Hard times are inevitable. Everyone experiences difficult times at one point or another in their life, whether it be relationship issues, failure in school or a diagnosis of a mental illness. During these times it is essential to have friends and family there for encouragement, provide an external perspective, and support. Examples of these instances can be seen in the following comics: Lighter Than my Shadow by Katie Green, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney, and “Adventures in Depression” and “Depression Part 2” from Hyperbole and a Half. Each of these comics consist of a main character who gets diagnosed with a mental illness, acting as a traumatic event that alters the way they live their life. Lighter, Marbles and Depression are comics that differ in the mental illness the main character possesses, but are comparative in the main argument, or thesis, of the comic: the importance of having friends and family during a life-changing event in order to seek help and change for the better.
Friends and family serve as an essential support system throughout the journey of a mental illness, by listening to the mentally ill individual and caring for them. In Lighter, Katie is
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Their family and friends are essential in order to provide support by listening and caring for them. From support, they are able to provide an external perspective to the characters who often have a clouded judgement due to sadness about their illness. In addition, these friends and family members encourage the character to seek help for their illness and change back to their normal lifestyle. Without these friends and family members the mentally ill character would be less likely to seek help for their illness and change back to their normal