The Death of Me? James Burns. Burns Comics. 64pp. Available for Free.
I greatly appreciate a James Burns comic for it’s heart-felt and straightforward approach. Burns depicts himself in his comic pretty much the way I imagine he is in real life: just a guy trying to get some answers and live his life. There’s a distinctive sense of humor to what he does and, of course, a sobering honesty.
Life has no guarantees.
No, not all has been well for Mr. Burns. As he jokes in this book, he sort of stumbled upon a life crisis genre all his own. There was the comic book about his detached retina. Then there was the one about his gall bladder surgery. Very traumatic events, no doubt, and certainly worthy of an exploration through the comics medium. You know, in fact, we now have this steadily growing and evolving comics genre, graphic medicine. So, Burns was ahead of his time when he started documenting the ways his body “betrayed” him, as he states himself in his work. In this 64-page comic, Burns tells you what happens when you get the notice that you’ve got prostate cancer–and the journey ahead.
The beast that can help save a life.
This particular journey will involve radiation therapy. After doing some research, and soul-searching, Burns concluded he was willing to accept the pros and cons of radiation therapy. As Burns proceeds to unveil the whole process, you can’t help but feel like you’re there with him–and that’s part of the point. The subject of illness and life-threatening events, in general, is a very delicate subject. I think Burns is letting the reader know that, enough is enough, let’s get on with it and talk about it.
The joy of baking bread.
This journey will also, thankfully, involve baking bread–or, at least, it could. It does for Burns. Baking bread is one fine way to cope. I know my cooking and baking skills have improved exponentially over the years as my own life has become more complex and challenging. Who knows, you too may end up a master baker or chef. Life happens. Death happens. Sometimes you need to be a grown-up about it and discuss it. I hand it to James for finding ways to balance informing the reader with being down-to-earth. James Burns has made a great contribution to the graphic medicine genre of comics. For anyone confronting prostate cancer, or who knows someone who is, or just wants to learn more about the subject, this is an essential read.
To view the wide selection of comics created by James Burns, be sure to visit him at Burns Comics. Also, be sure to visit Malecare for details on prostate cancer and how to receive a free PDF of this comic book. Malecare is a leading prostate cancer nonprofit organization and the most respected prostate cancer patient advocacy group globally. Founded in 1998, Malecare has grown into America’s first, largest, and foremost men’s cancer support and advocacy nonprofit.
