Stephen Downey's cover art for the 2011 version of Absence
Absence is an autobiographical comic written by Andrew Luke on the subject of living with epilepsy. It started life in February 2010 as a 24 hour comic illustrated by Luke. A reworked version with a tightened script, illustrated by Stephen Downey, was published for free in April 2011 with the aid of a grant from the UnLtd Millenium Awards Fund, in print, online and as an iPhone/iPad app developed by Morten Thomson of Norwegian-based Oxicomics.
Of the original, blogger Danny Pongo says:
"Fantastic! A perfectly measured mix of poignancy, humour, and what i took most from it was its informative, educational aspects. should be essential reading for anyone coping with epilepsy, along with their loved ones, and makes for a far better more aunthentic experience than those dry boke NHS screeds you find."
To date, 10,000 copies were distributed over Northern Ireland, with an additional 5,000+ views online. In addition to the UnLtd Award, Absence has been nominated for a number of awards, and the subject of a documentary in post-production by film-maker Joe McStravick.
In February 2012, Oxicomics used Absence to demonstrate their new HTML5 Comics Reader; an in-browser version which emulates their app.
External links[]
Press[]
- The reworked Absence reviewed at Irish Comic News
- Review at Geeking Out About...
- Review at Comics Bulletin
- Review at Forbidden Planet
- Library Journal: Graphic novel short takes: health and medicine includes a brief review of Absence