Cuckoo: One Woman's True Stories of Living with Multiple Personality Disorder

by Madison Clell

'Cuckoo' tells stunning true stories of the author's struggles with Multiple Personality Disorder - from the bewildering troubles of living and learning about this condition, to numerous alternate personalities fighting to control the single physical body, to transcending the trauma that made multiplicity a necessity in the first place. Often funny, sometimes horrifying, but always bitingly honest, Clell's work shows us an amazing glimpse at how survival can often be the best revenge. --Graphic novel ; compilation of 13 comics issues of the original 'Cuckoo' series. --

Genres: Comics, Memoir, Graphic Novels

291 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2002

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)

From the June 1998 edition with a theme of "Crime Comics II":

INTRODUCTION

It's time to return to the mean streets.

Yes, let's get down into the gutter with the gray- and black-hearted souls that inhabit the world of crime comics. These are stories told from the criminal's point of view, be he a petty thief or a cold-blooded killer. "Crime doesn't pay," goes the old saying, but it sure can entertain.

In case the tough guys of ROAD TO PERDITION, STRAY BULLETS, and SIN CITY glorify crime a little too much and give some of my readers inappropriate ideas, I'm throwing in CUCKOO to give everyone a reminder that crime has consequences that echo through society long after the clank of the cell door and the final sizzle of the electric chair have faded away.

TRUE CRIME STORIES

CUCKOO #1-2 (Green Door Studios)

One aspect of crime fiction that is usually only examined in passing is the consequences upon the innocent victims and bystanders who are martyred to make the villains appear more villainous or to make the heroes more heroic. What happens to the children of the fifth cop who is shot by the gang of bank robbers? What happened to the savagely beaten mugging victim after the fleet-footed, two-fisted do-gooder returns his wallet intact? How is the only woman to survive an attack of the murderous serial rapist doing? Few comics have ever dealt with the ramifications of crime on the human psyche until now. CUCKOO is a survivor's story.

Writer/artist Madison Clell is laying her life bare in an autobiographical comic about her victimization and the emotional and mental trauma which she must now cope with on a daily basis. As the result of a brutal rape, Clell struggles with Multiple Personality Disorder, or, as it is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D.). Clell shares her brain with a number of "alters," or alter egos, distinct personalities over which she has no control.

CUCKOO is a highly emotional book that cannot fail to move the reader. Clell's artwork is raw, full of fast, scratchy strokes that barely seem in control. Likewise, the narration is rapid-fire to the point of babbling. This style works to incredible effect in scenes of violence, such as Clell's rape, a remembrance of child abuse suffered by an alter, and Clell's long-pent-up release of rage at a self-defense class. The breakneck narration frantically builds up to the moment of violence which is then brutally displayed in a magnificent series of nearly wordless, stunningly frenzied splash pages. The covers of CUCKOO are also achingly beautiful.

Unfortunately, the sheer power of Clell's storytelling can produce a lack of coherence. The speed of the narratives overrides important elements such as introduction of characters and establishment of setting. At times the artwork is so loose and scratchy differentiating the characters becomes impossible. Clell seems to have acknowledged this fault by actually putting a variation of an asterisk on characters which are real, as opposed to being manifestations of her alters. During the series' reflective moments Clell's scratchy, babbling style is a real detriment. "Peeves and Phenomenon," her interesting sidebars of insights and observations about D.I.D., are especially marred by the style, appearing to be simply sloppy at times. Clell is capable of producing very detailed and controlled linework which could greatly enhance these quieter pages of the book.

CUCKOO is an open wound into which Clell probes deeply, examining her life. While CUCKOO may not be perfectly drawn or written at all times, it remains fairly engrossing, invoking the same guilty feelings of interest and relief I experience as I slow down to look at a car accident at the side of the road. I cannot pretend to ever fully understand what Clell has undergone, but CUCKOO is her life and she has chosen to share it. The least I can do is pay attention.

Grade: B-

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clell created Cuckoo from her firsthand experience with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder. [http://www.multiples.net/] The book is told in a series of vignettes which began life as individual issues of a comic called Cuckoo. Through the text and Clell's sketchy, stark black-and-white drawings, Clell explains what DID is and how one develops it, how she discovered she had it, how it has affected her life, and the steps she has taken to make it go away. My life has always been very sheltered and comfortable, so I was horrified to read about what happened to Clell when she was so young -- some of the atrocities are so unspeakable that she does not even depict them in the book, except obliquely. The book made me understand DID better, but also reemphasized for me that we should never assume we know what our fellow human beings have experienced in their lives.

[Sarah Apitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for an assignment in my disability studies course and could not forget about it even years later. The way Clell tells her story is so unique and welcoming to readers of all walks of life. I walked away with a better understanding of DID and an appreciation for people who live with something like this and are willing to share their story.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This unforgettable account of the author's discovery of her dissociative identity disorder ("split personality"), and her battle to integrate her personality, is gripping and honest, yet Madison Clell is able to maintain a sense of humor about it. It's almost unbearable as she slowly recalls, in her healing of herself, one childhood trauma after another. At times the lettering and even the art is so frenzied, it can be difficult to read, but the style fits the subject, and it is well worth taking the time to unravel the content on each page. See www.multiples.net or http://www.cuckoocomic.com/ for more about Cuckoo.

[Ruby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost wish this book could have been three dimensional. The emotive content is practically falling out of the pages. But while it's rich in this way, the story itself lacks cohesion.

What do I expect? It's a memoir, and it's about someone with a chaotic internal life. That's where art comes in, and in my opinion, that's where this book fails. I come away with images, and horror, and impressions, but the narrative is less than complete for me.

Maybe she should do a series?

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

harrowing, beautifully illustrated story of a young woman discovering she has dissociative identity disorder, with all personalities taking charge at certain times the art in this graphic novel often changes--all of it disturbing and showing amazing talent. i read this book long ago in single series comic form--was so happy when it came out as a compiled novel. brilliant work.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've actually just read two of the original comic books which were later bound up into this book: Nos. 3 and 12. They were disturbing, brilliant, and fascinating. Looking forward to reading the entire work.