Writer/artist Schuitema’s deeply affecting debut, a biographical portrait of William “Bill” Delaroux, charts the course of an ordinary yet extraordinary life from the 1950s into the 21st century, laying bare with rare frankness and empathy the heart, ambitions, and mental and physical health challenges of a young man coming of age in tumultuous circumstances. The story of a man looking for the chance to belong, C5/C6 charts, with ample real-life detail, Delaroux’s bumptious childhood with a mother whose first instinct is to run from any upsetting situation—a mother experiencing mental health issues that nobody in her life has the language or understanding to address. Restless teen Delaroux turns to drugs and petty crime in the 1960s, and then to the military as a lifeline in the 1970s, but soon faces his own mental health problems that spin his life out of control.The biggest challenge comes after his discharge. Showboating on a beach getaway, Delaroux, in his early 20s, suffers a spinal injury that leaves him a quadripilegic, bound to a wheelchair, wearing a “leg bag” for urine, and needing assistance with “bowel care.” Grueling rehab, a devastating mental break, and increasing conflict with his mother, his inconstant caretaker, don’t diminish his enthusiasm for life or his quest for love and connection. Schuitema’s storytelling, rendered in raw yet evocative linework in classic panel grids, proves continually potent and engaging, as attentive to Delaroux’s everyday drift of mind as to his mistakes, conflicts, tragedies, and triumphs.
Convincing moments and telling detail accrete, over nearly 300 pages, into a fully developed portrait of a man, his life, and his family. Schuitema deftly handles heartbreaks, hi-jinks, and anecdotes both thrilling—like young Delaroux’s experiences climbing Miami Beach hotel balconies—and terrifying, especially concerning the horror of having special needs neglected by doctors. She finds human drama in every page without sensationalism, offering a work of vivid clarity and power.
Takeaway: This powerful graphic novel makes urgent, touching drama out of one man’s life.
Great for fans of: Harvey Pekar, Al Davison’s The Spiral Cage.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
