In this artistically expressive episode of the Popzara Podcast our own Nathan Evans talks with cartoonist and comics instructor Rachel Lindsay about RX: A Graphic Memoir, her impressive feature-length debut where she documents the difficulties in paradoxically straddling two similar worlds: working for a major pharmaceutical firm while struggling with her own diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
With her expressive style, good nature and frank honesty Rachel creates a refreshing work that both entertains while informing readers that coming to terms with the realities of mental illness doesn’t have to be the end of the world, and that even during those darkest days you don’t have to go it alone.
Together, Nathan and Rachel talk about the realities of not just surviving a diagnosis of mental illness but thriving in a world seemingly built to trip you up at every turn. The two also nerd out over their shared love of comic strips like Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County, favorable comparisons to Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, being caught in Catch-22 loops of working stressful jobs to obtain medical insurance to help manage stressful environments, the joys of having your work published in traditional print media (it still exists!), and how combining humor with non-judgmental honesty may be the healthiest choice of all.
Want to see more of Rachel’s work? Visit her official website rachellivesherenow.com, including new strips from her weekly comic Rachel Lives Here Now and commission work. Those with questions about mental illness can reach out to Mental Health America for a good place to start.
