Comic Books and Epilepsy

Comic books have always highlighted the underdog’s fight against a looming unclear villain and the plight of outcasts relentlessly working for acceptance. Would it really be a surprise to anyone that people with Epilepsy sprint to the art form?

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On this, National Comic Book Day, we wanted to highlight just a couple of people who are creating comics. we love. While there are plenty of us that just enjoy reading comics, these two actually push the art form forward. Oh! By the way, they also have Epilepsy.

David Gallaher

Alumni of both Marvel and DC Comics, David Gallaher is the writer of Only Living Boy, Only Living Girl, and High Moon books. He’s also had the talent (and luck) to write for one of DC’s biggest franchises The Green Lantern.

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After all that, he still spends any spare time he can muster working tirelessly with the Children’s Tumor Foundation looking to bring awareness to both Neurofibromatosis and its association with Epilepsy.

While David Gallaher does his work in comics begins the scene, our next highlight brings his Epilepsy to the forefront

Ryan and his Lightning Monk

The comic character, Lightning Monk, utilizes his extra electricity in his brain to power his cyborg body. Ryan uses Lightning Monk as a metaphor to tell his semiautobiographical tale of how he personally has adapted to his own Epilepsy diagnosis over the many decades of seizures.

There are currently four Lightning Monk books. Ryan works tirelessly day by day as the writer, penciler, inker, colorer, and letterer to create more. Lightning Monk is a perfect example of how comics can be infused by the battles of the people creating them.

Let’s Read!

So on this National Comic Book Day, let’s read some comics. Reading comics online is great, but why stop there? Let’s dawn our capes (and especially our masks) and head to our local comic book shop.

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I’m sure they would love to hear from you, and who knows what you will find in the pages within.