health care.
To be fair, these are some pretty dark times. The political climate is extremely hostile, the economic disparity is unparalleled, we seem to be killing the planet we live on. Schulz is never shy about voicing his disgust with the world, and his 15 day near-death illness chronicled in "Sick" does nothing to alleviate these feelings. If anything, it breaks down any pretense of "putting on a good front" and allows him to spew his deepest, darkest resentments and fears.
It's not often you come across something so raw and honest, and the gorgeously visceral ink & watercolor drawings throughout had me in awe. I followed the original format when it he posted it online, but this is a completely reworked (and somehow improved) version.
I can't recommend this one enough if you have the stomach for it. I sincerely hope Gabby got some Obamacare health insurance (like me). It's terrifying not having access to health care.
April 5, 2018
Wow. Being chronically ill as I am, attracted to books of this topic, what I expected was not what I got. This is life-near-death at its absolute most depressing. This is where we try to avoid going in our heads. This is truth. It’s ugly, and it hurts, and you don’t have to be sick to experience it.
I did a google search to see if Gabby Schulz / Ken Dahl is still alive. He is. I think. I hope that he is able to escape the darkness he spills on to his pages and experience joy once in a while. A bit of medical marijuana might do this man some good. On the other hand, there are a lot of “self satisfied” individuals who need to read this book. Except they probably would have no idea how it relates to them.
Another thought is I am proud of the little small town Library where I now work for having obtained this for its tiny graphic novels section. Good job. Now I have to try to sleep.
I did a google search to see if Gabby Schulz / Ken Dahl is still alive. He is. I think. I hope that he is able to escape the darkness he spills on to his pages and experience joy once in a while. A bit of medical marijuana might do this man some good. On the other hand, there are a lot of “self satisfied” individuals who need to read this book. Except they probably would have no idea how it relates to them.
Another thought is I am proud of the little small town Library where I now work for having obtained this for its tiny graphic novels section. Good job. Now I have to try to sleep.
November 8, 2016
The author gets sick and spends fifteen days enduring bloody diarrhea then turns the experience into this book, a sort of bloody diarrhea of the mind. Chock full of the existential questions that are brought on by a near-death experience or midlife crisis, SICK isn't bad but is certainly relentlessly negative and maybe even pointless as the author himself admits near the end: "Maybe I've failed at explaining myself. Maybe there are no words to describe what no one wants to hear. And if you do understand me ... how does that help us?"
May 16, 2017
brutal brutal brutal beautiful.
December 12, 2016
Sick is a comic that lives up to its name. As I was halfway through part of me wished to escape to live in a bubble in hopes of not catching the sickness that was so visually represented in this book. Of course a comic just about getting sick would be rather dull if there was not more too it, and here we see the physical sickness used as this allegorical take down of what is keeping our society from being truly healthy. While it may not be as profound as the narrative wishes to be the twisted artwork is something to behold. As we are in the heart of cold and flue season this represents in recent weeks.
February 12, 2019
The art is beautiful, the artist does a fantastic job of explaining why someone wouldn't go to the doctor, and gets his point through that healthcare does desperately have a long way to go to improve.
However, this book is negative to an almost pointless degree even after the fact. I don't think that all work needs to be positive despite challenges, and if he had a chronic or terminal illness (or both) I'd be more sympathetic. Evidence would say the author clearly is still in agony over this event and needs to work through that, but writing the book didn't accomplish that based on what I saw here. I hope that happens for his sake.
However, this book is negative to an almost pointless degree even after the fact. I don't think that all work needs to be positive despite challenges, and if he had a chronic or terminal illness (or both) I'd be more sympathetic. Evidence would say the author clearly is still in agony over this event and needs to work through that, but writing the book didn't accomplish that based on what I saw here. I hope that happens for his sake.
August 24, 2016
Everything is horrible. Nothing can ever be truly good or even okay. Schulz is an artistic powerhouse and one of the most depressing and nihilstic cartoonists out there (and there are....alot?) so, basically this is awesome and everybody should read it and feel terrible about themselves.
November 6, 2017
WOW, how much I love this book, it's crazy, I think it's fucking perfect, the art is really beautiful and the story and the way of seeing the world are just amazing, and yes sickness is a dark and sad state but it's really something that he tell it so anyone can understand.
April 18, 2017
Dark, depressing, and so true to our darkest beliefs about ourselves.
April 22, 2017
On one hand, I think this book covers a lot of important ground by taking on the harmful aspects of our culture and addresses these issues in some visually innovative ways. The problem that I had with the text was how unrelenting it was. Gabby/Ken illustrates his episode of illness in an extremely grotesque way, and I took issue with how he portrayed religion throughout the text. (At one point, there's a picture of an old man holding a book by the "sky-man" entitled Horse---t. (Does Goodreads allow expletives?)) This isn't to say that religion isn't misused by plenty of people, but it felt like Dahl's condemnation of certain stereotyped figures in the book didn't leave room for gray area. It was one of those scenarios where I got the impression that my ideologies strongly aligned with the author but that I had major issues with the way he chose to represent those problems.
I also seriously wonder if Schulz/Dahl is a self-loathing misanthrope, and I'm not sure whether reading that kind of narrating style is the best thing for my own mentality. SICK makes me look like a total optimist.
I also seriously wonder if Schulz/Dahl is a self-loathing misanthrope, and I'm not sure whether reading that kind of narrating style is the best thing for my own mentality. SICK makes me look like a total optimist.
April 24, 2017
I loved the artwork in this. It is a bleak tract, but it's bleak with humor - and so carefully expressed through beautiful illustration.
I could largely have done without the politics. Even though I generally agree (eg, european colonialism was horrible), the breezy, depressive sweep through world history leaves a lot to be desired. I can forgive it as true to the mindset of a man in overwhelming depression, but too often it feels like a tedious manifesto.
I could largely have done without the politics. Even though I generally agree (eg, european colonialism was horrible), the breezy, depressive sweep through world history leaves a lot to be desired. I can forgive it as true to the mindset of a man in overwhelming depression, but too often it feels like a tedious manifesto.
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December 22, 2016I find it impossible to rate this book. It doesn't sit correctly on any kind of scale. I can't imagine anyone saying they "loved" this book. It is... Sickening. And a little self-indulgent. I'm inclined to hate it, but it holds nuggets of truth. More than anything, I think it makes me thankful that I have never felt this full of grotesque despair.
June 24, 2017
That was absolutely not what I expected. Pretty much just an extremely dark and pessimistic fever dream. Art was cool, but supremely unsettling which I think was the point. The content was not really my style, but I can admire the execution even if I didn't care much for it.
March 12, 2022
Ouch, this hurt. A beautifully gnarly image of depression and isolation while being ill, poor, and uninsured in America. This was miserable to read and it ruined my day, but shared experiences no matter how dark shouldn't be kept in isolation.
January 10, 2017
The art is fantastic. It is very thought provoking.
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February 12, 2017This comic was discussed on The Secret Stacks Episode 23.
March 23, 2017
Cover is a bit dramatic but I did enjoy this
July 6, 2017
Haunting art and staggeringly well-written social critique is a must-see/read over and over.
June 28, 2019
Gross. Creepy. Deranged. Disturbing. But not without its own truth about life and death. Not for faint of heart.💀
April 30, 2020
It was just so dark.
January 9, 2023
I love Gabby Schulz’s drawing style and I love a lot of his comics. There were things about this one I liked too - it’s visceral and truly horrific. Gabby captures horror and panic and deep nauseating fear and disgust like NOBODY I know. This graphic novel chronicles a dark night of the soul, and having experienced a tiny mini version of what he chronicles during my (multiple) Covid bouts, I understand how quickly the mind can spiral into oblivion when trapped in an ill body that’s trapped alone in a room for two weeks. Gabby does a good job of showing how that experience stays with you, how afterward you’re aware of it lurking just under the surface of normal experiences and interactions. You can’t unsee it. But what I take issue with (and I think this is just a difference between Gabby’s and my perspective) is the final conclusion that the horrific reality you see from the pit of despair is the objective truth, and enjoying life again afterward is just obstinately closing your eyes to the horror. The whole takeaway for me from those experiences was that my outlook and inner dialogue can have just as much (if not more) of an effect on my reality than what’s actually happening to me. So I don’t know, I thought this was a truly excellent graphic novel but its premise is too diametrically opposed to my interpretation of the world to give me much other than ick factor. (Which he is EXCELLENT at invoking.)
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September 30, 2023This comic got me thinking it really sucks to inhabit a body of white+cis+hetero+middle(andabove)class+ablebodied+ableminded male. Either oblivious to other layers of (often more nuanced) human experiences and being obnoxious, or being aware enough and plunge into misery.
I never thought I could relate to people who live in the said type of body. I do feel bad about the privileges I possess, imagine the whole package. (sometimes I get the reversed shame, if this is the lite version of what it’s like on the other side then more the reason to protest the system of privilege, as if more reasons are needed.)
I never thought I could relate to people who live in the said type of body. I do feel bad about the privileges I possess, imagine the whole package. (sometimes I get the reversed shame, if this is the lite version of what it’s like on the other side then more the reason to protest the system of privilege, as if more reasons are needed.)
April 14, 2019
Thoughts:
-took like 30 min or less to read
-art style reminds me of egon schiele, cool take
-as a med student i wanted more medical details so if you're picking this book up for that reason there really are none
-the type of depression thinking shown was honest & powerful, like the part about being a ghost
-but at the end it was very unfocused and thus dissatisfying. not sure what messages to take away from this
honestly, this review says it all:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
-took like 30 min or less to read
-art style reminds me of egon schiele, cool take
-as a med student i wanted more medical details so if you're picking this book up for that reason there really are none
-the type of depression thinking shown was honest & powerful, like the part about being a ghost
-but at the end it was very unfocused and thus dissatisfying. not sure what messages to take away from this
honestly, this review says it all:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews