Last month, I came across the comic Interval of Trust by Romanian artists Maria and Oana Heller on Webtoons. This gorgeously illustrated 24-page fictional comic tells the story of Mara, a high school student whose anger, fueled by an abusive past, has put her into a precarious position. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Oprah Winfrey by Joshua LaBello
In 1986, when I was 12 years old, Oprah Winfrey came out as a survivor of sexual abuse. Her candor was stunning. Her national talk show had been on the air for only one year, but she had already busted through the ratings set by talk show superstar Phil Donahue, a remarkable feat for a... Continue Reading →
The stories & activism behind Priya’s Shakti
More interesting than the superhero-style comic book that anchors the Priya's Shakti project, at least for me, are a series of audio interviews with assault victims that influenced writers Devineni & Menon in crafting the heroine's fictionalized story. Illustrated videos of these interviews are included in the "augmented reality" content viewable on a smartphone app, but I found... Continue Reading →
Priya’s Shakti is a multimedia spectacle
What a wild ride! Goddess incarnations, Battles of the Gods, and a rape survivor with a tiger to ride on as she shares her message of hope. Priya's Shakti is a vibrant and engaging public health campaign from India, anchored in a 36-page comic book written by Ram Devineni and Vikas Menon, with art by Dan... Continue Reading →
Peter Parker, too?
In 1984, future Spider-Man Peter Parker's story of sexual abuse was told in a free PSA comic produced by Marvel Comics in cooperation with the National Committee on the Prevention of Child Abuse. Jared at blogintomysetery.com writes a heartfelt review of the comic that he read as a kid, and now revisits as an adult. Jared also has... Continue Reading →