One of the happiest discoveries we've made recently is just how right you all were when you said how utterly awesome Metaphrog are. John and Sandra are the genius duo behind our new fave graphic novel hero "Louis" and we previously reviewed the utterly surreal but brilliant "Louis: Night Salad" here on ReadItDaddy.
Metaphrog very kindly sent us more Louis loveliness which will be reviewing at a later date, but they also slipped this graphic short into the package - and I'm hoping you'll share in it too.
You can read it for free on the Metaphrog website.
"The Photographs" (Graphic Short)
...and here's a link to the Issuu Download too if you want to drop it into a tablet / mobile
"The Photographs" (Issuu Link)
"The Photographs" Tells the tale, from a young girl's perspective, about the loss of a loved one and the slow and painful process of watching another succumb to senile dementia. In stark contrast to the surreality of Louis, "The Photographs" - written in conjunction with both teenage community groups and senior groups in day care centres - is almost so good that it's quite hard for me to get through without feeling like I could burst into tears.
My own Nan, who is the most awesome 92 year old you could possibly hope to meet, is slowly but surely slipping away from us as dementia takes its toll. She still knows us, thankfully - but her short term memory is eroded, and like the grandma in this story, her behaviour becomes more erratic as time passes. We see her as much as we can, and my mum (who read this graphic short and almost burst into tears on the spot) is lucky in that she has lots of help and good folk to pitch in where the state cannot.
I urge you to take some time out of your day to read this. Perhaps read it to / with your children, and perhaps share it with others whose lives are touched by senile dementia in any way. It's beautifully written, it speaks to you in a voice that people who slam comics as 'worthless' need to listen to more often. The illustrations and expressions will tip you over the edge too, if (like me) you really ride an emotional roller coaster day in day out.
I've been in touch with Metaphrog, to thank them for being the awesome folk they are and also to thank them for producing an amazing piece of work. You'll be hearing a lot more about them from us soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this because it's truly truly something.