MonsterMind: Dealing With Anxiety & Self-Doubt Review

Alfonso Casas's MonsterMind is a very personal account of the inner monsters that live inside his head. But, who doesn't have a monster inside them? Who has never heard that voice inside their head undermining everything they do? You're not good enough . . . You just got really lucky . . . There are people far better and more qualified than you . . . In a very honest exercise, Alfonso Casas identifies and introduces his own monsters to his readers: Mr. Past Traumas, Mr. Fear, Mr. Social Anxiety, Mr. Impostor Syndrome, Mr. Sadness, Mr. Doubt... The pessimistic, the insecure, the self-demanding, the monster that keeps you from sleeping while you think of what you could have said back in that conversation two years ago, or that keeps you looking over the punctuation of every text message to figure out the tone lurking beneath the surface. All those monsters make up the bestiary of contemporary society. But the anxiety generation is expert in more things: in looking inside themselves and their lives, and--why not?--in laughing at their own neuroses as best they can. In the end, if the monsters won't leave us, we might as well get to know them and laugh at them! Anxiety is another pandemic, but the monsters dwelling inside us are funny, too (especially as drawn by Alfonso Casas).

Review

An e-arc of the book has been provided by the publisher, Diamond Book Distributor/ Ablaze, in exchange for an honest review.

“This isn’t the triumphant tale of a hero who defeated his monsters. It’s just a story of somebody who’s learning to live with them.”

A brilliant graphic novel, in so many levels, MonsterMind, tells the story of Alfonso Casa as he struggles with his mental monsters.

The beauty of the book shines with the vulnerability of the author’s story. A truly mesmerizing realization of the story, the art combined a lighthearted drawing style with a black and white concept. I adore the art style used in this book. Even with the gloom of the story, the style marked a sense of comfort.

There is an interesting tone with the lack of sharp lines and shapes with the drawing, and the presence of circular patterns and thick line art, provided a wonderful lightness to the overall atmosphere to the story.

“My two perpetual moods/ I wish everybody would leave me alone/ Fuck, I’m so lonely.”

In addition, these use of lines and drawing provided a strong connotation on the relativity of these “monsters,” noting that they are not something to hate but something to embrace. Similarly, the use of few lines in such a heavy topic gave room for readers to internalize and visualize their own struggles within the story without being drowned by it.

The pages consisted of few panels making them easily digestible. These panels provide room for easy processing of the situation and stimulating the brain — giving room for internalizing the story.

“I’m so tormented by the past and so worried about the future I can’t focus on the present.”

Giving a breath of character to these personal struggles made it so that they are easily conquerable — real.

What makes this graphic novel so special is the author’s courage in showing his vulnerable side. He gave us a story and he also showed us the inside of his mind, dismantling a very personal narrative. There is an incomparable beauty in this execution of story and it was the very essence as to why this graphic novel is effective.

Buy a copy here.

1 thought on “MonsterMind: Dealing With Anxiety & Self-Doubt Review”

  1. Pingback: Top 5 Wednesday: Mental Health - Wander with Jon

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