She, and her monochromatic illustrated persona, talk directly to the reader with a candor that is irresistible. It’s in this willingness to adopt a state of vulnerability that the real heart of Forney’s work springs off the page. Forney is a shining light for all those who suffer from disorders like the one she depicts”, explains Laura Cho, mental health writer at Writinity. “It’s deeply empowering to see a writer so boldly trek into her own psyche and unpack the tremendous highs and appalling lows associated with the particular disorder, all the while reminded of the fact that the piece of art you are experiencing was created out of their genius.

One of the many results achieved in Forney’s New York Times Bestselling 2012 release is a distinct sense in which a further step has been taken towards the de-stigmatization of bipolar disorder and, by association, all mood-altering psychological disorders. Her ability to see the comic side of so much of the darkness that she encountered in her battle with bipolar disorder, and all of the unpleasantness that it caused, marries perfectly with her choice of medium, her cartoon self at times parodying her own psychology and at other times giving a clear indication to the reader of the depths to which the disease took her. Ellen Forney has a wonderful sense of humor about the various afflictions and difficulties that she chronicles in her candid and affectingly raw graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me.

Marbles mania